《Towers of the Gods》


 Chapter 1 : Whisked Away

    Nathan woke with a start looking with wide eyes at the stone room around him. The dim orange glow of torches hanging on the walls the only light to see by.


    ¡®Where am I, and how in the blazes did I get here?¡¯ he thinks as he looks at the room ¡®one hell of a dream this is¡¯ ¡°Hahahaha¡± he laughs self-deprecating.


    ¡®Feels a bit too real for a dream, but it still does not tell me where I am?¡¯


    ¡®The last thing I remember is walking home after stopping at the corner store not far from my apartment¡¯ calming down he feels the stone cold floor below him.


    Standing up he dusts himself off and picks up his sack of goods from the floor.


    ¡®Did I get hauled off to some old church or castle? That is the only things I can think of that would be made of crude stone bricks that look like this. Well if I am in some castle this must be the dungeons cause I don¡¯t see any windows and is rather cold and dreary down here¡¯ he thinks as he chuckles to himself.


    ¡®At least there is a door to get out¡¯ he thinks as he walks over to the only door leading to the room.


    The door is made of wood and creaks as he opens it, a blast of cold air greets him into the dark exterior. He takes a hesitant step outside only to freeze in his tracks and promptly walks back into the room and the slam the door behind him as he goes. He walks over to one corner of the room sits down pulls up and hugs his knees and rocks back a forth with his eyes sealed shut for what little good it does, his bag of goods dropped and completely forgotten about outside the door for what he sees even with his eyes closed.


    [Leaving Safe Zone]


    ¡°Hahahahahahahaha¡± he laughs with a hint of sadness and insanity.


    Nathan had read enough online stories to have a good idea of what had happened to him.


    ¡°Hahahahah, I have been whisked away from my home to some godforsaken planet with a bloody system. Hahahahaha, guess that idea of this being a dungeon may not be far off, Hahahahahahahaha¡± crying a bit on the inside he tries to calm down as being upset will do him no good.


    ¡°Damn bloody hard that is, these stories always have two ways they go either the main character is overpowered and or has death-defying luck or just plain good luck or they are stuck in some blood-drenched world where everyone and everything is out to get you and have you for lunch. Hahahahahahaha¡± from nonacceptance to acceptance to sadness to rage his emotions cycle seemingly without end until he has no energy left and the only thing to do is to accept it and move on.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    If this were another time he might just go on and forget about his little episode but the acceptance with facts literally staring him in the face brings Nathan nothing but dread. The dread of what the future holds, dread of how he is going to die, and dread of all the shit he is going to have to do if he does not want to die and by god he does not want to die.


    Having lost all track of the time he looks up at the message and wills it away, the message obeys. Drying his tears on his shirt he gets up and shambles over to the door opening it up to be met with another blast of cold air. Peeking outside he looks into the darkness with apprehension. He looks for anything that may be lurking in the dark and seeing nothing he snatches is bag and hauls it back inside before slamming the door.


    Leaning on the door with his heart pounding and breathing heavy he opens the bag and takes stock of what he bought at the store. A soda, a bowl of packaged dry ramen, a few candy bars, toilet paper, and a key chain of a cool looking sword he bought on a whim. Not much to live on if he was being real with himself. He pulls a pocket knife and wallet out of his pant pockets along with a pen.


    ¡®Dad always said to never go anywhere without a pocket knife, I am so happy I followed his philosophy. The pen, money, and everything else in my wallet won¡¯t do me much good, especially the money it might as well be useless paper now¡¯ he pulls out a picture of the last time the family was all together ¡®at least I will have something to remember them by¡¯ he smiles but it does not reach his eyes.


    With a sigh he puts everything away and walks over to a torch on the wall ¡® can I just take these? They look slotted in so might as well try.¡¯ he grabs the base of the torch and pulls it free of its mount with a smile. ¡®At Least I now have light, so that is good¡¯ he sighs again ¡®might as well get it done with¡¯ he had been putting off testing one thing the thing that would right and truly prove that either he was absolutely insane or this was all real, he needed to check his stats.


    ¡°Stats¡± the moment he had the thought it showed up but he wanted to say it just to put home what he was doing and how crazy this all was.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class: None]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:78]


    [Mana:120]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills: None]


    [Titles: Otherworlder]


    With much frustration, he tries several times to focus on the different stats to get a popup telling him about it, butit does not work until the last one the title Otherworlder.


    [Otherworlder: A being not of this world]


    ¡®A fat lot of good that does me!¡¯ frustrated with the stats he closes it and faces the door.


    ¡®I am going to have to leave this room sometime, and now that I have something to light the way I might as well get on with it, but damn if I don¡¯t want to. I am sure there is nothing good out there but I need to get out of this place and find some food and water or I am going to die of dehydration and or starve to death. Maybe a friendly monster or something will kill me before that.¡¯ ¡°Hahahahahaha. I would rather starve to death than be eaten alive,¡± he says with a deadpan tone.


    He grabs his bag and does the best he can to tie it to his belt and pulls out his pocket knife. Knife in one hand torch in the other he screws up the courage and walks out the door into the dark unknown.

 Chapter 2 : Bled Dry

    Nathan sits staring at the photo of him and his family, thinking of better days away from this place as the past few days had not been kind. The picture is just before he had gone off to live on his own, his older brother Richard was back from college on break but he was soon headed back to their parents thought it seemed like the best time to take a photo before the boys went off and their younger sister was the only kid left in the house.


    The picture shows Robert Nathan¡¯s dad on the left and in the back with his best smile, dark brown hair, square jaw, and brown eyes. Robert has his left arm wrapped around Mary Nathan¡¯s mom with her loving smile that light up the room her long blond hair and deep blue eyes that you could sink into if you looked too long and her delicate rounded face. Nathan¡¯s parents were both getting on in years in their mid-forties, and Robert is starting to show it with his bulging beer belly. Time had been more kind to Mary she still looks in her thirties and she always teased Robert about him looking so much older than her, it was all in good fun and they had a loving marriage.


    To the left and just in front of Robert is Richard with Robert¡¯s right hand on his shoulder Richard looked the spitting image of his dad Robert with slight influences from his mother. He is fit at twenty-five and by some standards even handsome with his dark brown hair and brown expressive eyes.


    In the middle is Nathan with his short shaggy brown hair slim but toned build and piercing deep blue eyes that came from his mom. In fact, he looked more like his mom, he did not get his brother and dads square jaw which at times he was a bit miffed about as it seemed Richard got all the girls and Nathan just could not get a break. Nathan had not had any long-lasting relationship with anyone the longest he had gone was four week with one girl in high school which ended the moment she went off to college, she going to one on the other side of the country made it hard to stay in a relationship and had told him so the day she moved. Nathan had not been very pleased about that and had moped around the house for days before his mom had a talk with him and his dad kicked him out and told him to go to college that they were paying for, he had missed a few days and needed to get off his ass or so his dad had said.


    To the right of Nathan is his sister Susan or Susie as she likes to be called thinking that Susan was a bit too old for her. Susie was the opposite of her brother Richard and looked very little like her father she is the spitting image of her mother with her blond hair and blue eyes. Being three years younger than Nathan she was a little bit spoiled growing up with her father giving her almost anything she wanted and her mother having to rain in on some of the more wild ideas she came up with. Richard loved his little baby sister thinking she is just a little angel that he needs to protect, Nathan, on the other hand, thinks she is a brat with no limits, he still loved her sure and if any guy messed with her he would be there to defend her but otherwise he thinks she is just annoying.


    Nathan sighed ¡°I miss them all, even my damn brat of a sister. The thought of never seeing them again . . .¡± nothing more needed to be said, the emotions of sadness, despair, and a hint of homesickness overwhelmed Nathan.


    Nathan dried his eyes on his sleeve got up and walked to the door, opening it he stepped back into the darkness once more.


    __________


    Having sorted through his bag and wallet Nathan lifted the torch out in front of him as he opened the door into the dark cave for the first time. He could not see far into the darkness and what he could make out was distorted by the orange glow from the torch. The light twisted and turned as it seemed to retreat into the darkness, it was better than nothing Nathan thought as he waved the torch around and picked a direction. With a wall about twenty feet in front of him and passages leading off to the left and right he looked into the gloom and headed down the tunnel to the right.


    The echoes of Nathan''s first few steps scared him shitless, think that something was behind him he wiped the torch around to stare into the darkness waiting for a monster to come out. After a minute of heavy breathing with nothing to show for it, he continued walking and every so often taking a glance behind him to make sure nothing was sneaking up on him form the dark.


    ¡®Feel like a damn fool for being scared of my own footsteps¡¯ he thought to himself with shame.


    Nathan flinched with every step he took at the sounds of his footsteps echoing back, hoping it would not alert something that he was there. Walking for about ten minutes give or take, his focus starts to drift as he looks at the cave around him.


    The cave is dark but wide with loose rocks crunching underfoot. Nathan looked up to try and see the ceiling but the light from the torch faded before it could reach it. The air was cool but not cold so that was a blessing. Nathan trudged on as he hugged the left wall looking for any passageways as he watched the shadows dance on the wall making him think of all the horrors that could be in this place, from demons to ghosts, his mind wandered thinking of all the bad things that could be out to get him. These thoughts did little to help his state of mind and his nerves were starting to fray from the constant worry and dread of the place.


