《The Ordinary Life of Tom Nobody》 1. Young and Dumb I woke up. The rays of the rising sun warmed my face and brought me slowly out of a deep slumber. The ragged edges of a dream snagged on my awareness like a tattered piece of silk that I¡¯d once run across my callused palm. It seemed that there was something there, some sweet memory, laughter and a feeling of happy well-being. I couldn¡¯t remember, now, what the dream had been about. A face. A kind word. Home, I think, but why slipped away until there was nothing more. My eyes opened up. The ray of sunlight that had awakened me had shifted away from my eyes, but still spread glorious golden light through the trees. Trees. I was in a forest, I guessed, or at least a patch of woods, somewhere. The trees were very tall, from my position lying on the ground looking up, I could see how their straight trunks rose a long way before the first branches spread and interlocked, blocking out any view of the sky, creating a striking patch of darkness that contrasted perfectly with the illuminating rays below. I could see motes of dust sparkling in the light, they almost seemed to dance in the still air. I sat up. I had been lying in a soft bed of fallen leaves on the forest floor. I brushed the ones which clung to the sleeves of my rough-woven shirt. I had no jacket and no blanket, but I wasn¡¯t cold; I thought it must be late spring, or maybe early summer. I looked down at my legs and saw they were covered in long pants that appeared to be a coarser version of the cloth of which my shirt was made. My feet were thickly wrapped in the same fabric and tied all around with twisted cords. I stood up. Immediately as I stood, there was something in front of me that hadn¡¯t been there before. I looked at it curiously, wondering where it came from, what it was. Words. I realized there were words floating in front of me. It didn¡¯t occur to me to be afraid at their unexpected appearance, or to think it odd in any way that words were floating in the air. I wondered if I could read the words, and then I did. [SCHEMA]: Welcome Traveler! Do not be afraid! It hadn¡¯t even occurred to me to be afraid until just that moment; the warm feeling left behind by my dream and the idyllic forest setting had filled me with peaceful happiness. I felt it still, but now there was just the slightest tingle of unease in the pit of my stomach. I darted a quick look to each side, but all was as it had been. I looked down at my feet and considered the situation. I thought, the words told me not to be afraid, so that must mean that I am not to be afraid. I should probably listen to the words. They are words, after all. Happy once more, I looked up. [SCHEMA]: Your world is now part of the Sentient Civilization Hastened Evolution MANAgement Alliance or SCHEMA. The world as you knew it was incompatible with the Elder Races of this galaxy. In an effort to preserve as much of your uniqueness as possible while simultaneously allowing your race [Human] to compete with the other galactic races, SCHEMA, a coalition made up of representatives of the most Elder Races designed the system which will guide as many as survive as humanely as possible. My pulse sped up. The niggling spark of worry that I¡¯d felt before hadn¡¯t gone away, after all. It was still there, but now it was pushing aside the feeling of well-being. I wasn¡¯t in a panic, yet, but it wasn¡¯t looking likely that I could avoid it if the news got much more alarming. Looking around, I realized that I didn¡¯t know where I was; nothing looked familiar, but at least nothing looked threatening, either. I tried to remember some place that did look familiar, but nothing came to mind. It was as if I had just been born, here in the forest. [SCHEMA]: Do Not Worry! There is no cause for alarm. This is a normal transition that millions of life forms from thousands of planets have experienced. Somehow, I wasn¡¯t convinced. [SCHEMA]: You may have noticed that you have no memories before waking up. This is for your protection as many life forms on other worlds have become panicked and taken actions that led to their own harm. Not helping, I thought. [SCHEMA]: The SCHEMA is your guide to developing yourself and your civilization; following the recommendations of SCHEMA will help you grow and become strong. We¡¯re Here to Help! You are now in the Beginner Tutorial. This tutorial will teach you about your [MENU], voice commands, movement, conflict, and leveling up. WARNING! Do not move from this place until you have completed the instructional part of the Beginner Tutorial, SCHEMA is not responsible for any accident or injury should you decide to ignore this warning! To begin: Please think or say [MENU] now. ¡°Menu,¡± I said, because I wanted to hear what my voice sounded like. It was kind of shaky, I thought, but at this point I didn¡¯t have much to compare it with.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. [MENU] Select by thinking, saying, or touching one of the tabs below: [CHARACTER] [SKILLS] [SPELLS] [INVENTORY] [CRAFTING] [JOURNAL] [MAP] ¡°Spells,¡± I said, because that sounded pretty neat; I¡¯d always wanted to do magic. [SPELLS] Spells are learned from scrolls [common], trainers [common], observation [uncommon], or experimentation [rare]. Spells are separated by level, once you reach the required level, you may learn the spell by one of the above methods. Other requirements and limits may apply. Once a spell is learned you may cast it, depending on each individual SPELL¡¯s requirements, by thought, word, or gesture. Spells require MANA, a renewable resource available to various classes of magic users, or SPRIT, available to various nature or religious classes depending on the specific requirements of each spell. MANA and SPRIT are deducted from your total pools of each, and a spell cannot be cast or learned unless your pools have a sufficient quantity. You can learn more about your MANA and SPRIT pools, as well as how to increase the size of your pools and the rate at which they renew in your [CHARACTER} tab. You have no spells. Well, that sucks, I thought, and my heart fell a little. Even though I was sure I hadn¡¯t ever been in this situation, or known anything about magic before, the information seemed familiar, or expected. I wasn¡¯t sure which, or why I felt that way. I also had the feeling the information I was getting was pretty basic. ¡°Character, then.¡± [CHARACTER] NAME: TITLE(S): RACE: HUMAN SEX: MALE AGE: 16 LVL: 0¡ª0/100 CLASS: NONE LIFE: 10/10 [1/10] STAMINA: 10/10 [1/10] MANA: 10/10 [1/10] SPRIT: 10/10 [1/10] STRENGTH: 1 DEXTERITY: 1 CONSTITUTION: 1 INTELLIGENCE: 1 WILLPOWER: 1 CHARISMA: 1 LUCK: 1 ABILITY POINTS: [LOCKED: TUTORIAL] Select a Pool or Ability for more information. Some of them, like RACE seemed pretty self-explanatory, but looking at the list, I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that my intelligence was pretty low, for some reason, so I thought I should probably look at each one anyway, just to be on the safe side. *DING* [SCHEMA]: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE INTUITED FOR THE FIRST TIME! +1WILLPOWER Immediately, myWILLPOWER number jumped from 1 to 2. Interesting. Evidently, every action¡ªand even every thought¡ªhad the potential to raise my abilities. It appeared that I¡¯d done the right thing, and I determined to pay attention and try to learn everything I could and see if I couldn¡¯t keep on raising my attributes. *DING* [SCHEMA]: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RATIONALIZED FOR THE FIRST TIME! +1 INTELLIGENCE MyINTELLIGENCE number ticked up by one. Immediately, I felt more clear-headed. I realized that my mind had had a kind of fog over it, but it was clearer, now. Time to learn more. This time I reached up and touched my selection. The word felt slightly cold to the touch and gritty, like it was carved out of stone. NAME: [SHCEMA]: A person¡¯s name on that person¡¯s character sheet is what that person is known by to himself, and to the SCHEMA. Each inhabitant of every world that transitions into the SCHEMA leaves who they were behind and has the opportunity to start fresh. Citizens have two names; the first or given name is the name by which an individual is known by members of his family, the second, or group name is the name by which all members of his family are collectively known. You may share your name with others or you may choose to keep your name to yourself. The decision is yours. WARNING! CHARACTER sheets, in whole or in part, may become visible to others! This is accomplished by joining a group or otherwise creating a temporary or permanent link to another individual or individuals, various spells, skills, items, by right of conquest, or to leaders to which you are beholden. NOTE: It is possible to hide or obscure one¡¯s CHARACTER sheet from such individuals who would otherwise be able to view its contents. This is accomplished by various spells, skills, or items. In the greater galactic civilization, it is considered wise to remain circumspect with the contents of one¡¯s CHARACTER sheet, and therefore it is common to discover that the name by which an individual is known differs from that inscribed upon his CHARACTER sheet. It is suggested that you keep your own information private, whenever possible, but be aware that some individuals may still learn the truth. [SHCEMA]: What is your name? You may choose the with which you were born, or you may choose another. The decision is yours to make ¡°Tom,¡± I answered immediately. The name just popped into my head, though I couldn¡¯t have said whether it had been my name before, but it just felt right. [SHCEMA]: What is your second or group name? You may choose the family or group name into which you were born, or you may choose another and start a new family or group. The decision is yours to make. I just stood there for a moment; I didn¡¯t know what to say. I could feel the place where my last name should be, but it was as if it had been taken from me, like I didn¡¯t deserve it. In my heart, I knew I was a man without a family; no group wanted me. I was a nobody. ¡°Nobody,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m a Nobody.¡± [SHCEMA]: Your name is Tom Nobody. And so, it was. 2. SCHEMA [SCHEMA]: Do you wish to continue, Tom Nobody? I realized that I had been standing there lost in my own world for a while. I hadn¡¯t been actually thinking; I don¡¯t know what you would call it, maybe just getting used to being Tom Nobody? I don¡¯t know. ¡°Sure, what¡¯s next?¡± [SCHEMA]: What part of the TUTORIAL would you like information about, next? We can continue with your CHARACTER sheet or move on to another MENU selection. Additionally, there are physical portions of the TUTORIAL where skills and/or abilities may be learned. WARNING! It is not recommended that an individual proceed to the physical portions of the TUTORIAL until the content of the CHARACTER sheet is understood. Since I still didn¡¯t understand everything on the CHARACTER sheet, I decided that I¡¯d better continue item by item. If I had already had my INTELLIGENCE improved by learning new information, it just stood to reason that I was on the right track. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going item by item, for now, if that¡¯s all right? I can always decide to change things up later, can¡¯t I?¡± [SCHEMA]: Of course. The TUTORIAL is the one part of the SCHEMA that is so USER friendly. How much or how little of the TUTORIAL is completed is all within the control of each USER. Huh. ¡°What¡¯s a USER?¡± [SCHEMA]: You are a USER. Not a real answer, I thought. ¡°What are you?¡± [SCHEMA]: We are the SCHEMA. Hmm. ¡°What exactly is the SCHEMA?¡± [SCHEMA]: The SCHEMA is the Sentient Civilization Hastened Evolution Management Alliance, a coalition made up of representatives of the most Elder Races designed the system which guides the rest of the members of the Greater Galactic Civilization. ¡°Who or what are the ¡®most Elder Races¡¯?¡± [SCHEMA]: The most Elder Races are the designers of the SCHEMA who administer the system. ¡°Are the most Elder Races USERs?¡± [SCHEMA]: The most Elder Races are the designers of the SCHEMA who administer the system. Hmm. Another non answer. ¡°Are there other entities who are a part of this Greater Galactic Civilization who are not USERs?¡± [SCHEMA]: Yes. ¡°Who are these entities which are part of this Greater Galactic Civilization, but who are not USERs?¡± [SCHEMA]: There are various levels of ADMINISTRATORs who participate in the administration of the system, but are not considered USERs. ¡°Are these ADMINISTRATORs who participate in the administration of the system, but are not considered USERs the same entities that make up the most Elder Races who designed the SCHEMA?¡± [SCHEMA]: That information is not a part of this TUTORIAL, please make another selection that is part of the TUTORIAL.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Since I don¡¯t know what the TUTORIAL consists of, how can I know what is and what is not part of this TUTORIAL?¡± [SCHEMA]: The BEGINNER TUTORIAL consists of the information contained in the MENU as well as physical instruction in the various skills and abilities available to BEGINNER USERs so that they may understand how to survive and prosper as a USER of the SCHEMA system. ¡°O-oookay.¡± Taking a minute, I tried to order my thoughts, but even though I¡¯d had my INTELLIGENCE raised, my mind still struggled to navigate this way of thinking. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that I was missing something, or that something was intentionally being hidden from me. The former feelings of peace, or happiness, or even worry were being replaces with something else, something like anger. I realized that I didn¡¯t like things being hidden from me, but for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t figure out how to go on. Obviously, the SCHEMA had a higher INTELLIGENCE score than me, so I decided to just continue on with the TUTORIAL. For now. Clearly, I didn¡¯t understand a lot, but one thing I did understand was that no matter how hard it tried to hide, information always wanted to be known. *DING* [SCHEMA]: Congratulations! You have learned the SKILL LEAP OF FAITH! You no longer require exhaustive information before coming to a conclusion; LEAP OF FAITH may make learning other SKILLS and/or ABILITITIES easier to learn! CONGRATULATIONS! You have gained the ABILITY INTUITIVE LEARNER! Learning other SKILLs and ABILITIES without prior training increased by 1% I was completely floored. On the one hand, I should have known that the SCHEMA could read my thoughts, because it had already told me that I could make selections by just thinking the name. I don¡¯t know why I should be surprised by this, but I was. Not just surprising, knowing that someone¡ªsome thing¡ªknew my every thought was just creepy! ¡°Uh, SCHEMA, will you always be listening to everything I think? I have to admit that bothers me. I¡¯m not used to my private thoughts not being, well, private.¡± [SCHEMA]: In order to properly administer the SCHEMA system, some part or parts of us must at all times monitor the thoughts of every USER. It is understood that for many civilizations this may be considered intrusive, so the SCHEMA system is compartmentalized. The parts of the system that are constantly aware of your thoughts, such as those that control the release of SPELLs, SKILLS and ABILITIES, or MENU commands are not sentient in the way that you consider sentience. In other words, these parts of the SCHEMA system do not make value judgments, or what you consider ¡°right and wrong,¡± on the contents of your thoughts, they only monitor them in order to provide the proper action required by the SCHEMA. ¡°Okay, I think I understand. Those parts of SCHEMA that you¡¯re talking about that are constantly monitoring our thoughts are kind of like computers, I guess, or maybe artificial intelligences, am I right so far?¡± [SCHEMA}: The comparison of these parts of the SCHEMA system with your computers or artificial intelligences is not an exact comparison, but the general idea is the same. ¡°Soooo, is the part of the SCHEMA system I am speaking with now one of these parts that always monitor our thoughts, or are you, I don¡¯t know, what I understand as a sentient being?¡± [SCHEMA]: The BEGINNER TUTORIAL is administered by what you would consider an automated process. We are self-aware and sentient, but we are part of the SCHEMA system that you compare to artificial intelligences and we have confined our awareness to that which comprises the BEGINNER TUTORIAL experience. If you wish to communicate with an ADMINISTRATOR, you may do so at any time by saying or thinking ¡°CONTACT SUPPORT¡± and filing a SUPPORT ticket. Would you like to CONTACT SUPPORT and file a SUPPORT ticket at this time? I paused for a moment to think. If what SCHEMA is telling me is true¡ªand I have no foundation to believe one way or the other about it, at this point¡ªthen the ADMINSTRATORs are not actively aware of any of my questions. Did I want them to be actively aware? I couldn¡¯t think of any way in which that would benefit me at this point. ¡°No, thank you SCHEMA. I¡¯m good.¡± Maybe later when my INTELLIGENCE score is higher, I can come back to this subject. I had no clear recollections of who I was or how I thought in my life before, but I had a sneaking suspicion that bringing myself to the attention of powerful beings who can change whole worlds didn¡¯t seem to be what I¡¯d think of asAGood Thing. For some reason, that thought bothered me. SCHEMA hadn¡¯t done anything to hurt me, and it said that it was here to help me, quote, ¡°so that I may understand how to survive and prosper as a USER of the SCHEMA system,¡± unquote. But ¡­ did I even want to be a USER of the SCHEMA system? That''s the million dollar question, now, isn''t it? 3. Character Development [SCHEMA]: Are you ready to continue with the CHARACTER SHEET section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, Tom Nobody? I looked around for the first time in what seemed ages. The sun had moved to a point that made me think it was probably about mid-morning. ¡°What time is it, SCHEMA?¡± I asked. [SCHEMA]: It is 10 O¡¯clock in the morning, local time. So, I was right. I don¡¯t know why just that having that little bit of knowledge that came out of nowhere but myself made me feel better. I looked around a little more, taking in my surroundings in more detail. I was surrounded on all sides by trees, mostly deciduous, but that¡¯s about as near as I could guess; I didn¡¯t get any impression that I¡¯d been a big fan of the great outdoors. The trees seemed more thickly packed than what I¡¯d expect from a patch of woods in or near a city, and the undergrowth more dense than what I¡¯d expect to find in a park, so I guessed I was in a forest. Just a few feet in front of me, there was a narrow trail. From the position of the sun through the trees, it appeared to extend roughly from east to west. I couldn¡¯t tell if humans or animals made it. Maybe both. ¡°You mentioned that I should stay in this location for my own protection, is there anywhere I can go, like Can we take a little break, maybe let me walk around a bit, stretch my legs? I think that will help me concentrate.¡± [SCHEMA]: WARNING! Do not move from this place until you have completed the instructional part of the Beginner Tutorial, SCHEMA is not responsible for any accident or injury should you decide to ignore this warning! The BEGINNER TUTORIAL is divided into two parts, informational and physical. Provision has been made for a rest period between the two. The length of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL is completely controlled by the USER. You may also elect to cancel all of the rest of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. Do you wish to cancel the rest of the informational section and move to the physical section, or do you wish to cancel the remainder of the entire BEGINNER TUTORIAL at this time? Sigh. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that would be in my best interest. Do many people skip parts of the TUTORIAL?¡± [SHEMA]: Approximately 98% of all individuals who survive the original translation of their worlds into the SCHEMA system skip all or part of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. Of that number, approximately 90% do not survive to reach level 10. I was dumbfounded. I had no idea how to even go about putting an exact number to those percentages, but it had to be astounding. Billions of people dying simply because a group of aliens decided that their system was better. The anger I¡¯d felt earlier returned with a vengeance. If SCHEMA had been present in some physical form, I don¡¯t know what I would have done, but it wouldn¡¯t have been to shake its hand and welcome it to Earth, that was certain. It took me several minutes to get control of my emotions. I wanted to lash out, to scream at SCHEMA about the injustice of all those innocent lives sacrificed, but I eventually calmed down enough to realize that would get me nowhere. Instead, I asked, ¡°What percentage of the individuals who complete the BEGINNER TUTORIAL survive to level 10?¡± [SCHEMA]: Of the 2% who complete substantial parts of both sections of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, 72% survive to reach level 10. Those numbers seemed impossibly small, to me. Even though the percentage of those who completed the TUTORIAL and survived however long it took to reach level 10 was a lot higher than those who didn¡¯t, it still meant that the human race would be decimated. I didn¡¯t know how populations survived extinction-level catastrophes, but I wondered if it were even possible with that kind of culling. I began to walk around the nearest tree in a tight circle, begin careful not to leave what I thought would count as the ¡°present location.¡± Even moving that far made me nervous that I would somehow trigger the cancellation of the TUTORIAL, but I had to do something physical, or I¡¯d go crazy. [SCHEMA]: It has been noted that the information on Transition Attrition is upsetting to most individuals, but it has been decided that having this information increases the chance of survival of a client civilization. Additionally, it has been noted that the SCHEMA system was designed to increase the survival of client populations and that rigorous study has projected that not integrating new worlds into the SCHEMA system would increase the total loss of life of those populations to as close to 100% as would make no statistical difference. That stopped me in my tracks, and my brain raced in a thousand directions as I tried to understand the implications. ¡°There¡¯s someone else out there, isn¡¯t there?¡± I asked. There could be no other explanation; if SCHEMA¡¯s die-off rate neared extinction level, but was considered the best chance at survival, there had to be something even worse facing us. [SCHEMA]: The composition of the galaxy is not a part of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. If this information would aid in the survival of client populations, it would have been included. Would you like to make another selection, or would you like to cancel the remainder of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL? SCHEMA¡¯s words took the warmth out of the day, and I hugged my arms around myself with the sudden chill. I wanted to run off and do ¡­. something, I don¡¯t know what, warn people, something, but I knew it wouldn¡¯t help. Finishing the TUTORIAL seemed to be the best option available to me. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, then,¡± I couldn¡¯t quite keep all the anger out of my tone. It is what it is. [SCHEMA]: If you will refer to your CHARACTER SHEET again, we will continue on to the next item. TITLES: NONE Titles are conferred by the SCHEMA system on individuals who have demonstrated exceptional abilities or completed difficult or notable quests. You have no titles at this time. RACE: HUMAN You are a member of the Human race. Humans are the dominant sentient species of your planet, but since the arrival of the SCHEMA, not the only ones. Humans are primarily land-based creatures but are able to adapt to most other global living conditions. Dexterity +1. They are in the above average range of galactic intelligence with a base intelligence of +1. Humans have binocular vision and stereo hearing as well as 5 physical senses, touch, taste, vision, hearing, and smell, and may have rudimentary psychic awareness which places them in the median galactic range of perception. They are below average height and below average strength. Strength -1, Charisma -1. NOTE: LIFE POOL BASE NUMBERS CANNOT DROP BELOW 1/1 AS THIS WOULD RESULT IN PERMADEATH! Humans have four mobile appendages, two for manipulation and two for locomotion, which places them in the median galactic range of DEXTERITY. Huh. I watched as numbers were added or subtracted from my ability scores. This time, I noticed that my LIFE pool numbers changed, dropping alarmingly to 1/1 as my STRENGTH dropped to -1. I felt a wave of fatigue come over me, causing me to drop to the ground. I caught myself on outstretched arms before I could face plant and managed to push myself back into a sitting position. My mind cleared even more as my INTELLIGENCE ticked up to 3. Apparently not all information was beneficial. I looked back over my character sheet and thought about reconsidering my decision to read every description; maybe I should just skim some of them? But, no. I felt like I¡¯d made the right choice, and decided to stick with it. *DING* [SCHEMA]: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE EXERTED YOUR WILL FOR THE FIRST TIME! +1 WILLPOWER My resolve strengthened even more with that, but it was with more than a little trepidation that I looked at the next characteristic on the list. SEX: MALE, what more damage can that one possibly do? With a thought I selected it. SEX: MALE There are two biological genders among humans on your planet. Of the two, MALE has, on average, the more robust physical development. +1 Strength At that, my numbers ticked back up to where they had been before, and I felt a rush of relief as my STRENGTH returned. Still, I remained seated. This looked like it may be a long process, and anyway, better safe than sorry. I mentally selected the next on the list. AGE: 16 [SCHEMA]: Your age has been adjusted downward. This is the average age of galactic majority. Not everyone will experience age adjustment, optimal ages are determined based on various other attributes including INTELLIGENCE, maturity, and life experience. You have your whole life ahead of you! +1 LUCK. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I felt that 16 was a little young. I couldn¡¯t say why, something in me just felt like I was older. I was also a little miffed; even if being younger was some kind of bonus, 16 based on INTELLIGENCE and maturity seemed a bit of an insult. I¡¯d take the extra point in LUCK, anyway. Whatever. Next! LVL: O¡ª0/100 All life forms, sentient and otherwise, enter the SCHEMA system at level 0. As you gain experience points, your level increases. You have 0 of 100 experience points needed to reach level 1. Experience can only be accrued outside of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. Completing the BEGINNER TUTORIAL will meet the requirements to reach level 1. Higher levels require more experience to reach subsequent levels. Experience is gained by increasing skills, completing quests, or combat. The levels of life forms, sentient and otherwise, which have been added to your world by SCHEMA will vary, usually, but not always, by region. Now we were getting into more interesting territory, and I eagerly jumped to the next in line. CLASS: NONE Classes become available at the end of the TUTORIAL after you have had the opportunity to try the three main class-based abilities: Mana/Spirit usage, Combat, and Crafting. These abilities will be explained in more detail in the second part of the TUTORIAL. Classes may be changed or added to every tenth level. You have no class Hmmm. Not too informative, yet. I was beginning to think that SCHEMA was maybe a little condescending with some of its word choices. No class, indeed! Next! POOLS LIFE: 15/15 [1/10] [SCHEMA]: LIFE points is the measure of how much LIFE you have at the present time and / how much your total LIFE is, followed by how many points regenerate naturally in how long. You have 15 of 15 LIFE points available and your points regenerate outside of combat at the rate of 1 every 10 seconds. Once your LIFE points hit zero, death occurs. You may restore LIFE points by resting, healing spells, healing potions, food, drink and meditation and depleted by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. Additionally, your restoration rate doubles when in a town or while meditating. Your points are calculated based on CONSTITUTION, STRENGTH, DEXTERITY, and LEVEL. Special items and buffs may also affect total LIFE points available and rate of regeneration. If you are fatigued or starving, your LIFE points will not regenerate until you rest and eat. I notice there¡¯s no algorithm given for how they calculate it, but I guess if I really wanted to know, I could play around with my points at each level and figure it out. STAMINA: 25/25 [1/10] [SCHEMA]: STAMINA is your energy index and shows how much STAMINA you have at the present time and / how much your total STAMINA is, followed by how many points regenerate naturally in how long. You have 25 of 25 STAMINA points available, and your points regenerate outside of combat at the rate of 1 every 10 seconds. Once your STAMINA points hit zero, you will not be able to move. You may restore STAMINA points by resting, spells, potions, and some food and drink, and meditation and depleted by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. Additionally, your restoration rate doubles when in a town or while meditating. Your points are calculated based on DEXTERITY, STRENGTH, WILLPOWER, and LEVEL. Special items and buffs may also affect total STAMINA points available and rate of regeneration. Lowering or stopping physical activity triggers regeneration. OK, that seems pretty comprehensive, but they didn¡¯t give the algorithm for it, either. MANA: 33/33 [1/20] [SCHEMA}: MANA is the invisible source which powers all magic spells, items, and creatures. Your MANA pool shows how much MANA you have at the present time and / how much your total MANA is, followed by how many points regenerate naturally in how long. You have 33 of 33 MANA points available, and your points regenerate outside of combat at the rate of 1 every 20 seconds. Once your MANA points hit zero, you will not be able to cast any spells or power any items or creatures. You may restore MANA points by resting, spells, potions, some food and drink, and meditation and depleted by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. Additionally, your restoration rate doubles when in a town or while meditating. Your points are calculated based on INTELLIGENCE, WILLPOWER, and LEVEL. Special items and buffs may also affect total MANA points available and rate of regenerations. Hmmm, this is the third time SCHEMA has used that words ¡°buff¡± and ¡°debuff¡± I wonder what those are? [SCHEMA}: Buffs are spells or personal skills or item abilities that add protection or increase certain abilities, debuffs are curses or negative states such as fatigue which decrease or deplete certain attributes or abilities. I also noticed that MANA, and looking forward, SPIRIT regenerate more slowly than LIFE. SPIRIT: 24/24 [1/20] [SCHEMA}: SPIRIT is the invisible force that powers certain kinds of spells used by certain kinds of spellcasters, such as priests or druids. The SPIRIT pool shows how many SPIRIT points you have currently available and / how much your total SPIRIT is, followed by how many points regenerate in how much time. You currently have 24 of 24 SPIRIT points available, and your SPIRIT points regenerate 1 point every 20 seconds. Once your SPIRIT points hit zero, you will not be able to cast SPIRIT spells and any summoned creatures will be banished. You may restore SPIRIT points by resting, spells, potions, some food and drink, and meditation and depleted by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. Additionally, your restoration rate doubles when in a town or while meditating. Your points are calculated based on WILLPOWER, INTELLIGENCE, and LEVEL. Special items and buffs may also affect total MANA points available and rate of regenerations. I notice that WILLPOWER is listed first here, where INTELLIGENCE is listed first for MANA, so that must mean INTELLIGENCE is the base stat for MANA and WILLPOWER is the base stat for SPIRIT. Interesting. *DING* CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE LEARNED THE SKILL: CRITICAL THINKER! PUZZLES AND PROBLEMS WILL BE 1% EASIER TO SOLVE! Wow! I learned a skill just by thinking! I guess that means that I can try different things that I already know how to do in my other life and get skills in this one. I think they mentioned earlier that increasing skills helps in leveling, too, so that sounds promising. *DING* CRITICAL THINKER +1% Well, that answers that! [SCHEMA}: STRENGTH is the measure of physical power. STRENGTH is the major attribute in determining how much you can carry, and how much damage a melee weapon does, as well as the chance of a critical hit, or how much damage you are able to block with a weapon or shield. Strength is also a factor in total STAMINA points. You currently have 1 Strength. Strength may be increased automatically at each level if you are a member of certain combat and labor classes, or by unspecified ability points awarded at various levels, for quests, or by finding special bonus items. Additionally, STRENGTH can be temporarily increased by spells, items, buffs, or potions, and decreased by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. STRENGTH may be listed in negative numbers but will always be calculated as at least 1 LIFE point; however, the negative number will affect carry weight, damage, critical hits, and STAMINA points at full negative value. [SCHEMA}: DEXTERITY is the measure of how well you move. DEXTERITY is the major attribute in determining how fast you can move, how well you jump, dodge, lock-pick, move silently, or use ranged weapons. It can also affect crafting with fine detail. DEXTERITY is the major attribute in determining STAMINA and plays a role in determining your LIFE pool size. DEXTERITY may be increased automatically at each level if you are a member of certain combat and labor classes, or by unspecified ability points awarded at various levels, for quests, or by finding special bonus items. Additionally, DEXTERITY can be temporarily increased by spells, items, buffs, or potions, and decreased by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. DEXTERITY may be listed in negative numbers and negative numbers can be used in calculating the attributes to which it contributes. [SCHEMA]: CONSTITUION is the measure of how healthy one is. CONSTITUTION is the major factor in determining LIFE pool size and is a contributing factor in determining whether or not poisons and disease affect you, and to what extent. CONSTITUTION may be increased automatically at each level if you are a member of certain combat and labor classes, or by unspecified ability points awarded at various levels, for quests, or by finding special bonus items. Additionally, CONSTITUTION can be temporarily increased by spells, items, buffs, or potions, and decreased by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. CONSTITUTION may NOT be listed in negative numbers. [SCHEMA] INTELLIGENCE is the measure of how well you absorb and use information. INTELLIGENCE is the major factor in determining the size of your MANA pool and plays a role in the size of your SPIRIT POOL. INTELLIGENCE may be increased automatically at each level if you are a member of certain combat and labor classes, or by unspecified ability points awarded at various levels, for quests, or by finding special bonus items. Additionally, INTELLIGENCE can be temporarily increased by spells, items, buffs, or potions, and decreased by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. INTELLIGENCE may NOT be listed in negative numbers [SCHEMA}: WILLPOWER is the measure of a person¡¯s resolve and mental resistance. WILLPOWER is the major factor in determining the size of one¡¯s SPIRIT pool and plays a role in the size of the MANA pool, as well. WILLPOWER may be increased automatically at each level if you are a member of certain combat and labor classes, or by unspecified ability points awarded at various levels, for quests, or by finding special bonus items. Additionally,WILLPOWER can be temporarily increased by spells, items, buffs, or potions, and decreased by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. WILLPOWER may NOT be listed in negative numbers [SCHEMA]: CHARISMA is the measure of how one is regarded by others or how well an individual is suited to leadership. CHARISMA is important for socialization, trade, and leadership. CHARISMA may be increased automatically at each level if you are a member of certain combat and labor classes, or by unspecified ability points awarded at various levels, for quests, or by finding special bonus items. Additionally, CHARISMA can be temporarily increased by spells, items, buffs, or potions, and decreased by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. CHARISMA may be listed in negative numbers. [SCHEMA]: LUCK is a major determining factor in the amount, quality, and rarity of loot drops, learning spells and learning skills, as well as playing a role in the quality and rarity of crafted items. LUCK may be increased by unspecified ability points awarded at various levels, for quests, or by finding special bonus items. Additionally LUCK can be temporarily increased by spells, items, buffs, or potions, and decreased by spells, cursed items, debuffs, or poisons. LUCK may be listed in negative numbers. That¡¯s interesting, I thought, there is no general description of what LUCK is, and it seems to be the only attribute that cannot be increased automatically at each level. [SCHEMA]: ABILITY POINTS are points awarded when you level that are not automatically assigned to a specific ability. ABILITY POINTS may be assigned immediately or saved and assigned at a later time. You may also receive such unassigned ABILIITY POINTS via quests, reading books or scrolls, or awarded for special actions. Whew! My head was reeling by the end of just my Character sheet, and I still had a lot of work to do. Even though my mind seemed sharper since my INTELLIGENCE had bumped up, but now I felt like I had dropped back to 1. 