    At first, he thought his steps were just echoing more until the sound got louder after a minute of walking. He stopped dead in his tracks heart racing with his hands trembling as he waited for the noise to approach. Before long the rumbling got so loud it was hard to think straight, a creature the size of a dog then burst into the torchlight. It seemed to just materialize out of the darkness as it came barreling towards him with it mouth wide showing off its many white pointed teeth ready to rip Nathan in half.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Thinking fast Nathan barrel rolled to the left dropping his torch on the way, coming to stop in a crouch. Nathans dropped torch lit up the area and showed the creature in its full glory. The lizard by Nathans best guess had rough sand colored scales with spikes coming out here and there and some wicked looking ones coming out the back of its head, with its long tail covered with long sharp looking spikes. The creature in question that had come to a stop about twenty feet from Nathan turned around and growled at him, staring at Nathan with its beady black eyes it scraped at the floor with its feet for claws.


    Nathan stared at the lizard as it looked back at him when Nathan got a popup.


    [New Skill Learned: Inspect]


    With Nathan¡¯s attention drawn away the creature took the moment to attack. Cursing himself for getting distracted he had to roll out of the creatures way once more. It was getting wise to his tricks and as he rolled away the lizard swiped its tail at Nathan as it passed. The spikes on the tail scraped Nathan''s back going flesh deep Nathan screamed out in pain as he tumbled to the floor, the pain was unbearable. As Nathans mind reeled in pain the creature waited a moment to make sure the thing in front of it had no other tricks before it pounced on Nathan. Spots dotting his vision Nathan saw the creature pounce and did the best thing he could think of and brought he pocket knife to bear, the lizard thinking it was going for the kill did not notice the weapon in time and impaled itself on the weapon.


    The pocket knife pierced through the lizard''s soft underbelly into its heart, the lizard reeled in shock from the attack as it backed off it scraped Nathans arm with its claws leaving a deep gash. The lizard pulled away in a daze as blood poured from its underbelly the knife catering to the floor. Nathan took that chance to use his one good arm and legs to pull himself away from the creature. Pain laced down his back and arm as he watched the lizard thrash in its death throes as it bleeds out from the fatal wound.


    Looking down at his left arm Nathan grimaced ¡®its claws must have nicked an artery cause my blood is just pouring out¡¯ Nathan thought as he tried to think of a way to stop the bleeding. ¡®God I am going to die to the first creature I meet, how lame am I!¡¯ ¡°Hahahahahaha¡± Nathan coughs uncontrollably for a few seconds then glances at the lizard. It is on its final breaths, wheezing the lizard glares at Nathan with hatred in its eyes. Not long after the lizard takes its last breath and dies while its killer Nathan bleeds out on the cold cave floor.


    [Horned Desert Lizard Killed]


    [No Class To Impart Experience To]


    [Please Choose A Class]


    Nathan is shocked to see the messages but pleased at the same time ¡®now only if there is some class that will save my ass from bleeding out¡¯ he thinks as he looks down at his arm again. It is not a pretty sight the flesh is all twisted and flayed at the edges as his blood pours out of the wound then down onto the floor where it is starting to make a nice sized pool that is soaking into his clothes. Nathan turns his focus back onto the screen in front of him.


    [Class Selection]


    [Warrior]


    [Mage]


    [Archer]


    [Labourer]


    Nathan scanned through the list with haste and picked Mage as that had the best chance of saving him at the moment. Plus a mage, who did not want to be a mage, and wield amazing magical powers! ¡®Hopefully, there is healing magic I can use to fix my arm and back¡¯ Nathan thought to himself with hope, but life is never perfect.


    [Choose Element]


    [Fire]


    [Water]


    [Earth]


    [Air]


    ¡°Four! Only four bloody elements! What the hell, where is the healing magic I need damn screen give me healing magic!¡± enraged he started a hacking cough by the end of his rant.


    Calming down he thought to himself ¡®Fuck what am I supposed to do now?¡¯


    ¡®I could pick water that sometimes has healing related properties. Though I would not bet my life on it, and I am betting my life on it so no! Then what? I don¡¯t think Earth and Air are going to help seal up this gash.¡¯ Then Nathan thought of something that would save him but it would be painful and not fun at all. He could sear the wound shut with fire.


    ¡°Hahahaha¡± he chuckled really not wanting to do it but not having much choice in the matter, or just bleed out there are the floor and die. ¡®I am already starting to feel faint and the edges of my vision are getting clouded or is that just the darkness?¡¯ he thought to himself.


    Making his decision he taps Fire as his vision get filled with popups and his head throbs with pain.


    [You Have Chosen The Fire Element]


    [Now Imparting Relevant Skills]


    [Fire Affinity]


    [Mana Sense]


    [Mana Channeling]


    [Spell Creation]


    [Class Changed To Mage]


    [Class Level Up]


    [Class Changed To Fire Mage]


    Nathan¡¯s mind burned with pain as information on how to use the skills are drilled into his mind. As the pain fades from his mind pain shoots up through his arm as he realizes he had been holding his head with it, the fact he could move it at all surprised Nathan, with how mangled it looked. Now there is blood running down his back and soaked into his hair.


    Haste was of the essence as his head holding left him drained of all energy. Nathan felt he had not long before he fainted from shock. It had been only around a minute since the lizard had died when Nathan brought up his good hand palm up in front of his face. He had a vague sense of what he needed to do, he knew he could make a spell to create fire but he did not have the time for that, so he just went for the crude method. He willed the fire to appear above his hand, as the fire surged to life above his palm Nathan realized how taxing it was, he did not know how long he could hold the fire for. Nathan grimaced as he looked at this arm thinking of how much this it was going to hurt. He hesitated for a second then with haste he brought the fire to his arm and started to sear the wound shut down the length of his arm.


    ¡®I thought the pain from the wound is bad but this is excruciating!¡¯ mind muddled by pain and having to keep the fire going he slowly burns his wound shut, as the fire passes over the wound he can see the blackened and scarred skin left behind. The moment he is done with his gruesome work his mind goes blank the fire blinks out and he collapses onto the cave floor.

 Chapter 3 : Fire is Fun

    Nathan woke in a daze covered in sweat, with waves of dull pain radiating throughout his body. The cave is pitch black the torch has gone out at some point while he was passed out.


    Nathan lays on the floor thinking of the fight with the lizard and what he could have done better while he regains his senses. Without warning Nathans stomach twists with pain, he rolls to his side and pukes what little he has left in his stomach onto the floor. His mind and body are in disarray ¡®I have a splitting headache and it feels like someone is sticking pins and needles in me¡¯ he bemoans.


    Nathan lays on his side catching his breath. ¡®Not much I could have done about the lizard that I can think of, I am just not made for this shit. Best I can see doing is to not get distracted as I did by the popup. Might have saved me some pain and suffering¡¯ he ruminates to himself.


    Pushing himself up with his good arm he stands unsteady and tries to find his balance. Bringing his right palm face up he wills a small flame into existence lighting the cave up in a flash of bright orange light. Looking down at himself he can see his clothes are caked in dried blood, his blood.


    He looks at his left arm ¡®God that is a mess, not even sure that is an arm.¡¯ ¡°Hahahaha¡± he laughs in self-pity.


    His bag of goods is still tied to his belt a miracle it did not come off during the fight. He looks over to the lizard¡¯s body not far from him. Walking over to it he sees if maybe it dropped anything this is a dungeon after all right?


    Nathan grunts in pain as he stumbles around for a few minutes looking for anything on or by the lizard. ¡®I don¡¯t want to cut into the thing to see if I find anything in it, so I am just got to leave it. I am not sure how long I was out but I don¡¯t think I can face another lizard right now so I need to get back to the safe zone and figure out what I am going to do.¡¯


    Walking over to the wall to his left he leans on it as he starts to make his way back to the safe zone the fire of his own creation lighting the way in its dim orange glow. The trip back is ponderous with each step wearing down his stamina, he has to stop every few minutes to take a small rest. Hoping that another lizard does not show up while he is in a weakened state.


    Nathan being tired and delirious he almost misses the door leading to the safe zone. Opening the door he collapses the moment he has the door shut behind him. ¡®The room looks the same as the last time I was here so that is good.¡¯ ¡°Humm?¡± Nathan notices something odd, the torch he took early is back or has been replaced by a new one. ¡®Now that is an interesting prospect to think about. Does this place just recreate everything? Wonder how it decides why and when it does that? I also noticed the lizard corpse had not despawned by the time I woke up? If it despawns them at all? Something to puzzle out later¡¯ he thinks to himself.


    ¡°Guess I might as well get on it,¡± he says with a sigh. Pulling up his stats Nathan looks over the changes.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class:Fire Mage Lvl:1]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:78]


    [Mana:120]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills:Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation]


    [Titles:Otherworlder]


    Nathan focuses on his new skills to try and get a popup with Inspect first.


    [Inspect Lvl:1 Allows the user to obtain information on living things by focusing on them. Range and information provided increases with level.]


    ¡®Of course, the stereotypical skill to help identify creatures and other things. Suppose there is no surprise there. Next¡¯ he thinks to himself.


    [Fire Affinity Lvl:1 The ability to create and control fire with mana. Become one with fire to advance in ability.]


    ¡®Cool, really, really, cool but still expected. Not sure what become one with fire means? Do I have to burn myself? Not going to be trying that, at least until my other options are used, whatever those are?¡¯


    [Mana Sense Lvl:1 With this skill you can sense the ebb and flow of mana around and in you with more clarity. More range and clarity come with mastery.]


    ¡®Another fantasy world staple, but sweet nonetheless. The range of the sense right now does not go more than an inch away from my body. Can¡¯t wait till I can sense the mana around me within a mile¡¯ Nathan thinks of the future power he may at some point wield with a funny grin on his face.


    [Mana Channeling Lvl:1 The ability to power spells with mana. Power and efficiency increase with Level.]


    ¡°Humm¡± ¡®So if I level this up my spells will get more powerful and I will use less mana for each spell. This is one I am going to need to get as high as I can as fast as I can.¡¯


    [Spell Creation Lvl:1 Knowledge and skill of spell creation. The more complex and varied spells will become in higher levels]


    ¡®This is my ticket out of this hell hole, fireballs galore here I come!¡¯ he thinks with a smile.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡®Now how do I actually make a spell? Let¡¯s see if I remember correctly I need to make the spell construct then channel mana through it to active the spell.¡¯ ¡°Okay, that is freaky this whole knowledge being implanted into your head thing is really unsavory,¡± he says as a cold chill runs down his spine and goosebumps down his arms. ¡°I suppose it is helpful in learning what you need,¡± he says with a shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°Time to get on with making that spell construct,¡± he says with gusto.


    Nathan spends a few minutes working on building the spell construct. ¡®Damn this is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have to somehow embed my Fire affinity into the construct then build a command structure on how the spell is to operate around that. Then channel mana into the embedded fire affinity to active the spell. The hard part is the command structure, it seems to be based on some runic language with tons of variations and variables to achieve what you want and I only know a few runes. The really hard part is the fact I have to focus on the structure as I build it, almost like I am creating an imprint of the spell construct in my mind to then make and channel mana through. I was trying to go for a fireball but there are just too many variables I have to hold in my head to make it that is is just not feasible at my level¡¯ he thinks to himself.


    ¡®So I think I am going to have to start with something simpler. Maybe the candlelight spell? That more or less what I was doing with just my fire affinity, though I get the feeling a real spell will not cause nearly as much strain on my mind. Maybe I will not have to focus on it at all.¡¯ he thinks to himself.


    Nathan waits for his mana to regen then gets to work on the candlelight spell with far more success. ¡®I have to whole spell made now but damn if this is not hard. I have to now channel mana through the spell while holding the structure in place. I almost have to split my mind and focus on doing two different things to get his done.¡¯ ¡°Ughh¡± he groans to himself. ¡°Fifth times the charm I guess¡± he laughs to himself.


    The progress is slow and aggravating, but with each try, Nathan slowly gets closer to the goal. With great willpower and concentration, he finally manages to active the spell on his thirtieth-sixth try. Joy floods Nathan as he jumps up and does a little gig. ¡°The spell was executed with horrible efficiency, I spent far more mana than I needed to activate it. but I should get better at it as I go¡±


    [Spell Learned: Candle Flame]


    [Skill Learned: Concentration]


    Nathan accidentally looks at the descriptions of the new skills.


    [Candle Flame Lvl:1 Every young fire mages stepping stone onto the greater path of pyromancy. The spell creates a stationary small flickering flame. Spell Cost:10 Hold Cost:6 per minute]


    ¡®Awesome this is exactly what I needed.¡¯ Nathan tries out the spell again. The flame is created above wherever he makes the spell but then just sits there not moving. ¡®Now only if I can get it to follow me¡¯ he thinks to himself. ¡®I will have to work on that later, let¡¯s check out the next one.¡¯


    [Concentration Lvl:1 Focus more deeply while allowing fewer things to distract you. Deeper focus with level increase]


    ¡®I noticed when I went to make the spell again I could hold the structure in my mind with far more ease. So this is a huge boon to me.¡¯ Nathan thinks to himself.


    ¡®All this work is making me parched and my stomach has been growling for the last minute. Which got in the way of making the spell. In fact, I was thirsty when I got back but I only have this one pop¡¯ Nathan thinks as he pulls out the pop from the plastic bag tied to his waist. ¡®Plus I will need some water to cook up the ramen. At Least I don¡¯t have to worry about heating it up¡¯ he laughs.


    ¡°I wonder when I am going to get out of here. I have only been here for a little bit but I almost died on my first excursion. I might starve or more likely die of dehydration if I can¡¯t find water¡± he ponders with worry and apprehension.


    ¡°I am going to have to go back out there and hope I can find some water or I am dead one way or the other,¡± he says as he stares with a blank look at the walls of the stone room.


    After a minute of rumination, he gets to work on making the candlelight follow him, or rather making a spell similar to candlelight that will follow him. The change to the spell does not seem to be a hard one but the extra commands needed in the structure are complex. He has to put in distance runes so it does not get too close or far away, follow runes that tell it to follow, and other safety runes and features to make sure he does not get burned. That is the one strange difference about fire made with spells verse affinity that Nathan noticed while making the spell. Flames made with affinity don¡¯t burn unless willed to while flames made by spells do not matter what.


    ¡®I am not sure why this is but it is something to look into later¡¯ he ponders to himself.


    Work on the spell is slow if not slower than Candle Light was. ¡®If it was not for concentration I am not sure I could do this, but I am getting close just need a bit more to channel the mana through the construct.¡¯


    The grind of spell creation to waiting for his mana to regen then spell creation is slow but Nathan is persistent. While he waits for his mana to regen Nathan meditates attempting to get a related skill. ¡®In almost all the stories there is a meditate skill that helps speed up mana regen so hopefully, this is not for nothing.¡¯ Nathan is not the best at meditation he had never done it much before other than to see if he could. Needless to say, he sucked at it he keeps getting distracted by different things either his legs started cramping or his arms did not feel quite right in a certain position or he got an itch or had to sneeze, so problem always broke his concentration.


    However, since he had got the skill concentration he was having a better go of it and could feel himself getting closer to true meditation. After many attempts, it finally paid off.


    [Skill Learned: Meditation]


    [Meditation Lvl:1 The ability to relax and clear your mind of thought. Mana regen increases the higher the level]


    ¡°YES!¡± Nathan clenches his fist and smiles happily as he finally got the skill. ¡®Not sure by how much it increases my regen but it is better than nothing I guess?¡¯


    A few rotations of spell creation and mana regen later Nathan finally succeeds in executing the spell. ¡°Ha!¡± He yells with happiness.


    [Candle Flame Leveled Up]


    [Candle Flame Leveled Up]


    [Candle Flame Leveled Up]


    [Candle Flame Leveled Up]


    Surprised Nathan looks at the spell.


    [Candle Flame Lvl:5 Every young fire mages stepping stone onto the greater path of pyromancy.


    The spell creates a large safe following flame. Spell Cost:20 Hold Cost:8 per minute]


    Overjoyed Nathan creates two flames the size of ping pong balls to follow him around. The spell came to him with more ease, and the power increase of the flames he added worked wonderfully. He stared at the two flames floating next to him, with one on each side. He also added a little command in the structure so he could move them around at will and they would stay at that distance from him. The spell was all and good but having to running at the same time was putting a large stain on his mind as he had to constantly keep one part of his mind channeling mana into them.


    ¡°I think I should just stick to one from now on, at least until I have better control,¡± he said to himself.


    ¡®I did not expect the spell to just upgrade. I thought I was making a whole new spell. This is some good info to have. Also, I have probably spent about a day here but it is hard to tell when I can¡¯t see the sun, but my parched throat and grumbling stomach are key hints it has been about that long¡¯ he thinks to himself


    Nathan done playing with Candle Light dismisses the flames. ¡°Okay, time to work on that fireball now!¡± he says with hope and a bit more experience under his belt.


    Nathan spends the next few hours or so he thinks to work on the fireball spell. The spell is difficult since getting the fire large enough takes many runes. He has to add more fuel runes to keep the fire going and power runes to make the ball large enough so it does some real damage whatever he throws it at. Making all the runes not interfere with each other is a real challenge and the spell has a tendency to explode when things go wrong, he almost burnt his hair off the first time that happened, so he has to add safety measures to prevent that.


    Nathan does succeed after many tries though, but it is not quite what he hoped it would be.


    [Spell Learned Fireball]


    [Fireball Lvl:1 The true start of a Pyromancers spell repertoire. Creates a ball of fire that launches. Spell Cost:20]


    ¡°It is a lot smaller than I wanted and it is so inefficient. How does anybody use this thing? Plus the damn thing just goes flying off the moment it is made in whatever direction I point the spell construct in¡± Nathan grumbles to himself.


    Nathan sighs as pinches the ridge of his nose and closes his eyes. ¡°This will have to do I really need to find some water. My only hope is that the spell is effective against those damn spiky bastards and whatever else is in this place.¡±


    _________


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class:Fire Mage Lvl:1]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:78]


    [Mana:120]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills:Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation]


    [Spells:Candle Light, Fireball]


    [Titles:Otherworlder]

 Chapter 4 : Twisting Emotions

    Once in the cave Nathan casts Candle Light and has it float above his head. He takes the tunnel to the right again, wanting to check up on the corpse of the lizard. Making his way down the tunnel he keeps on high alert now that he knows what to look out for, or in this case hear as the light from Candle Light fades close to ten feet in front of him.