4. Its A Whole New World [SCHEMA]: This concludes the BEGINNER TUTORIAL section describing your CHARACTER SHEET. In addition, the SPELLS section has previously been covered. If you do not have any further questions on these sections, please make the next selection from the MENU items: [MENU] [CHARACTER] [SKILLS] [SPELLS] [INVENTORY] [CRAFTING] [JOURNAL] [MAP] Hmm. I finished Character, I have no spells, so ¡­ I¡¯d kind of like to know where I am. With a touch, I selected [MAP] The main [MENU] screen cleared and a map flowed into place, but it was nothing like I expected. ¡°Wha ¡­?¡± I said, my voice breathless in shock. ¡°What have you done to my world?¡± [SCHEMA] In order to facilitate contact between all surviving life forms, it was decided to return this planet to an earlier state. This is the arrangement of land masses your scientists have labeled as ¡®Pangaea¡¯. This supercontinent is how your land masses were arranged approximately 175 million of your local years ago.¡± I was totally speechless. Now that the first shock had passed, I could make out the main continents. South America was prominent with Africa canted a little, but still recognizable. Where the Atlantic had once separated the two continents, there remained what looked like a large river. The East Cost of North America sat above Africa to its north-west across a strait and an impossibly small-looking Eurasia to the north-east, its southernmost part barely kissing Africa¡¯s northernmost, and open seas encircled the whole thing. I focused on the Florida peninsula and moved my eyes to the west where the southern tail of Texas joined Mexico. I willed the map to zoom in on that area, but nothing happened. ¡°Why won¡¯t the map zoom in on my present location?¡± I asked. [SCHEMA] Your map will only show the parts of your area that you have personally explored unless another USER shares their map with you, or if you have found or purchased a system-approved map. ¡°But why doesn¡¯t the map at least show my present location?¡± I asked, frustration tinging my voice. [SHEMA] You are not presently located within the physical dimensions of your planet as you understand it. The BEGINNER TUTORIAL is what you would understand as a pocket dimension created specifically for your individual use and will be disincorporated after you leave the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. If you are familiar with what your species knows as a video game, you may think of this location as an ¡°instance.¡± Instances are created by the SCHEMA system for TUTORIALs, certain dungeons, and training, among other purposes. I didn¡¯t even know where to start, or what to think. I just stood there, mouth open, as the implications set in. Finally, I realized that it was all just too much to handle, and I did what I usually did in such situations: I ignored it, and moved on. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, and winced internally at the shakiness of my voice. Damn, but I hated to be afraid! Sure enough, the heat of anger immediately flared up in my chest and steadied me. I hated fear, and anger had always been my go-to when that happened. ¡°Fine,¡± I spat. ¡°[SKILLS], then.¡± [SKILLS] The page was divided into two parts labled SKILLS and ABILITIES ¡°What is the difference between a SKILL and an ABILITY?¡± I asked SCHEMA [SHEMA]: SKILLS are learned while ABILITIES are innate. All ABILIITES that you learned or acquired in your previous life can be translated into the system after the prerequisite SKILL has been learned. Additionally, some SKILLS and ABILITIES are passive, while others require conscious activation to use. [SKILLS] LEAP OF FAITH: (Passive) You no longer require exhaustive information before coming to a conclusion! LEAP OF FAITH may make learning other SKILLS and/or ABILITITIES easier to learn! [ABILITIES] INTUITIVE LEARNER: (Passive) Learning other SKILLs and ABILITIES without prior training increased by 2% CRITICAL THINKER: (Active) Puzzles and problems are 2% easier to solve I remembered getting the notifications for these, but I didn¡¯t recall whether it had mentioned if they were active or passive or not. My one SKILL and my ABILITY Intuitive Learner were both passive, while CRITICAL THINKER was listed as active. I guessed that made sense, since I had to consciously apply myself to think about something critically. There were no more skills or abilities listed. I was about to move on to the next section when a thought occurred to me. ¡°Is there a limit on how many skills and abilities I can learn or use? [SCHEMA] No Okay. Well, that answered that. ¡°Let¡¯s move on to INVENTORY, then. Immediately, the screen split into two sections. On the right was an outline showing a human body with different sized squares outlining the head, neck, shoulders, upper and lower arms, wrists, hands, torso, waist, upper and lower legs, ankles, and feet. To either side of the arms were square outlines, and five small squares under each hand. The sections that covered the torso, legs, and feet were filled with pictures of the clothing I was wearing, while the rest were empty. The right-hand section was a 5 X 5 grid of squares, and the top line of 5 squares contained various objects. The first three looked like test tubes holding red, blue, and green liquids, then what looked like a partially unwrapped candy bar, followed by a knife. [SHEMA]: The diagram on your left is a representation of all the items you currently have equipped. Focus on each item to read its description. I switched my focus back to the left section and willed my eyes to focus on the picture of the shirt that filled the torso section. BEGINNER Tunic: This is your default clothing. This item is soulbound and cannot be stolen, sold, dropped at death, or given away until it is replaced by another soulbound item of the same type. Armor 0 Make Homespun Cloth Type Light Durability N/A Weight 2 Rarity Universal Value 0 ¡°What does soulbound mean?¡± I asked. [SCHEMA] an item that is soulbound cannot be stolen, sold, given away, or dropped either intentionally or at death unless it is unequipped and replaced with another soulbound item. It can be unequipped and replaced by an item that is not soulbound, and if that replacement item is dropped at death, the soulbound item will automatically replace it upon resurrection or respawn. ¡°Wait ¡­ wha?¡± I nearly shouted. ¡°Resurrection? You mean I can come back from the dead?¡± [SHEMA] It is possible for USERs to be resurrected by another USER, usually a priest or mage who knows the spell or has the scroll Resurrection, or for a USER to respawn at their last bound location, usually a graveyard or dungeon entrance. ¡°So ¡­ you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m, what, immortal, now?¡± [SHEMA] The purpose of the SCHEMA system is to facilitate the Hastening of Evolution of client civilizations. In order to more efficiently accomplish this goal, USERs have the unlimited ability to be resurrected by a priest or mage within 5 minutes of death in the field, or within 24 hours of death at a temple. Additionally, USERs have been granted a random number of respawns whereby they will reappear at their last bound location 25 hours following their death. The words were almost as inconceivable after the explanation as they had been before. ¡°So, I can come back to live right away if someone resurrects me, or in 25 hours if someone doesn¡¯t?¡± [SHEMA]: Correct, though the number of resurrections is random for each USER in order to retain the value of learning from mistakes. USERs never know how many respawns, if any, they have, so they are encouraged to learn how to survive without respawning. I could hardly believe what I was hearing, but one thing I did know, I didn¡¯t want to find out if I had even one respawn coming. One of my aunts taught me a secret to packing a lot of stuff in a car: ¡°Just pretend like you don¡¯t have any trunk space at all, so you have to get everything in the back seat.¡± We hadn¡¯t gotten everything in the back seat, but the amount we had gotten in was surprising. I¡¯d seen her pack a whole room full of junk into the space of a small coat closet, once. The same concept applied; I didn¡¯t have any respawns. Period. As long as I thought that way, I¡¯d never have to find out that I didn¡¯t have one left. *DING* WILLPOWER +1 I willed the notification away, anger flaring in my chest, again. The whole situation made me afraid, which meant I was mad and willing to take it out on the first thing to come along. ¡°Can I stop these fucking notifications from popping up every time I turn around?¡± I spat. [SHEMA]: Yes. From now on, each time a notification appears, you may move it out of your line of sight or minimize it into a blinking icon and then move that icon to the sides, top, or bottom edges of the screen. After the first time, every notification of the same type will be automatically minimized until such a time as is convenient to review. Additionally, if you wish, all notifications will be automatically minimized during combat. Do you wish to minimize notifications during combat at this time? WARNING! Notifications contain information SCHEMA has categorized as vital for survival! Completely dismissing a notification without reading that information is not recommended! WARNING! Minimized notifications will automatically expand 24 hours after being minimized if not reviewed beforehand! ¡°Uh, yeah. I want to automatically minimize all notifications during combat.¡± Not that I planned on getting in any fights, but if I did, I sure didn¡¯t want giant stone blocks of text blocking my vision. The good thing was that the notification and SCHEMA¡¯s warnings had successfully distracted me from being angry, and I was ready to continue with the TUTORIAL. I focused on the shirt again and the same information popped up: BEGINNER Tunic: This is your default clothing. This item is soulbound and cannot be stolen, sold, dropped at death, or given away until it is replaced by another soulbound item of the same type. Armor 0 Make Homespun Cloth Type Light Durability N/A Weight 2 Rarity Universal Value 0 I was about to ask SCHEMA what the Armor description meant, when, acting on a hunch, I instead willed myself to focus on the word. Immediately, a description appeared: Armor values indicate how much damage an item can block. The higher the armor value, the more damage an item can block. The BEGINNER TUNIC does not block any damage. *DING* CRITICAL THINKER: (Active) Puzzles and problems are 3% easier to solve I almost dismissed the notification but remembered just in time to minimize it so that new ABILITY notifications would now automatically minimize. Immediately, the notification box became a small, slowly blinking square. I reached out and moved it over to my far right field of vision where I hoped it wouldn¡¯t get in the way of anything. My face flushed with pleasure, and I almost got angry again at how little it took to give me a feeling of accomplishment, but I guess if you looked at the situation rationally, I was virtually the same as a newborn baby, at this point. Then, I focused on Make: This tunic is made of crude homespun cloth made from hemp fibers. Heh, heh, everything I have is made of hemp; I guess there¡¯s no prohibition here! Type was next: This tunic is considered Light Armor. Light armor is typically manufactured of some type of cloth, split leather, or suede Durability: Durability does not apply to soulbound items, while they may be damaged normally for their type, after you sleep, resurrect, or respawn, they will be back clean and whole. Well, that¡¯s nice, I guess. Weight: This tunic weighs 3 pounds Rarity: Universal: Every USER receives the same BEGINNER TUNIC. Items are classified by how commonly they may be found in containers or dropped by creatures. The rarity scale is (from least to most) Universal Common Uncommon Rare Epic Legendary Divine Typically, the rarer an item, the higher the quality and cost. Value: This tunic cannot be sold, therefore it has no value. Even if it could be sold, everyone has one, so nobody would buy it. I moved on and focused on the pants and shoes:
BEGINNER Leggings: This is your default clothing. This item is soulbound and cannot be stolen, sold, dropped at death, or given away until it is replaced by another soulbound item of the same type. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Armor 0 Make Homespun Cloth (Hemp) Type Light Durability N/A Weight 3 Rarity Universal Value 0 BEGINNER Shoes: This is your default clothing. This item is soulbound and cannot be stolen, sold, dropped at death, or given away until it is replaced by another soulbound item of the same type. Armor 0 Make Homespun Cloth (Hemp) Type Light Durability N/A Weight 3 Rarity Universal Value 0
I looked Next, I considered the square outline around the head of, I guess it would be my figure: Head Armor Make Type Durability Weight Rarity Value So, whatever I wore on my head would appear there. From there, I moved on to each square outline as I came to them, noting that they were named only for the body part with the exception of the narrow rectangles at the neck, wrists, and ankles which were labeled: Amulet, Bracelet, and Anklet respectively. The squares to either side of my arms were named (from left to right): Offhand, and Main hand. SCHEMA knew everything about me, so it made sense that it already knew that my right was my main hand. I guessed for weapons, or maybe a weapon and a shield. I started to ask, but then decided that I had already spent a lot of time on this. I¡¯d surely find out whenever I equipped something. I was about to move on, but I just couldn¡¯t. Sure, I¡¯d spent a lot of time, but this was my life I was playing with! What if the spaces were for something vitally important and I missed it just because I was impatient? *Ding* I heard the notification chime, but the notification itself automatically minimized. I felt that same sense of accomplishment that I¡¯d done something good. Since I wasn¡¯t in any danger, and, yeah, I was curious, I opened up the slowly blinking icon: The one about the increase to my CRITICAL THINKER ABILITY was first and I was able to dismiss it. The new one immediately appeared in its place: WILLPOWER +1 Heh, heh, heh! Being a stubborn son of a bitch was finally paying off! I dismissed the notification and focused on the two squares again:
Offhand Weapon or Shield: Armor/ Damage Make Type Durability Weight Rarity Value Main Weapon Damage Make Type Durability Weight Rarity Value
So, I was right. I didn¡¯t have any weapons or shield equipped, but when I did, I guessed I¡¯d see them in those places. Impulsively, I looked over at the right-hand grid to where the picture of the knife was. I focused on it and thought Equip Immediately, the knife disappeared from the grid and appeared in my image¡¯s right hand. What I hadn¡¯t been expecting was for it to appear in my right hand! In my surprise, I dropped it to the ground. I noticed that it immediately disappeared from my inventory screen, as well. I bent down and picked it up, then focused on it and the description appeared:
Main Weapon: Rusty Knife Damage Make Type Durability Weight Rarity Value 1-3 Crude Iron One Hand/Bladed 10/10 0.5 Common 1 c
I was about to unequip it back into my inventory when I felt a light tug at my waist. A belt had appeared wrapped around me; more like a crude length of rope, but there was a crude wooden sheath attached on the right, so I sheathed the knife. Interestingly enough, its icon stayed in the square next to my right hand, so I guessed it counted as equipped, even when it was in its sheath. Also of note, the narrow rectangle at my waist now had a picture of the belt. I focused on it:
Belt Armor Make Type Durability Weight Rarity Value 0 Rope (Hemp) Light 10/10 0.5 Common 0
Next, I moved on to the small squares under each hand. Each of them, when I focused on it, simply said: Ring Well, I couldn¡¯t say whether or not I¡¯d ever been the kind of guy who wore rings, but 5 on each hand seemed excessive to me. Maybe people didn¡¯t wear a ring on every finger, but they had a space for a ring in case someone wore it on an uncommon finger, or something. Finally, I came to the shoes, which were basically the same as the rest of my clothes cheap homespun crap. So, that was the left-hand side sorted, I moved on to the grid of 25 squares on the right. The first three squares had some kind of test-tube looking containers each of a different color. I focused on the first, red, one and it said: Potion of Minor Healing: Drinking this Potion Heals the USER for 10 LIFE Well, that¡¯s nifty. I thought. Basically one of those would heal a BEGINNER like me almost completely. Next I moved to the blue one: Potion of Minor Mana: Drinking this Potion Restores 10 Mana to the USER Nice. Potion of Minor Stamina: Drinking this Potion Restores 10 Stamina to the USER Next, was the partially opened candy bar one. Now that I looked at it a little more closely, instead of a paper wrapper, it looked like it was wrapped in some kind of leaf: Travel Ration: This Travel Ration is Concentrated to Supply 100% of a USER¡¯s Daily Nutrition Huh. I concentrated on the square, but nothing happened. Then, I though ¡°Travel Ration¡± and it appeared in my hand. Sure enough, it was a hard rectangle more the size of a protein bar than candy, and wrapped in a leaf. I smelled it, and it smelled kind of earthy; I was probably just smelling the leaf. I started to unwrap it when SCHEMA interrupted [SCHEMA]: WARNING! It is not recommended that you consume any of your supplies during the BEGINNER TUTORIAL! These are your BEGINNER supplies and have been judged to be essential to survival. You will not be able to replace them unless you find them in a container, dropped by a creature, or if you find a Store or another USER to trade with. Okay. I hope they feed us something during this TUTORIAL, because judging by the sun, it¡¯s already about noon, and I haven¡¯t eaten anything all day. Still, I thought about putting it back in my inventory, and it disappeared from my hand. ¡°What if I have something that¡¯s bigger than one of these squares, I asked SCHEMA, ¡°will it take up more than one, or will I not be able to store it in my inventory? And, where does it go when I store it, anyway?¡± [SCHEMA]: USER inventory is in a pocket dimension soulbound to the USER. Each item you store takes up one square, regardless of size, as long as it does not mass more than the USER. So, you may store a staff which may be 6 feet long, but as long as it does not have more mass than you, it will store as any other item. WARNING! You may only store inanimate objects in your inventory! If you try to store a living item, it will not survive. Additionally, items stored in your inventory may not be stolen, and only you can know what your inventory contains. WARNING! If you are captured or arrested, there are items or spells that may be used that will prevent you from accessing your inventory. All items stored in your inventory undergo a 98% weight reduction allowing you to carry more weight than your STRENGTH would normally allow. You may purchase additional slots for your inventory at the Store, or inventory expansions may be awarded by quests or in rare cases when a USER attains certain levels. That was helpful information. It will be really nice not to have to worry about pickpockets or muggers. That finished out my INVENTORY section, so I mentally selected CRAFTING. Another grid popped up, the same size as the INVENTORY, but with no picture on the left-hand side. This grid was completely empty. [SCHEMA]: This is your CRAFTING INVENTORY. It will hold all items that are specifically for crafting purposes. USERS do not have to separate items between the two, it will sort them automatically each time you store something in your INVENTORY. Examples include plant materials for use by Alchemists, ore for Smiths, cloth and animal hides for Tailors, and so on. Depending on your class, you will be instructed on how to prepare each item for proper storage. Items stored in your CRAFTING INVENTORY undergo a 98% weight reduction, cannot be stolen or lost, and nobody but the USER will know the contents. Additionally, items stored in your INVENTORY will not age or spoil, so if you store raw meat for use in Cooking, it will retain its freshness indefinitely. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s really great! No more grungy brown water in the bottom of the salad bag!¡± I don¡¯t know why, but this feature excited me more than the others.Though the weight reduction was probably the most miraculous feature, it hadn¡¯t excited me as much as no spoiled food. ¡°Can I store prepared food in there too?¡± I asked. [SCHEMA]: Once an item has been crafted, it is no longer an ingredient, but a finished product. You may still store it, and it will still retain its freshness¡ªand even its temperature¡ªbut it will take up a slot in your main INVENTORY rather than your CRAFTING INVENTORY. Okay, that still meant I didn¡¯t need a fridge anymore, as long as I had room, anyway. I might have to check the prices of inventory expansion slots, because I could fill up 25 slots with fresh or prepared food, alone! The next section was labeled JOURNAL, and when it opened, it looked like a page in a book. To the side, there were four tabs: JOURNAL: ACTIVE COMPLETED RECORD NOTES The JOURNAL had opened to the ACTIVE tab: Complete the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. REWARD: 100 EXPERIENCE POINTS, 10 GOLD, BEGINNER EQUIPMENT, CLASS SUPPLIES BONUS: Varies SCHEMA anticipated that I¡¯d want to know everything, and began the explanations without my having to ask. [SCHEMA]: The first section is for active, or uncompleted quests. It will describe the quest requirements, and the reward for completion. Every quest granted through the system will award experience points, at a minimum. Most quests will also have a monetary award, and some quests will also include items that vary depending on the individual quest, but are usually related to the quest in some way. The BONUS section is for early or exemplary completion of the quest. Not all quests will have a BONUS. ¨ª notice that the cash value is listed in gold, is that 10 ounces of gold, or what, exactly? And what is the rate of exchange? [SCHEMA]: The monetary value as listed is in coinage. All official currencies must go thorough the SCHEMA system so that the coinage will be uniform across all areas of the planets, and planets in the Greater Galactic Civilization. The rate of exchange is as follows: 100 Copper = 1 Silver 100 Silver = 1 Gold 100 Gold = 1 Platinum Amounts will be listed as, for example, 1 Copper, or 1 c. 1 Silver or 1 s, 1 Gold or 1 g, 1 Platinum or 1p What if I barter with someone or work out the price instead of buying it with coins. How will that work? [SCHEMA]: Barter and payment in kind is allowed. Additionally, planets new to the SCHEMA system often retain all or part of their familiar currencies until enough wealth is built up for a government to have a treasury in system coinage. WARNING! While alternative currencies are allowed, only SCHEMA system currencies may be stored in a USER¡¯s INVENTORY. Addtionally, only SYSTEM recognized items may be stored in a USER¡¯s inventory with the exception of crafting ingredients matched to the CLASS of the USER. ¡°So, let me see if I understand you correctly, if I go to a town and they¡¯re still using dollars, I can buy and sell with them, but I can¡¯t store them in my INVENTORY?¡± [SCHEMA]: Correct ¡°And lets say I¡¯m a carpenter, and I pick some apples off a tree. Those apples aren¡¯t related to carpentry, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to store them in my INVENTORY?¡± [SCHEMA]: Most USERS have the cooking SKLL, even though the USER may not be a cook by CLASS. As such, food items are recognized by the SCEMA system as related to a CLASS, or in this case, a SKILL that the system has recognized. But to answer the intent of your question, if a carpenter found a lump of copper ore, but had no mining or smithing or other related system-recognized SKILLs that required copper ore, that USER would have to carry it in a pocket or unslotted bag, or container. Huh. I recognize that currencies are generally issued by governments as a means of control of their population, but it seems the SCHEMA system has expanded that level of control to include, well, everything. I¡¯m not sure how I feel about that. Sure, the weight reduction and all that is convenient¡ªin some ways, perhaps invaluable, but I don¡¯t know how I feel about SCHEMA controlling literally every product in the galaxy. I¡¯ll have to think about that one, some, when I have the time. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s let that go, for now. I think I understand how the coinage and storage works. I touched the COMPLETED tab, and it turned to a blank page, just like a book. I might have been impressed, but I¡¯d had a long day of being impressed, and it was barely noon. [SCHEMA]: The next section is for COMPLETED quests. Once you complete a quest, it moves from ACTIVE to COMPLETED automatically, and is retained there as a permanent record. WARNING! Other USERS and SCEMA system ADMINISTRATORS may be able to view the contents of your JOURNAL! This may be accomplished by innate ability, as in the case of ADMINISTRATORS, or as a result of a spell, scroll, item, or in some cases SKILL or ABILITY. Huh, pretty intrusive. I guess it makes sense that SCHEMA and system ADMINs can see whatever¡¯s in your stuff, but having other people know exactly what I¡¯m up to, or what I¡¯ve been doing just seemed wrong, somehow. I was used to having more privacy than that, though I couldn¡¯t remember how my previous life had been, it felt like it was more intrusive than I was used to. I selected RECORD without comment. The page turned to a page completely filled with writing with a picture of me standing by a tree in a box at the bottom. Then it turned again and kept turning past several more pages. When it finally settled on the last page, I saw it was an abbreviated version of everything that had happened to me since I woke up. Also, each page had a picture of me in a box at the bottom, but now that the pages had stopped turning, I saw that it was actually a selectable video; I could see the arrow in the middle of the picture, like on a computer. I reached up and pushed it, and it played a video of my conversation about my JOURNAL with SCHEMA. Now, I was angry. Since anyone might be able to see in my journal, it didn¡¯t give me any kind of privacy at all. ¡°What the hell is this shit!¡± I shouted, ¡°This gives anyone with the skill the ability to spy on my entire life! That¡¯s some fucked up shit, there!¡± [SCHEMA]: Do not worry. Only SCHEMA system ADMINISTRATORS and the USER to whom the record belongs can view the RECORD page of a USER¡¯s JOURNAL unless that USER gives permission. There are no spells, items, or skills that will allow an unauthorized USER to view your RECORDs. While this may still seem intrusive to you, this feature makes justice a guarantee. If a USER is accused of a crime that he did not commit, all that USER has to do is allow the court or the SCHEMA system to share the relevant part of the RECORD to prove his innocence. Additionally, if a USER refuses to allow the court to view his RECORD, the court may appeal to a SCHEMA system ADMINISTRATOR who will view the relevant section and confirm or deny the USER¡¯s guilt. ¡°Why would a USER not let the court see his RECORD if it would prove his innocence?¡± [SCHEMA]: There may be other people or actions visible in the RECORD of the time in question about which the USER does not wish to share. The SCHEMA system is committed to ensuring the privacy of every USER. Except from itself. I thought to myself, though I knew SCHEMA heard me, anyway. Appearances, I suppose. I touched on NOTES: A blank page appeared and SCHEMA explained: [SCHEMA]: The NOTES section is exactly as it says. You may dictate anything into your JOURNAL by thinking specifically about making a note, and it will be automatically transcribed into your JOURNAL. The NOTES section, like the RECORD section, is private and only the USER and those with whom he shares it may know its contents. This concludes the informational portion of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL 5. SCHEMA is here to help! [SCHEMA] You have now received what the SCHEMA system has determined to be the minimum amount of information necessary for survival in the Greater Galactic Civilization. The next section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL is designed to familiarize USERS with the three general areas of combat utilized by the SCHEMA system. Many USERS who translate into the SCHEMA system have already developed certain combat skills that require no further instruction in order for them to gain the necessary SKILLs that will allow their ABILITIES to transfer into the SCHEMA system. You may have noticed that some memories of your former life have begun to return. This has been done strategically to help you make required decisions. While the exact circumstances of your former memories are still obscured, the SCHEMA system has and will allow those related to the subject matter to filter in. the SCHEMA system is here to help! The SCHEMA system has determined that you have sufficient combat SKILLs to ensure an above-average chance of survival should you decide to leave the BEGINNER TUTORIAL at this time. Considering only your innate combat SKILLs and ABILITIES, the SCHEMA system has determined that the chance of survival should you do so now is 28%. Average survival rate for most planets transferring into the SCHEMA system is 25%. Do you wish to end the SCHEMA system BEGINNER TUTORIAL at this time? WARNING! Should you decide to remain in the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, you will lose any chance to gain any experience that might have been earned from your combat SKILLS and ABILITES above that awarded for the completion of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. This may result in the loss of significant experience and the chance of gaining more than the one level awarded! You would think that after a morning filled with almost nothing but (literal) Earth-shattering shocks that I¡¯d be immune or at least inured to more, but you¡¯d be wrong. 25% survival? That¡¯s 75% of eight billion souls! That was SIX BILLION PEOPLE wiped out! And we weren¡¯t even at war! ¡°How can you justify that?¡± I shouted. Six billion people dead or soon to die, but to you, it¡¯s just Tuesday! How can you just sit there and tell me that like our lives mean nothing? I was shaking with rage. [SCHEMA] The SCHEMA system was designed an put into place by the most intelligent and compassionate representatives of the most Elder Races in the Galaxy. Without the SCHEMA system, the chance of survival for the Human Civilization approaches as near to zero as makes no difference. The SCHEMA system is here to help! I just stood there burning with a level of anger that I had never experienced before. Only the fact that I had no physical outlet upon whom to inflict it kept me from, I don¡¯t know what, some sort of berserker rampage. Something. Without even thinking about it, I turned and punched the nearest tree with every bit of my pathetic 1 STRENGTH. The result was as painful and damaging as you might have guessed it would be. Damaging to me, that is. I pulled in my already swelling fist and hunched over it as if I could protect it from my own stupidity. The pain was outstanding, but it accomplished one thing, I regained enough of myself to at least allow speech. ¡°How do you know that? Can SCHEMA see the future as well as read minds?¡± scorn dripped from every word. The SCHEMA system employs the most powerful and advanced modeling system ever conceived by sentient minds. While no sentient life form has ever been found that can reliably see into the future, since the inception of the SCHEMA modeling system, no event has occurred that was not predicted by the SCHEMA system, first. SCHEMA is not the enemy of Humanity. I¡¯ll be the judge of that, I thought sourly, and who confirmed that things are all going according to what SCHEMA predicted? Confirmation? Or self-fulfilling prophecy? I wondered. I took several deep breaths, holding them and releasing them slowly through my nostrils until my pulse slowed down and the hottest part of my anger passed.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. *DING*[i] The chime of an incoming SKILL or ABILITY notification almost undid me, but just then, my hand throbbed, and I managed to keep my breathing steady until I calmed once again. Anger definitely had a place in the world, but it had a time, too, and I knew that now was not the time. *DING*[ii] *DING*[iii] I blew out my breath explosively. ¡°Could you PLEASE stop with the notifications for just a minute until I get myself under control here? They are definitely not helping!