    Nathan slows down and keeps an eye out as he approaches where he thinks he had the battle with the lizard. Walking along he spots something reflecting the light on the ground not far ahead. Going over he bends down and picks it up, it¡¯s his pocket knife.


    ¡®The lizard should be right around here but I don¡¯t see it. Did something haul it off or did it despawn? The torch is also gone. I need to figure out how this place works but I need to keep moving to find water or something else to drink,¡¯ he thinks to himself.


    As he walks he thinks over all the information he knows so far but can¡¯t come to any good conclusions on what is going on with so little information, so puts it out of his mind for now. The cave starts to bend to the left before long. The change puts Nathan on edge expecting another lizard to come barreling in from the darkness. As he walks nothing shows it¡¯s ugly head and before he knows it he has reached an intersection.


    ¡®I got three options, which one should I take?¡¯ he thinks it over for a bit and decides ¡®I don¡¯t want to get lost so using the always take the left path sounds good then if I want to get back I can always take the right path but for how long will that work? Maybe I can mark the walls somehow?¡¯ Nathan tries to mark the way with his pocket knife with little success and with a huff takes the left path.


    It does not take him long to run into another intersection this time one leading right and one forward. He sticks to the only left rule for now. The cave is dark and eerie made worse by how it is dead silent except for Nathan''s footsteps. With possible dangers down every tunnel and in every dark shadow, Nathan is on edge with every step he takes, the wait for something to pop out at any time nerve-wracking.


    With his nerves getting to him he is about to call it quits and head back when he hears it, a rumbling noise echoes down the cave tunnel. ¡®Hear it comes¡¯ Nathan thinks to himself as he preps a Fireball construct but doesn''t channel mana through it. He holds his right hand towards the direction the sound is coming from and waits, the sound gets steadily louder and louder tell he can barely think straight and is having trouble keeping the spell construct stable.


    The lizard burst from the darkness mouth open with its pointed teeth at the ready and saliva dripping from its mouth. Rolling out of the way Nathan points his hand at the lizard and unleashes the fist-sized fireball at the broadside of the Lizard as it barrels past him. Not even waiting to check on his handy work he starts on the next fireball but he can hear the lizard scream out in pain from the attack nearly causing Nathan to lose hold of the spell construct.


    Swinging around Nathan gets a good look at the lizard. The side where it got hit is smoking and the Lizard looks pissed, it growls at Nathan before again charging at him. Sweat dripping down his forehead, breathing heavy, and with adrenaline pumping through his veins, Nathan launches the Fireball at the oncoming irate lizard and rolls to the side not checking to see if it hit and starts working on the next Fireball.


    ¡®I only got four more shots left, I hope that is enough to take it down.¡¯ he thinks to himself as he stands back up and aims at the lizard that has its front paws over its eyes and is writhing in pain. The lizard had prematurely stopped just short of where Nathan had rolled from, the Fireball having caught the lizard by surprise. Not waiting for the lizard Nathan unleashes the Fireball at the same spot he shot the first Fireball at the start of the fight, on the side of the lizard hoping to inflict even more damage. The wound on the side was still smoking from when the last Fireball hit and the skin was charred and cracked with blood oozing out. The next Fireball came it and evaporated the blood then roasted the lizards hide leaving a large charred hole in the side of the lizard. The smell of burnt lizard hangs in the air as Nathan takes deep breaths.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    As the lizard screams out in pain Nathan preps the next Fireball but this time he waits to see what it does. Nathan flinches and is about to fire when the lizard gets up and runs away or tries to but it curves and runs headlong into the cave wall. The lizard cries out in pain as it backs off from the wall and wobbles around in a daze before collapsing onto the ground. Nathan not having gotten a message about its death slowly approaches its slumped form. Coming around to the front of the lizard he can see that its eyes have been burnt to a crisp and there is a combination of ooze, blood, and black flakes of burnt eyeball.


    ¡°Well that is not a pretty sight,¡± Nathan says as he grimaces with some sadness. ¡®I don¡¯t want to leave this thing suffering but how should I go about killing it the fastest?¡¯ he thinks to himself.


    Not sure how to go about it Nathan paces back and forth for a bit thinking. ¡®I know the underside of the lizard is softer and its heart is close as that is how I killed the last one but how do I get to it? I am going to have to roll it over aren''t I,¡¯ he thinks with an even worse grimace.


    Not really wanting to touch the lizard Nathan walks over to the side not burnt by his spells and touches the underside of the lizard. A cold chill goes up his spine as his body recoils in disgust. Bracing himself he goes to lift the lizard. Nathan¡¯s hands sink into the pliable flesh of the lizard and he can feel the warmth radiating from its body into his hands as he lifts it up with his arms and legs he pushes it over with all his might.


    Panting with his hands on his knees he looks at the lizard. ¡®That was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Damn thing has to weigh almost three hundred pounds¡¯ he thinks as he takes long deep breaths to calm himself down. Between the fight and flipping the lizard, he is worn out but has one last thing to do before he can rest, killing the lizard. Pulling out his pocket knife Nathan walks over to the lizard not knowing how much force he will need to puncture the skin he holds the knife high in the air ready to plunge it into the lizard''s underside and hesitates.


    ¡®This will be the first time I will kill something. Well, I guess I have killed bugs and the such but not something this big before! Not something that can bleed all over me!¡¯ caught up in his moral dilemma he lowers the knife to his side and silently states at the lizard, he can smell the smoke wafting up from the burn on its side. Nathan coughs as he breathes in the smoke, it burns as it enters his lungs. Eyes watering from the smoke he backs off from the lizard not sure what to do.


    ¡®I know it was trying to kill me! I should kill it for that alone but I just can¡¯t bring myself to do it.¡¯ he thinks to himself as emotions of sadness and guilt well up inside him. Lost inside his thoughts he barely notices the lizard stirring awake. ¡®I have to decide fast before the thing wakes back up and eats me!¡¯ he screams inside his head a war raging on between his old world morals and his instinct for survival.


    The lizard lets out a cry of pain as it wakes, frightened by the sound and with no time to think Nathan brings his pocket knife high into the air and swiftly brings it down onto the underbelly of the lizard piercing the skin as the knife comes to a stop at the hilt. The lizard lets out another painful cry as Nathan pulls the knife out. Blood comes gushing out of the wound like a fountain, Nathan quickly backs off afraid of getting blood on him and hoping that did the job.


    Nathan watches as the blood starts to pool around the lizard as it cries out in pain but does not have enough energy to move. When it starts to go into its death throes Nathan backs further off and slumps against the cave wall crying in guilt, shame, and self-pity. Not sure what to do he waits, the lizard cries out one last time and dies.


    [Horned Desert Lizard Killed]


    Nathan stares with a blank look at the message, then wills it away. He looks at the dead lizard, his heart clenches as he looks at it, his stomach is swift to follow with a twisting pain. Between the fading adrenaline and high emotions Nathan dry heaves onto the cave floor,having nothing but stomach acid to expel. Getting up after wiping his mouth on his shirt he starts to walk down the cave tunnel. He pauses for a second, eyes watering, acid taste in his mouth, and a heavy heart. He thinks to look back but he knows if he does he may not ever leave this place.


    Nathan continues to walk no feeling of victory or glory just shame, shame that he will have to do this again to keep living, that he will have to get used to this is he wants to then keep on living. The thought scares him that he may one day get used to this or maybe even like it fills his mind with dread and fury at this world and this place that is forcing him to do this.


    Nathan walks in silence with nothing to light the dark twisting paths other than the dull orange glow from his spell. Ready but not willing to face the next challenge.


    _________


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class:Fire Mage Lvl:1]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:78]


    [Mana:120]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills:Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation]


    [Spells:Candle Light, Fireball]


    [Titles:Otherworlder]

 Chapter 5 : Lost Sanity

    Nathan stumbled through the cave his mind muddled with thoughts of family, death, regret, and guilt. ¡®I don¡¯t know why I am so broken up about the darn lizard. It''s not like it¡¯s a person, hell I am not even sure it can think beyond its base instincts. So why do I feel so shit for killing it? Maybe it¡¯s all the stress and tiredness, all this fighting is exhausting.¡¯  Nathan thinks as he wanders down the tunnel before coming to a stop in front of a wall. He looks left, another wall then looks right at the only way he can go. ¡°Ugh¡± he sighs ¡®Guess the taking the left path plan is shot¡¯ he grumbles before walking on.


    The cave is as dark as ever with little changes other than an odd divot here or bump there, the monotony of it dulling Nathan¡¯s mind as he trudges on devoid of emotion one second then awash with guilt or regrets the next. ¡®Wander alone in a dark cave is so fun¡¯ he thinks with dry humor. ¡®I just want to wake up in my bed at home from a drunken night out on the town with my pals and maybe a few nice women with this all having just been a bad nightmare.¡¯ ¡°But NO! I am stuck here having to kill damn three hundred pound lizards! In some godforsaken cave or dungeon or whatever the hell this place is!¡± He screams anger welling up at the injustice of it all.


    ¡°This is so not fair I did not want to be stuck here with a parched throat and empty stomach with a burnt arm, that I might add I had to burn myself so I did not have to bleed to death. HAHAHAHAHAHA¡± he laughs ¡°You here that GOD! I want out of this place! OUT I SAY! OUT! Hahahahahahahahaha ugh ugh ugh¡± he laughs into a hacking cough. ¡°Damn place I hate it already.¡± He says in self-pity.


    ¡®I am sure I drew something with all that ranting. So I best get a move on before it comes to see what made the sound¡¯  He thinks as he walks with haste to get away.


    Not far down the tunnel he hears more rumbling but not from in front but from behind. ¡°Damn I have only regained enough mana for one more shot since the battle,¡± he says upset with himself for ranting and raving like that. ¡°Should have known it would bring me trouble and I don¡¯t want to try my luck again with only four Fireballs,¡± he says as he starts running down the tunnel. He moves the Candle LIght spell out in front so he can see where he is running.


    Nathan is running but the rumbling is getting louder, slower than the last two times but still fast enough where he can notice a change. The rumbling stops but Nathan does not dare stop until a minute later. He looks behind him into the darkness. ¡®What is going in, why did it just stop all of a sudden¡¯  he thinks before turning back around and continuing to run. ¡®I can not question it, I need to use this time to get away¡¯.


    Nathan runs till he is out of breath. Panting with his hands on his knees he looks behind him expecting something to pop out of the darkness and tear him to bits. The image sends a chill down his spine. Having caught his breath he turns back to continue on down the tunnel when the rumbling picks up again. Nathan looks back again. ¡°Dammit,¡± he says and starts running again.


    Running he does not stop to see where he is headed and only slows down when he needs to catch his breath but never coming to a complete stop as the rumbling gets louder and louder behind him. His mana has refilled sometime ago but he does not think of turning around to fight, he just wants to get away. Running down the tunnel the rumbling gets louder and louder before long he can¡¯t think straight. Stopping he turns around catches his breath and readies a Fireball while moving the Candle Light out in front so he can spot the lizard before it is right on top of him.


    ¡®Damn I really did not want to have to fight again¡¯ he thinks as the lizard comes into view with its mouth open and blood dripping from between its razor-sharp teeth. The image frightens Nathan as he aims the Fireball at the lizard¡¯s eyes hoping to burn them like the last lizard.


    Nathan rolls out of the way and preps his next Fireball as the lizards screams then coughs. Nathan looks at the lizard to see it coughing the Fireball having gone into its mouth. Not waiting for it to recover Nathan fires the next shot at the lizards head. While preparing the next Fireball he watches the last one hit the lizard in its eye and burn it to a crisp.


    ¡°That is what you get for making me run so far you damn spiky bastard!¡± He says in mock anger, his heart not in it.


    The lizard screams out in pain then growls at Nathan while with is one good eye it glares at him with hate and fury. Nathan lets loose the next Fireball, the lizard turns to the side as the fire hits scorching its hide. As the lizard screams out the next Fireball comes in and hits the lizard in the leg. The lizard rears up in pain on its hind legs as the next Fireball come in and hits its soft underbelly burning a charred hole into it. The lizard lets out one final scream before collapsing to the ground dead.


    ¡°Huh huh huh¡± panting Nathan looks at the dead lizard. ¡®Another one dies by my hands. I am a monster! Why do they keep coming after me? Do they have nothing better to do?¡¯ Nathan thinks as he checks on his mana.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class:Fire Mage Lvl:1]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:13]


    [Mana:20]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills:Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation]


    [Spells:Candle Light, Fireball]


    [Titles:Otherworlder]


    ¡®I only have enough mana for one more Fireball! Had it survived that last attack then the next I would be dead right now¡¯  he thinks morbidly. ¡®Damn I almost died, again!¡¯  the thought sends him reeling. Adrenaline wearing off Nathan collapses onto the cave floor worn out from all the running then subsequent fight. Looking up at the darkness he thinks ¡®Why was I brought here? Or was it just some accident? If it was on purpose why drop me off in this horrible place and not say in some nice comfy hovel with a loving family to find me and take care of me and welcome me to this strange new world I am now in. That would have been nice.¡¯ he smiles at the thought of it.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Nathan lays on the floor thinking of nice places he wants to visit when he gets home for the next twenty or so minutes before getting up and dusting himself off. He gives one last look at the dead lizard before moving on. As he walks he thinks about home and his family, how nice it was living with his parents and sibling when he was a kid. There trips to the pool on a hot summer''s eve or curling up next to the fireplace watching tv after having been outside playing in the snow all day, even going to school and hanging out with his friends. Going to the movies, taking trips down to the lake to hang out and have fun. His first girlfriend and how horribly that went but it''s kinda funny that he would consider that having been a good time now, having gone through all this and it was probably only going to get worse.


    The cave split into many paths as he moved through them, he would just pick one at random when he came to an intersection having lost his way back when he had been running. With no idea oh where he was or where he was going he wandered through the dark cave, every so often he would hear some rumbling in the distance. He would stop and prep for a lizard to run out from the darkness but then the noise would fade and he would continue on.


    After who knows how long he found a dead end not far from an intersection. Being as tired as he is he turned off the Candle Light so as not to draw attention curled up on the ground and tried to get some sleep. Sleep was hard to come by without him moving around he could hear rumbling every now and then that would jolt him awake. Staring into the darkness waiting to hear if the rumbling got louder or not, when it did not he would go back to sleep. The ground was hard and not nearly as even as he thought it was when he was walking, with little bits of jutting rock here and there poking into him along with dips in the ground made for a very uneven sleeping experience. Not to mention the ground was so cold that he would have to start Candle Light up every so often and bring it close to him to warm up, which ran the risk of attracting a bloodthirsty lizard to his sleeping spot.


    When he could not get back to sleep after the rumbling woke him up he decided to just get up and move on.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I am going to get a lot of good sleep for a while.¡¯ He thinks while he stretches and kinks his neck. ¡®And the ground is so rough, it will take time to get used to that as well. Not that I really want to get used to it¡¯  he thinks to himself with pity. Sighing he dusts himself off casts Candle Light and set off into the darkness for another day of having fun wandering around cold dark damp caves and killing lizards.


    __________


    Setting off he wonders around for the next few hours or so trying to stay away from the lizards. He stops and cancels Candle Light whenever he hears rumbling in the distance and only recasts it once the rumbling has long faded away. He spends the rest of the day doing this, only running into one lizard which he hits two times in the eyes with a fireball blinding it, then waiting for it to run into a wall, once it is passed out he tips it over to kill it with his pocket knife.


    Wandering around the tunnels is dull time interposed for a moment by terror from the occasional rumbling by a lizard running down the tunnels. The killing of the lizard was not fun and made Nathan''s mood worse. By the end of the day he is moody and grumpy, the hunger and thirst amplifying it.


    __________


    ¡®I am so thirsty,¡¯  he thinks as he grabs the pop from his bag. ¡®I will drink this but I really need to find some water soon or I am going to die of thirst,¡¯  he thinks as he downs the pop not letting a single drop escape then sets in for a restless night.


    Woken up from more rumbling he sets off down the tunnels hiding from the passing lizards and killing the ones that come upon him. He spends most of his mana on a single lizard and has no plans to run into multiple at once. ¡®If I do run into multiple I will just hit their legs or eyes and bolt as quick as I can¡¯ he thinks as he hides in the dark from yet another lizard.


    Hunger gnawing at him he stumbles through the cave when a lizard comes by. After killing it with six fireballs to its side he takes a break. About five minutes later he gets up and starts to walk away when an insane thought comes to his mind. ¡®What if I eat the lizard?¡¯  his mind and body immediately recoil from the thought. ¡°No, no, no I can¡¯t eat it! I could, but . . . ¡° he pauses ¡°I am so hungry and just the thought is making me salivate,¡± he says as smoke from the lizard wafts by. ¡°Even the smoke is starting to smell rather good.¡± his stomach grumbles as he licks his dry lips.


    Having made up his mind Nathan turns around and walks to the non-burnt side of his latest kill. ¡°Now what is the best way to do this? Should I really be doing this? Are they even edible?¡¯ he says with trepidation as he flips the lizard onto its back and pulls out his pocket knife. ¡°I know you are supposed to drain the blood before you butcher it for meat but I have no clue about how I should go about doing that? Do I just cut a hole and let it drain from there? I guess?¡± he goes around the lizard cutting into it in multiple places to drain the blood faster for good measure. He goes to sit by the wall as the blood drains from the lizard. ¡®Now I am going to need some way to cook the meat? But the fireball spell is a bit much for just some cooking so I need to make another spell for it. I also don¡¯t have a spit or something to hold it on over the fire. Maybe I can make a spell to impart heat into it kinda like a microwave or oven? Just heat it up without fire.¡¯  he thinks as he gets to work on just that.


    He spends the next while thinking about how best to go about that ¡®I don¡¯t want a fire just the heat from the fire. Maybe I can transfer the heat from the fire into the meat? Yeah, that could work.¡¯  he thinks as he gets to work on the spell.