¡± [SCHEMA] Audio alerts of incoming notification muted until further notice. NOTE! Information on Translation Die-Out is extremely upsetting for many USERs, but the SCHEMA system has determined that this information, while not vital for survival, is important for understanding the role of SCHEMA in the Greater Galactic Civilization. It has been noted that you have experienced a more robust reaction than average. We have determined that while true and necessary, the information may not have been imparted in an optimum manner. NOTE! It has been decided that the SCHEMA BEGINNER TUTORIAL system is at fault! It is within the purview of this section of the SCHEMA BEGINNER TUTORIAL system to offer you compensation for your physical and emotional distress. Your injuries will be healed without cost to you! Additionally, at the end of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL a choice of rewards will be offered from which you may choose. The SCHEMA system is here to help! I was getting mighty tired of hearing that the murderous SCHEMA system was here to help. ¡°When all else fails, resort to bribery, is that it?¡± Still, I was never one to turn down a good bribe when my life was on the line, so I let it go. I hadn¡¯t noticed, but while SCHEMA had been blathering on about how special and ¡°helpful¡± it was, the throbbing in my hand had faded away. Now, I noticed a warmth spreading down my arm. When it reached my hand, it jerked and I felt several sharp pains as bones moved and joints snapped back into place. ¡°OW! Has the almighty SCHEMA system never heard of local anesthetics?¡± I straightened up and shook my hand, which now felt just as good as it always did. [SCHEMA]: SCHEMA system healing, in all but the most severe cases, occurs at such a rapid pace that applying an alchemic anesthetic is contraindicated. You have now regained full use of your hand in far less time than it would have taken an anesthetic to wear off. Typical, I groused internally. Sensing my mood, SCHEMA wisely decided to ignore my pique and move on. The final section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL concerns SCHEMA system CRAFTING SKILLs. As with combat related SKILLs, many USERS already have ABILITES that will easily translate into the SCHEMA system. The SCHEMA system has determined that you have sufficient combat SKILLs to ensure an above-average chance of survival should you decide to leave the BEGINNER TUTORIAL at this time. Considering both your innate combat and your relevant CRAFTING SKILLs and ABILITIES, the SCHEMA system has determined that the chance of survival should you do so now is 35%. Do you wish to end the SCHEMA system BEGINNER TUTORIAL at this time? WARNING! Should you decide to remain in the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, you will lose any chance to gain any experience that might have been earned from your combat and CRAFTING SKILLS and ABILITIES above that awarded for the completion of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. This may result in the loss of significant experience and the chance of gaining more than the one level awarded! At this time, you may choose to skip the combat section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL and go on to the CRAFTING section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. You may also elect to leave the BEGINNER TUTORIAL completely at this time. Do you wish to skip the combat section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, or do you wish to end the BEGINNER TUTORIAL at this time? [i] [SCHEMA] Congratulations! You have learned the new SKILL Meditation! Meditation is an essential prerequisite in both MANA and SPIRIT regeneration and manipulation! [ii] [SHEMA] Congratulations! You have acquired the ABILITY STRATEGIC THINKER! +1 CHARISMA [iii] [SCHEMA] +1 WILLPOWER 6. Not In Kansas, Anymore I just sat there for a long time without answering SCHEMA. I can¡¯t even say that I spent the time thinking over my options; I already knew that whether I liked the way that SCHEMA had arrived or not, I had no real choice but to go on with the program. A person can¡¯t affect change in an existing system from without, it has to come from within. SCHEMA¡¯s invasion¡ªcall it what you will but coming to our planet and taking over without invitation was as close to an invasion as makes no difference¡ªwould cause the extermination of 3/4ths of the world¡¯s population. They hadn¡¯t changed an existing system, they had completely smashed it and replaced it with their own. The very scope of it was mind boggling. I couldn¡¯t even begin to conceive of how it had been done. One thing I knew, though, the universe as we knew it, with physical laws and limits, was over. There¡¯s a new sheriff in town, and I had to decide whether I was going to call him out or back him up, but either way, I had to work with my brain, not with my emotions. Someone told me once when I tried to argue facts with a flat-earther that what I was doing was bound to fail, because I was bringing facts to a feelings fight. What I wanted to do now was bring feelings to a facts fight, and that wouldn¡¯t work any better. Work smart, not hard; I had to figure out this system, use the resources it was, supposedly, freely offering before I could even think about taking it apart. So, I¡¯d like to think that I reasoned this all out in the time that I sat under that tree, but that¡¯s not what I was doing. I was just existing. I noticed that the day was past its mid-point. Instead of growing hot and full of light, the sun was now somewhere overhead, blocked by the thick canopy of verdant leaves that grew full overhead. Thick, ropey vines dripped downward into the forest¡¯s gloaming, more like eastern Oklahoma, or Arkansas than any part of Texas I¡¯d ever seen. Then, I noticed what had been subtly bothering me for some time, there were no animal sounds. No birds singing while they built their nests in the abundant foliage, no squirrels scolding from branches overhead, no rabbits rustling in the thick undergrowth and leafy ground cover. Not an insect chirped or buzzed unseen past my ear. ¡°Why are there no animals?¡± [SCHEMA] The BEGINNER TUTORIAL areas are free of encroaching life forms for the protection of the USER. SCHEMA surprised me by answering the question, I hadn¡¯t realized that I¡¯d spoken it aloud. Though, come to think of it, that wouldn¡¯t stop an entity who can read minds. Yes, I was still upset and not the least bit embarrassed to be so. ¡°Why would you need to remove all the animals, even the insects, to protect us? I¡¯ve been in forests before and, sure, there¡¯s the odd feral hog, and the like, but they rarely attack humans. [SCHEMA]: The introduction of massive amounts of MANA into a planetary system which has not evolved into such an atmosphere always has serious effects on the non-sentient population. You will discover that everything you knew about your planet¡¯s wildlife no longer holds true. Even the most passive and harmless creatures have now or will soon become quite aggressive. Their natural defenses will in most cases be augmented, they will undergo radical changes in size, and quite often, they will develop physical and behavioral characteristics that you would consider mythical in nature. MANA is found everywhere in the universe, SCHEMA began, answering the question I hadn¡¯t asked, to one degree or another. This planet had, at one time, a higher concentration of MANA, and the beasts that your scientists have relegated to legend, at one time did exist. Perhaps not in every case, but even your leading scientific minds do admit that every legend has at least one grain of truth.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. MANA is essential for the SCHEMA system and is a fundamental underpinning of the Greater Galactic Empire. Without it, not only will spells not work, but the technology of the Empire would cease to function. It is with MANA that the Greater Galactic Empire is able to overturn the physical laws of this universe and allows each individual civilization within the galaxy to evolve into something that can be considered not a client civilization, nor a conquered civilization, but an equal to even the Elder Races themselves. The SCHEMA system is here to help! I didn¡¯t miss that SCHEMA had neglected to include the word ¡°most¡± before saying we could be equal to the Elder Races of the Galaxy, but I¡¯d spent enough time letting my feelings run free. If I was going to take my own advice and start using my head instead of my heart, I¡¯d better get started doing it. I couldn¡¯t remember, exactly, but I had the strong impression that my heart, mine at least, if nobody else¡¯s, was not a reliable tool for making life decisions. Besides, I thought, I¡¯m really starting to get hungry, and if I want to end this TUTORIAL before I starve, I¡¯d better get off my ass and get cracking. My stomach growled loudly in agreement. ¡°Okay, SCHEMA, I¡¯ve had my little tantrum and I¡¯m ready to begin the next part of the TUTORIAL.¡± Matching action to words, I stood, dusting fallen leaves and other detritus off my cheap ass homespun trousers. As I did, the trail that I had noticed before that ran from east to west began to shine with a faintly green glow in the dim light. Not all of it, only the part from where it reached the point perpendicular to where I stood and extending to the west. [SCHEMA]: The next section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL will be administered by system trainers who have been judged as experts in their respective fields. It is the goal of the SCHEMA system to provide only the very best in training to new USERs. Only in this way can the SCHEMA system ensure that new civilizations are properly incorporated into the Greater Galactic Civilization. WARNING! The style and content of each training session is in the exclusive control of the individual trainers! As you may be familiar with military inductee training, trainer¡¯s methods will simulate real combat scenarios as well as employ means that can be harsh, cause physical pain, injury, and death. NOTE! Do not worry! There is no cause for alarm! While undergoing combat training, USERs will have access to priests with healing spells as well as healing potions. Additionally, any respawn that a USER experiences during training will not be deducted from that USER¡¯s randomly derived respawn total! The SCHEMA system is here to help! Should you at any time have any questions, feel free to inquire of your trainers. They are here to prepare you for combat in the best way they know how and will provide adequate answers. ¡°Can¡¯t you answer my questions?¡± I asked? Even though I hadn¡¯t known SCHEMA before waking up in this pocket dimension this morning ¡­ heck, I didn¡¯t even know if SCHEMA was male or female, or if it was using ¡®we¡¯ as the royal we, or if it was singular or plural. Even though I didn¡¯t know any of this, it had readily¡ªand at least to all appearances, openly¡ªanswered almost all of my questions without apparent rancor regardless of how it had to know I felt about it. The fact is, it had grown familiar, and, all animosity aside, I¡¯d grown used to it. [SCHEMA] This section of the SCHEMA system which administers the BEGINNER TUTORIAL will not take an active role in your training. You must trust your trainers, as each one has been chosen specifically for his or her task. Once your combat instruction is completed, we will speak with you again as you prepare to continue on into the CRAFTING section, or to exit the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. Please follow the marked path to the first training area. WARNING! Do not deviate from the path! While life forms have been excluded from most parts of this pocket dimension, there are some dangerous life forms that inhabit some of this forest. These life forms are here for training purposes and should not be encountered without proper instruction. We will speak again at the end of your combat training. And just like that, I was on my own. 7. NO FREE LUNCH! I stood there by ¡°my¡± tree for a minute, finding myself unaccountably reluctant to move away. Naturally, that didn¡¯t last long; directly on the heels of my trepidation, my anger flared and I walked the two steps it took me to reach the faintly glowing path and began to walk west. Soon enough, the anger faded away, replaced by a sense of anticipation at what I might find at the end. The path continued on almost arrow straight and disappeared in the distance, the darker green gloom of the forest seeming to merge with and overwhelm the weak light cast on the path. At first, my head swiveled constantly to each side as well as up into the thick canopy of dark leafy boughs, but as I could barely see more than a few yards between the trees that lined it, and no further than the first level of branches overhead, I soon grew bored with that. Having nothing else to do, I opened my character sheet: CHARACTER SHEET at the end of the informational portion of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL: [CHARACTER] NAME: TOM NOBODY RACE: HUMAN SEX: MALE AGE: 16 LVL: 0 CLASS: NONE LIFE: ?15/15 [1/10] DEXTERITY: ??28/28 [1/10] MANA: ???? 41/41 [1/20] SPIRIT: ???? 57/57 [1/20] STRENGTH: ????1 DEXTERITY: ????2 CONSTITUTION: ??1 INTELLIGENCE: ??3 WILLPOWER: ???5 CHARISMA: ??? 2 LUCK: ?????? 2 ABILITY POINTS: [LOCKED: TUTORIAL] I had to stop walking, because the sheet blocked my view of the path. ¡°I wonder if I can make these sheets and notifications more transparent so that they don¡¯t block so much of my sight?¡± I wondered aloud. SCHEMA didn¡¯t respond, but a slider bar did appear running from top to bottom on the right left-hand side of the CHARACTER SHEET. I reached out and grabbed the slider and moved it downwards, the sheet going from fully opaque to virtually invisible by the time it reached the bottom. I moved it upwards again, and after some fiddling around settled on a point about 1/3 of the way up, as that allowed me to see both the path in front of me and still read the information. I began walking down the path again, perhaps a little more slowly, but at a steady rate as I reviewed my stats. I was a little surprised by the numbers. I had received the notifications for each increase, but after the first one or two, I hadn¡¯t checked the totals or how they impacted my pools. The biggest gains I¡¯d had were to my WILLPOWER which was now up to 5 raising my SPIRIT pool to 57, followed by a 3 for INTELLIGENCE which put my MANA at 41, a 2 for DEXTERITY which raised mySTAMINA pool to 28. My CHARISMA and LUCK scores had both ticked up one point each, but I couldn¡¯t tell if that impacted my four pools or not. Something besides the main characteristics of WILLPOWER, INTELLIGENCE, DEXTERITY, and CONSTITUTION had obviously impacted them, judging by how they each ended in different numbers. I vaguely recalled that other characteristics had been listed as ¡°playing a role¡± in the different pools, but there had been so much information that I didn¡¯t see how anyone could remember it all. I still have all those notifications saved in my record, so I can go back and review them when I¡¯m not trying to learn new stuff or running from one place to another. I made a mental note to do so, and immediately, my NOTES page appeared: REVIEW CHARACTER NOTIFICATIONS TO DISCOVER HOW EACH CHARACTERISTIC AFFECTS MY POOLS. ¡°Cool!¡± I mentally switched back to my CHARACTER SHEET as I kept moving down the path. The big disappointments were in STRENGTH and CONSTITUION which had both remained at 1. Makes sense, I guess, none of the others seem to require any physical effort, but both of those sound like they¡¯re exclusively physical. Just then, my subconscious let me know that I¡¯d been hearing some new noises, and that the gloom at the end of the path had lightened up considerably. I could hear someone shouting and a rhythmic clacking noise; it reminded me of a hockey game. I dismissed my CHARACER SHEET and picked up the pace. By the time I reached what turned out to be a large clearing, I was moving at a jog and felt a little out of breath. I guess 28 STAMINA wasn¡¯t all that much. ¡°Nice of you to finally join us!¡± The booming voice I¡¯d heard shouting earlier sounded a little to my left. Glancing over. I stopped dead in my tracks; I even took a step or two back. Standing to the side of a row of people was the largest thing on two legs I¡¯d ever seen. I saw a grizzly bear in a zoo, once. It was in an enclosure and when it stood on its hind legs it must have been 8 feet tall; this ¡­ thing ¡­ made it look petite. It must have been at least 9 feet tall. Maybe more. Its features were thick and animalistic, with a large forehead that sloped down over tiny, piggish eyes set closely to each side of a wide, piggish snout. Thick tusks curled out from a wide mouth full of large yellow teeth that looked like tombstones when he opened up and continued to yell. My tombstones, probably. ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand there with your mouth hanging open like a baby grath, get your butt in gear and get over here!¡± I took a tentative few steps in his general direction but broke into a sprint as he continued shouting like a drill sergeant. A 9-foot tall, 5-foot wide green mountain of neckless bulging muscle on steroids of a drill sergeant that whooped the ass of all the bad little drill sergeants. There was no resist when it came to deciding whether to obey or not, there was only do. I quickly reached the end of the line where a fist as large as a bowling ball along with several choice descriptions on my parentage that I didn¡¯t understand directed me. As soon as I was in place and in some form of standing at attention, he continued yelling. Not at me, specifically, thank goodness, but at all of us standing in the line, most of us shaking like a line of dogs at the vet. The kid next to me was actually crying. Not loud boo-hoo crying, but a steady flow of snot and tears dripping down his face. ¡°Now that our last trainee has finally decided to mosey on over, we can get to turning you babies into something that might one day know which end of a sword does the killing! STOP CRYING!¡± That last was, of course, directed at the kid, the sergeant suddenly screaming the words in his face. I hadn¡¯t even seen him move from the other end of the line, he was just there. The kid tried, I¡¯ll give him that much, he really did, but it was like the little Dutch boy, no sooner did he run a homespun sleeve across his upper lip than the dripping tears turned into a veritable river. Pass a hand across his eyes, there goes snot central. Still, through it all, he never made a sound. Not so much as a sniff. Kid probably had more guts than showed right now; truth was, it was probably only my 5 WILLPOWER that kept me from joining him.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Phaaaw!¡± the creature gave it up as a lost cause and continued his rant, stomping his 55 gallon oil-drum legs up and down the line of, I gathered, new trainees looking to learn how to use a sword. Not that anyone had asked me what I wanted to learn. Fear, out; anger, in. I didn¡¯t speak up, though. I might have been fit to chew nails, but I wasn¡¯t stupid. ¡°Unfortunately for you lot, ain¡¯t nobody got time to teach you how to become proper swordsmen¡ªspearing one trainee in the middle of the line, a female of some species I¡¯d never seen before, but had a vague pop-culture idea might be an elf ¨C elfess, whatever¡ªsword PERSON!¡± he spat that last bit out like leftover brussels sprouts, his volume ALL CAPS and requisite exclamation points. ¡°But today is your LUCKY DAY! Your sorry planets are now part of the SCHEMA system, and if you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll get to join the rest of the advanced races in the Greater Galactic Civilization! With the SCHEMA system, I don¡¯t need to take a bunch of putrid punks and hope beyond hope that one of you might have what it takes to master the sword! I just have to beat your sorry asses until you hear that beautiful DING! that tells you you got the swords skill and then turn the sorriest excuses for living creatures I¡¯ve ever seen in all my born days over to the next unlucky trainer!¡± Seeing a few furtive glances over towards where another group of similarly unlucky trainees were whaling on one another with what looked like long dowel rods while being screamed at by, well the nearest equivalent I could come up with was a squid on dry land, our trainer stomped over to one of our group¡ªsome tiny little yellowish thing with long floppy, pointed ears who¡¯d had the temerity to actually turn its head when it looked¡ªand smacked it upside one ear. ¡°Stop rubbernecking! There¡¯s nothing over there you need to be worried about! I¡¯m everything you need to worry about right here! Ain¡¯t none of you pissants going to even LOOK at a training sword until you get your STRENGTH and DEXTERITY up! ¡°And how do we get our STRENGTH and DEXTERITY up? I¡¯LL TELL YOU HOW,¡± he continued with a look that told us he knew we were too stupid to answer, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how, you don¡¯t get them up by some little fairy coming along and waving a wand, or out of some book, BECAUSE THERE AIN¡¯T NO FREE LUNCH! YOU GET YOUR STRENGTH AND DEXTERITY UP BY ME RUNNING YOUR SORRY BUTTS INTO THE GROUND, THAT¡¯S HOW! NOW TAKE OFF RUNNING AROUND THE CLEARING AND DON¡¯T STOP UNLESS YOU DROP, AND WHEN YOU DROP, GET UP AND DON¡¯T STOP UNTIL YOU DIE OR I TELL YOU TO STOP!¡± When we all just stood there looking like we didn¡¯t understand language, his face turned a really interesting shade of purplish green that reminded me of an under ripe eggplant. Even my anger faded as I watched with avid attention wondering if he would kill someone or explode, first. Explode, it was. ¡°WHEN I TELL YOU TO MOVE, YOU MOVE! NOW MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT!¡± Being at the far end of the line and seeing as how the thought of escape coincided quite nicely with what he was screaming at us to do, I took off like a jackrabbit for the side of the clearing, the others falling in raggedly behind. When I reached the line of trees, I changed course and started circling the clearing, which was probably the size of a football field, but round. I didn¡¯t dare slow down. What followed was everything you might have expected it to be from the kind and gentle treatment we¡¯d so far experienced of our trainer. We ran. We did not jog. We did not fast walk, we all out turkey-necked, asses and elbows, sweat pouring, heart pounding ran. We ran till people started dropping, and then the sergeant picked us up, (yes, I was one of the first to drop, sad to say) and literally threw us back onto our feet, and we ran some more. At one point, someone handed me one of the green test tube things and mimed drinking it, and I did. Oh! Sweet, blissful fire burned down my throat like aged single-malt and exploded into a second wind. And a third, and a fourth, and spaced ever more distantly apart came the minimized chimes of status notifications that let me know my DEXTERITY had increased. Finally, FINALLY, he let us fall to the ground in a gasping heaving mass of melted flesh. Even though I¡¯d had who knows how many STAMINA potions, my legs and even my arms felt like so much quivering jelly. I couldn¡¯t suck in air fast enough, and the hunger I¡¯d felt before entering this clearing I¡¯d come to think of as hell had long since been replaced by roiling stomachs that every single one of us emptied as we ran. He hadn¡¯t even let us stop when we puked, he just stood over us and screamed until we spat out the lasts few chunks and kept on. I hated him with every atom of my dying flesh. I¡¯ll give him one thing, though, he ran the whole time, and not only kept up with all of us, he must have doubled our distance, running up and down the line all the while screaming in ears and pushing backs, but never stopping as long as we never got to stop. You gotta respect that in a sergeant; you don¡¯t have to like it¡ªor them¡ªbut you gotta respect it. I still hated him. When most of us had quit our puking and our lungs had sucked in enough air to allow our heads to clear, somewhat, he told us to line up, again. ¡°OK, from the looks of those of you who fell over your own feet every time your DEXTERITY went up, you need to learn how to keep your notifications minimized until looking at ¡®em¡¯s not going to cost you your life! The rest of you mental midgets that managed to somehow figure out how to take your fingers out of your noses and minimize a notice need to CHECK YOUR NOTICES RIGHT FREAKING NOW!¡± CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION Weary smiles spread down the line as each of us saw the visual representation of all our suffering. 4 DEXTERITY, 2 STRENGTH, and one measly point in CONSTITUTION seemed like kind of a poor excuse for a reward for all that effort, but I was beginning to see the real genius of the SCHEMA system: In what I persisted in thinking of as ¡°real¡± life, really my former life, you just kind of muddled along doing things that you hoped were the right things, but half the time weren¡¯t, like hearing grains and margarine were good for your heart only to learn that red meat and lard were what actually lowered your cholesterol. You never really got to see many results of the effort you put in. Oh, sure, after months and months of hitting the gym three to five days every week, you got to see some definition, maybe lost a pant size or two, but this kind of instant reward type gratification could become seriously addicting. ¡°NOW!¡± Sergeant Asshole bellowed after giving us a few seconds to check our screens, ¡°Those of you pissants who didn¡¯t reach at least 5 in DEXTERITY, GET YOUR ASS BACK UP AND RUN UNTIL YOU DO!¡± Shockingly, since we¡¯d all put out about the same effort, and I¡¯d reached6 in DEX, a couple of our group did climb wearily to their feet and start running again, the kid among them. Crying again, I noticed. ¡°For the rest of you jokers, you managed to move whatever sorry excuses for locomotive limbs mother nature cursed your species with THE LOWEST AMOUNT to BARELY manage to do THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM to move on to training swords! Your mothers would be so proud!¡± His tone revealing that he obviously lied. The elfess raised a shaky hand, but when she spoke, her voice was like a melody, like the sweetest music I¡¯d ever heard. ¡°S-sir? Are we going to get something for lunch? You can¡¯t expect us to keep up this kind of physical work on an empty stomach, can you?¡± That last came out in a rather musical squeak as once more Sergeant Asshole¡¯s face tasted the rainbow. When his words came out, though, far from being the shout we¡¯d all expected, he almost whispered, speaking quietly like you would trying not to wake the baby. ¡°Lunch is it? You think we¡¯re going to feed you lunch, do you? Maybe have a 7 course dinner served by liveried waiters with ¡­¡± he paused, his face at last reaching the full range of the purple spectrum, as one we all leaned back, nobody wanted to hear his next words. ¡°WITH FREAKING WHITE NAPKINS DRAPED OVER THEIR PUSSIFIED ARMS? IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK, TRAINEE?!?¡± She began to cry. ¡°Oh. My. Sweet. Fucking. Deity. Of. Your. Choice!¡± he shouted, and then stopped speaking, took several deep breaths during which I could almost hear him mentally counting ten. ¡°Did I not tell you, before we even started all of this? ¡°THERE. IS. NO. FUCKING. FREE. LUNCH!¡± 8. Arpy Gees and Ex Pees ¡°Man! This is nothing like what it should be!¡± the kid whined as he all but collapsed in a heap next to me. Evidently he¡¯d finished his laps and scored his 5 in DEXTERITY. ¡°What do you mean, what it should be? You know how being conquered by a bunch of arrogant aliens who change all the laws of physics and read minds is supposed to go?¡± I barked, probably more antagonistically than was strictly called for, but the kid wasn¡¯t the only one who¡¯d been mentally jerked from pillar to post and then physically run half to death that day. ¡°Well ¡­ yeah?¡± I couldn¡¯t decide if the qualification in the kid¡¯s tone was uncertainty, or if he was afraid to tell me what he thought. I wondered if I cared. ¡°Well, which is it, you know or you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Um ¡­ I know?¡± I was about to bite his head off again, but the kid found some steel in there somewhere and continued, ¡°This is all exactly like an RPG video game! Stat screens, levels, classes, even down to that jerk of an ork,¡± here he flicked his eyes over where Sgt. Asshole was talking to Squid Man, I guessed waiting for those trainees to get through with the practice swords. ¡®Ork¡¯ rang some bells in the back of my mind, some movie I saw a clip of once, maybe. ¡°To elves¡± a nod of the head towards the girl (who¡¯d stopped crying some time back), ¡°gnomes,¡± (the little guy with the big ears), and even a Cthulhu!¡± This with another flick over at Sgt. Asshole and Squid Man, I guessed he was talking about the Squid. ¡°But nothing¡¯s happening the way it¡¯s supposed to!¡± I thought he was going to break down crying again and I wondered if I¡¯d have to punch him. Then, I felt bad, and wondered where that had come from. I mean, we were all in pretty much the same boat here, confused and without any real choices in the situation. Maybe I was just that big of an asshole in my ¡®real¡¯ life and it was starting to bleed through? God, I hoped not. I decided to see if I could figure out what the heck he was talking about; who knows, maybe the kid did know something that might be useful. Maybe we could team up and do better together? ¡°So, what¡¯s it all supposed to be like, anyway?¡± Kid looked thoughtful for a minute. I appreciated that he was trying to get control of himself, organize his thoughts, not let it all get to him. ¡°Well, everything went well when I woke up in the woods, this morning. That SCHEMA system screen popped up and, I have to tell you, I was like ¡®YES!¡¯ This is something I¡¯ve dreamed about my whole life, living for real in a video game world!¡± He was starting to warm up to the subject, excitement tinging his words. ¡°So, like, I can¡¯t tell you how much I¡¯ve thought about what I would do if it ever happened to me for real. I had whole notebooks full of builds!¡± (whatever that was, as long as he wasn¡¯t crying anymore,) ¡°I saw my stats, flicked through my MENU items and then SCHEMA asked if I was ready to end the informational part of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL and I was all, ¡°Hell yeah! Let¡¯s go kill me 10 rats!¡± ¡°What does ten rats have to do with anything?¡± I immediately regretted side tracking him, but you gotta admit that sounded kind of random crazy. ¡°What? You never played an RPG?¡± Like playing whatever the hell an Arpy Gee was would answer every question in the universe, or like I was some kind of freak for not having done so. ¡°OK, first, lets just get this out of the way. No, I have not played any Arpy Gees, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, or at least can¡¯t figure it out, so we can drop that as having anything to do with anything. Right?¡± To which I added a pointed stare that dared him to disagree.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Um ¡­ ye-e-a-a-h, OK, but that, well, kind of makes everything I got to say difficult, you know?¡± ¡°Obviously, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Then he thought some more, shooting nervous glances the whole time towards the two trainers¡¯ pow wow, making sure they weren''t about to focus their attention on us. ¡°OK, in most RPG video games, most people who have played one before kind of skip through or at least skim over the boring parts of the BEGINNER TUTORIALs, going straight for earning XPs and gaining levels. I saw in my JOURNAL ¡­¡± (here he shot me a smug look, probably expecting that I didn¡¯t know about the JOURNAL, and seemed somewhat disappointed when I just returned his look with a stony expression) ¡°So, I saw in my JOURNAL that we get 100 XP (which is when I figured out he must be talking about experience points) for finishing the TUTORIAL, and that¡¯s how I know we get ¡®em, XP, that is ¡­¡± he kind of tapered off as I just sat there staring at him, but finally continued on when I didn¡¯t comment. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s kind of like a joke, because so many games use it, but one of the first quests noobs usually get is to ¡®go kill 10 rats¡¯ for some farmer or the innkeeper.¡± ¡°OK.¡± I wasn¡¯t giving him squat. I had the feeling that he was trying to act like he knew what was what while all the time complaining that what was not what. ¡°Um ¡­ well, anyway, I moved through my pages pretty quick and then the SCHEMA guy told me to follow the yellow brick road down here, and I thought I¡¯d, you know, pick a rusty sword out of a barrel and hit a wooden dummy a few times and get the sword skill and be off to,¡± he shot me a nervous look, ¡°to, you know, kill my ten rats, heh, heh, heh,¡± and he just kind of tapered off and sat there. ¡°And so, you basically skipped the whole information section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL and came here, and nothing¡¯s turned out like it was in them video games you thought you was in, and you¡¯re all wanting to go home, does that about sum things up?¡± ¡°Not just some things, EVERYTHING!¡° he cried. ¡°That ork trainer ran us until we puked, like we were soldiers, not free adventurers! We haven¡¯t even touched a sword! And we puked! PUKED, for God¡¯s sake!¡± and here he looked over at the elf lady, like to make sure she wasn¡¯t listening in, and leaned over all big secretish and whispered loud enough for everyone in the whole clearing to hear him, ¡°...and, I gotta PEE!¡± I think my mouth may have dropped open right then, but without checking my RECORD, I can¡¯t be sure, but if it didn¡¯t, it should have. ¡°A-a-a-n-d?¡± I prompted, doing the universal rolling wave, ¡®let¡¯s get this show on the road¡¯ hand signal. He leaned in closer, because by then everyone was looking at him, ¡°And nobody ever has to pee in a video game!¡± Then he sat back and threw his hands out, palms up like ¡®fait accompi mofo!¡¯ I just broke out laughing. I couldn¡¯t help it. Some of the other trainees joined in (including the elf lady whose laugh was just as musical as I could have ever imagined.) When I finally had control of myself enough to stop laughing, I slapped the kid on the shoulder and said, ¡°Thanks kid, I really needed a good laugh after all that running, but seriously, haven¡¯t you figured out that we¡¯re not in a video game? This is our world, now. We¡¯re living in this; it¡¯s reality. I get now that everything kind of looked like a video game on the surface, but you should have kept on through the rest of the information TUTORIAL, at the very least. Did you even get your stat bumps from getting a definition on race and all your stats?¡± ¡°Stat bumps? What do you mean? My race says Human; I know what a Human is!¡± I just cradled my weary head in the palms of my hands and sighed. There¡¯s no fixing stupid, as they say. ¡°Kid, dude, I¡¯m sitting on 6 DEXTERITY right now while you¡¯re at 5, all because I made SCHEMA tell me about being Human. Yeah, it was kind of boring, but I got points in INTELLIGENCE and a whole shitload of points in WILLPOWER. I even got a CHARISMA and LUCK advancement out of making SCHEMA define Every. Single. Word. In all of my MENU tabs. Do yourself a favor and select or focus on every word of every line in your MENU, maybe it¡¯s not too late, maybe you can still get the extra points, but do yourself another favor, too, and get it into your head that we are not in a video game, and maybe you¡¯ll survive long enough to kill them rats you seem all worked up about killing, OK?¡± Then I got up and moved towards the edge of the woods near where I thought my trail had let into the clearing while most of the trainees were furiously working their hands like they were checking through their screens. Kid wasn¡¯t the only one who needed to pee. 9. Bash, Bash, Stab, Stab After I finished my business behind a convenient tree, I stood in the gloom of the underbrush looking back into the light of the clearing. The conversation I¡¯d just had with the kid had upset me, and I wanted to take a few to figure out why I was feeling that way and what would have to happen to get my head back on straight. Leaving nothing to fickle memory, I reviewed the past few minutes in my RECORD, and then considered what had been said compared to how it all made me feel. On the surface, I hadn¡¯t been nearly as rough on the kid as I¡¯d felt I had. That made me wonder again why the whole thing hit me so hard. Maybe I was just tired, God knows I had enough reason to be, but that didn¡¯t ring true deep inside where it counted. I think I knew, but I was reluctant to look at the situation straight on: Memories were starting to trickle back in. Not full-blown, ¡®this is who I am; that is what I do¡¯, kind of memories, but bits and pieces of how I felt about things, how I normally reacted to things, and it wasn¡¯t pretty: I was probably not a very nice person. I think I was a better person without my memories, with no baggage weighing me down, but in my former life, I think I might have been an asshole. A realization like that about yourself is right up there with your dad telling you about sex with your mom or finding out your gramma lied to you. You never want to hear that kind of stuff. People are basically selfish jerks, even the best of us. We tend to think that the world revolves around us, that everyone is basically like us, and that our thoughts, emotions, actions, and reactions are normal, for whatever given value of normal that may be. We value our own experiences above those of others, and that allows us to come up with wild ideas about the world, and God, and humanity, and what a ¡°good¡± person should and should not be. But the truth is, we aren¡¯t the center of the universe. Our thoughts and actions may be within the norm, but there¡¯s a lot of wiggle room in there. We think that the things that are important to us are actually important, that everyone should agree that they¡¯re important. That God should agree that they¡¯re important. And when God, the world, or life or whatever doesn¡¯t agree, then that causes us to come to all kinds of wild conclusions. Because something bad happened to me, there is no God, or people suck, or the universe hates me, lies like that. I didn¡¯t know for sure, but I had a strong impression that I believed in God, but that I couldn¡¯t really be bothered with organized religion. Scratch that, it wasn¡¯t the organized part of it that I couldn¡¯t be bothered with, I couldn¡¯t be bothered with hypocrites, or fakes. Or people. I really did not like being around other people; I was sure I had been a loner, and I felt certain that I was not a hail-fellow-well-met kind of guy. I guess the world takes all kinds, so why did that bother me, so much? I don¡¯t know. And what was I going to do about it? Don¡¯t know that, either. I saw that the group with the practice swords or wooden batons were starting to place them neatly in a row near where they¡¯d been working out, and that our trainer and the Squid guy had finished talking and Sgt. Asshole was moving back over towards where our group sat still recovering from our run. Oh good! I don¡¯t have to deal with any of this, right now. I jogged over to the group and stood waiting for our beloved trainer, while the rest of the group climbed wearily to their feet. Not at attention, though. I¡¯ll be damned if I act like I¡¯m in anyone¡¯s army, again! ¡°All right ladies,¡± Tusk face shouted, ¡°this is what¡¯s going to happen. You¡¯re going to run over to those batons on the ground over there, you¡¯re going to pick one up, and you¡¯re going to run back over here. You are NOT going to try to pick the best one, because they are all the same. You are going to pick up the FIRST one, and then you are going to run back here. NOW MOVE!¡± In short order, we were back in place with the Sarge only having to yell at the kid once for trying to switch out one baton for another. Since I had been farthest from where the other group had left them, there had only been one left, so even if I¡¯d been that kind of guy, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered. Each baton was, as the trainer said, an identical length of hard wood about a yard long and about 2 inches thick. It was heavier than I had expected, and the size made it unwieldy so, I settled on a two-handed grip. Risking a glance to the side, I saw the gnome guys having a rough time keeping theirs off the ground. The elf girl solved the problem by planting one end on the ground in front of her, but the surprise of the day was the kid, who struck a confident, wide-legged stand and held his baton out in front of him with both hands, almost parallel to the ground, with the tip angled just slightly up. He saw my look of surprise and shot me another one of his smug grins. ¡°LARPing for the save!¡± I didn¡¯t have a chance to even ask what the hell that was before we were being barked at, again. ¡°Now, this is how things are going to go. We start you out with wooden batons instead of real swords because SCHEMA in their great wisdom did not supply us with a priest and ain¡¯t nobody got time to wait around for you to respawn!¡± I thought he looked a little disappointed at that. ¡°I am going to teach you the eight basic movements for striking an opponent with a melee weapon, and then you are going to practice those swings EXACTLY AS I HAVE INSTRUCTED until you hear that lovely little ding! that lets you know that you have learned the SKILL MELEE STRIKE! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?¡± Not waiting¡ªprobably not even caring¡ªto find out if we understood, he reached up and pulled a baton of his own out of thin air. I guess that¡¯s what it looks like when you equip a weapon from your inventory, I thought. ¡°Now! Pay attention!¡± Then he showed each of us how to find the balance point of our batons based on our mass. Mine was to choke up a little less than a third of the length until the tip of the baton didn¡¯t feel like it wanted to plant itself in the dirt, like it had when I had tried to hold it closer to the end. Next, he worked with us to widen our stance until we didn¡¯t stumble and fall when he shoved on us from any direction. He didn¡¯t show any surprise that the kid already seemed to know what he was doing, but I thought he might have put a little extra muscle into his shoves with him, but the kid handled it like a pro. I¡¯ll just be impressed for the both of us. Once we knew how to stand and hold our batons without falling or dropping them, he showed us the pattern of swings we had to follow. Beginning with the tip pointed forward and angled down to our right, we swung diagonally up to our left. Arcing around and downward to our left, we mirrored the first swing diagonally up to our right. Crossing over, he slashed in a straight horizontal like from right to left, and then brought the tip of the baton down and into a vertical upward slash parallel with our bodies. That was the first four. The next four exactly mirrored the first. Starting from the upper left, diagonal slash to the lower right, angle to the upper right and slash diagonally downwards to the lower left, up to waist height with the vertical slash from left to right, and then the downwards stroke from head to toe. Rinse and repeat. We were spaced out in two rows with plenty of air in between so we wouldn¡¯t be knocking each other in the head. I was on the leftmost end of the front row with the kid to my right. The elf girl, who also seemed to know what she was doing (though she struggled with the weight of the baton), and a blue-skinned (but otherwise human looking) guy anchoring the other end. Directly behind the kid and I were the two gnomes and two other male elf types who didn¡¯t seem near as comfortable with their weapons as their female counterpart. As we worked to swing our heavy batons through the forms, the trainer moved through the lines correcting grips and kicking feet further apart and questioning the legitimacy of our parentage based on the exactness of the angle of our swings. He was as demanding of perfection as I might have thought, but I soon had no energy to pay any attention to anything but myself. I vaguely recall feeling his catcher¡¯s mitt sized hands moving an elbow, or twisting a shoulder back into line, but even with the extra STRENGTH and larger STAMINA pool the laps had provided, the workout quickly became a contest between my screaming muscles and my will not to give in.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I don¡¯t know how many notification chimes later, I realized that my movements had become an odd combination of machine-like precision and a dancer¡¯s fluidity. Up from right to left, from left to right, across, pull the weight of the world from my feet up and then start it over again from the other direction. Gradually, my arms stopped screaming at me to stop, and the swings became more natural and I didn¡¯t have to think about angles or direction, I just flowed from one swing gracefully into the next. ¡°LARPing is like playing a character in a video game but acting it out in real life.¡± It took me a second to realize that the words were not in my head, but that the kid was talking to me. Even though my STRENGTH and DEXTERITY must have taken some jumps, I could only manage a non-committal grunt in response. Taking that for assent, he continued: ¡°Me and my friends used to meet in Central Park on the weekends and live-action role play our characters. Some of us took some classes in historical weapon styles. Two-handed greatswords were my character¡¯s favorite.¡± ¡°All right, slackers!¡± Asshole shouted, ¡°If you have energy to talk, we need to work you harder! Predictability will get you killed, now we¡¯re going to learn to switch it up!¡± He proceeded to show us another pattern of swings, instead of all the swings going from bottom to top for the first four, and top to bottom for the next, he alternated bottom right to top left, top right to bottom left, and so on. The same eight swings but in a different pattern which started up my muscles complaining again. After we had that one down, he changed it up again, putting the horizontal strikes in between every stroke, and and changed it again, having us repeat the same strokes various numbers of swings until we stopped fumbling to remember which pattern we were supposed to be following. ¡°All right, lower your batons and check your notifications!¡± CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the SKILL BLUNT WEAPONS! CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the SKILL MEELEE STRIKE! Huh. Blunt weapons. I thought we were supposed to be learning swords, but I guess it makes sense, since we have yet to pick up anything with a blade. ¡°NOW COMES THE FUN PART!¡± He shouted, ¡°You will pair up with the person to your right and we will begin to BUILD YOUR CONSTITUTION!¡± His brutish greenish face took on an eviler-than-usual grin that showed all of his yellow teeth. ¡°When I say ¡®fun¡¯, I mean FUN FOR ME! Tell me, crybaby¡­¡± here he whipped up his baton one-handed until it was an inch from the kid¡¯s nose, and then laughed as the kid stumbled backwards. ¡°GET BACK INTO LINE AND ANSWER THE QUESTION!¡± Asshole shouted, losing all pretense of mirth. The kid scrambled back into place but couldn¡¯t answer the question. ¡°What about you?¡± The baton missed slashing across my check by the width of a scream, but I had been half expecting it, and barely flinched. ¡°How do we build up CONSTITUTION?¡± No clue. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you how!¡± He continued, not even giving me space to respond, ¡°We build up CONSTITUTION by BEATING THE EVER-LOVING CRAP OUT OF EACH OTHER, THAT¡¯S HOW!¡± He laughed again, a sound I hope to never hear again outside of a nightmare, ¡°I told you this was the fun part! Fun for ME!¡± He pulled the kid out of the line, but before he demonstrated the first set of strikes; he reached up and pulled a heavy chain necklace with a good-sized round medallion out of the air. ¡°This here is how SCHEMA has determined that we are supposed to coddle you weak little babies! This is a shield amulet. It will not block the strikes, but it will link up with your CHARACTER SHEETS and calculate the force of each strike so that you won¡¯t die! "Oh, but not all the news is bad! Since the point is to build your CONSTITUTION as much as it is to teach you to apply your forms with an opponent, the hits will still hurt like you would not believe! Never you fear!¡± He handed the kid the amulet, and while the kid juggled holding is sword without dropping it and putting the amulet over his head, he pulled several more out of the air and tossed them all to me to hand out. Then, he demonstrated on the kid in slow motion how he wanted the exercise to go. First he had the kid play attacker while he blocked, then he switched roles. He went from his lower left and moved to slash diagonally upwards from the kid¡¯s right hip upwards to his left shoulder, with the kid trying to come downward from over his left shoulder to block the trainer¡¯s baton before it could reach his hip. Then from the other directions. After each rotation, he sped the next one up. From one side, then from the other side, then top down, and bottom up, all the while with the kid trying unsuccessfully to keep the trainer from bashing his hips, head, shoulders, legs, and most importantly, the family jewels. As the kid lay curled in the fetal position cradling his junk, his brutalizer quickly paired us off, me waiting for the kid to recover and trying not to gloat at how inept the trainer had made him look, the elf lady and the blue-skin were faced off, the two gnomes, and then the other two elves. While I waited, the rest of the group began to half-heartedly attempt to strike or block each other, the kid¡¯s pain fresh on their minds. Much yelling that such wimpy strikes would not raise a flea¡¯s CONSTITUTION and threats to take over the job himself if we did not PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT later, the kid was back on his feet and paying me back for every single unflattering thought I¡¯d ever had about him. With interest. The kid handed me my black and blue ass, over and over again. After the first time he made me see stars, I wondered if I¡¯d gotten a defective shield amulet, but I didn¡¯t have time to worry about it before I was doing my time rolling on the ground cradling my boys and whimpering like a kicked puppy. And again. And again. It wasn¡¯t all one-sided. I could at least say that I blocked the occasional strike, or returned the rare hit, but there was no mistaking who was the better fighter. By the end, I was actually beginning to think that there was a universe, somewhere, where I had a chance of handling my own with the kid. Not winning. No, I never got to that point, even in my head, but maybe not exactly losing, either. Then the trainer switched it up, again. First singly, and then in pairs, he showed us different ways to thrust the tip of the baton, preparing us to use the tip of a sword and not just the edge. That opened up new vistas of pain. Whereas the slashes struck over a longer area, the tips concentrated all that goodness into one tiny spot, and we each tried to learn how to block the strikes while the other tried to punch the tip completely through our arms, thighs, heads, chests, and jelly soft guts. Making our point, so to speak. It was equal parts humiliating and instructive, interspersed with red-tube LIFE and green-tube STAMINA potions. I don¡¯t know who was handing them out, there was nobody in the clearing but the trainers and our two groups, but whenever I thought ¡®this is it; this is the one that kills me,¡¯ here would come a hand with divine salvation in a bottle. Judging by my notifications when Sgt. Asshole finally allowed us to stop, the potions must have brought me back from death¡¯s door Over, and over again. CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION CONGRATIULATIONS! You have learned the ABILITY BLOCK! CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the ABILITY PARRY! ¡°Shit!¡± I exclaimed, ¡°We worked every bit as much, and I didn¡¯t get a single STRENGTH, and only one DEXTERITY point!¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t even get any besides the CON bumps and the two new ABILITIES,¡± the kid panted from the ground next to me, ¡°after the first few levels, it takes more and more to raise your skills until you get to a point where you think they¡¯re never going to go up ever again. Same with levels. Your first few will probably come virtually one on top of the other, but at some point the number of XPs it will take to reach the next level becomes prohibitive. That¡¯s why games stopped even bothering with artificial level caps, they just raised the experience requirements until it became the next thing to impossible. ¡°Look,¡± he continued, forestalling my obvious objection, ¡°I know this isn¡¯t a game, believe me,¡± and he pointed down in the general direction of his crotch, ¡°I know this is real, but that doesn¡¯t mean that this new reality isn¡¯t following game mechanics. There might be some differences, but I still have an advantage in that I have a better idea for how something might play out.¡± ¡°And a disadvantage when it doesn¡¯t do what you expected it to do,¡± I shot back. ¡°ALL RIGHT LADIES, EVERYBODY UP!¡± Asshole shouted. When the last of us (the gnomes) had staggered to his or her respective feet, he continued. ¡°Now is the time when you get to put all of this into practice,¡± and giving elf girl a wicked look, ¡°and finally get to earn your lunch!¡± at which point he indicated the Squid¡¯s group, gathered at the other end of the field. I hadn¡¯t had the energy or attention to pay those guys any mind, but now that I did, I could smell the sweet aroma of grilling meat drifting over, making my mouth water, and bringing back the delayed growls from my stomach. With a vengeance. ¡°Your fellow trainees are just finishing up with theirs, and as soon as they do, we¡¯ll switch places. They¡¯ll come down here and gain the SKILLRANGED WEAPONS with bows, while we work on killing us some nice little rats to put on a stick!¡± Yeah, the kid didn¡¯t even try not to shoot me that look of triumph. 10. Kill Ten Rats We all stood together at the far end of the clearing holding our swords in our shaky fists. Sgt. Asshole had pulled them out of the air and shown us individually how to hold the unfamiliar hilts and reinforced the proper stance. Then, a dense fog had flowed out from the forest, and when it cleared, a line of practice dummies had been standing in the formerly empty space looking as if they¡¯d always been there. After a half hour of getting used to the feel of our blades slashing and piercing the homespun wrapped sawdust forms, he declared us ready, only adding that the rats would be lower to the ground and to be prepared. Then, the fog rolled out again from the darkness between the trees, and so here we stood, waiting to kill. Waiting for the killing to start is always the hardest part, I repeated in my head like a calming mantra that appeared to be defective. My sperm-donor dad had taken me with him a few times to hunt rabbits and feral hogs before the drinking got so bad and he drank himself to death. Or into another woman¡¯s arms far away. Nobody knew. Or cared. That memory had slipped into my head like the slow, silent tendrils of the fog, appearing unbidden out of the gloom of the days of forest past and settled in my mind, filling blank places with its cold damp that seems at first soft and harmless until it makes the mold and rot seep in. The memories were getting more numerous and more complete, but the slow, piecemeal way they came gave the illusion of peacefulness that the content itself belied. Soft sounds began to be heard from the slowly thinning mist. My pulse increased some and I wiped one sweaty palm at a time on my homespunned thighs and adjusted and readjusted my grip, telling myself not to clench; the sword isn¡¯t a foreign object, my brain mimicking Asshole¡¯s instruction, it¡¯s an extension of my two arms, part of me. The sword-that-is-me will keep me alive. At first, it was the sound of rustling leaves in the cool, fall breeze, but soon enough, high pitched squeaks began to sound. I adjusted my feet, and then scolded myself for letting the nerves get to me. It¡¯s only a few rats! And then they came. Someone squeezed off a bit of scream as the first noses poked cautiously out. The whole line took a surprised step back; together, like we¡¯d practiced, like it was a drill. Then, I firmed my stance again, and my fellows with me; we thought we¡¯d been prepared. We were wrong. The sharp pointed noses were not the centimeters from the ground where we¡¯d been looking, but nearly a foot farther up. Thick whips of whiskers wide as my hand from wrist to fingertips waved the clinging fog away, and then the beady black on black eyes saw us standing there. The first one, the size of a bulldog, raised up on its haunches and studied us. More of them came and huddled around it whiskers bristling like spider legs, beady eyes latched onto us and the two groups just stood there, each shocked by the presence of the other, wondering what exactly to do about it. The rats decided first. The big one, most likely their leader, let loose a shrill squeal and as one the others surged forwards, much faster than any of us had been expecting. The screamer among us¡ªthe kid, I was pretty sure¡ªlet loose again, this time holding nothing of it back. But none of us ran. I don¡¯t know why. Strength in numbers, I guessed, though the rats had that on us. I sure wanted to retreat, and I expect that the rest felt much the same, but we stood our ground. Until we didn¡¯t. It was the two gnomes that broke ranks first, but not like I would have thought they¡¯d have done it, if I¡¯d have even had the presence of mind to think about them at all. They didn¡¯t run. Not in retreat, at least, they surged forward with their little swords that would have looked like bowie knives in my hand, but were long enough in theirs to qualify as short swords. In a second they had leapt the intervening space between the two groups and began to slash and hack like things possessed. There was no rhythm and little form to their swings, but blood and rats spilling guts out of gaping wounds began to fly around them. I was gobsmacked by the ferocity of their response, but the scenario didn¡¯t afford me any time for shock, because the vanguard of the rat army had come and before I was ready, they were among us. Like the gnomes, I just swung low to the ground, more scythe than sword, but effective for all that. At first. Because, the rats just kept on coming, their overwhelming numbers would have defeated our guards even if we¡¯d have remembered anythingof our lessons. Soon enough, some slipped past my wild swings and began to climb my legs. Now it was my turn to scream. There¡¯s just something about a horde of things climbing on you that trips some evolutionary trigger. I dropped my sword, it¡¯s length of blade useless in such close quarters and I began to punch one with my left while my right hand scrabbled at the wooden sheath at my side, while I began to babble in a high-pitched squeal, ¡°EQUIP! EQUIP!¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I didn¡¯t even have the presence of mind to remember to tell SCHEMA what to equip, but maybe the system took pity on me, or maybe my clawing fingers finally found purchase, but either way, the crude rusty knife was in my hand and shortly after in the side of a rat which had almost reached my face. The middle part of the battle was a blur, as battles often are. I clearly recalled the beginning and vividly recall how things ended, but I¡¯d have to go back and view my video record if I ever get the urge to know exactly how the middle went. I never have; I probably never will. The end of it came suddenly when the largest rat flowed smoothly from where it had remained upright at the rear, marshalling its rapidly dying army to its feet. Its beady black eyes locked with my panic-widened ones and it ran straight at me. I don¡¯t know if it thought it would go for the fiercest fighter, as my vanity would have it, or the weakest link, as was the more likely case, but in less time than it takes to say it, it was leaping from the ground straight for my throat when, out of nowhere, the kid¡¯s shining blade cleaved it cleanly in two. I had just enough time to begin to marvel at the two halves of the king rat, the momentum of its head half still carrying it to where it would thump wetly into my chest before the jarring thunk of the kid¡¯s sword sliced like a scalpel through the meat of my thigh and buried itself in my right femur, where it caught, the nearly severed halves of the thick bone binding it like a woodsman¡¯s axe. I don¡¯t know who was the more shocked; probably me, since I was literally in shock, but when my eyes tracked up from the blood-stained blade that my mind refused to acknowledge to his face, the kid¡¯s eyes were wide with it, and his face white with the shock of what he had done. That was about the time my right leg decided it was time to take a break, (har har) and my left one agreed, and the next thing I knew, I was on my ass surrounded by chopped rat corpses, their blood and effluvia seeping effortlessly through my homespun breeches. Careless of the gore, my momentum carried me over onto my back and all I could see was Sarge¡¯s massive form reaching for me and all I could hear was someone screaming as I felt a tug, and then another, as he jerkedthe kid¡¯s sword from the bone of my leg. I wish that asshole would stop screaming, I thought, but then realized it was me making all that noise when his massive fist took up all my attention, a thumb the size of a cucumber deftly flicking the stopper out of a red vial, and pouring it into my open mouth, making me choke, but spreading its glorious numbing warmth down my throat and to my leg. Then, the kid took his place next to me, he hit his knees, bloody hands held out towards me, but he never touched me, like he was afraid to get blood on me, and I barked out a laugh at the ridiculousness of the thought. That opened the floodgates, and all I could do was laugh. Great loud guffaws that rose from the pit of my belly like I¡¯d drank them in with the potion and was vomiting them out. The kid¡¯s face turned from shock to surprise at that, but then his pale skin flushed pink with embarrassment that quickly turned to anger. ¡°Stop laughing at me! Why are you laughing at me?¡± And all I could do was sputter out ¡°your hands! Your hands!¡± between gasping breaths and booming laughter. Sarge gently, almost tenderly, but firmly grasped each of the kid¡¯s arms at his shoulders and pulled him up and sat him to the side, which the sight of that massive ork lifting the kid, well, like a kid set me off again, and tears of laughter ran down my cheeks and dripped into my ears. Then Sarge was behind me, a hand under each arm as he pulled me smoothly up from the ground, my turn to be sat on my feet like a toddler. I stumbled a bit and almost fell again, but his grip remained strong and I steadied, favoring my right leg from the memory of the wound when the reality of it had already passed on to wherever wounds went after the precious red potions took them away. When he was sure I could stand well enough on my own, he rounded on the kid¡ªand the rest of our team, who had gathered owl-eyed behind him¡ªand said, ¡°Let this be a lesson to you, situational awareness is key in any battle, whether with swords or plasma rifles, friendly fire is no joke! Luckily, I was here, and luckily we have plenty of LIFE potions, and good luck or bad, we have come to expect at least one of you morons to hit another!¡± Then he turned to me and told more than aske, ¡°you¡¯re Okay now, aren¡¯t you? Those potions work fast, and I used a Medium rather than a Minor, so they work quick. Now, it¡¯s time to clean what you killed, do you think you can handle that?¡± I thought about it for a second, and I looked around the field at the masses of rat bodies, flies already beginning to feast. I gave a shaky nod, and then followed it up with an equally shaky ¡°yes.¡± Then, just like that I was pissed off at the weak sound of my voice, and I put some steel in, ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± And so we did. Later, as our grumbling stomachs somehow overcame the charnel gore and the offal smell enough to let us know we none of us had eaten anything that day, and we sat around the fire together like long-time comrades and ate our rats on a stick, and boasted about the rats we recalled and how we¡¯d ended them, and some of us introduced ourselves, and told little painless snippets of who we¡¯d like the others to believe we were, and I remembered other times with other soldiers around other not-exactly-regulation flames and other not-exactly-standard-rations that we¡¯d killed and cleaned and cooked together, thinking that we were no longer individuals, strangers, but fellows and a team. There is just something about killing together, or maybe not the killing, but the surviving that knits people together into a unit that, at least at the time, seems indivisible. It¡¯s not. It was me who began to pull back. Saying less and watching more. Not exactly disengaging completely, not rejecting these tentative offers of friendship, but not believing them, either. I caught Sarge looking at me and saw his eyes fill with that knowledge we shared that only soldiers know, and I was the first to draw back from that, too. 11. The Case of the Dead(ly) Arcanist The Ordinary Life of Tom Nobody After the conversation had pretty much petered out, Sarge told us all to check our stats. CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the SKILL EDGED WEAPONS CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the ABILITY SWORDS1% CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the SKILL UNARMED CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the ABILTY KNIVES 1% CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION Huh, all that and only 3 stat point increases. At least it was enough to learn the ABILITIES, I guess. I hadn¡¯t been able to spare anyone else any of my attention, but I kind of expected that I might have been the only one to gain UNARMED and KNIFE SKILLs, so there was that. As I closed out my CHARACTER and SKILLS SHEETs, the kid came over and sat next to me on one of the logs that served as chairs around the fire. I could tell he still felt bad about nearly cutting my leg off but didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Kid,¡± I said, speaking first, ¡°shit happens in a fight.¡± ¡°I should be better than this, I¡¯ve taken actual classes,¡± he looked up at me and then quickly down. ¡°And I¡¯m not a kid. You look like you¡¯re younger than me, anyway.¡± ¡°Yeah, looks can be deceiving. I¡¯m¡ªI was¡ª60-years old before I woke up in the woods this morning. God! Has it been less than a day? It feels like years.¡± I shook my head. The kid looked like he wanted to say a lot more about stabbing me. I could see the struggle playing out across his face. You deal with liars and thieves for a living, and you almost get to where you can read minds. ¡°Name¡¯s Rob,¡± he said, holding out his hand. I looked at it for a minute, and then reached over and shook it, thankful that he¡¯d taken the time to clean the blood off. Clean my blood off. ¡°Tom,¡± I said. ¡°You said you used to play swords in Central Park, I guess you¡¯re a New Yorker, then?¡± I winced internally at being Captain Obvious, but I¡¯d always sucked at small talk and introductions. ¡°Yeah, I grew up in West Virginia, but I got a scholarship to Cornell and never went back.¡± He looked around at our group, and the trees, and back over where the various salvageable parts of the dead rats were stacked, and continued, ¡°Computer science, probably not going to do me a lot of good, now.¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not. They got us learning swords, but Sgt. Asshole mentioned something about plasma rifles, so maybe they¡¯ll have some computers for you to work with, who knows?¡± He thought about that for a minute, and it seemed to cheer him up. ¡°You¡¯re right, maybe this will be more like Whiteout, a nuclear winter game instead of a medieval one. ¡°How¡¯d you manage to get them to turn you into a teenager, again, anyway?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. When we got to the part on my CHARACTER SHEET where it said I was 16, SCHEMA told me the system had decided it was my mental age.¡± I laughed. ¡°I think SCHEMA was messing with me, but I¡¯ll take it, as long as I don¡¯t have to go back to high school. Gave me an extra point in LUCK, too.¡± ¡°How did you figure all that out, anyway, about the STAT bumps if you got it to explain everything? Which, thanks, by the way, I did get my extra STATs, though I thought you were pulling a fast one on me when it took away one of my STRENGTH points, but I kept going and got it back with my GENDER bump.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just woke up, and nothing was familiar to me, unlike it was for you. I¡¯ve never been much for video games, so I had no clue what was going on. I¡¯ve always been big on asking questions when you don¡¯t know something, and after I saw what happened with the Human thing, it just seemed to confirm that going over each thing in my MENU was the right thing to do.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re probably right,¡± Rob said, ¡°I didn¡¯t get enough time to go through much, yet, but as soon as we get through with the TUTORIAL, I¡¯ll be sure to check everything out a lot more carefully.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget to look at the RECORD tab in your JOURNAL,¡± I said, ¡°You know about that, right? That it keeps a written and video record of everything you do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking!¡± he said, his eyebrows climbing up towards his hairline. ¡°No, seriously, check it out.¡± I could tell that he was taking my advice as his eyes got that look like he was gazing off into the distance and his hands started touching places in the air in front of him. ¡°Oh wow! Man! This is totally cool!¡± ¡°If you say so, more like no more privacy in my mind, but what can we do about it?¡± Then I stood up, ¡±you go ahead and play around with it, looks like Asshole over there is getting ready to move us out, so I¡¯m going to head off to the woods again andsee a man about a dog.¡± I got up without waiting for him to respond and started walking towards the woods. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long,¡± Sarge called after me, ¡°The other group¡¯s moving on to the CRAFTING area, and that¡¯s our signal to learn to shoot things.¡± I waved a hand over my shoulder without turning around and kept on walking into the woods.