    Once he gets to work on it he notices a specific rune called transfer that he had been using for mana channeling purposes in spells. ¡®But maybe I could use it on heat instead?¡¯ He gets to work with with the idea. He spends the next hour or so getting the spell structure to work right then the next thirty minutes trying multiple times to channeling mana into it then having to redo the structure when it fails but his hard work pays off.


    [Spell Learned: Flawed Heat Transfer]


    Perplexed Nathan immediately checks the description of the spell.


    [Flawed Heat Transfer Lvl:1 This is an inferior version of heat transfer but will still get the job done but at reduced efficiency and increased cost. Spell Cost:30 Channel Cost:10 Per Minute]


    Gobsmacked by the spell cost Nathan checks it twice just to make sure he read right. ¡°Well at least it works at all,¡± he laughs to himself. ¡®I hope it works as I want?¡¯ he thinks on second thought. Wanting to test the spell right away he goes to cut out a piece of the lizard.


    ¡®Now how should I do this? I guess I have to cut away the skin then get to the meat and cut out a chunk of it?¡¯  he thinks and does just that but the process is harder than he would have thought the skins is though and does not want to cut very well and the bleeding did not reach the area Nathan is cutting so blood start pouring out around the cut. As he goes to cut into the meat it is though and does not cut nice and neat as it wants to slip away from the knife so he has to hold it in place the best he can through all the blood. Finally, with blood dripping through his fingers he pulls out a piece of meat and casts the spell on it with a Fireball come into being above the meat. At first, it seems to be doing nothing before the meat starts to sizzle in his hand as the blood boils off and the meat starts to turn brown in his hand over the next five minutes. Nathan turns off the spell and checks his handy work.


    ¡°It smells good!¡± he says as he licks his lips, his stomach grumbling in protest, even more, waiting for its nourishment. ¡°Only way to see if it did its job is to take a bit¡± he does just take and takes a nibble on one of the corners of the meat. ¡°Oh my god so good!¡± he says as he gulps down the first bit. ¡®The flavor is hard to place? It has the texture and consistency of beef but tastes nothing like it? It is almost sweet? Or spicey? I can¡¯t decide, I just know it is the best thing I have ever eaten.¡¯ he thinks while scarfing down the meat. It is cooked all the way through with an even consistency in heat which is exactly what Nathan wanted the spell to do. ¡®Cost a bit more than I wanted though¡¯  he thinks as he looks at his mana.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class:Fire Mage Lvl:1]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:13]


    [Mana:40]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills:Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation]


    [Spells:Candle Light, Fireball, Flawed Heat Transfer]


    [Titles:Otherworlder]


    ¡°Oh well, at least I can fill up before I move on. And maybe I can do something with the lizard''s skin?¡± he thinks out loud as he sets about cutting more meat out of the lizard while he waits for his mana to refill so he can cook the next portion.

 Chapter 6 : The Plan

    Once full Nathan continues down the tunnels staying hidden when he could and fighting if a lizard came upon him. He could hear another lizard approaching ¡®I wonder if I can get it to just pass by me so I don¡¯t have to fight it?¡¯ thinking this he moved to the side of the cave and dismissed the Candle Light spell. Nathan prepared a Fireball spell while the lizard comes down the tunnel. He waits in the darkness for the lizard to pass by but rather than doing that the lizard seems to slow down. Nathan is not sure since he could not see but the rumbling stopped and he could hear a sniffing sound which he assumed to be the lizard.


    ¡®I can¡¯t sit here any longer and let it just eat me in the dark¡¯ he thought as he casts Candle Light to see what is going on and expecting the lizard to attack the moment it could see him. With the Candle Light spell going he can see the lizard about twenty feet down the tunnel, it back away from the light before it snarls at him. Preparing another Fireball he watches the lizard closely waiting for it to attack. The lizard seems to hesitate for a moment before having made up its mind and charges with its mouth open in a growl at Nathan.


    Ready for the sudden attack Nathan unleashes his Fireball at the lizard. The Fireball hits the lizard in the mouth and as it is reeling from the pain Nathan sends another attack at its eyes hoping to blind it. Distracted by the pain the lizard does not see the next attack before it is hitting its eye. Irate and in pain the lizard charges Nathan.


    ¡®Well, that is new. Usually, they are in too much pain to do anything other than scream in pain as I hit them with Fireballs.¡¯ Nathan ponders over the odd actions of the lizard as he dodges out of the way. So irate the lizard does not notice the wall behind Nathan before it is too late and it barrels headfirst into the wall. While the Lizard is dazed Nathan launches a Fireball at its right hind leg. Hit in the leg, the pain brings the lizard back to its senses, it looks at Nathan growls turns around and runs away.


    Nathan stands eyes wind and jaw slaked ¡°Well I did not see that happening. Should I just let it run off? Well to late now I can¡¯t even see it anymore.¡± He sighs shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°They seems so bloodthirsty? Oh! I guess the second one I ran into tried to run.¡± he chuckles having forgotten about that. ¡®Guess I have been killing them so quick they never had a chance to get away? Or was this one just an odd duck out?¡¯  He ponders as he continues down the tunnel.


    ¡®The first couple encounters I had with the lizards seems like a dream now. I was so scared of the first one I almost pissed myself might have had I not been bleeding to death. It has only been a couple of days but I already feel more confident about getting through this. Though I would not want to fight two lizards at the same time. No thank you!¡¯ thinking of how much he has changed in the past couple of days.


    Nathan spends the rest of the day avoiding the lizards where he can and only fighting if he has to. Trying to find a place to sleep he sees a light up ahead. Having spent time in the tunnels has tempered him and he does not immediately go charging into the light, though he is still excited by what could be ahead. Turning off the Candle Light spell he approaches the light slowly, once close enough he can see a large opening with glowing stalactites and stalagmites, with more glowing stones in the walls of the cave with pools of shallow water here and there on the floor.


    ¡®There is just one tiny problem with this picture. ALL THE DAMN LIZARDS!¡¯ he screams in his mind. Nathan can see lizards fighting each other over the pools of water with others feasting on their dead brethren and others sleeping in the corners of the cave having marked out their area and swatting at anyone that comes nearby. ¡®There must be a good dozen of them in here! AH! I find water in this horrible place for the first time and it is filled with Lizards!¡¯  he hangs his head in defeat and self-pity. Nathan lets out a sigh ¡®How am I going to get rid of them all so I can get to the water? Is it even possible to get rid of them all? Maybe I can somehow draw them off one at a time? Ha! Fat chance of that!¡¯  he thinks as he backs away from the entrance.


    ¡®There was a junction not far back. I need to find a place to sit down and think this over.¡¯ Walking back to the junction he takes the right tunnel having come from the left tunnel on his way here. Not far down the tunnel, he finds an indent in the wall just large enough for him to crouch down in. The opening goes ten to fifteen feet into the wall, with the back portion of the ceiling raised a few inches more than where the opening is.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡®This looks like a good place to stay.¡¯ He thinks as the crawls in, Nathan had seen these holes in the wall every so often while he had been walking and was where he had spent the last two nights sleeping.


    Sitting down in the lotus position Nathan thinks over his options. ¡®Luring them all out one at a time will probably not work. So what if I lure them all out at once? I would need something to distract them, something I can active remotely. What about the Candle Light spell? I could send it in and lure the lizards away down another passage. How long is its range anyway?¡¯  needed to test it out he crawls back out and moves the Candle Light spell down the tunnel as far as he can.


    As the ball moves further away he notices that it is getting harder to keep it from winking out. About twenty feet out he can¡¯t hold it any longer and Nathan is plunged into darkness the spell having winked out when his connection with it broke.


    ¡®Humm that is not going to be enough distance to draw them off.¡¯ he thinks as he looks at the Candle Light spell description.


    [Candle Light Lvl:5 Every young fire mages stepping stone onto the greater path of pyromancy.


    The spell creates a large safe following flame. Spell Cost:30 Hold Cost:8 per minute]


    ¡®I don¡¯t see anything about range? Is there not a range?¡¯ pondering this he recasts Candle Light then sends it out again. When it gets close to his limit he focuses on keeping the connection as the ball inches ahead before blinking out. ¡®I think it went further this time. Though, it is hard to tell.¡¯  not satisfied he picks up a rock and places where he stands then picks up another rock and walks over to where he thinks the spell disappeared and places it down. He walks back over to the first rock and tries again. He repeats this twice more, placing a rock each time.


    ¡®It seems to be getting further, though admittedly it is hard to tell without a proper way to measure it. I will do it until I am out of mana twice before I reevaluate.¡¯ he thinks before doing just that.


    At the end of the second cycle, he checks out his handy work with a smile. The length between the first rock and his latest are about ten inches apart. ¡®The progress is slow but I am making headway.¡¯  he thinks with a goofy smirk. ¡®It will have to wait until I have slept.¡¯  yawning he crawls back into the hole in the wall and goes to sleep.


    Waking up the next day Nathan sets about increasing the distance he can move the spell from him. Slowly but surely as the hours pass the distance increases, he learns a couple of tricks here and there that massively improve the distance he can move the spell. The latest attempt reaches fifty feet when Nathan gets a message.