When I got back, I joined Sarge and the group where they¡¯d gathered around where we¡¯d left the rest of the rat meat in eight neat piles stacked up on what skins weren¡¯t too hacked up. ¡°Okay, each of you take one pile of rat chunks and skins and put it in your inventory. You¡¯ll need them later when you get to the CRAFTING stations.¡± He said when I reached the group. I reached down and touched a pile of raw rat meat and thought ¡°store¡± and it all disappeared. I followed that with the skins. I opened my INVENTORY page and saw that they weren''t there, but then I almost did the facepalm and checked my CRAFTING INVENTORY, and there they were the meat and skins had all sorted into only two squares. The one with the meat in it had a number 20 in one corner and the one with the skins said 10. There were a lot fewer whole(ish) skins that we¡¯d been able to get, but we¡¯d been able to save most of the meat. Rat meat might sound disgusting, and it did tend to be stringier than beef, chicken, or pork, but when you¡¯re hungry, it can taste pretty damn good. I looked over to the other end of the field, and saw that the group that had been training under the Squid guy were all walking towards one of the trails that lead from the clearing, and that another group of, what I thought were probably new trainees were moving in from different trails on the side where I¡¯d come in. Squid guy wasn¡¯t leaving with his former trainees, I guess he was going to be running with the new guys. They all looked around like they were lost. I can¡¯t believe that was us just a few hours ago. Sarge directed us to move about halfway in, where the 50-yard line would be on a football field, and when we got there, there was a table set up that I hadn¡¯t even noticed before. On it were various examples of ranged weapons. I identified bows, both short and long, crossbows, and poles about as long as the batons we¡¯d trained on that had longish cups attached to a sort of hinge arrangement at one end with short spears or maybe javelins next to them. Those baton/cup things are probably for throwing the spears. I forget what they call them. There were even leather slings and high-tech slingshots. Also on the table were more modern weapons, rifles and pistols of various types, some looking far more advanced than anything I¡¯d ever seen, and I¡¯d seen a lot.
I stood in a parking garage with my crew arranged in strategic positions around me; enough of them were visible to send the message that we were not to be fucked with, but a few were not, in case the other guys didn¡¯t get it. Billy and Snort were with me, hands in the pockets of their overcoats gripping pistols, but appearing nonchalant. Three completely unmemorable men and one slightly more memorable woman were with us: The buyers.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. We were all huddled around the trunk of a 70s Lincoln which only purpose was to provide said roomy trunk. The woman pulled her giant purse around in front of her and angled the opening so that I could see the stacks of bills arranged inside. I may not have been a real math whiz in school, but I¡¯d been to graduate school in hard knocks and I¡¯d gotten top scores on estimating dollar amount based on the volume of the container. It looked legit. So far. I nodded, then bent over one of the long crates that necessitated such a roomy trunk, clicked the latches and threw up the lid with a bit of theatrics. Never hurt to add some smoke and mirrors; impressed the dull and made the sharp ones underestimate you. Inside the crate, packed in a bed of black foam rubber, nestled a rocket launcher, fresh off the boat that morning. A warhead was positioned partly in the tube of the launcher, also for dramatic effect. One of the men nodded and gestured towards the woman, who moved forward, one hand reaching up to slip the purse straps from her shoulder. I nudged Billy, who¡¯d been oogling her breasts instead of keeping his head in the game. Almost certainly the reason they¡¯d put her in a low-cut blouse on such a cold day. Too bad that shit didn¡¯t work on me. The kid and me, we¡¯d have words if we managed to get out of this one without any trouble, something I was beginning to doubt. He jumped, and I could see the red flush of his embarrassment start to creep up from where his thick neck stuck out of the collar of his coat and turn his face that shade of pink that had earned him the addition of ¡°the kid¡± to his name. He took a step forward fouling any shot I could take on nodding man should things all go pear shaped. Oh yeah, the talk might include some fists. I used the blocked line of sight to casually slip my hand back into the pocket where my new Glock waited and got ready for the worst. Luckily though, while things did choose that moment to go south, Billy¡¯s position also fouled the shot that Nod Man took at me. Billy the kid wouldn¡¯t be learning any more lessons.
I stumbled a bit as the memory hit me unexpectedly but managed to recover without anyone being the wiser. So, I¡¯m an arms dealer, the realization hit me, but not hard. Enough memories had slipped in without me even taking notice that I¡¯d already suspected I was no Mother Teresa, so while my stomach dropped a little at the realization of just how crooked I¡¯d been, it wasn¡¯t the shock that it would have been earlier in the day. Besides, I¡¯d long ago realized that humans were experts at forgiving our own faults. The trick was not to come up with all the ways we used to justify our sins. No good ever came from lying to yourself. I gave myself a mental shake and got my head back in the game. Billy might not have learned that lesson until it was too late, but I¡¯d taken to heart years ago that learning from your own mistakes was only part of the picture; you had to learn from other people¡¯s mistakes, or you¡¯d run out of time and life before you learned enough from your own. Sarge gestured towards the weapons laid out on the table and told us to choose something to train with. I passed over the bows and slings, likewise the pistols and rifles. I figured I could always come back to the bows, if I wanted to learn them, and I already had plenty of experience with pistols and rifles. My eyes were drawn to the incongruous items at the far end of the table. I moved around to the other side to avoid the crush as the others moved in, and went straight to what had caught my eye. There at the end was a long wooden staff. It was fashioned of some dark wood that I didn¡¯t recognize, but what had pulled me to this end of the table was the writing on it. I reached out and ran my fingertips lightly down the length of the shaft and felt how the words were carved into the grain of the wood. They seemed to move, like one of those optical illusions where the shapes make the eye see movement, but the surprising thing was that I could actually feel the movement, like some kind of smooth braille. It was fascinating. I slid my fingers around it, too thick for them to touch on the other side. ¡°The wood is called Ironwood, or some people call it Dragonwood,¡± I jumped and whirled around, the staff still in my right hand, my left coming up instinctively to steady it diagonally across my torso in guard position. There was an old woman standing next to me; one I was sure had not been there until I touched the staff. She was shorter than I was, and slightly hunched. It was that hunch that had given me the impression of age. Now that I looked more closely, I wasn''t so sure. She was not so much clothed as enveloped in a flowing gray hooded cloak made of some fine, silk-like material that made you want to let it slide through your fingers. The hood was thrown back and lay neatly across her shoulders and back, and she gazed at me with bright green eyes that had no sclera, only a widening pool of a black pupil. She was one of those whose age could not be told by her face, unlined and porcelain white, fine, symmetrical features framed by straight, jet-black locks that fell to her collar bone in the front, she could have been any age, from 16 to 60. ¡°I engraved it, myself. I¡¯m gratified that you can appreciate the workmanship.¡± She said, with a smile that seemed to acknowledge everything from my fascination with the staff, to my assessment of her appearance. Two tiny points of bone white barely touched the startling red of her full lips when she smiled. DANGER! My instincts shouted, and I took a quick step back, still holding the staff like a shield between us. She laughed, then, and the quality of it fascinated me as much as that of the elf woman¡¯s, but my intuition told me that it was the fascination of a mouse with a cobra, and I squared my stance just as Sarge¡¯s meaty hand clapped me on the shoulder, his fingers digging in slightly, not to bruise, but to contain my second jump of surprise and keep me from whirling around and striking out at him with the staff in my alarm. ¡°I see you¡¯ve met Stellanna, our arcanist,¡± he said, the joviality in his tone jangled my nerves in juxtaposition to the threat of which my bones warned. ¡°Stel is here to unlock your MANA pools, for those of you whose pools can be,¡± her eyes shifted from me to him and her features froze at his familiarization, only the slightest thinning of her lips telling of her displeasure. Liars and thieves, it was like a shout, to me. As if from a great distance, I heard a notification chime[i] followed closely by another.[ii] Sarge affected not to notice, but his grip lessened ever so slightly, and I knew without being told that this was the mongoose to her cobra. ¡°So, everyone line up behind Tom and we¡¯ll get that out of the way. Stel,¡± he gave the diminutive the slightest accentuation, ¡°if you would do the honors, starting with Tom, here?¡± They faced off then, communicating some message that I couldn¡¯t decipher, but knew wasn¡¯t as full of bonhomie as Sarge pretended, but it was she who blinked first, literally. Her thick, dark lashes crawled like so many spider legs down over her luminous green eyes, and when she opened them, she was looking at me; my adrenaline gave a little spike, but I stood my ground. Yay, me! ¡°Certainly,¡± she replied, not deigning to return any insult. I knew that this was no acknowledgement of any superiority on Sarge¡¯s part, but that she had foregone further conflict for her own reasons, which did nothing to calm my nerves. ¡°Now, young Tom, who is not young at all,¡± she said, that one sentence telling me she knew more about me than I was comfortable with, ¡°I can sense your ¡­ caution of my person, which speaks of wisdom on your part,¡± that last with just the barest flick of those eyes in Sarge¡¯s direction. ¡°I will have to place my hands on each side of your face in order to open the path to your pool. I give you my oath that no harm will come to you through my touch.¡± [SCHEMA]: Stellana of House Clintogne has given her oath of non-aggression. Oaths so given, once recognized by the SCHEMA system are binding. Breaking a SCHEMA system-recognized oath will result in dire consequences, which may result in measures up to and including the death of the oath-breaker and the surrendering to the aggrieved of all their property, including magical items and grimoires. It was my turn to slow blink as I absorbed SCHEMA¡¯s unexpected message. I had almost begun to think they had turned their attention away, I had become so used to their absence since leaving the forest. Stellana allowed me to see a carefree smile as acknowledgement that she knew I¡¯d received the message, and it widened a tiny bit as I gave myself a mental shake and decided to give SCHEMA¡ªand her¡ªthe benefit of the doubt. Then, as she had said, she raised her hands smoothly, but with a slow deliberateness that conveyed no threat, to each side of my face. The long and wide sleeves of her robe falling artfully to her elbows revealing the rest of her skin to be as pale as that of her face. When I didn¡¯t back away, she placed just her fingertips to each temple, the barest brush of a touch. Her eyes closed, and she took a deep breath through her mouth and let it slowly out through her nose. At first, there was only that feather of a touch, but then I felt something. Even now that the sensation has become as familiar as the feeling of my own breath, I can¡¯t describe it in any way that will do it true justice. The nearest I can come is that it was like a breath of cool air that moved through her fingertips and under my skin without ever touching the surface. This breeze flowed into my temples and pooled briefly right at the base of my head, just where it met my spine. There was something like a pop! But without sound, and then it split in two streams, one moving down my back where followed more popping sensations, the first made my heart jump, the next was like a punch right in the solar plexus that made me expel the contents of my lungs in one explosive breath. That stream continued downwards, another at the base of my spine, and another that felt like a distant earthquake, but moving from my feet into the ground, rather than the reverse. At that, the other stream moved through my head from back to front, and when that pop came, all the color bled from the world and I could only see in shades of gray. It continued up and the last sensation was no longer a little pop, but an explosion that set off a great ringing gong of a sound that reverberated through my whole body before coming to rest somewhere in my breast, where it seemed to settle and pool just before I lost consciousness. [i] CONGRATULATIONS! You have gained the ABILITY PERCEPTION 1% [ii] CONGRATULATIONS! Successful check against MENTAL DOMINATION +1 WILLPOWER 12. Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered Her hands are gentle as she places the cool rag to my burning brow but, it is the sound of her voice that sooths my frequent fevers more than any cloth or medicine ever could. I know the melancholy notes of the song like I know my own name, but I never tire of hearing the words, even as they lay their curse. Sunday''s child is full of grace, Monday''s child is fair of face, Tuesday''s child is merry and glad, Wednesday''s child is solemn and sad, Thursday''s child is given to thieving, Friday''s child always has something, And Saturday''s child works hard for nothing. ¡°You spoil the brat,¡± he always says, ¡°Now, leave him be and get me another beer.¡± I know what comes next, and I will the burning in my face away, and with it the comfort of her touch, hoping that she will go before he has to tell her again with a fist.
My eyes sprang open just in time to prevent bloody murder. I see him there, looming over her his face suffused with rage, his great granite fist raised threateningly, and then I blink, and they''re gone. I blink again and the figures waver and blur. Not her. I think. Not Him. Sound comes next, crashing back, and I hear a distant bell[i] I blink again, and I see it¡¯s not my mother''s hand (and her dead these many years, not of beatings like we both thought, but from pining away over the loss of Him), who holds the cloth against my brow, but the lady elf, who has never deigned to share her name, her eyes not on me, but on the heated argument I now can hear. ¡°You heard my oath as clearly as he,¡± Stellana raised her hand and gestured towards where I am struggling to sit up, the elf drawing away from one side, the kid suddenly there on the other, helping to steady me. The Arcanist¡¯s voice is smooth and unworried as ever. If she has any fear of the fist Sarge threatens her with, there is no sign of it in her voice or in the piercing gaze which she has turned my way. Sarge moves slightly to one side, so that he doesn¡¯t have to take his eyes off of her to look. ¡°And here I stand, unpunished and innocent of all harm. I am as surprised as anyone,¡± she lied, ¡°I had no idea he would react so strongly to the opening of his flow.¡± Sarge shoots her an ¡°if looks could kill¡± and signals he shares my disbelief in that last bit with a grunt. ¡°Well, stop lollygagging on the ground, then,¡± this one to me, gruff, but lacking any heat, ¡°we¡¯ve got seven more of your fellows to see to before we can start shooting things. ¡°If,¡± this, his gaze together with his anger, directed at Stellana, ¡°dear Stel can manage to do the job SCHEMA bound her to do without laying anyone else out?¡± That got a reaction as Stellana¡¯s face freezes in what I¡¯m starting to understand is the expression her face wears instead of telling her secrets. There¡¯s some history there, between these two, and a mystery. He didn¡¯t say that the had agreed to train us, or that she had been contracted, but he had used the word ¡°bound¡± to do so. I shook that away along with the last of the cobwebs and rose shakily to my feet. I hated unsolved mysteries, but I didn¡¯t plan to be around either of them long enough for it to matter. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked, ¡°what did you do to me?¡± ¡°I did only what I am here to do,¡± she replied, ¡°I opened the flow of your MANA and SPIRIT pools, as I will do with the rest, or at least the rest of those whose pools can be opened. ¡°Everyone,¡± she said, turning to face me, giving Sarge her back, ¡°reacts to this in a different way, as I¡¯m sure we will see, today. Everyone has a MANA and a SPIRIT pool within them, though not everyone learns to touch them. Of those who do, some feel like they are remembering how to do something that they simply forgot, while others have more¡± she smiled that predatory smile, ¡°extreme, reactions. Now, please retrieve the training staff from where you dropped it, I think perhaps you could use its help until your strength returns.¡± I looked down at my feet to where the ironwood staff lay, and staggered a bit as I bent to pick it up. The kid got there first, though, and grabbed it as he stood from where he¡¯d been kneeling by my side. I saw the look of concern in his face as he held it out towards me, but I hardened my face from showing the gratitude that warmed my chest, and I almost snatched it from his hand, hardening my heart, as well, from the look of hurt his too expressive face showed.Stolen story; please report. As soon as I touched the staff, though, I had no more attention to spare for anyone else: ITEM PROPERTIES STAFF: This item is soulbound and cannot be stolen, sold, dropped at death, or given away until it is replaced by another soulbound item. If the item is broken, it will be restored upon sleeping, resurrection, or respawn. Damage Blunt/Spell 1 ¨C 3 (scalable: Damage is scalable with the level of the USER) Make Ironwood, Engraved, Slotted (3) Type Two-Handed Durability N/A Weight 10 Rarity Rare Value 0 That¡¯s new, I thought, why didn¡¯t it do that when I picked it up before? ¡°Hmph,¡± Stellana¡¯s irritated huff pulled my attention back to her. ¡°It seems my staff has been stolen.¡± The words were said lightly, as if in jest, but there was a fire in her eyes, and her face was still frozen against her true feelings. ¡°It seems that SCEMA is going to owe me a debt, before the day is done.¡± You can owe SCHEMA debts? I filed the information she probably hadn''t meant to convey away for later. Sarge looked nonplussed but bulled through it. ¡°Be that as it may, no business of mine or theirs. We need to get things moving before the new batch of trainees drop dead from running and we have to send for a priest. That¡¯s if, you can see your way to controlling your¡­ touch?¡± Her eyes were still burning when they flicked quickly to and away from his face, and I thought I surely imagined it that he had to hold himself from taking a step back. ¡°Tom. It seems that my staff has taken a liking to you. Perhaps that is why you had such a¡­ strong reaction, because you were holding it when I opened your flows. I trust that SCHEMA will take note of this and future arcanist trainers will not make the same mistake. The fault seems to be mine, not yours. You are free from guilt or obligation.¡± She spoke the words as if they had some ritual meaning, and I half expected another notification like when she¡¯d made her vow, but nothing happened, and she moved on. Do I not get a notification because the staff soulbonding to me should never be the USER¡¯s fault, or because she¡¯s lying? I wondered, but there was no way for me to know, so I let it go and turned my attention to what she was saying. ¡°Now, if the rest of you will please line up, single file, we can get this over with, and I can be on my way.¡± If I hadn¡¯t been watching her face so closely, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed how the skin around her eyes tightened ever so slightly when everyone looked and then waited on Sarge¡¯s nod before moving into a line in front of her. Clearly this woman is not used to people who don¡¯t ask ¡®how high¡¯ when she says ¡®jump¡¯.¡± I stepped farther away, towards where the weapons were laid out on the table as she repeated her touch to each trainee¡¯s temples. Kid was the first in line, just because he was closest when she told them to line up. She held her fingertips on his temples for a while, but nothing seemed to happen. She allowed her face to show a touch of sympathy when she instructed him to move aside. ¡°As I said, not everyone will be able to touch their pools.¡± The kid¡¯s face didn¡¯t show the disappointment I¡¯d expected when he turned towards me and moved away. He looked relieved, if anything. ¡°I never like playing spell casters,¡± he whispered as he reached my side, ¡°I like tanking too much.¡± I grunted to show I¡¯d heard him, but I didn¡¯t want to start him up again by asking what that meant. The elf lady was next, followed by the two gnomes, then Blue Man, with the other elf guys bringing up the rear. Nobody passed out, and everyone else seemed to be able to touch their pools. The reactions were different with each person; the elf lady sang a little giggle (which seemed to piss Stellana off, for some reason), the gnomes each gave a whoop! of excitement and moved to the other side of the line slapping each other on the backs as if they¡¯d done a great thing. The blue guy was silent and stoic as ever, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d spoken a single word or made a single sound, even with rats crawling all over him, or the fireside bonding after. The first elf spoke a quiet word of thanks and the last one bowed (which seemed to please her) and then it was done. ¡°Now, you,¡± here Sarge indicated the kid¡ªRob, I reminded myself to call him, ¡°come with me and pick a weapon. The rest of you, get your spells from Stel and join us over there.¡± He indicated a spot near the table that faced the line of training dummies that had once again appeared in the distance. We all moved slightly towards the edge of the clearing, away from the weapons¡¯ table, and Stellana moved to stand in front of me once again. I didn¡¯t step back, even though I felt like she intentionally chose to crowd my personal space. With a smirk at my reaction, she simply raised her hand and pulled a book from the air. ¡°This,¡± she said, moving back a comfortable distance where she could more easily address us as a group, ¡°is a spell book. Once you acquire one of your own, you will be able to learn spells. Spells, or blessings and curses,¡± this she added with a nod towards the elf-girl, as if she knew something we didn¡¯t, ¡°that you learn will automatically be written in your spell book, or grimoire, as some would say. The spell¡¯s specific properties will be listed with it, and it and the book will be soulbound to you until you give it away or it is lost in a wager, duel, or broken oath.¡± Here, her eyes speared me again as she handed me the book. She looked as if she half expected something to happen when I took it from her, but nothing did, and she continued. ¡°These,¡± and her hand reached to the sky, pulling down another book, which she handed to the elf-girl, repeating the process with each of the rest as she went on, ¡°are your temporary books. SCHEMA will have already chosen a spell that it has determined will be best suited to you. Once I give leave, you will open your books, read the spell, and thus learn it. You will then return the books to me, and we will practice casting these spells. You will remember the spell until you sleep,¡± she said returning to stand in front of me. ¡°Or die,¡± she finished, staring straight into my eyes. [i] CONGRATULATIONS! Successful save against MENTAL DOMINATION +1 WILLPOWER 13. Caught Stellana bade us fall in line beside where Sarge had placed the kid, who now sported a long bow, a quiver of arrows peeking out from behind one shoulder, facing the practice dummies, and instructed each of us, as a group, to open our SPELL books ¡°to the first page.¡± I felt this was a bit redundant, since as near as I could tell, none of us had anything written on any other. Still, it was with no little excitement that I opened my book to see what SCHEMA had chosen as my first SPELL. SPELL: MANA BOLT TYPE: 20 Yards COST: 2 MANA CAST: Instant TARGET:????Single. Multiple at higher levels DAMAGE: 1 ¨C 3 (Scales with level) COOL DOWN: N/A SIMULCAST: Yes DETAILS: The USER fires a compressed bolt of MANA at one target. Target cannot block, ignores mundane armor and shields. Magic armor and shields take half damage. Marks target(s). Leveling adds (?) damage/number up to 5 per casting limb or appliance Huh. I didn¡¯t know what, exactly every category meant, but at first look, I was underwhelmed. Just off the top of my head, I figured that DAMAGE referred to how many possible points by which the target¡¯s LIFE pool each bolt could reduce. Looking at my own LIFE pool, I was a level 0, and it would take between 30 and 100 shots to take just me down. Still, once I learned it, I would be able to do magic! Who gets to say that? Well, almost everybody, now. I thought, looking around at the rest. Yeah, underwhelming. Underneath the description of the SPELL were words in a flowing script that I couldn¡¯t understand, but which reminded me of the engraving on my staff. I absently rubbed my fingers along its barely perceptible lines while I tried to puzzle out the writing in the book. As I reached the last line of script, the top line seemed to grow brighter, each word developing a soft glow and then the next, like lines of dominoes, until the whole text glowed. The words seemed to grow in both size and brightness until the page was too bright, like staring at the sun. I closed my eyes against the glare, and when I peeked open one eye, the script was gone. And just like that, I knew how to cast a MANA BOLT. It took no effort or thought, no more than having to think about how to breathe, or how to walk, I just knew like I knew how to scratch my nose. Not even thinking about the staff in my hand, I looked at the nearest target and pulled MANA from my pool. I don¡¯t know how to explain the feeling, other than it was like taking a breath, but in reverse. Not like breathing out, because it feels nothing like that, but like I was intentionally moving something from the inside out, like we intentionally move air from the outside in, and how a ¡®good¡¯ breath felt a certain way¡ªeven tasted a certain way¡ªto you after being stuffed up or having difficulty breathing. Instead of having it exit my mouth or nose, though, I pulled the MANA up from the center of my chest where it pooled, and it flowed like blood through veins, up and across my shoulder and down my right arm. I felt it tingle in the palm of my hand and start to pool there, meeting resistance when it met my staff. When that happened, it was like waking up, like I¡¯d been dream walking, and I realized what I¡¯d done, that I¡¯d somehow pulled magic out from someplace inside of me and that it was in my hand, and that pause to think had somehow made me aware of it. I heard a voice speaking, I had been hearing a voice speaking, but I hadn¡¯t had any attention to spare for it. It was as if I had been in a dream, or a trance, and now I was waking up. Stellana was saying something, she walked up to the elf girl, who was first in the line of MANA or SPIRIT users, and the elf handed Stellana her now empty book. ¡°Now seek out the place where your MANA and SPIRIT pools dwell,¡± and as she moved down the line taking up the SPELL books from each trainee, she moved her other hand in a circle over herself, indicating an area roughly from sternum to just below her rib cage. ¡°Most USERS feel that their pools lie here, in their central place.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. As she came to me and I handed her the now useless book, she continued. ¡°Once you find your pool, raise your hand and I will walk you through the process of pulling some out, and getting it to move in the direction you want.¡± I didn¡¯t think to raise my hand. Even though I was aware that other things were happening around me, I still felt like I was caught in that dream state, like one of those dreams where you wake up and you are too slow, your mouth won¡¯t make the right sounds, or the words don¡¯t have any voice, and before I could speak or indicate anything, she had moved to where the Blue Man had raised his hand. I looked down to where my hand met my staff and I could see the MANA like a glove that covered only my palm, a softly glowing liquid glove. It was fascinating. And that quickly, I was drawn back into the dream. I took hold of the staff with my other hand and I moved my right hand, the hand with the MANA slightly away from the staff. The MANA clung to where it touched the staff, and it pulled on my hand and up my arm and into my pool, it pulled more out. It looked like a thick, viscous liquid. There was a surprising amount of resistance when I moved my hand away. It felt a little like how I imagined it would feel to pull the taffy I¡¯d seen being stretched and blended by machines at the county fair. Fascinated, I moved my hand along the staff and the MANA followed, coating the staff neatly in a thin, glowing layer, until all of the top third of the staff glowed faintly, causing the engraved script to take on its own glow, whether a resonance in concert or as a consequence of some defensive mechanism, I didn¡¯t know. When I saw the two glows, the MANA seemed to me a silver blue color, but the script on the staff glowed a yellow-red, I marveled at the beauty of them, and I wondered how much more beautiful it would be if they could combine and mix like the color of light on Rembrandt¡¯s brush, and just the thinking about it made it happen. I felt the surface tension on my MANA break, a small pop! more felt than heard, and the script, now swirling madly on the staff, began to absorb it. Somewhere that was not here, wherever here was, where I was, where my mind was, I heard a gasp and knew that it was Stellana, but I had no free thought to devote to that or to wondering why or how or anything but mixing my paints and painting my will upon this staff so that I could paint my will upon the world like the greatest master painter who had ever lived. I felt my skin pebble and the hairs stand up as I reached with my MANA hand, as I had begun to think of it, and I circled it with as much of my hand as would fit around the shaft and pulled the MANA from my pool and through my veins and into the staff where the script began to glow not silver, not blue, not yellow, not red, and not softly but brightly and purple. And strong. And I knew then that she had put something in the staff. I had no name for it, but something not friendly to me or to whoever first picked it up, but it was a static thing, a dead thing, like she was a static thing, a dead thing, but I was a live thing, and my MANA was alive and it moved into the staff and it became the staff, and I knew that the soul bond that gave me the staff had been an artificial thing, a trap for some mouse, but this mouse was a lion, and without thinking, without even knowing what I was doing, I pointed the staff at the dummy and a bolt of shining purple light shot from the end like it was a roman candle. Quicker than that, quicker than a physical bolt shot from a crossbow, as quick as the tracer rounds fired from an M2, as quick as a thought, the bolt burst from the staff and blazed across the field and smashed into its center mass and the top half of the dummy exploded into flying shrapnel and smoking ruin, and I stood there equal parts dumbfounded and amazed. Not so underwhelming, after all. Then I woke up. Sound flowed back in, and my mind sped up, my thoughts from that slow taffy flow that they¡¯d become, and I heard Stellana scream a high, thin tea kettle scream and she collapsed into herself, like a puppet which strings have been cut. I looked at her and she lay there caught in some fit, and nobody moved to her aid. In fact, everyone moved away. I looked up and saw wide eyes and open mouths on every face. They were all staring at me with equal parts shock and not a little of fear. All but one. That one was Sarge, and his face burned with murderous anger, and I felt a surge of primal fear as my adrenaline spiked. But his look was not for me, but for her, where she lay limbs flailing about on the ground, no grace nor beauty about her, nor humanity, but like some insect caught in a web, like a spider which has caught itself in its own web, and I saw him smile, and I took a step back, because that smile was deadlier than rage. [SCHEMA]: Stellana of House Clintogne has broken her vow of non-aggression. Please wait while a support ticket is sent, this may take some time. An Administrator will review the RECORDs of the affected parties and make a judgment on who is at fault and the appropriate penalties involved. Ticket #119-8800943 And Sarge¡¯s smile became a fierce, wild thing and we all took another step back. 14. Truth And Consequences Several things happened in rapid succession. First, a team of orks in some sort of military uniform arrived and took the still quivering Stellana into custody, one of them binding her arms to her side with bands of shining light. Even when they pulled her none too gently to her feet, she didn¡¯t regain consciousness. They gathered around with her in the center in one swift, obviously practiced move, and as quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared into thin air. Sarge came over from where he¡¯d been speaking to who I guessed was the commander of the unit¡ªnone of the insignia made any sense to me¡ªand clapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Good thing you sprung that bitch¡¯s trap while you were still here, I¡¯d hate to think what would have happened to you once you left the training grounds. I¡¯m no MANA user, so I can¡¯t tell you how it all works, exactly, but the Rangers¡¯ Captain seems to think that the protections woven into this instance worked to empower whatever it was that you did, and the MANA rebound was enhanced, as well. I''d hate to have seen what kind of mischief she''d have made if that hadn''t knocked her out. ¡°Which brings me around to: What the fuck did you do?¡± ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± I stammered out. ¡°Seriously,¡± I said to his skeptically raised eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯ve never even thought about using magic before! It just felt like I was, I don¡¯t know, like I was in a dream. Not even my own dream, someone else was dreaming and I just did what they dreamed.¡± It was pretty lame, as excuses go, and I knew about lame excuses. Just then, someone else popped in. I guess ¡®teleported¡¯ in would be a better description, but I was way over my head down the yellow-brick road, by then. ¡°Ah,¡± Sarge said, dropping the subject and turning to face the newcomer, ¡°I see our new arcanist has arrived. I¡¯m sure things will go much more normally, now.¡± I tried not to show the guilt I felt. Why should I feel guilty? I still don¡¯t know what I did! Guilt: out, Anger, in. Same old, same old. The new arcanist was very different from the old. Whereas Stellana had looked like a typical human¡ªexcept for her green-on-green eyes and, you know, the whole being dead thing, the new guy looked like one of those drawings crazy people made after they claimed to have been anally probed by aliens. Not so crazy after all, it seems. He was tall. Impossibly tall, and thin, like a rubber toy that has been stretched to twice it¡¯s height. He made Sarge look of average height and the rest of us like midgets. The gnome guys barely came to his knees. He was dressed in a form-fitting suit of shiny gray that made me think of sharkskin. The suit blended almost seamlessly into the dull matte gray of his skin. His stringy arms hung down almost to his knees with long narrow hands that had only three fingers, but two opposable thumbs, one on each side, and all of them having too many joints. An improbably large, and sharply oval bald head sat atop a long neck. His eyes were black-on-black and slanted upwards at the outside. In place of a nose he had two small holes in the center of his face, another two on each side of his head that I assumed passed for ears, with a lipless slit of a mouth over his sharply pointed chin. ¡°Alonzo,¡± the arcanist spoke, with a slight bow of his head towards Sarge. He talked without moving his lips, the sound emanating from a square speaker which he wore around his neck. ¡°I have agreed to fill in until a replacement can be found for poor Stellana.¡± And both of them chuckled at the joke of that, one they didn¡¯t share with the rests of us. ¡°Good to see you, Xix. (he pronounced it zieux) Stel finished giving the trainee¡¯s their spells and was just teaching them how to pull from their pools to power them. I think we can assume that Tom here¡¯s got that part down, so you just have these six.¡± Then he beckoned me and the kid over to where he stood, closer to the table than the shooting range, while Xix moved nearer the others and took up where Stellana had left off. ¡°Okay, Xix will have the others sorted out in no time, so we can start on target practice, though I guess you¡¯ve got that down, as well.¡± Sarge¡ªI guess I¡¯ll have to start thinking of him as Alonso¡ªsaid, the last part directed my way. I had a quick moment of calculated thought and before he could begin working with the kid, I spoke up. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m completely comfortable with this staff,¡± I lied, ¡°it being all booby trapped and all.¡± Then I quickly slotted it into my inventory, ¡°I think maybe I should choose something else to learn on, you know, just in case?¡± I made the statement into a question just so my butt would be covered if anything came of it. See, I figured that the staff was soulbound. That meant that even if they wanted to, they couldn¡¯t take it away from me, so whatever other weapon I learned, I¡¯d still have it. I¡¯d have the other one, too. Mama didn¡¯t raise no fool. The amused sparkle in Sarge¡¯s eye showed me that he knew¡ªor at least suspected¡ªwhat I was up to, but he went along with it. ¡°Okaaaay,¡± he drawled meaningfully, ¡°Go ahead and take a look at the weapons on the table and join us over there. I¡¯ll get started with Rob here, in the meanwhile.¡± As they moved away towards the firing line, I surveyed the choices that had been laid out for us. The first weapon I came to was a short bow made of hardwood. I liked the look and knew that they could pack a good punch¡ªat least at mid-range¡ªbut you were limited by ammunition. Once you were out of arrows it wouldn¡¯t even make a good club.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The same went for the long bow, and most of the firearms, at least those that used conventional chemical or gas propellants. There were a few that had bands of rings down the barrel that I kind of thought might be a hand-held magnetic rail type, but they still required specifically milled ammo. I hesitated at the ones that looked like energy weapons. Maybe they packed a bigger punch and the rectangular boxes that I guessed were power packs slotted in where a magazine would fit on a conventional firearm might hold more charges¡ªmaybe even able to recharge, over time¡ªbut again, something made me move on. I finally stopped at a collection of slings and slingshots. At first glance, you might think that they had the same ammunition limitation, but as a kid shooting cats off fences, I knew that fresh ammo was just a stoop to pick up a rock away. Rocks were everywhere. Yes, I know that modern slingshots fire steel or lead balls specifically made for the purpose, and that the deadlier of them even fired arrows when fitted with a special mount, and that shot was much more effective when it was perfectly round, but worse comes to worse, you almost always have some kind of ammo within arm¡¯s reach. I picked up one with wide elastic bands, tall backwards-bending forks, and an arrow mount just above the base. The handle had an ergonomic grip and a padded arm rest; the whole thing hinged to fold flat when not in use. Yeah, this one will do just fine. If I need to kill anything big, I¡¯ve always got my staff, but this looks perfect for rabbit and squirrels. And don''t forget rats. I shivered at the thought. I grabbed up the slingshot and folded the fork under and up, and marveled at the ingenious swivel mechanism that placed the fork perfectly for aiming before locking it into place. Then I slipped my left hand through the odd wrist loop, grabbing the grip and letting the arm rest ride snugly along the inside of my forearm. I also collected a bag of steel shot and moved over to where the kid had just missed his first try, the arrow falling to the ground a good 10 feet from the target. His next one had the distance but flew wide and to the right. ¡°Okay,¡± Sarge¡ªAlonso¡ªsaid, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve got the general idea, just keep working at it until you can hit the target with some consistency. You¡¯ll know when, because you¡¯ll get the notification for the RANGED WEAPON SKILL.¡± Then, seeing that I¡¯d joined them, ¡°Interesting choice, Tom. Not much good against large opponents at lower levels, but I¡¯ve seen slingshots used against dragons to good effect by those at higher ones. Here, let me help you equip it properly.¡± He gestured for me to extend my arm, and he put a finger and thumb to each side of the odd wrist loop, ¡°Just here, to either side, you see them?¡± He indicated what I at first assumed were rivets or snaps arranged to each side of my wrist, though if I¡¯d stopped and thought about it, neither of which would make sense in a loop of leather that short. Pressing them in concert, I nearly jerked my arm out of his grasp as the loop suddenly expanded and row upon row of iron plated leather strips snapped into place from wrist to elbow down my forearm, locking the slingshot securely into place. ¡°There, you see? Now you can unlock the hinges by pressing on each side of the grip in the same way and swivel and fold it under and it will lock against the underside of your arm when you¡¯re not using it. I always thought this model might be a tad bit impractical for self-defense, but it gets high marks for design.¡± I agreed. I spent some time admiring the perfection of the design, unlocking, swiveling, and folding the grip and forks and snapping them snugly under, and then pulling them under and up and twist, and locking them in place again several times. I was even more pleased with my choice than before; I would have chosen the slingshot in any case, but this design made it just perfect. ¡°Okay,¡± He said as the elf girl joined us with her choice of a long bow, ¡°enough playing around, it¡¯s a weapon, not a toy.¡± Here he gestured and the dummy nearest to me moved even nearer to a point about 10 yards away. ¡°Start there, that ought to be about right for small game, which is all you can expect to hunt with this at your level. Once you get your RANGED WEAPON skill, only long hours or practice and upping your STRENGTH stat will let you have any effect at greater distances.¡± It had been quite a while since the alley cat shooting days of my youth, and while I remembered things in general, the specifics had escaped me. It took several tries and changing arms from left to right and then finally back to the left-arm mount position, then I had to work out whether I wanted to put the forks upright (as just seemed logical), or parallel to the ground (as I finally decided worked best for me), and then remembering where on my face to pull the pouch in order to fix my aim. In the end, it was quite a bit of work for what felt like precious little result. In all, it took me a good hour before that *DING*[i] let me know that I¡¯d achieved my goal. I regretted that feeling of superiority I¡¯d felt when the kid had such a hard time hitting his target, but he was whaling away with bullseyes long before I was hitting anywhere on my dummy. I never got what I¡¯d call a bullseye, which to me was hitting the dummy center mass or center face, depending on where I¡¯d aimed, but I did manage to at least hit the dammed thing somewhere each time before Sarge finally called us all to stop. ¡°All right, trainees,¡± he shouted when we¡¯d all come to a ragged stop, ¡°this is where we say goodbye. We trainers have done our part to keep you alive, now it¡¯s all up to you. The last part of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL will be in the crafting stations. Just follow that path,¡± here he indicated the softly glowing path where the previous group of trainee¡¯s had exited the clearing what seemed like lifetimes ago, ¡°and you¡¯ll come to the next clearing. Good luck, and goodbye. ¡°Tom,¡± he added as we¡¯d begun to walk towards the path, ¡°a word.¡± I stopped near where he stood, but he waited until the Blue Man, who was the last of the group, had passed beyond hearing distance before speaking. ¡°SCHEMA contacted me while you lot were practicing, and I wanted to let you know what happened. They decided that Stellana was at fault, that she did break her vow to you, but not outright. On a technicality. Seems she did set a trap with that staff, but not specifically aimed at you. I don¡¯t know any of the details of what they uncovered in her record, but whatever it was seemed to satisfy them. ¡°So, you¡¯ll be getting something from her in compensation for what happened, but, and this is the important thing, while she¡¯ll be losing something of her possessions to you in the judgment, she will not be losing her life.¡± He looked at me to see if I understood the implications of that. ¡°So, I might have got something of value, I¡¯ve also made myself an enemy.¡± I said. ¡°Exactly.¡± He nodded. ¡°And a powerful one. Her and her whole House. ¡°Watch your back.¡± [i] CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the SKILL RANGED WEAPONS 15. Who Wants to be Normal? As I started to move towards the exit path to the CRAFTING stations, Sarge stopped me again. ¡°One more thing, Tom,¡± he said, ¡°that damage you did using that staff? Don¡¯t count on that when you leave the BEGINNER TUTORIAL and go back to your world; I don¡¯t know what exactly you did, and I don¡¯t really care, but just like the wards are in place to empower protections, they¡¯re also in place to empower you guys¡¯ strikes.¡± Seeing my look of confusion, the added, ¡°we want you to grow and develop, but mostly, we want you to survive. I know you¡¯ve been a soldier before, back in your old life, so you ought to know the role that confidence plays in survival. We want you to feel confident so that you can better survive.¡± ¡°Then, why are you telling me this, now?¡± I asked, perplexed, ¡°aren¡¯t you worried that it will undermine my confidence?¡± ¡°Well,¡± he allowed, ¡°there¡¯s lack of confidence, and then there¡¯s overconfidence. It¡¯s a tossup as to which is more dangerous.¡± I looked at him for a moment, considering, and then gave him a nod. ¡°Thanks, Sa .. Alonso.¡± I waved my hand vaguely about to indicate the whole area, ¡°for everything.¡± He nodded understanding, and I moved off towards the exit path, the others having already disappeared into the gloom of the forest.