    [Skill Learned: Mana Control]


    Pleasantly surprised by the notification Nathan pulls up his stats to check out the description of the Skill.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class:Fire Mage Lvl:1]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:13]


    [Mana:120]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills:Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation, Mana Control]


    [Spells:Candle Light, Fireball, Flawed Heat Transfer]


    [Titles:Otherworlder]


    [Mana Control Lvl:1 The Level of ability and skill with which you control mana. Higher levels have increased mana efficiency, range, and finesse]


    ¡®That is handy to have.¡¯ he thinks as he tests out the increased range with the skill. The new spell reaches about sixty feet before blinking out. ¡®Not a huge increase, comparatively, but it will help.¡¯


    Working for the rest of the day Nathan gets to range up to about one hundred and twenty feet from him. ¡®The cave room was about three hundred feet across. Humm, I guess I could send in the flame then start to lead the lizards away down one of the tunnels while I walk in and grab some water. That might work!¡¯ He thinks with joy.¡±I am so glad I saved the pop can¡± he says while pulling out the empty pop bottle from the plastic bag with a smile. Looking back at his little hidey-hole ¡°One more night here and I can get some fresh water. I am so thirsty at this point I could drink a whole lake dry and still have room for more¡± he says laughing to himself as he crawls back into the hole to settle down for the night. Come morning he is going to head out and steal some water from some lizards.

 Chapter 7 : Needs

    Nathan woke and crawled out of the hole in the cave. Dusting himself off while checking he had everything, he then set off towards the water room. creeping to the entrance of the cave Nathan looks in to see the lizards scattered about the cave doing the same as they were yesterday. He checks to make sure none of the lizards are looking his way then sends the Candle Light spell in towards the center of the cave. Once one of the lizards spots the spell it makes a squeaking sound which alerts the others, with them all staring at the spell Nathan leads it to another entrance making sure the lizards follow it. One of the lizards walks up and tries to take a bit of the spell but withdraws with a squeak as it gets burned.


    The lizards growl at the spell but keep following it out of the room, with all the lizards focused on the fire Nathan sneaks his way over to the closest pool of water unscrews the cap on the bottle and starts filling it. Breathing heavy with nerves on end he watches the lizards closely, ¡®Damn Bottle is taking forever to fill. Hurry up! Hurry up! I don¡¯t want to sit here any longer. Come on, come on, just a little more. HA!¡¯ Bottle full Nathan screws the cap back on and backs away from the pool careful about his step so he does not kick a stray rock on the ground. Moving as swift and as quiet as possible he makes it back to the entrance. Canceling the spell he can hear the lizards moving about in haste as he walks until the light from the room is a dull glow in the tunnel and collapses against the cave wall, with heart pounding and breath shallow.


    ¡°Well that was exhilarating,¡± he says panting as he holds up the bottle full of water with a smug grin. ¡°Damn lizards did not even see me,¡± he says before unscrewing the cap and taking a swig of water for the first time in four days. Careful to only drink a fourth of the bottle he screws the cap back on. ¡®Going to have to conserve the water I have. I am not sure how many times the lizards are going to fall for that trick.¡¯ he thinks as he puts the bottle in the plastic sack tied to his pants. ¡®Wonder when I am going to be able to take a bath again, I am starting to get a bit rank and my skin has been itching for days now from all the blood and sweat.¡¯ he wonders with anticipation.


    Getting up he casts Candle Light and moves on to keep exploring. ¡®Maybe I can find another pool not guarded by lizards or fewer at least.¡¯


    Nathan spends the next couple hours looking for more rooms with water, killing any lizards he comes across. After killing the lastest lizard Nathan gets a message ¡°Was wondering when I was going to get this.¡± he says while reading the message.


    [Class Level Up]


    Pulling up his stats Nathan looks over his class with pride.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class: Fire Mage Lvl:2]


    [Unallocated Points:2]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:13]


    [Mana:120]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:12]


    [Intelligence:14]


    [Skills: Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation, Mana Control]


    [Spells: Candle Light, Fireball, Flawed Heat Transfer]


    [Titles: Otherworlder]


    ¡®I must have killed a good dozen of them damn lizards before this happened. Is it just hard to level up here? Or is it something else? Humm, hard to tell right now. Once I get out of this place I need to get more information about this world, so I can stop fumbling around in the dark wondering about what this and that is and what this and that does. Hopefully, there are people I can talk too outside this place.¡¯ he thinks while looking at his stats.


    Looking at his stats he sees the Unallocated Points ¡®are these the stat points I got for leveling up?¡¯ he thinks while trying to figure out how to allocate the stat points. After fumbling around for a bit he gets a popup.


    [Allocate Stat Points]


    [Yes] [No]


    Clicking yes Nathan checks his stats again.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class: Fire Mage Lvl:2]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:13]


    [Mana:128]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:13]


    [Intelligence:15]


    [Skills: Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation, Mana Control]


    [Spells: Candle Light, Fireball, Flawed Heat Transfer]


    [Titles: Otherworlder]


    ¡®I figure I am going for spellcaster build at the moment, so might as well put points into the stats related to it. Though my max mana did not go up as much as I thought it would? Humm, maybe it is tied to something else somehow? Well, I don¡¯t have a way of figuring it out right now, best get a move on.¡¯ He thinks as he starts to move down the tunnel in search of another pool of water.


    Unable to find another pool Nathan lays down for the night in another hole in the wall, this one not as well hidden nor as large as the last one. He settles in for the night nonetheless ¡®I need to find something to wear, my shirt is starting to look rather worn from all the battles I have been in with the lizards. The plastic bag is not looking much better it is full of holes from all the rolling I have been doing. Maybe I can make some leather out of the lizard skin? Humm, I will have to think more on it tomorrow.¡¯ taking another one-fourth swig of the bottle he lays down to go to sleep.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Waking up from his rough uneven sleeping bed Nathan goes about making a plan for the day. ¡°The plans for today are to wander around looking for more water and when I kill the next lizard skin it for its hide and make some clothes and a rough sack.¡± Casting Candle Light he moves down the tunnel thinking of how he is going to make clothes of the lizard skin. ¡®Skinning a giant lizard for its hide then making clothes out of it is not something I had thought I would ever have to seriously think about. I know a little about how people made clothes in past before tools were readily available among some other facts.¡¯ as he thinks about it he keeps an eye out for more pool of water as he goes from tunnel to tunnel.


    Hearing a rumbling coming his way Nathan goes to the side of the cave and move the Candle Light spell in the direction the lizard is coming from while he preps a Fireball. As the lizard some running into the light Nathan fires off the first Fireball and immediately starts on another, the action of making a spell getting much easier as the days go on but still without a level up in any relevant skills. The first Fireball hits the lizard in the nose sending it reeling to the side in pain, it comes to a screeching halt, coughing while it tries to breathe through the smoke from the Fireball.


    Nathan does not give it a chance to recover and shoots his next Fireball into its open mouth causing it to reel in pain and cough heavy from the smoke and pain. The lizard starts wheezing not able to breathe with its nose scorched close by the first Fireball and the next having fried its throat. Gasping for air the lizard starts to thrash around on the ground, Nathan backs away not wanting to get hit by an errant tail or claw. Nathan waits with his next Fireball ready as he watches the lizard suffocate to death. Once the lizard has passed out Nathan approaches spell ready just in case,


    A minute later with no movement Nathan pulls out his pocket knife to start draining the blood the best he can. ¡®Well, that is one way to kill them¡¯ he laughs as he cuts into the lizard. While he waits for the blood to drain Nathan gets to work on a spell he has been formulating for the past couple days. ¡®I think I have it all figured out I just need one last finishing touch to get it up and running, then I will be able to change the intensity of the Candle Light spell.¡¯


    Half an hour later he succeeds in executing the spell and get a popup.


    [Candle Light Leveled Up]


    [Candle Flame Lvl:6 Every young fire mages stepping stone onto the greater path of pyromancy.


    The spell creates a large safe modular following flame. Spell Cost:32 Hold Cost:8 per minute]


    Testing out the results Nathan dims the Candle Light spell. ¡®Nice now when I have to hide I can just dim the spell rather than turn it off. I wonder how low I get the output too?¡¯ he thinks while lowering the intensity as far as he can and getting to about half the luminosity of the base spell. ¡®Now here is the tricky part¡¯ he thinks while he ramps up the intensity of the spell bringing the luminosity to about one half of the base spell. ¡®So about fifty percent in either direction. Not bad if I say so myself¡¯ he thinks while smiling at the results.


    Getting back to the lizard Nathan peels and buts away the skin of the lizard the best he can with his poor skills. Once done the lizard is a mess with the flesh exposed to the cave air with bits of skin hanging on here and there ¡°It¡¯s not pretty looking but it will have to do for my first foray into skinning, now for the gruesome work.¡± he says as he starts to cut away at the meat pulling out chunks and laying them on the skin to save for food later. Getting to the leg tendons he cuts them at either end and pulls them out whole then goes about unraveling them to use as string later. The cuts into the body looking for small bones he can snap off and grind down to use as a needle, he gets multiple from the lizard in case he breaks them while grinding them down or using them.