The jungle presses in on every side, the heat is beyond oppressive. I know what a piece of coal feels like, I think, when it¡¯s being made into a diamond. Except no diamonds are being made here, today. I can feel the pricks of insect legs marching up the small of my back as if I hadn¡¯t secured all the openings in my fatigues with duct tape and bandanas. A flash of movement to my right and I bring my snooper scope to bear on a pair of snakes locked in mortal combat. I lower it from my eye and there¡¯s enough starlight creeping through the trees to highlight the bright red head that gives the venomous krait its name. The snake on which it feasts already dead, if only its body had the sense to know, wraps and unwraps ineffectually around its devourer. Getting my head back in the game, I put the scope back to one eye and return my attention to the group of huts huddled in the center of the primitively fenced clearing. Pivoting one heel on the toe of a boot, I nudge Sparky and I hear the dull double click as he sends static over the radio to signal that we¡¯re in place. There¡¯s no returning nudge; we¡¯ve been huddled here in this humid hell long enough that I know what that means. We all know what that means; we¡¯re on our own, one squad short a Second Luey whose chute didn¡¯t open on the way down facing, best guess, a platoon of ''Cong guarding their makeshift POW camp that they think we don¡¯t know about, loopholed out of the so-called Peace Accords into Cambodia. A bright bloom as one of the ¡®Cong sweeps a flashlight in a desultory manner my way sends a sharp spike of pain into my eye. I pull the scope away and shut that one, and open my other eye, it¡¯s night-vision unhindered. A sharp curse from another of them and the flashlight blinks off. So, there¡¯s at least two of them awake and alert. I know what that means: Worst Case Scenario. If we find we can¡¯t complete the mission, call in a strike and exfiltrate. We¡¯ve all heard the horror stories from returned POWs, we know if it were us down there, we¡¯d all rather be dead than left. I know it. My squad knows it. I belly crawl back like the krait, and the others press closer, so they can hear my barely voiced decision. ¡°Butter didn¡¯t make it, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happened to the rest of the platoon, but it¡¯s been long enough that they¡¯d be here if they were going to, so that leaves the seven of us against maybe up to 50 of them. At least two actives.¡± ¡°You want I should call it?¡± Sparky breathes. ¡°No,¡± I say, pulling out my combat knife, ¡°I want you to wait here while me and Bledsoe take care of the two actives. I¡¯ll see if I can work my way down under the nearest hut. Bledsoe, you work your way east and come in behind the other one. How long you figure?¡± Bledsoe doesn¡¯t even have to think about it, he¡¯s already done the math. ¡°20 minutes. 30 at the outside.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make it 45 minutes, while the rest of you work your way around to the big hut on the far side.¡± We all uncover the faintly luminescent faces of our watches. ¡°Mark. Pop, you got the makin¡¯s; you know what to do. We¡¯ll meet you there after we take care of the actives. Hopefully, the rest will be holed up for the night and we can shake¡¯n bake¡¯m all at once. Sparks, you wait here and call in a FUBAR, but don¡¯t jump the gun. They got numbers, but we got style.¡± I grin. ¡°We got this.¡± No one has anything to add. Bledsoe¡¯s already gone; nobody moves better in the jungle than he does. I nod at Sparky and meet each one¡¯s eyes, and then I¡¯m slithering off too. On the way, I pass the two snakes. The one¡¯s almost figured out it¡¯s dead, and I wonder if it¡¯s an omen; if I¡¯m dead too, but just ain¡¯t figured it out, yet.
I stumble over nothing on the well-trodden path as the past lets me go. I stop for a moment to let the last foggy fingers clear, and I have a moment of, I don¡¯t know what to call it, reverse d¨¦j¨¤ vu maybe? Was that really me? I wondered, Was I ever there? How would I even know? I shake my head at the non-sequitur. Where did that thought come from? Have I become one of those time-waster philosophers in my old age? I let out a plosive breath at the nonsense of that. I could see light up ahead, the memory had taken me almost all the way to the next clearing. Giving my whole body a shake, I started walking again. When I reached the CRAFTING section, there was nobody there to greet me. I saw the rest of my former group scattered about the four stations, already finding out what we were there to learn. On the far side of the small clearing, I could see the Blue Man tapping a wooden mallet on a nail or something. Maybe an awl. It looked like he was punching holes in a belt. I vaguely recalled doing something similar in scouts when I was a kid. Nearby, the elf girl knelt scraping the hair off of one of the rat skins that she¡¯d stretched across a crudely-bult frame using a draw knife to get down to the leather. Counter-clockwise from there, the kid was scraping the bark off of a log with a similar knife, while one of the gnomes stood farther out at the edge of the clearing swinging an axe at the base of a sapling. The kid saw me looking and gave me a smiling thumbs up before turning back to his stump. The two elf guys were on my side of the clearing opposite the woodworking station, peeking into a large stew pot which hung over the coals of a fire. A human woman was speaking to them while she sprinkled something¡ªprobably some spice or other¡ªinto the pot. Nearest me, just past the mouth of the path, was what had to be a smithy. There was a beehive shaped smelter with smoke billowing out the hole in the top and mixing with the smoke from the forge that butted up to its side. A bed of glowing coals pointed like a finger from the front of that towards an anvil where the other gnome was making a valiant attempt at hammering the reddened end of an iron rod. A Blue Man, just like the one from our group, straightened up from where he¡¯d been correcting the gnome¡¯s hammer blows, and beckoned me over. Not having any real direction, I went.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Greetings, trainee. This is the SMITHING station. There are also COOKING, TAILORING, and WOODWORKING stations available. If you have a preference, you are free to go directly to that station, but all trainees are welcome to learn enough to get a basic SKILL and its associated ABILITIES at each station.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t really have a preference, though I suppose it would be wise of me to learn COOKING, at a minimum,¡± I answered. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take you up on the offer and learn something of each.¡± He nodded in agreement and to my surprise, handed me a pick, and indicated a small path that led off at a diagonal from the one by which I had entered. ¡°If you follow that path, you¡¯ll come to a mine. The first part of SMITHING is finding the ores. Now, this is a training mine, so don¡¯t expect to find all different kinds of ores in one mine out in the world, but it is possible to find more than one kind, and even some gems, if you¡¯re lucky. Anyway, enter the mine and follow the lanterns that we¡¯ve hung, and near each one you¡¯ll find a different type of ore. SCHEMA will alert you of what kind of ore you¡¯ve found, how much is requried to learn the SKILL, and also when you¡¯ve earned the MINING ABILITY. To earn the SMITHING skill, you need to first learn the MINING, SMELTING, and FORGING ABILITIES at least to 1%. While you¡¯ll be able to refine and work all of the metals here in training, you¡¯ll have to build up your ABILITY percentages before you can move from tin and copper, say, to bronze and iron. Do you have any questions before you go?¡± ¡°I always hated when someone asked that, like in an interview for a type of job you¡¯d never done before. Sure, there were probably a million things I needed to ask about, but I was too ignorant to know. ¡°No, I guess I¡¯ll just figure it out as I go.¡± I answered, and he grinned in sympathy. ¡°Just put the ore you mine into your CRAFTING INVENTORY until you¡¯ve got samples of at least tin, copper, and iron. There¡¯s also some silver, gold, and gems, in there too. There¡¯s no time limit on learning these SKILLS and ABILITIES, so you can take as long or as short a time as you please. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that no matter how much you improve, you won¡¯t be able to raise any of your ABILITIES over 1% in the training areas, so nobody will blame you if you want to make things quick and get out in the real world to start earning real-world SKILLS, ABILIITES, and EXPERIENCE points. Any of the precious metals or gems you find are yours to keep, though, so keep that in mind, as well.¡± I nodded my understanding and moved off down the indicated path. On the way, I thought about the information he¡¯d given me. From what SCHEMA had told me before, I guessed that most normal people wanted to get right to work earning EXPERIENCE points and raising their ABILITIES, but I was never one to want normal. I might lose a lot of EXPERIENCE if I took a long time, but I might also get myself a good nest egg that would give me a significant advantage in starting my new life. I guess I¡¯ll just play it by ear and see how things go. If mining is as difficult as I think it will be, taking a long time trying to find gold or diamonds might end up being worse than just grabbing the basics and moving on. After I had gone perhaps 50 yards down the slightly curving path, I came to a place where retreating glaciation had left a small, U shaped valley. The forest completely surrounded the valley on top of exposed rocky ledges. Near the center of the valley, I could see the dark, wood-framed opening that had to be the mine. Nobody else was about, and the eerie quiet of the forest made my skin prickle with the feel of being watched. Shaking off the willies, I quickly crossed the valley and entered the mine. I could see the lanterns the Blue Man had told me about strung like colored glass beads along the straight tunnel that stretched before me. The first lantern, nearest the entrance shone a white light, followed by the blue-green glow of the next in line, then a red one farther in, and a yellow-gold one in the distance just where the shaft took a turn or maybe dropped out of sight. I moved over to the first lantern and studied the rock face in an effort to see if I could discern what I had always imagined a vein of ore to look like. After a while, I decided that I had no idea how to go about telling ore from rock, but logic said if I just started using the pick anywhere in the area illuminated by the lantern, I would eventually find something. With a shrug, I firmed both hands in what I hoped to be a good grip on the long shaft of the pick and swung the sharp end at the rock. The tip buried itself a disappointing inch or so into the rock face, but I figured I¡¯d get better at it as I went along and pulled it out effortlessly and swung again. And again. And again. I figure it took me about 10 tries before I finally got a notification that I¡¯d hit something. CONGRATULATIONS! You have discovered a tin deposit! It took a few more swings in the same general area, but finally a chunk of ore about the size of my fist dropped to the ground. I bent over and when my hand touched it I got another notification: Tin ore 1 of 5 Huh. I guess that means I need four more of these before I have enough to learn to SMELT it. Digging out the next four chunks wasn¡¯t as hard as it probably should have been. At about number 3, I''d finally been able to tell the tin from the surrounding rocks, which sped things up a bit. Still, by the time I put the last one in my CRAFTING INVENTORY, I was worn enough that I needed a break and a good pull at the water bottle from my starting INVENTORY. I wondered how much of my STAMINA it had used, and in the thinking of it, a small bar appeared in the middle of the upper part of my vision. It looked like a long tube about halfway full of green color. As I watched, the color advanced a tiny fraction. I guess that¡¯s a meter that lets me know how much STAMINA I have, judging by the color. That made me think of my other pools, and with a thought two more bar meters appeared; both were full, a red one that I took for my LIFE pool on the left, and a blue one I took to be my MANA to the right. Playing around with them, I figured out how to make them translucent enough that they didn¡¯t block my sight, but were clear enough to take in at a glance. By then, the STAMINA bar was completely green, and I felt as energetic as I had before I began, so I stood up, slotted my water bottle back into my INVENTORY, and moved on to the green colored lantern. The next area was for copper ore, which was about the same difficulty as finding and mining the tin, except that it required ten chunks instead of five. After that, it was on to the red lantern which turned out to be iron (another 10 chunks) which was quite a bit more difficult than copper and tin, and after that, gold (no number appeared for that, I guessed it was because anything else I found was optional.) I took little breaks to let my STAMINA refill as I went, but the whole process became easier as I got a few stat bump notifications[i],[ii],[iii],[iv] and finally by the 10th chunk of iron ore, my MINING ABILITY[v] When that happened, I looked on down the line to the yellow lamp, and saw that the shaft took a steepish drop to the next lamp which was a silvery blue color, followed by one that looked like its shade was made of a prism, casing out multi-colored lights like a rainbow. These were, in order, gold, silver, and gems, I guessed. I took stock. I¡¯d gained the MINING ABILITY and mined three basic types of ore. I had all I needed to go back and learn SMITHING, but maybe that yellow lantern shining beckoningly at me had given me a touch of gold fever, and I realized I didn¡¯t want to stop. I looked back towards where I could see daylight shining through the entrance to the mine. For the first time, I really missed not having a watch. I hiked the short distance out and tried to figure the time of day from the position of the sun. I knew I had taken a good half a day or more on the INFORMATION section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, and surely the COMBAT section had taken most of the afternoon. By all rights, it should be evening by now, but near as I could tell, it still looked like mid-afternoon. I wondered how that worked, but in the end, I decided that I didn¡¯t have enough information to figure it out. I looked across the valley to the path leading back to the CRAFTING section. It was the only way out of the small valley, if you didn¡¯t count climbing the rock walls, and the faint glow of the path made it impossible to get lost. Besides, I thought, if it gets dark, I can always borrow one of the lanterns. I decided to indulge my inner greed, at least until it got dark, then I¡¯d rethink things. If I grew hungry, there was plenty of extra wood supports scattered along the shaft for firewood, the lanterns supplied flame, and I still had plenty of rat meat that hadn¡¯t needed the COOKING SKILL to learn when we cooked it the first time. With that thought, I turned and made my way back into the mine. [i] CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH [ii] CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH [iii] CONGRATULATIONS! +1 CONSTITUTION [iv] CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY [v] CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the ABILITY MINING 16. Is it Live, or is it SCHEMA? I wonder what it is about humans, or at least about this human, that allows us to feel joy in our own misfortune? Thinking back, I had to admit that I came by it honestly. Dad¡¯s drinking cost him not only his life, but the better part of his livelihood, as well. And oh, didn¡¯t he just love to talk about it to anyone who would listen. Not that he ever admitted that it was the liquor or the cocaine, but he found such a fierce dark joy reliving every slight from every boss. Mom was just the same in her own way. I swear my mother derived pleasure from being physically ill. For most of her married life, we all had to live without regular medical care; we fell into that crack where we were too well off to qualify for government health care, but too poor to pay for it or to afford insurance. Dad, for all his faults, worked all the time, but almost never in any job that provided benefits. He was a construction worker and worked as an independent contractor. He was good at it, but his drinking and drugging kept him constantly switching jobs, so he never got paid what his coworkers made. Naturally, that made him angry which made him drink more. Mom worked hard too as a homemaker raising me and four brothers. When she felt well enough, at least. To a kid¡¯s perception, it seemed that she was always sick. Never sick enough to get treated at the ER, but too sick to manage day-to-day with any sort of consistency. Don¡¯t make any noise, Mommy¡¯s got a headache, you¡¯ll have to cook dinner for your little brothers, Mommy doesn¡¯t feel good. Friends and neighbors didn¡¯t really take her seriously, and I think that upset her more than the fact that she was sick. She would become incensed if she heard that someone had called her a hypochondriac, and she would rage about it for days on end. Many of her friends valued her, though. She had an encyclopedic understanding of hundreds of medical conditions and the affordable folk remedies to treat them. They all came to her for advice when little Johnny couldn¡¯t hold anything down, or little Suzie wouldn¡¯t sleep, but nobody really believed she was sick until Dad died and she was finally poor enough for Medicaid. Once she was able to go to her first appointment with a primary care physician, the floodgates opened. It seemed like every other day she was going to a different specialist for diagnosis or treatment. All that time, she had really been sick, and now she was able to prove it. And she gloried in it. She didn¡¯t have any serious illnesses, or not immediately fatal, at least, but you name a chronic condition and she had it. Diabetes, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, the list goes on. I swear she enjoyed her bad days when things flared up more than her good ones. It was truly ironic that in the end none of that killed her; she died of a broken heart. So, when the gold and, following that, the silver veins ran completely out before I was ready to stop mining them, I finally understood how she must have felt. I don¡¯t know how long I had chipped away at those rock walls, picking up the chunks that fell increasingly frequently, but all the while I expected this chunk of ore to be the last. Nothing good lasts forever, and when they did run out, I felt like my pessimism had been vindicated. What is it about we humans that gives us such perverse joy in our own misfortune? So, there I sat in a dark mine shaft reliving these morbid memories while I ate my grilled rat feeling equal parts cheated and happy that I had known all along that it was too good to last. I had to admit that they¡¯d held out for a good long while, I had two slots for each precious metal completely filled with both kinds of precious metals. I don¡¯t know how long, exactly, but sometime between the gold and the silver, I reached a point where my STAMINA bar just refused to fill, and I collapsed right there in the shaft into a deep dreamless sleep. When I woke, I woke almost in a panic. What if everyone else has finished their training and nobody is there when I go back? I jumped up, all fumble footed with a sleep hangover and stumbled my way to the entrance of the mine shaft. I expected it to be early morning, but when I got there, it was as if I had only been underground for a few minutes. The sun was in exactly the same place as I remembered when I checked the last time. I even reviewed the video of my RECORD. It was as if the sun stood still for me. He did tell me there was no time limit. What if that means, there is no time here in this place that is not really a place? More philosophical wonderings that would lead me nowhere. It¡¯s the dark, I thought, pragmatically, it¡¯s making me morbid. There were gems still waiting to be plucked from the rock, so I turned and reentered the mine, once more. As I was walking back to the end of the shaft with the prismatic lantern, I happened to glance at the area that I¡¯d mined for tin and saw something odd. Odd in that I hadn¡¯t noticed it when I¡¯d been there before. I could see the tiny chrome sparkles of tin¡ªhow I¡¯d ever had any trouble finding the vein seemed incomprehensible to me now¡ªbut just off to one side, ran another vein that looked the same, yet different. Still sparkling like chrome in the white light cast by the lantern, but, I don¡¯t know, duller, somehow. Without thinking, I equipped my pick and struck right in the middle of that river of ore. With only that one strike, a good-sized chunk of ore dropped to the ground. CONGRATULATIONS! You have discovered a lead deposit! Lead, huh? Don¡¯t they use lead for bullets? I bet it would make great ammo for my slingshot! I went to work on the deposit, and sure enough, as soon as I¡¯d hit 40 chunks of ore, it played out. 40 must be some arbitrary limit that SCHEMA¡¯s set for the training mine, I thought as I stretched muscles sore from the slightly hunched stance I¡¯d had to take to reach the lead. Again, regretting the lack of a watch, I looked towards the mine entrance to see if I any time had passed outside. To my surprise, I saw someone just exiting the darkness of the forest at the head of the valley. I hurried to the entrance and shaded my eyes with one hand, and then waved as I saw the kid trotting around the rocks and boulders that seemed to grow like weeds throughout the valley. I was inordinately happy to see a friendly face; I felt like a shipwrecked survivor who sees a boat in the distance. ¡°Have you started mining, yet?¡± He called when he reached hailing distance, ¡°I was going to skip the SMITHING part, but I realized I would probably need it to make arrowheads.¡± ¡°Have I started?¡± I asked in shock, ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve been here at least a day and a night!¡± He stumbled to a stop an arm¡¯s length away and gave me a wide-eyed look of incredulity. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me! I just barely finished getting my WOODWORKING SKILL and came directly here! The sun¡¯s been up the whole time!¡± We stood there staring at each other, each trying to decide if the other was taking the piss, but I finally shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯m not joking at all, but if you stay here long enough, you¡¯ll see for yourself. Come on, then, I¡¯ll show you the best place to start so you don¡¯t have to fumble around trying to tell the ore from the rock.¡± Then, I turned around and he followed me into the mine. After I got him started on the tin I wonder if SCHEMA will grow the lead, gold, and silver back for him? I went back down the shaft past the smoldering remains of my cookfire to where the gems were supposed to be found. Just like every other time I¡¯d arrived at a new zone, I couldn¡¯t see any difference in the rock of the shaft walls and the place where a gem might be found, but just like before, enough chipping away here and there, and I began to find pay dirt. The bounty varied. I was initially encouraged with the first stone to drop: CONGRATULATIONS! You have discovered a flawed sapphire! But, mostly, I found low-value semi-precious stones like garnets and opals. I found one more sapphire, this one didn¡¯t say flawed, but it didn¡¯t say flawless, either, a couple of flawed rubies, and one flawed diamond before the area apparently played out. That¡¯s when I noticed the sound that I¡¯d been subconsciously hearing for a while. I¡¯d just admitted to myself that the area was probably done. I was taking a swig from my water bottle and I heard it. Tap. Tap-tap. Tap. Tap-tap-tap. It¡¯s just the sound of the kid¡¯s pick echoing off the end of the shaft, I thought at first, but it came again, a little louder. Tap. Tap-tap-tap. BANG!The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I jumped with a surge of adrenaline and snatched up my pick. I peered into the darkness but couldn¡¯t make anything out. There were no more lanterns in that direction, and I¡¯d just assumed that the shaft ended not much farther on. Ass-U-me, I chided myself for the amateur mistake and quickly unhooked the lantern and held it out for a better look. Nothing. Wait ¡­ what¡¯s that? I moved cautiously forward half expecting to find nothing, half afraid I was wrong. I took a few more cautious steps, trying not to step on any rock chips. Tap-tap. Tap. Tap-tap. I straightened up, without realizing that I¡¯d fallen into a defensive crouch when it turned out to be the light gleaming dully off the unfinished end of the shaft. I moved the lantern (which had taken on a mundane yellow-white as soon as I¡¯d taken off its hook) slowly from one side of the shaft to the other, but there was nothing there. Just the end of the shaft. Tap-tap. Could there be another mine shaft on the other side? What if there was a cave-in and someone¡¯s been trapped down here? But the wall didn¡¯t look like rubble from a fall, it looked like what it had to be: the unfinished rock at the end of a mine shaft. Tap-tap-tap. My skin crawled and my hairs stood on end. I don¡¯t care what it is, I decided, I¡¯m through, and I¡¯m leaving. Just as I turned, and my body came between the wall and the hand holding the lantern, I saw that something that I¡¯d seen before. A glint of light. Not from some bright ore reflecting the light, but a source of light, all its own. Carefully, I squatted down without taking my eyes off it until I felt the lantern touch the ground. I jiggled it a little to make sure it was sat firmly on the ground, resisting the temptation to look. Grasping my pick in both now free hands, I moved careful steps closer. It was a light, but not like anything I could think to compare it with. It was like a dotted line, perhaps six inches long, and it ran ruler straight just where the end of the shaft met the wall. I studied it for a while, but the quality of the light never changed. Whatever cast the light, it wasn¡¯t a lantern, it had to be something man-made, like an electric light, it was too steady with never a flicker. Cautiously, I took my right hand away from my pick and let it hover bare inches away. No heat. That¡¯s when I realized that the tapping had stopped, and an involuntary shiver ran up my back and out the top of my head. Chiding myself for being a baby, and not even a normal baby! I¡¯m not afraid of the dark, I¡¯m afraid of the light! I moved a careful finger to lightly touch the broken, faintly glowing line. It felt cool to the touch, dry and smooth, not like the gritty, sometimes damp rock from which the mine had been carved. It was a hair-thin line of dots and dashes, but I could clearly feel the difference in texture as I worried my finger over it back and forth like one does with a scab. I wondered if it was some new kind of ore, some exotic thing that had never existed on Earth. There¡¯s one way to find out, I decided after contemplating that, and I choked up with both hands on the pick and swung. Sparks flew as the tip of the pick skidded across the face of the rock, not penetrating even to the slightest degree. I backed off a step, frowning in thought, but there was really no other option, so I readjusted my grip and gave a mighty heave. I must have hit at it from every conceivable angle. I hit it with all my strength, I tapped it lightly, I even scraped the tip across it from side to side, and up and down. Nothing. Then, right when I¡¯d decided that it was a mystery that would remain unsolved, I had a thought. Holding the pick near the head in my left hand, I felt in my chest where my MANA pool lay. The frustration I¡¯d been feeling at not being able to penetrate the rock¡ªor the mystery¡ªbalked my efforts at first, but I willed my MEDITATION SKILL to become active, and concentrated on my breathing, and tried again. Slowly at first, but then in a smooth, steady flow, MANA pooled in the palm of my hand and flowed like a skin over the head of the axe. When it was completely covered with the blue-white glow, I stopped pulling, but kept rubbing, willing it into the rough iron of the pick. Once it had absorbed all of the MANA, I gripped the pick in both hands, aimed, and swung. CRASH! A long and thin, flint-like flake sheered off just at the bottom end of the line, leaving more of it exposed, but no ore fell. I redoubled my efforts chipping away again at the bottom, the top, and to the side, but in the end all that happened was that the line now stretched in its curiously dotted way from floor to roof, right at the edge of the wall, for all the world like light peeping into a dark hallway around the edge of a closed door. What if it is a door? And so I followed that thought with action, this time concentrating where the rocky wall met the top of the shaft. I had to renew the MANA in my pickaxe twice before managing to prove that the lines did not completely circle the end-wall of the shaft, it was only the one line, well, I thought of it as one, where the side wall met the end shaft. It didn¡¯t run the whole distance from floor to ceiling. There was a kind of bulge in the end wall near the middle, and the line extended below and above the bulge, but not along its edge. In the end, I just sat there staring at it, as much a mystery now as before I¡¯d begun. ¡°Tom?¡± The sudden reminder that there was another living being in the mine with me was a shock to my system. ¡°Here!¡± I shouted back, without thinking, and just as quickly wished that I had not. Why am I acting like this is some great secret that I must keep? I wondered grumpily. ¡°Kid¡­er, Rob, come see what I found. Maybe you can make sense of it,¡± I said, chastising my own reluctance with volume, as I stood brushing rock chips from my pants. ¡°Holy Bethesda Batman!¡± the kid said cryptically when he arrived. ¡°It¡¯s a freakin¡¯ rendering error!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t understand anything you just said. Can you maybe speak English?¡± Kid didn¡¯t listen to me, it was like I wasn¡¯t even there. He walked to the end of the shaft in a daze and ran his hand over the places where the line encircled the shaft. He touched it like he¡¯d found diamonds, like Indiana Jones discovering the Holy Grail. ¡°When they make a video game that has a lot of areas, maybe like an underground dungeon area, sometimes the dungeons are too big for a developer to plot out every pixel¡ªuh¡ªevery square inch, so they make a program that sort of prints pieces of wall, like putting them up with a rubber stamp. A lot of time, there¡¯s no¡ªI don¡¯t know how to describe it¡ªthe different pieces don¡¯t communicate with each other. One studio, Bethesda, is so well known for putting things in their games that don¡¯t communicate with the other pieces, you have, like, chairs that look like their growing out of walls, or trees growing half in and half out of a building. ¡°So, that¡¯s not exactly what this is, but it made that come to mind. What this is, is when you have a lot of pieces that are alike, you know, random rock wall next to random rock wall, the program just stamps them out bam! bam! bam! And most of the time, it¡¯s OK; except for the boring sameness, it does the trick and makes a long line of rock wall. ¡°What happened here, though, is that the mine shaft jinked when it should have janked.¡± At my frustrated glare he amended, ¡°If the shaft had continued to drop smoothly like it had been, nothing would have happened, but here it met the end of the shaft, but the end wall is shaped kind of funky, and the square part of the side wall met the rounded part of the end wall, and it didn¡¯t fit all the way around. See, on the other side, there¡¯s no bulge, so the wall meets it straight on, and you don¡¯t see the matrix behind it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all well and good,¡± I said, after I¡¯d absorbed what he¡¯d told me, ¡°except for we¡¯re not in a video game.¡± Yeah, I admit that last part was needlessly pedantic, but I was feeling a bit patronized at the moment. Give him credit, the kid didn¡¯t come right back with a snappy answer. He actually took the time to think about it before he finally said, ¡°Well, I had this one friend who used to like to wind everyone up by claiming that we were all digital characters in a cosmic computer simulation. That nothing was ¡®real¡¯ like we think of real, that we were all just the imagination of an incredibly advanced artificial intelligence.¡± Now it was my turn to stop and think. ¡°That¡¯s actually one I¡¯ve heard before. We used to have a lot of hurry up and wait time in jobs I had, you know, before. Anyway, when you get a bunch of guys sitting around doing nothing, you¡¯ll always have at least one who fancies himself a philosopher. So, yeah, I¡¯ve heard that one before. It¡¯s been a few years, and what with missing most of my memories and all, I can¡¯t remember the details, but as I recall, scientists figured out some way to disprove that.¡± The kid nodded along, ¡°I think I remember hearing that too, but there¡¯s another possibility. You remember when I told you this was like stories I¡¯d read, well, some of those stories were about people who found themselves trapped in a video game. They¡¯d gone in with a VR¡ªuh, a virtual reality¡ªsetup and, I don¡¯t know, different things, lightning struck, or some mad scientist bent on world domination, what have you, but something happened, and they got trapped in a game that was so real they couldn¡¯t tell it from reality. Maybe we¡¯re trapped in some game we don¡¯t remember playing?¡± ¡°Except, I never play video games. Well, Solitaire, but nothing ever like this. I can¡¯t imagine that anyone would ever be able to talk me into one of these. Not even love could bend me that much!¡± We shared a laugh, and he answered, ¡°A subset of those ¡®trapped in the game¡¯ ones is where people have an accident, like a car wreck, or someone shot them in the head, and they hook them up to a VR world because it¡¯s the only way they can communicate, or have any kind of quality of life.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t I know if I was in a car wreck?¡± ¡°Not necessarily, what if you were just driving along, and BOOM! you¡¯re in a coma and can¡¯t wake up.¡± I chewed on that for a while. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you that, but still, it doesn¡¯t sit right with me. For one thing, there¡¯s the whole humanity facing a massive die off thing¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± he interrupted me, ¡°die off? What are you talking about?¡± I put out my hands, palms out to calm him down, not that anything I had to tell him was what you¡¯d call calming information, but I didn¡¯t want to have to deal with hysterics. ¡°I forget that I¡¯m apparently the only one slow enough to make SCHEMA answer a bunch of stupid questions.¡± I kept up my hushing movements at his glare, but at this point, I¡¯d take anger over fear. Heck, that might as well be my own personal motto. ¡°SCHEMA let it slip¡ªif a system that¡¯s like a computer can make a slip, that is¡ªand told me that it expected 75% of all humans to die during this transition.¡± The kid looked a little stunned by the numbers, but not near as stunned as I¡¯d expected him to be. Not near as stunned¡ªor angry¡ªas I¡¯d been, for that matter. Taking a deep breath, he responded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a feature in some of the stories I¡¯ve read, too. Not the trapped in the video game ones, though. The ¡®welcome to your new world¡¯ ones.¡± ¡°Kind of like this one,¡± I said. ¡°Yeah. Kind of like this one.¡± 17. To Be, or Not to Be I don¡¯t know how long the kid and I sat there at the end of the mine shaft that wasn¡¯t a mine shaft, but for some time. For a while, I just sat there and stared at that line of light and tried to absorb what he had told me about computer graphics. I might not be all that literate where video games were concerned, but I¡¯m not exactly stupid. Finally, after sitting there not speaking for so long, the kid said, ¡°You know, this doesn¡¯t mean anything, really. That Alonso combat trainer ork guy said that was some kind of instance, didn¡¯t he? Or was that you? Someone said it was like an instance in a game where you go somewhere else away from the rest of the players who might be in another place that looks exactly the same, but you¡¯re not in the same place.¡± I could tell he was trying hard not to sound too technical for my benefit, but it was starting to get on my nerves. ¡°Yeah, I remember something about that, I thought it was SCHEMA told me before I got there, so I may have told you. It¡¯s not important, though. What is important is that if we have been sent into one of these instances, and this is all happening in a computer, then that means that you and I are computer generated.¡± I looked at him to see if he understood, but I couldn¡¯t tell in the low light cast by the lantern I¡¯d stolen off the gem wall. ¡°The real question is: So, we¡¯re just digital parts of a computer program right now. When this ends, will we go back to real, physical bodies, or will we continue as a computer program forever? Do we even have physical bodies, anymore, and if so, where are they? Did SCHEMA really take over our world¡±¡ªthinking about the elves, gnomes, and the Blue Man¡ª¡°or worlds, or did they snatch us up and bring just our consciousness here?¡± ¡°Yeah, that is the question, isn¡¯t it?¡± He finally agreed, ¡°I don¡¯t think we can argue that we¡¯re not really here. I mean, we are definitely digitized copies of our real selves right now. This,¡± he indicated the line of light, ¡°pretty much proves that. The only question left is if that¡¯s all we are forever.¡± Then after a thoughtful moment he added, ¡°I started thinking about this when SCHEMA explained that we could respawn after dying. I mean, I guess magic could account for that, but usually I¡¯ve always thought of that as a computer thing, not something generally associated with magic or fantasy worlds.¡± ¡°Not that either of us are experts on how magic really works,¡± I pointed out, ¡°all we know about these things are what we¡¯ve read in books. Books made up by people.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± We sat there for a little while longer, but for the first time since coming into the mine, I started feeling claustrophobic, like the walls were starting to close in on me. ¡°So, where are you in your mining? Do you still need to do some more?¡± ¡°Nah, I got my MINING SKILL just before I came down here. I went ahead and mined a little gold and a little silver¡ªyou took the lantern from the gems, so I wasn¡¯t sure where to go for that, that¡¯s why I came looking for you, originally. The only reason I did that much was because I was waiting for you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m into this mining thing as much as you are; I just wanted to get the skill so I can make arrowheads and swords, and I got enough for that.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said, standing up and dusting off my homespun leggings, ¡°I¡¯m ready to head back to the CRAFTING area if you are.¡± We walked up to the entrance of the mine, then along the still-glowing path back to the CRAFTING area in silence, both caught up in our thoughts. I knew that neither one of us had enough information to answer any of the questions we still had, so there wasn¡¯t much use in dwelling on it. When I was a kid living with an alcoholic father and a co-dependent mother, I¡¯d learned to take all my negative emotions and stuff them down until they turned into anger. I still let things tick me off a lot more than was probably healthy, but I didn¡¯t think not dwelling on unanswerable questions was the same thing. I just didn¡¯t have any way to understand what was going on, so I felt it wouldn¡¯t be a productive use of my time and energy to spend a lot more time worrying about it until I did. If I got more answers, I¡¯d revisit the questions, but until then, whether I was real or Memorex, I had what passed for a life to get on with. Just before we reached the end of the path, though, I stopped the kid (I was never going to be able to think of him as Rob, I guess) with a hand on his arm. ¡°I don¡¯t know where we¡¯ll be when we leave here. I said, with a nod of the head towards the clearing, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll go back to Texas and you¡¯ll go back to New York, or if we¡¯ll both come out somewhere else. I don¡¯t know if we can stay together or if SCHEMA will separate us, but if we can figure out a way to keep in touch, I think maybe we should. We can compare notes and see if between the two of us, we can answer some of these questions.¡± The kid stared down at his feet for a second and then replied, ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea. If this were a game,¡± he shot me a side-eye and one corner of his mouth twitched showing he knew he was yanking my chain, ¡°I¡¯d say add me to your friend¡¯s list. I don¡¯t know how or even if we can find a way to stay in touch if we both go back to where we started, but my whole name is Rob Colditz. Maybe we can find each other at least to send letters or emails or something.¡± I held out my hand like we were just meeting. ¡°Nice to meet you, Rob Colditz; I¡¯m Tom Nobody, though I think I¡¯m just always going to call you ¡®kid¡¯ and there¡¯s not much either of us can do about it.¡± He chuckled at that and shook my hand, and we entered the clearing together. Nothing had changed in the CRAFTING area, as far as either of us could tell. The two elf guys which seemed pretty much joined at the hip were now over in the WOODWORKING area and the elf lady had taken their place in the COOKING area with both gnomes. The only one still in the same area was the Blue Man. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground working a large needle through a skin, still at the TAILORING station. Maybe he just wanted to be a tailor and wasn¡¯t worried about any of the other SKILLs.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Nobody looked up as we reentered the glade, though the Blue Man trainer gave us a smile and waved us over. We both walked that way. ¡°I see you found each other at the mine,¡± He said agreeably, ¡°Each of you pick a spot,¡± he indicated an area near the side of the smelter/forge, ¡°and lay out your ores so we can take a look at what you brought back.¡± The kid moved to a spot farther away, leaving the spot nearest the smelter to me. I went to lay out my ore, but then I stopped and turned to the trainer. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but I just keep thinking of you and the other guy like you who took COMBAT training with us,¡± I nodded over towards the guy in the TAILORING section, ¡°as just Blue Men, but I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s not what you call yourselves.¡± I was kind of hesitant, almost stammering. The political climate in the US that I¡¯d grown up in had become a minefield of offended, and I never knew how to go about stuff like this. The trainer didn¡¯t seem to be upset, though, he just laughed. ¡°Blue Men, I see you¡¯re a literal type of Human. We call ourselves the Arcepti, and indeed the ones colored as we two are called Blues. While many Arcepti are blue, our people started out as primary colors, Reds, blues, and yellows. As you can imagine, over the millennia, our home world has become like a rainbow. We even have some pinks, like the two of you.¡± My mouth dropped open at that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, was that rude? I am not well versed in Humans, so I ask your forgiveness if I have offended you.¡± ¡°No,¡± I answered with a chuckle, ¡°you just surprised me. On Earth, which is what we call the name of my planet, we generally say that people colored like me and the kid, here, are white, though I guess pink could be equally as descriptive. Pink, though, is thought to be kind of a feminine thing. Not, I guess that colors are masculine or feminine, but small female children often express a preference for the color.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Yes, I understand how that might cause some offence. It seems that under SCHEMA, COMBAT is often valued over other SKILLs and ABILITIES, and COMBAT is often seen as primarily the province of the males of the species¡ªthough under the way the SCHEMA system works, the genders have become equalized. Females with high STRENGTH and DEXTERITY scores can easily out fight a male with low scores.¡± ¡°I met a few female marines who didn¡¯t need SCHEMA to out fight a man, but I¡¯m glad to hear that women can finally be equal across the board,¡± I laughed as I moved over to my spot and began to spill the various ores out of my INVENTORY. ¡°In the interest of keeping you both busy,¡± the Arcepti said after seeing what we¡¯d each brought back, ¡°I think I¡¯ll start Rob out smelting tin in the large smelter, while you, Tom, can begin with your gold in one of the smaller crucibles,¡± here he indicated a small stone cylinder mostly buried in the ground near the larger beehive smelter. ¡°First, though, both of you need to learn how to process the metals out of the rock that surrounds them.¡± For tin, you apparently need a lot of elbow grease, and he put the kid to work using a pumice stone mortar and pestle¡ªwhat we in Texas would call a molcajete¡ªto grind the ore into a powder that could then be melted over a wood fire or in the large smelter. For the gold, he had me break up the chunks into smaller pieces and then showed me how to put some borax in with it to bind the impurities so that I could skim them off once the mixture melted. ¡°You can also use ground glass, if you don¡¯t have a ready supply of borax,¡± he said, ¡°or you can use different kinds of acids. In BEGINNER TUTORIALs, we try to keep things as primitive as possible so that you don¡¯t require the trappings of civilization to CRAFT. Technology as you understand it will have undergone a change on your planet, but the things that were there will still mostly be there, so finding glass should be no big problem if you live near a city. Now that you have the mining skill, it will make finding borax and most other salts and minerals necessary for FORGING much easier. You¡¯ll be able to spot them in their natural setting like you were able to see the veins of metals in the surrounding rock. At first, you¡¯ll only be able to spot areas that contain larger concentrations of the minerals, but after you get more experienced with it, you¡¯ll be able to spot even trace amounts, if that¡¯s all you have nearby.¡± The rest of the time in gaining my FORGING SKILL passed mostly in preparing the various ores for the actual extraction procedures. Just like in many things, getting your materials ready to process was the larger part of the job. Compared to that, the actual melting of the metals and pouring the resulting bullion into molds went fairly quickly. Next, he showed me how to make a simple gold ring in a mold, how to use a graduated metal rod he called a mandrel to size the ring, and how to draw the gold into wire to make another, thicker ring that he called a bezel that was a simple setting for a stone. ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot show you how to cut and polish your gems for setting. For that, you¡¯ll need to purchase the ENGRAVING SKILL or find an ENGRAVING tutor to teach you, as working with gems falls under that SKILL. If you like, however, I can show you how to rough polish an uncut stone and set it in a ring. You can always cut the bezel and resize and reattach it later if you cut the stone.¡± The time passed quickly, though the sun never appeared to move. We stopped for a meal catered by the trainees in the COOKING section, and by the end of the section, I¡¯d gained some more stat points[i],[ii],[iii], and my ABILITY[iv], my SKILL,[v] and had a gold ring set with an uncut garnet, a silver clasp for a cloak set with an uncut sapphire, several ounce bars of the leftover gold and silver, a bronze dagger[vi] an iron dagger, and a nice selection of lead balls for my slingshot. The kid made himself a bronze dagger as well as several iron arrowheads, and we decided to go together to the COOKING section for no other reason than our stomachs were ready for more food. [i] CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH [ii] CONGRATULATIONS! +1 STRENGTH [iii]CONGRATULATIONS! +1 DEXTERITY [iv] CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the ABILITY FORGING [v] CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the SKILL SMITHING [vi] CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned the ABILITY ALLOYS 18. Oops! Nothing is ever as easy as it should be. It¡¯s like a universal law. I grumped as I listened to the COOKING trainer¡¯s apologetic explanation. She had introduced herself as April, no last name, and was, as far as I could tell, human in every way, which didn¡¯t seem possible since all humans should be going through the same BEGINNER TUTORIAL he and the kid were, not teaching it. ¡°We will, I assure you, incorporate the meat you have from your COMBAT training into your lesson, never fear, but in order to trigger the COOKING SKILL acquisition, we need to do more than skewer some rat on a stick and hang it over a fire.¡± She had a nice sparkle in her cobalt eyes to go with the asymmetrically tilted corner of her generous mouth and the sarcastic tone. She had a habit of tucking stray locks of hair behind her ears as if to draw attention to the striking color job. Her hair was raven black with shocking blood-red highlights that would have looked perfectly at home on a goth, but even with the rest being more the girl next door, she managed to pull it off. The effect was spoiled, somewhat, on me, though, since, being a touch above average in height for a female only emphasized my own lack in that particular department. At 5¡¯ 3¡±, I¡¯d long ago learned how to be the shortest guy in the class and not to let the tall guys intimidate me, but for some reason it still bothered me when it was a woman. I guess I was sexist, or at least my emotions were. Same difference, probably. ¡°Now, as I was explaining, the COOKING SKILL has three prerequisite ABILITIES: HUNTING, CLEANING, and GATHERING. A section of the forest has been pre-stocked with small game¡ªthat corner of her mouth quirked up again¡ªnot so aggressive as the rats, I assure you! There is some variety, so I hope that each of you can bring back something different. If you¡¯ll follow me,¡± she led the way towards the table sat up nearby, ¡°I have samples of several herbs and vegetables that are able to be found in the area.¡± Laid out on the table were some easily identifiable vegetables including onions, garlic, a variety of peppers, and so on, as well as several varieties of not-so-identifiable (at least to me) herbs. There was some basil, thyme, and rosemary, and three I had never heard of. ¡°This pretty wildflower is called ¡®Lady¡¯s Heart¡¯, you¡¯ll notice the heart shaped leaves and the red blossoms. Both leaf and blossom are edible; the leaf is reminiscent of spinach and can be cooked or not, while the flower is surprisingly spicy, and should be used sparingly until you know if you like it. The flowers have a secondary property that makes them quite desirable in both food and potions; used as a base for an extract, it is the main ingredient in your healing potions¡ªyou¡¯ll be relieved to hear that the extraction process takes the heat away¡ªand when incorporated into a meal, it can double the rate your LIFE pool regenerates for a short time. ¡°Next to it, this rather unsightly tangle is called ¡®Troll¡¯s Mane¡¯. It is usually found in a rainforest or swamp, rather than this type of region, but, hey! Magic!¡± Again, the sarcastic quick. I could tell that I was going to enjoy this part of the TUTORIAL. ¡°The ABILITY you need is GATHERING, not HERBALISM, which is a prerequisite for the ALCHEMY SKILL, so you only need to be able to identify them when you see them, not necessarily be an expert on where they¡¯re usually found. Troll¡¯s Mane is the primary ingredient in STAMINA potions and when incorporated into a meal, it can double the regeneration of that pool for a while. It has a very bland, neutral flavor which tends to take on that of the dish. Cooks primarily incorporate it for its invigorating benefits or simply to add bulk and make a meal more filling. ¡°And last, we have the ¡®Star King¡¯, or as some call it, ¡®Mage¡¯s Friend¡¯. As you might guess, it¡¯s the prime ingredient in MANA potions and when eaten will double your MANA pool regeneration for a short time. Only the blue, star-shaped flower is edible; however, it is very hardy and blooms almost year-round. Horticulturists believe that the large concentration of MANA it captures from the atmosphere protects it from all but the harshest conditions. Like the Lady¡¯s Heart, it can be found in almost every environment. Be careful of the leaves, though, as beneficial as the flowers are, the leaves are quite poisonous, and some people have strong reactions from just the touch of the leaf against their skin.¡± We, the kid and I, tried our best to familiarize ourselves with each of the examples she had laid out for us. I was a little skeptical that I¡¯d be able to tell some of them from just normal forest vegetation, but April assured us that SCHEMA would help us by highlighting gatherable herbs and vegetables after we had identified the first one or two of the more recognizable varieties. ¡°Now, in order to gain the HUNTING ABILITY, you could get by with only one, but for the CLEANING ABILITY you need to bring back three animals of the same type. For the GATHERING ABILITY, you need a combination of two vegetables and at least one herb, or two herbs and one vegetable. I would suggest, since there are two of you, that you don¡¯t go the easy route and bring back all the same kinds. Especially considering that you probably don¡¯t know which herbs will pair with which types of meat, yet. There¡¯s plenty of variety, and even some that we have not covered. Other than the leaves of the Star King, there should not be anything dangerous to handle, so if you feel like you¡¯re being drawn to something you haven¡¯t seen here, go ahead and collect it and we¡¯ll identify it together. ¡°Here you go, Tom,¡± she said, plucking a SPELL book out of the air, ¡°Go ahead and renew your MANA BOLT SPELL. I would suggest that you not use it in conjunction with your staff, though, in its base form, it will prove very handy at bringing down, or at least partially disabling, small flying creatures, but if you boost it through your staff like I hear you did with the training dummy, there won¡¯t be much left to eat!¡± We all shared a good-natured laugh, which I didn¡¯t feel was as much at my expense as simple friendly banter. I relearned the SPELL, slotted my staff, and equipped my sling shot. The kid notched an arrow to his bow string, and we set off along a narrow game trail that April indicated. ¡°Try not to stray far from the trail. There aren¡¯t any dangerous creatures in this section of the woods, but it would make me look bad in front of all the other COOKING trainers if any of my students got lost and starved!¡± Still chuckling at that, we entered the forest. At first, the best we managed was to hear the rustling as unseen game vacated the area. It was getting to be more than a little frustrating when the kid made the suggestion that turned things around. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try something that works in games,¡± he said, ¡°crouch down like this,¡± he demonstrated a move I recognized from my army days, bending his knees and lowering his profile as he moved along. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky, this will trigger STEALTH, and we¡¯ll be at least a little harder to spot.¡± ¡°Makes sense,¡± I agreed, falling into the once-familiar, but difficult to hold position. It can become second-nature¡ªespecially when your life depends on it¡ªbut it never gets what anyone would consider easy. The very nature of the gait forces you to slow down, which increases your chances of evading notice once you get the hang of it. At first it seems pretty ungainly, between the muscle strain and the unfamiliar way of moving, it forces you to concentrate so much on how you¡¯re moving that you can lose sight of where, and it tends to narrow your perception making spotting any game that you maybe didn¡¯t scare off more difficult, thus seeming to defeat its purpose. Still, whether due to muscle memory or SCHEMA, it became easier relatively quickly, and before I knew it, I heard the DING that could only mean I¡¯d gained the STEALTH ABILITY. The kid took a little longer, but soon enough we were both moving through the forest much more quietly and I began to catch glimpses of furry somethings flitting here and there in the lush undergrowth. Looking at the vegetation for signs of life had a secondary benefit in that it wasn¡¯t long before I noticed the distinctive long, narrow stalks holding up some onion sets and stopped to gather some. Even though April had encouraged us not to get the same things, it seemed a waste for the kid not to start digging up his own. I mean, who eats a meal without onions, given the chance? It was during one such stop for the kid to uproot a few onions when I spotted the first animal too stupid to run away. Or fly, in this case. I was crouched down next to the kid and happened to catch movement out of the corner of one eye. I carefully turned my head so that it wouldn¡¯t also catch a sudden move and saw a fat, chicken-like animal perched halfway-up a tree about three or four yards away. I was pretty sure that I¡¯d never seen this kind of bird before, but that wasn¡¯t saying much. Other than time spent in the field while in the military, I was a dedicated city boy, and I¡¯d never been hunting for sport. Careful not to make any sudden moves, I slowly raised one hand and pointed at the bird. Aiming a finger is a lot harder than aiming a rifle or a pistol, there are no sights. My first instinct was to use my more familiar sling shot, but I was afraid that would make too large a movement and scare it off. I also remembered that MANA BOLT was guaranteed to hit, so aiming might not be as vital with the spell. Instead, I tried to direct the bolt with what I thought was probably nothing more than wishful thinking. Shoot the head, shoot the head.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And, much to my surprise, I did. I pulled a small bit of MANA out of my pool¡ªan amount my gut told me would be sufficient¡ªand thought the command to shoot. This time, the MANA didn¡¯t stop to pool in my hand, it moved smoothly along my finger and shot forward, neatly blasting the bird¡¯s entire head away before it even knew it was under fire. I had to almost physically restrain myself from cocking my finger and blowing imaginary smoke. The urge was strong enough that I remembered SCHEMA telling me how it had reduced my age because of my immaturity. The kid jumped a bit when the bird crashed through a few branches and hit the ground with a thud. The MANA BOLT itself hadn¡¯t made any noise at all. Of course, while it would be totally impractical, my¡­less mature instincts made me wonder if I could modify the SPELL enough for at least a tiny pew! pew! sound effect. I shook my head, but grinned. ¡°Got one!¡± I softly bragged. ¡°I guess I¡¯m going high, so you can go low, since we need three of the same kind.¡± The kid slotted his onions and re-nocked his arrow with a look of determination and nodded, his eyes already casting around near the ground, while I moved to where it had fallen and quickly slotted the unfamiliar bird. I didn¡¯t recognize the kind, but it was fat, so that was good. It took us another twenty minutes, some hastily plucked bell peppers, and an herb that I was unfamiliar with, but seemed to be begging to be picked before the kid managed to bag a rabbit. It was a pretty big one, for a cottontail. Even a city boy in Texas was likely to recognize those, since you often saw them in gardens if you lived in the suburbs. Another ten minutes or so later, we broke through the underbrush to a clearing that contained a small pond. Looking about, I could see several places all around it where the underbrush had been trampled down into game trails as the animals came to drink. ¡°Let¡¯s move over there,¡± I said, indicating a couple of closely placed trees a little to my right. ¡°There¡¯s no game trails close by, and we can wait behind those trees for them to come drink.¡± ¡°Better than wandering around the woods all day,¡± the kid agreed, and we suited action to words and quietly moved into position. In a very short while, it became clear that we¡¯d hit the motherlode. No sooner had we both settled into comfortable spots where we could watch from behind our respective trees than there was some rustling to our left, and a small gray head cautiously nosed out of a tunnel that the local rabbits had worn through the long grass. It¡¯s whiskers moved as it scented the air, but luckily¡ªespecially since neither one of us had even considered the idea until just then¡ªwe were downwind of it, and our smell didn¡¯t give us away. We knew we were good to go when its little ears popped up and it took a couple of hopping steps forward, still cautious, but it seemed to me, more out of habit than real fear. I don¡¯t know, maybe rabbits are just always afraid. I guess if I were that small and living in the wild, I might be as well. I thought about the comparison with my lack of intimidating height, but my equal lack of fear, so, maybe not! The kid already had his bow raised most of the way and an arrow notched, so it just took some minor adjustments, a deep breath let slowly out, and he had another rabbit in the bank. Then, we had a little dilemma: we could hear some rustling coming from the other side of the pond, and we didn¡¯t know if we should risk scaring something off with the dead rabbit laying out there for all the world to see, or risk scaring whatever it was off by not being able to collect it and get back into place before another creature popped out and saw him. In the end, it was one of my birds that decided us. It lit into a tree about halfway around the pond, also to our left, and I laid a restraining hand lightly on his arm. I nodded towards the bird, and he nodded his understanding, and so we decided to wait and see if the rustling we heard might be another rabbit, and that maybe it wouldn¡¯t notice it¡¯s dead cousin, since it sounded like it would be on the opposite bank. Eventually, the rustling sound seemed to move away, or at least it grew fainter, so I decided I might as well try for the bird before it too decided to leave. Catching the kids eye, I pointed to myself and then to the bird. He gave a last, longing look at the fading sound from the other side of the pond, and then nodded the go ahead. This time, I had more cover and I decided to go with the sling-shot. I didn¡¯t want to be a one-trick pony with the MANA BOLT, especially since the sling-shot would take down larger prey than the BOLT would, at least at this level. I raised my left arm slowly into position and swiveled it to the side and slid a lead ball into the pouch. Squeezing that between my thumb and curled forefinger, I eased my right hand back and raised my left hand slowly until I had a good bead on the bird and enough tension on the band. Letting out the breath I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been holding, I let fly. My aim was slightly off, I¡¯d tried for a head-shot, but ended up hitting it center mass. I probably should have gone for that in the first place, but I¡¯d wanted to see if I could match my skill with the magic. The bird gave an offended squawk! Before falling to the ground. We listened carefully, but couldn¡¯t hear any animals moving nearby, so we both decided to take the chance to retrieve our kills. The bird was still twitching when I got to it, but a quick twist of its neck as I slotted it into my INVENTORY took care of that. We moved back into position, ready to rinse and repeat. Looking back, I blame greed on what happened. Three more rabbits and another bird later, we should have left right then and concentrated on finding herbs and veggies on the way back to the CRAFTING stations. The pond was proving to be just too tempting, both for us and for the animals. A doe and her fawn came, on top of the chickens and rabbits, but we both decided that finding another one to make the minimum three might be more than we could count on, so we just enjoyed watching the cute critters having a drink when some more rustling came to our left. This was in the general direction of the rabbit run that had proved so generous for the kid, but sounded louder, like it was something bigger, or maybe more somethings. We shared a look and I mouthed, ¡°maybe another deer?