    Nathans hands and arms are red from the lizard''s blood as it drips onto the floor. Calling over his Candle Light Nathan uses a neat trick he learned, sticking his hand into the flame he burns off all the blood from his hands and arms while not burning himself. ¡® so glad I learned this little trick. Maybe once I have better control over it I can use it as an impromptu shower of sorts. The incident of burning the edge of my shirt was not fun.¡¯ He thinks to himself with chagrin.


    Nathan spends the next two hours getting everything in order first by grinding down the bones for the needles failing the first couple times before getting it right, then getting the tendons unraveled and tied onto the needle while he drys the skins next to his impromptu fire pit made with a Fireball spell. Keeping the skins from curling up is a full time good and he has to go replace the rocks holding them down from time to time. ¡®Not the best work but it will do¡¯ he thinks as he starts to sew the different skins together.


    Nathan holds up the sewn together skins with a grimace ¡°Yeah not the best work. Does not even really look like anything but it will have to do as a sack for now at least¡± he says with a sigh looking to the side at the bits of broken bone needles and failed tries at sewing together a sack. ¡°That is all I am willing to do, for now at least I have a half decent sack to use,¡± he says while putting everything into the lizard skin sack and tying it shut to his belt with some leftover tendon.


    Getting up Nathan grabs a few pieces of meat and wraps them in some skin before throwing it in the sack. Picking up a piece of meat he starts to heat it up for lunch as he walks down the tunnel happy with how the day is going so far.

 Chapter 8 : Weapons

    Nathan spends the next couple of days wandering around the cave system looking for another water source hopefully, one with fewer Lizards guarding it. After each encounter with a Lizard, he drains the blood the best he can then skins and butchers it getting some more skin to use later and some meat to take with him as food on the way. After butchering a few he gets a skill.


    [Butchering Level:1 Skill at the art of cleaning a kill and sorting it into usable parts to eat or use later]


    With the skill, Nathan felt it give him a sense of where he should cut to drain the blood of the lizard better, along with where and how to cut to get the best meat off the Lizard. Where weak points are and how to better skin it along with other little tips and tricks in butchering the Lizard would just come to him.


    ¡®The skill is useful but rather disturbing it so many ways¡¯ a cold chill going up his spine. ¡®I mean the damn thing is directly inputting information into your head, how is that not scary! Who knows what else it can do? Can it take memories or alter them?¡¯ The thought sends another shiver down his spine. ¡®Does me no good to worry about it now though as I can¡¯t really stop it from doing what it wants¡¯ with this thought he puts it out of his mind for now.


    __________


    On the third day with his water bottle drained, the Lizards meat provided a little bit of liquid that helped hold him over, but with thirst overwhelming him, Nathan finally stumbles upon another light source.


    Dismissing Candle Light he sneaks closer to the opening the light is coming from. Spending a second to let his eyes adjust he looks into the cavern. It looks just like the last one with transparent blue glowing stalagmites and stalactites sticking up from the cave floor or hanging down from the ceiling. He can see pools of water on the floor in different parts of the cavern.


    ¡®This cavern is smaller than the last one but this one only has maybe a half dozen Lizards so that is an upside. Now how should I handle cleaning out the Lizards?¡¯ he thinks while looking at the half dozen Lizards lounge around sleeping or grabbing a drink from some of the pools while others fight for some reason or another.


    Spending some time he counts the exact amount of Lizards in the cavern spending extra time making sure he did not miss any, he does not want one sneaking up on him after he thought he had killed them all. ¡®Do I after to kill them all? Could I just lure them off somewhere else?¡¯ Thinking it over he decides he needs to kill them all. If he just lures them off they will most likely come back once what he lured them off with is captured by the Lizards or it runs out of mana.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to go in guns a blazing, that will just get me killed with how little mana I have at the moment. Which means I need to find a way to get them alone one at a time. Could I float a Candle Light in front of one then lure it back? Last time the Lizards that saw it alerted the others, so that is a no go.¡¯ thinking it over a bit more he comes up with an idea that might work, however, if it fails he is going to be in a lot of danger.


    ¡®I need to get a weapon, other than my pocket knife, so if I run out of mana I have a way to fight.¡¯ Thinking this over he decided on a plan of action but first, he needs to refill his water bottle.


    Using the same trick he used last time he sends in a Candle Light and lures the Lizards down the only other path leading out of the cavern. Moving slowly he moves the spell farther and farther making sure he has the attention of all the Lizards he creeps to the closest pool of water to the entrance he came in. With his heart pounding, clammy hands shaking he fills the water bottle every second a tortures minute on his psyche. Once full he seals the cap back on and sneaks back to the entrance. Once out of sight he lets out a breath he did not realize he was holding, the whole ordeal a tense experience hoping a Lizard does not spot him and alert the others.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡®At least the Candle Light spell seems to be a good way to distract them as long as there is not something else to draw their attention, like say my fresh bloody body! That they seem to want to take a bite out of every time I run into one. What do they eat down here anyway? They always seem in such a rush to gobble me up. Are they starved? I hope my idea works out.¡¯ thinking this he cancels the Candle Light spell that is distracting the Lizards and castes a new one. He starts walking down the tunnel moving on to the next stage of his plan, a weapon!


    __________


    Making sure not to lose track of the cavern with the water he goes about hunting a lizard. He has to stumble around for most of the day before one comes tumbling down the tunnel he is in. Sending the Candle Light spell out in front to spot the Lizard sooner he preps a Fireball. The rumbling gets louder and louder before the Lizards pops into the light and Nathan unleashes his first Fireball. As he preps another one the first fireball hits the Lizard in the snout burning and fusing the scales on it. Growling in pain the Lizard comes to a halt as it thrashes its head around in pain, the next Fireball Nathan throws at its front right leg, hoping to make it recoil or at least impair its movement.


    The Fireball hits the Lizard and it does what Nathan hopes and it recoils, lifting up of its front legs it exposes its soft underbelly. Nathan prepared for just this fires off another Fireball, it flies through the air and impacts the underside of the Lizard scorching away the soft underbelly. With a final cry, the Lizard flops to the ground dead.


    [Class Level Up]


    Pleasantly surprised by the level up Nathan spends his points one into Wisdom and one into Intelligence just like last time.


    [Name: Nathan Vellenger]


    [Age: 21]


    [Class: Fire Mage Lvl:3]


    [Health:86]


    [Stamina:13]


    [Mana:77]


    [Strength:11]


    [Endurance:10]


    [Vitality:12]


    [Agility:9]


    [Dexterity:13]


    [Wisdom:14(+1)]


    [Intelligence:16(+1)]


    [Skills: Inspect, Fire Affinity, Mana Sense, Mana Channeling, Spell Creation, Concentration, Meditation, Mana Control, Butchering]


    [Spells: Candle Light, Fireball, Flawed Heat Transfer]


    [Titles: Otherworlder]


    ¡®Not sure how many Lizards I have killed since last time? I know it is a lot. I wonder how many Lizards I need to kill for each Level Up and how it scales per Level up?¡¯ Pondering this Nathan sets about draining and butchering the Lizard. He skins the Lizard then cleans off the skin the best he can and starts the process of drying it, while he waits he cuts off a few choices pieces of meat heats them up to eat while saving a few for later.


    ¡®Time to get to the dirty job of making a weapon from this guy¡¯ with a grimace he uses the guidance from the butcher skill to open up one of the legs of the Lizard to get to the bone. Cutting away the muscle that holds the bone in place Nathan then rips it out of the Lizards leg. The bone still has a lot of muscle on it that he sets about scraping and cutting off. Done with that he grabs a rock off the ground and beats at the small end of the bone breaking off while losing some of the bone in the process. Looking at the broken end of the bone it is rough but somewhat pointed. Nathan spends the next couple hours grinding down the bone to a point with the rocks lying around on the ground.


    ¡®Not the best weapon but it will do¡¯ he thinks to himself as he looks at the bone spike, not really a knife as it has no cutting edge it is only good for stabbing. ¡®It is longer than my pocket knife so I can keep the Lizards at range while I stab them. Next up is the jaw bone!¡¯ Tired but motivated about having his own space Nathan cuts around the Lizards jaw attempting to pry it out. ¡®I really have to be careful about those teeth one wrong move and I have a nasty hole in my arm¡¯ chuckling to himself he finally gets the bone out of the Lizard. He breaks off the teeth on one end and grinds it down until it is as smooth as he can get it he then goes about rapping it in some skin to get a better grip on it and not cut himself.


    ¡®With both of these weapons, one for stabbing and one for cutting, I might just have a chance to beat one of the Lizards without using magic, well other than Candle Light that is.¡¯ The jaw knife as he calls it is unwieldy with its curved shape making it strange to swing. Nathan does a few test swing on the Lizards body to get a hang of it and also does a few minutes practice with the bone spike. More comfortable with his the new weapons he goes about cutting the rest of the lizard up.


    With the dried skin, he goes about making large skin sacks to carry the chopped up Lizard meat, getting a skill for his efforts.


    [Tailoring Level:1 Skill in the art of making items of clothing or other objects from animals or plants.]


    ¡®Not really helpful in keeping me alive in this place per se but it is always nice to have more skills. Wonder how many skills there are in total?¡¯ he thinks happy to have to skill but with its usefulness limited at the moment.


    Done with everything he sets out back to the Cavern with a smile to conquer it for himself. Wondering what the future holds, weal or woe?