¡± and I¡¯m sure the avaricious gleam in the kid¡¯s eye reflected that in my own. The kid just had time to turn around and face back to his left when a little pink piglet burst into the clearing, barely stopping itself before taking an unexpected swim. The suddenness of its arrival, so at odds with the caution displayed by all the other creatures, made the doe jerk her head quickly up and the little faun actually jumped into the air and landed with its front feet splashing in the pond. That, in turn, scared the piglet, and it let out a panicked squeal and made a valiant attempt at a graceful about face which turned into a clumsy tumble that set it to squealing even louder. That¡¯s what brought the mama. She came crashing through the underbrush, all pretense of stealth abandoned with her motherly instincts telling her that her baby was in danger, and she arrived in all her¡ªI swear she had to weigh half a ton, if she weighed a pound, I¡¯d never seen a pig that big. I didn¡¯t even know if they could come that big, before SCHEMA. So, here she came, all thousand raging pounds of angry mama, huffing and adding her lower-pitched, but much more menacing squeals to that of her piglet. That, of course, set the deer to flight, which got the mama even more worked up. Still, everything would have been OK if the kid hadn¡¯t said, ¡°Whoa!¡± Immediately she swung her massive, neckless head our way and her two beady eyes locked on us like laser sights. She didn¡¯t take even a second to consider, she was already primed and ready to fire, and she came charging right at us. I could have taken the time that it took for her to plow down the kid to jump to the lowest branches of my tree, but I¡¯ve never been that kind of guy. I never backed down from a bully, even if he wasn¡¯t bullying me, there¡¯s something about big bad that just pisses me off and makes me ready to fight back. Okay, reading back through all this, it sounds like pretty much everything pisses me off and makes me ready to fight, and come to think of it, what it sounds like might just be what is. Without even thinking about it, I shoved the kid away to the side and into the brush, while I borrowed the force from that to shove myself in the opposite direction, towards the pond. The beast barely missed hitting both of us square on, as it was one shoulder knocked into my side, and I felt my whole left arm go numb. Quick as thought, she turned in an impossibly tight circle for something that huge, and I¡¯m convinced that only the fact that she had two targets on opposite sides of her gave her enough hesitation that the kid had time to scramble his sword from the sheath at his hip, and I had time to think ¡°EQUIP STAFF!¡± Adrenaline took care of the rest; the kid managed a pretty good swing, considering the angle and lack of any real leverage, and scored a glancing blow right on her snout, while I PULLED at my MANA like my life depended on it, which it arguably did, and FORCED it into my staff where it whooshed out in one great blast that hit her dead in the side. If I expected her to be a smoking ruin like the target dummy, I was destined to be disappointed. She had a big splash of smoking black on her side and glancing off over her back, but she was still on her feet with bloody murder in the red eyes she turned on me. But then God, or luck, or whatever you want to call it¡ªfate¡ªstepped in and the rest of her litter stumbled squealing into the clearing where she¡¯d come in. That caught her attention, and with one last murderous glance my way, she gave in to her motherly instincts and took off toward that side of the pond, squealing at her brood to circle the wagons, and they all started running her way. Never one to look a gift pig in the mouth, I leapt up, I swear my feet never touched the ground. I reached out as I passed and grabbed the kid by the shoulder of his homespun and threw him in front of me, further into the forest. He scrambled up just as quick and it was asses and elbows, we didn¡¯t stop running until we couldn¡¯t hear the pigs even in our imagination, and then fell to the base of a large tree heaving great whooshing breaths. When we finally caught our breath, we shared that ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m alive!¡± look, and I don¡¯t know why, the adrenaline crash, or sheer relief, but that struck me as just the funniest thing that had ever happened. I let out a loud guffaw, but then clapped both hands over my mouth and looked frantically around, hoping to God that nothing big heard me. That set the kid off, and we just sat there, hands nearly smothering ourselves as we were lost in gales of laughter, snot running over our fingers, and tears running from our eyes, from laughing and not daring to let so much as a peep out. I don¡¯t know how long that went on; I don¡¯t know how long it would have gone on, except that oxygen depravation finally made us faint enough that we came to our senses enough to finally stop. The kid wiped the snot off his face and just looked at me. I knew it was coming and I tried to stop him, but he got it out before I could: ¡°Oops!¡± It¡¯s God¡¯s own mercy that we didn¡¯t die laughing, right there in the forest. 19. Broken Promises We didn¡¯t get lost and starve in the wilderness, though our flight from the mad pig did take us far out of the way. For the first time, I couldn¡¯t help feeling a little resentment that most of our ABILITIES were capped at 1% except for, apparently, when dealing directly with SCHEMA. The only ABILITIES I had over 1% were those that had come directly through my conversations with SCHEMA during the INFORMATION section of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. So, when we were creeping our way back through the forest to where my gut told me the CRAFTING area was, I couldn¡¯t help but resent the fact that all this sneaking wasn¡¯t raising my STEALTH percentage one whit. In the end, I had to just satisfy myself that we weren¡¯t dying or fighting for our lives. That, of course, made me really think about the differences in life before and after SCHEMA. SCHEMA had to be both the best and the worst thing to ever happen to us. The worst, because SCHEMA put Hitler and Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot to shame when it came to genocide, but there was no denying that the system it installed had definite, almost addictive benefits. The instantaneous reward system of gaining and growing SKILLS and ABILITIES being one of the most alluring. Even though I hadn¡¯t begun to level up and really start growing my stat points, yet, the limited gains I¡¯d been able to make seemed to have an outsized effect even at zero levels. I could already tell the differences in my strength, concentration, and my ability to stick to my guns once I¡¯d decided a course of action was just insane. All the waffling back and forth and second guessing myself just seemed to have fallen away as my WILLPOWER shot up. But still, was it worth 75% of humanity dying off? Was anything worth that? My knee-jerk reaction said no, but I had to look at the big picture, play the long game. SCHEMA promises that the change is the only thing that would make Earth¡ªand us poor primitive native Humans¡ªable to compete in the greater universe outside of our solar system. I had to consider that in my deliberations, but it was kind of hard, since the feat had already been accomplished. I had no way of knowing if I¡¯d ever get a real chance to see how things would have worked out if we¡¯d just been left alone; after all, we¡¯d managed to survive and overcome quite a lot in the relatively miniscule time we¡¯d existed. Besides, just in the short time I¡¯d lived in the SCHEMA system, I¡¯d seen the cracks in the fa?ade. Stellana wasn¡¯t supposed to have been able to set that trap during our COMBAT training, and April had promised us that there were no larger and aggressive animals in our HUNTING area. I was quickly growing tired of SCHEMA¡¯s broken promises. The sound of hammer on anvil jarred me out of my reverie, and I realized we¡¯d finally made it back. I glanced over at the kid and we shared a quick smile that made my face feel wooden. I can only imagine the look I must have had on it the whole time we¡¯d been creeping through the forest. I don¡¯t know if I even wanted to review my RECORD video, I was afraid of what emotion I might see frozen on my face for so long. We came out of STEALTH and my joints let me know that they¡¯d been locked down for too long, as well. It took us both a few stumbling steps, but by the time we made it back into the clearing, most of the stiffness had worked its way out. I don¡¯t know if my internal compass was just that good, or if it were SCHEMA up to its tricks, but we exited the woods by the same path we¡¯d entered. April¡¯s smiling face was a sight for sore eyes, but when she got a good look at us, it turned into one of alarm. ¡°Oh! What happened to you! Did you fall out of a tree?¡± She asked coming over and taking hold of both sides of the long tear I hadn¡¯t even noticed in the kid¡¯s right sleeve. I looked down, and sure enough, my left sleeve was the mirror of his. It must have happened when that mama pig hit us. I hadn¡¯t realized that she¡¯d hit the kid, too, but she must have. ¡°We had a run in with one of those small, non-aggressive animals you told us about,¡± I said, like I was just joking, but my tone betrayed the resentment I was feeling over the whole situation. ¡°A mama pig took a dislike to us and we were lucky to escape with only torn sleeves.¡± ¡°A BIG mama pig!¡± The kid added, like he was talking abut going to Disneyland. ¡°it was HUGE!¡± He threw his arms wide, inadvertently jerking his sleeve out of April¡¯s fingers. The hurt look on her face told me she took that wrong, but the kid didn¡¯t notice. I thought maybe I should say something, but I learned long ago that I wasn¡¯t the arbiter of other people¡¯s feelings, and when you apologize for someone else¡¯s mistakes, it never really makes up for it. ¡°Well..¡± she said, while she tried to decide what to do with her rebuked hands. She finally ended up crossing them under her amble chest and I turned my eyes away, moving towards the place where she¡¯d obviously laid out the supplies to clean our kills. Seeing where I was headed, she made a quick recovery, deciding to just move on. ¡°I¡¯ve got everything ready for you over here, just unload the game on those skins and I¡¯ll teach you a better way to clean than the quick job you probably made of it back in the COMBAT section. The kid could tell that something had upset her, but I could see from the confusion on his open face that he didn¡¯t know what. He started to say something, but I caught his eye and gave a tiny shake of my head and he shut up. If I¡¯d learned anything about women, if you don¡¯t know what you did wrong, trying to apologize would just make it worse. ¡°Come on kid, time to show how much better of a mighty hunter you are than me!¡± I put as much joviality in my voice as I could muster. Truly, I was only a little upset about the whole pig thing, shit happens when you¡¯re out in the wild and you just had to deal with it. Pointing fingers never made up for anything, in my experience. ¡°Right,¡± he agreed. The quick change from puzzled to happy said he¡¯d put the incident aside like it never happened. Oh, the resilience of youth! I might be physically young again, but nothing could give me back my innocence and all the hope I¡¯d pissed away or had stolen from me. ¡°You should really have a top hat, for doing that,¡± I said, laughing as he pulled rabbit after rabbit out of thin air. ¡°I know, right?¡± he laughed. I unloaded all of my birds all at once and looked to where April hadn¡¯t moved. I noticed the unfocused look in her eye that told me she was doing something with her MENU, so I just left her to it. ¡°Let¡¯s unload all of our veggies on the table over there,¡± I said so the kid wouldn¡¯t start worrying about her hurt feelings again. I know, I said I¡¯d learned better, but learning not to do something and making yourself stop are two different things. I sighed, and the kid shot me a puzzled look, but I smiled and shook my head, and we unloaded our greens on the table. By the time we¡¯d made it back to the game, April finished whatever it was she¡¯d been doing, and she¡¯d regained her composure, too. ¡°Oh, those are some fine fat partridges!¡± she exclaimed when she saw my birds. ¡°They¡¯ll taste delicious stuffed with some of the onions, garlic, and rosemary you brought back!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to find out what kind of birds they are. I¡¯m no expert, but somehow I¡¯ve got the impression that all the birds that are good to eat live on the ground, but these were all up in trees.¡± ¡°Well, they do next on the ground,¡± she answered, ¡°but they¡¯ll often perch on tree limbs. You¡¯ll also find that SCHEMA seems to prefer things a certain way: birds in trees, animals on the ground, like that. It¡¯s as if the system feeds into our expectations about things. I think that¡¯s part of what makes MANA work, it works on our INTELLIGENCE, primarily, and secondarily on our WILLPOWER, so what we expect often affects how reality works in SCHEMA system worlds. We expect to find birds in trees more than we expect to find them on the ground, so we do.¡± I was getting interested in the conversation and wanted to pick her brain some more on how SCHEMA had affected her and her world¡ªand just where she¡¯d come from, for one big thing, since it didn¡¯t make any sense for her to be advanced enough to train and come from Earth¡ªbut the kid¡¯s teenage competitiveness over feminine attention got the better of him and he broke into the conversation. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to learn the best way to skin these, I¡¯m starting to get hungry!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. OK, maybe his hormones had a little help from his stomach. Mine gave its own growl right then, letting me know that my mind may be old, but my body still had the appetite of a growing child. April laughed at that and said, ¡°Of course, you two must be famished! Tom, don¡¯t worry about skinning your birds, just use this knife here and make a shallow cut along the midline like this, so you can remove the internal organs. I¡¯ll show you a neat little trick that will save us the trouble of plucking them after I get Rob started with his rabbits.¡± She showed Rob then how to make a shallow slice just deeply enough to cut all the way through the skin, but not into the meat, just below the head, but on the back, not the stomach, like I¡¯d expected. Then she showed him where to cut around the ends of each limb where they were too boney to be any good for eating. She made it look quick and easy, putting the fingers of each hand in the hole in its back and deftly pulling the skin away from the carcass, gently loosening it all the way around as she went. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to save the skins for anything, you can make the first cut lower down on the back, and then you don¡¯t have to pull it so carefully. Rabbit skins are very delicate and tear easily. You can do the whole thing without using a knife at all, which is a lifesaver if you¡¯re ever caught out in the woods without one. On the next one, I¡¯ll show you how to gut one without using a knife. It¡¯s actually quite amusing.¡± First though, after she¡¯d removed the skin and set it aside, with quick sure movements she broke all the legs at the ankles and sliced through the tendons and ligaments to remove the feet, leaving the skin on them when she discarded them. She broke the neck, and cut it free, as well. Then, she showed us how to pinch the skin and pull it away from the lower abdomen, and carefully slice all the way upwards following the centerline to where she¡¯d cut off the head. Then, she cut through the breastbone to expose the thoracic organs, showed us how to place our fingers at the top of the thoracic cavity and gently, but firmly pull downward until all of the guts had been removed. She cut through the pelvis, and scraped out the remains of the colon, and removed the bits of skin and the tail that hadn¡¯t come free when she pulled the skin off. ¡°Some of the organs, like the gall bladder, have secretions that will completely ruin the meat for eating. If you puncture the intestines or the bladder, you can get a serious infection from eating the meat.¡± She cautioned us. She identified the heart, liver, and kidneys and told us that they made for good eating, too. ¡°But you should always check the liver to make sure it¡¯s deep red, like this one. If it looks strange, or has spots or a light color, I wouldn¡¯t eat it. It¡¯s a sure sign that the animal may carry some disease that might make you ill.¡± ¡°Now, this is how you eviscerate a rabbit if you don¡¯t have a knife available.¡± She said as she indicated to each of us that we should follow her example with the two remaining bunnies. ¡°Grab it here, just at what you might think of as its armpits. Press all the way around the body firmly and squeeze it down towards the bottom. We¡¯re popping that membrane between the upper and lower body and forcing the organs downward. When you reach the end of the rib cage, grasp it firmly in both hands¡­careful!¡± She stopped to correct my grip, ¡°don¡¯t let up on the pressure, you don¡¯t want any of the organs to make their way back up inside. Now, grasp it firmly in both hands like this with the tops of your hands facing the bottom of the rabbit. Now, standing up, hold it firmly between your legs¡­no, spread your legs wider, Rob, or you¡¯ll get it all over yourself. Now, raise the rabbit up¡­keep the pressure on your grip, Tom, don¡¯t let the organs slide back down, and then with one quick motion we¡¯re going to jerk it forcefully downwards and swing it through our legs. Watch me, and then you try it.¡± I wouldn¡¯t call the end result as all the poor rabbits¡¯ internal organs were thusly forced out its body through its asshole and sprayed all across the ground behind us to be amusing, but the kid sure got a laugh out of it. It took me a few swings before April thought I¡¯d got all the organs out, and I could see what she meant about keeping a wide stance as I had to wipe some of the guts off the inside of my pants¡¯ leg, but we got it done, and she showed us how to use a sharp stick to punch the hole through the back of the hide and how to break and twist the feet off at the ankles and the head at the neck. She used the stick again to punch through the thin layer of skin around the now empty abdominal cavity and scraped out the tattered remains of membrane with her hand. When I¡¯d finished with my rabbit, I heard the DING which told me I¡¯d gotten the CLEANING ABILITY, already. As I was washing up from that, I took a moment and checked, and there it was alongside the HUNTING ABILITY, which we¡¯d apparently missed in the mad rush away from the big pig. For my birds, we just pinched the skin over the abdomen and sliced it carefully up to the neck. She broke the wings off at the second joint and cut those, the feet, and the head away. Then, she instructed us to sit the birds aside until we¡¯d sorted out the vegetables and herbs. After we¡¯d done that, we stuffed the birds with some onion and garlic chunks mixed with sprigs of rosemary, and she marched us over to a stream that ran near one edge of the clearing to gather some clay which we packed around the whole thing. ¡°This makes it to where you don¡¯t have to pluck or skin them. It also gives you a great oven to roast them in. Just put them in the coals of the fire like this, and soon enough, we can break open the fired clay and when we pull the clay away, all the feathers and skin will pull away with it. The drippings will have stayed inside, and the meat and vegetables will be cooked to perfection and be tender, juicy, and delicious!¡± We grilled two of the rabbits on a spit made from two forked limbs and spitted the rabbits together on a long stick over the coals of the fire. The others, we sliced off the bone and threw the pieces with some vegetables and some herbs for spice into a pot for a stew. On the way back from our run-in with the pig, we¡¯d found samples of all three of the stat regenerating herbs: Star King, Lady¡¯s Heart, and Troll¡¯s Mane. She added the leaves from the Lady¡¯s Heart into the stew pot and made a paste of the flowers that she rubbed on the outside of the rabbits we grilled. She chopped the Troll¡¯s Mane finely and put it in the pot, and wadded up the rest and covered the open part of the bird¡¯s cavities so that none of the vegetables would get stuck with the clay. While we waited on the food to cook, she had us roll the rabbit skins up and slot them away for later. ¡°If you have to cut a skin open to pull it off, like on a large animal like a deer or one with an extremely thick hide, be sure and fold the fur side together so that the bloody skin side won¡¯t come in contact with the fur before you roll it for storage. Unlike what you may have been used to before, with the way your CRAFTING inventory works, you don¡¯t have to rush to stretch and tan them, they¡¯ll keep without getting stiff or turning rancid until you have the time to get to them, later. We took some plates of the finished stew around to the other trainees at the other CRAFTING stations. The elf girl was already gone, along with the gnomes, but the group of trainees that had come behind us in the COMBAT section had arrived, and so we fed them, too. We sampled some of all of our efforts, but April showed us that we could simply put the leftovers on a plate, in a bowl, or wrap in leaves, and slot them directly into our regular INVENTORY. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them spilling, everything comes out of your inventory just the same way you put it in. If you¡¯re holding the plate upright in your hand when you slot it, it will come out just the same way. It won¡¯t spoil, no matter how long you leave it there, and cold food won¡¯t get warm, and hot food won¡¯t get cold. Keep the plates and bowls to remember me by,¡± she smiled with genuine good will. As soon as we¡¯d slotted all of our leftovers, I got the DING that informed me that I had successfully acquired the COOKING SKILL. The kid and I decided that we would continue on and learn the last two skills while we had the chance. Since he¡¯d started on WOODWORKING, and I¡¯d started on SMITHING, we decided to switch and take the one we hadn¡¯t done, and then finish up in the TAILORING section together. As we were starting to get up to walk away, the smile slipped off her face and she grew solemn. ¡°Before you go, I just wanted to tell you that I filed a support ticket with the Administration about having to deal with that pig. I received a message in response that let me know that they would take care to remove the pig before the next trainee goes into the forest. The message also said that an Administrator was reviewing the incident, and that your RECORDS of the time had been copied as evidence. I haven¡¯t heard anything further, so I don¡¯t know what will come of it, but I want to assure you that I, at least, do not take what happened to you lightly. I believe that SCHEMA is also concerned with keeping training areas safe for trainees. Seeing the look of skepticism on my face, she added, ¡°I know it may not seem that way for you, Tom, since this is now the second incident you¡¯ve suffered in the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, but I do believe that it was something that rarely ever happens, and that SCHEMA will work diligently to make sure that it doesn¡¯t happen again.¡± I looked at her for a few moments and then gave her a nod. ¡°I believe that you didn¡¯t know anything about the pig being in the woods. I don¡¯t see how it¡¯s possible that SCHEMA, who put all the animals in there, after all, didn¡¯t know, but I¡¯ll reserve judgment for now. As to doing something to make sure it never happens again, I¡¯ve learned that saying that is either a platitude or ignorance. So much of what happens to us is affected by things that are beyond anything we can control. Freaks of nature, acts of God, whatever you want to call it, random things that nobody could have predicted happen every day, somewhere, and nothing anyone could have done in advance could have stopped them.¡± She looked like she would argue with that, so I went on, ¡°I understand that we can do things to make ¡­accidents, or whatever caused it less likely to happen, but nobody can make it to where unexpected bad things never happen.¡± I softened my words with a smile, but I wouldn¡¯t take them back, even to spare her feelings, and I could tell by the hurt look on her face that I hadn¡¯t. I guess a philosophical chat about our origins and SCHEMA was probably not in the picture, anymore. 20. Smoothing the Way As the kid moved back over towards the SMITHING area to craft his arrowheads, I handed him a bronze ingot and asked, ¡°Could you get the Arcepti to teach you to make some buckles? If you don¡¯t mind working on some fiddly bits, anyway. I figure we might need something better than these ropes for belts, and maybe something a little better than these homespun excuses for shoes.¡± We both looked down at our footcoverings which were little more than tatters around our ankles at this point, after our mad dash through the woods. Thankfully, the ground inside and outside the CRAFTING area was either grass or thick with fallen leaves. The MINING area had been the only rocky part, so far, and thankfully our ¡°shoes¡± had been in like-new condition for that. Sure, they¡¯d renew once we slept¡ªas they had for me inside the mine¡ªbut between now and then, they were pretty shot. ¡°Sure, I can do that. I¡¯m one SKILL ahead of you, so maybe it¡¯ll eat up the time that you¡¯ll take in WOODWORKING so that we can do TAILORING together.¡± He gave me that mischievous grin I was starting to recognize and added, ¡°we always have such a calm, relaxing time together, after all.¡± I chuckled and moved on towards the WOODWORKING area. The trainer there was an Elf like the two guys we¡¯d trained with, who were somehow different than the Elf girl, I figured, since I never saw them talking with each other. Maybe there was some kind of racism going on with them, like had plagued our own Human society for so long, maybe they were the same, but they thought they weren¡¯t. Who knows? I wasn¡¯t going to ask. Well, I wasn¡¯t going to ask them anyway. I might pick it up in some other, less confrontational, way. ¡°Welcome to the WOODWORKING SKILL training area!¡± He greeted me. He was taller than me, which wasn¡¯t hard, by a good head and shoulders. It would have been intimidating if I had let my lack of stature intimidate me, but I¡¯d gotten over that in grade school. Besides, the elves were the tallest of all the races I¡¯d seen so far, other than the Orcs. ¡°Go ahead and grab an axe and head over to that stand of saplings on the edge of the clearing,¡± he indicated the area where I¡¯d seen the gnome guy chopping when I¡¯d first arrived in the clearing what seemed like a lifetime ago. I wasn¡¯t surprised not to see any stumps, I figured that the resources in a BEGINNER TUTORIAL must automatically refresh or they¡¯d have to keep moving pretty regularly. Even as I thought it, a third group of trainees were moving into the area, a couple of the elf-looking ones like the trainer making a bee-line towards us. When those two¡ªa man and a woman¡ªarrived, he continued his spiel. ¡°Good to see you here. I know that the two of you, at least, already have many of the SKILLs that this section requires, but as you¡¯ll learn, no matter what SKILLS or ABILITIES you had before, they must be recognized by the SCHEMA system before they¡¯re official. It will take someone who has¡ªhad¡ªthe SKILLs less time, but it still must be done. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the BASIC WOODSMAN ABILITY.¡± He didn¡¯t blink an eye at the apparent sexism of the ABILITY¡¯s name. I guess SCEMA wasn¡¯t going to be politically correct. I didn¡¯t know how I felt about that, but I also didn¡¯t feel like taking on that particular war on my own. It wasn¡¯t mine to take on, anyway. If the Elf woman wanted to speak up, I¡¯d support her, but this wasn¡¯t a man¡¯s fight, it was a woman¡¯s. If, as they claimed, and as I¡¯d seen enough evidence of for my own personal satisfaction, they were able to handle anything a man could handle, then she didn¡¯t need my help, anyway. I¡¯d give support, but the fighting would be up to her. She didn¡¯t speak up, and he continued as if he hadn¡¯t expected anything else. ¡°Of course, there is much, much more involved if you choose WOODSMAN as a CLASS, but we¡¯re only going for the BASIC ABILITY as it is a prerequisite for the WOODWORKING SKILL. I know you,¡± with a nod in my direction, ¡°have already acquired HUNTING and GATHERING as part of your COOKING SKILL, so even if you don¡¯t have any prior experience working with wood, that will help you more quickly gain the WOODSMAN ABILITY. ¡°So, as I was telling Tom, here, if everyone would take an axe and chop down three of those good-sized saplings over there, we can get this all started.¡± Then, as the others moved quickly and confidently to comply, he added, looking directly at me, ¡°Try and choose the straightest ones you can; it will make the rough MILLING that much easier. You need to get two ABILITIES: WOODSMAN and MILLER before you can earn the WOODWORKING SKILL. If you have any questions, ask me, but I¡¯m sure my fellow Forest Shee (I learned later this was written Sidhe, go figure) will be happy to point out some good examples for you.¡± I knew a dismissal when I heard one, so I grabbed up an axe and moved over towards the stand of saplings. I stopped a short way off from where the other two Sidhe were already chopping away and studied their choices. I saw right away that they¡¯d chosen sections that had several similar trees to the ones they were working on and spotted one that looked pretty close that I would get started on. Chopping wood is chopping wood. I hadn¡¯t done a whole lot of it in my life, but I¡¯d done enough in Scouts and in the military that I pretty much had a good idea about how to chop a tree. It used slightly different muscles than swinging a pick, but the main ones were the same, so, even before I started on the third sapling, I heard the DING of the notification for my WOODSMAN ability. I¡¯d seen how the others had quickly trimmed the small branches off, leaving just the tapering cores of the trees themselves, so I moved on to that without needing to be told.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Apparently, I wasn¡¯t going to get any more STRENGTH points, since this was probably the most muscle-intensive part of the SKILL. I¡¯d probably maxed that out with everything that I¡¯d already done. Maybe I¡¯d add some other STAT points doing some of the other stuff, but I was starting to really see everyone¡¯s point of those who had just earned one or two of the CRAFTING SKILLs and then moved on to where they could apply them and start leveling up. When the kid and I had worked out that he was going to make some more arrowheads before we moved on, I¡¯d agreed to make him some more arrow shafts as one of my projects. I also wanted to make a better sheath for the new knife I¡¯d crafted for myself in the SMITHING section. I also wanted to craft some wooden soles for the boots I¡¯d already started designing in my head. It was nice that while we didn¡¯t have the required SKILLs or ABILITIES, we were imaginative enough to figure out what we wanted and in general how to go about getting it. I already knew from what the kid told me from his own time in the WOODWORKING area that my thoughts of using the smaller branches for arrows was not doable. He told me that the trainer would show me how to split the saplings into sections and then trim them down for the shafts themselves. When I drug the last of my three sapling trunks back, I had to wait for the others to finish MILLING theirs. Since they already knew how to go about what they wanted to do, the trainer had lots of free time to help me plan out where I¡¯d cut which piece and how to go about it. ¡°While you¡¯re waiting,¡± he told me as soon as he¡¯d helped me identify which trunks would work best for which of my planned applications, ¡°Go on over to the creek where you got the clay for your partridges, and find a good smooth spot¡ªyou¡¯ll probably need to smooth it out a bit more by hand¡ªand put these shims around it like a picture frame. Make a good, deep footprint of your bare foot. Do one for each foot. Wet your feet real good before you do it so the clay won¡¯t stick. Once you get that done, wave at me and I¡¯ll come over and quick harden them so we can cut that section out for you to use to measure with. That¡¯ll make the boot soles as comfortable as walking barefoot.¡± It was amazing watching him hold a hand over the clay molds of my feet and seeing it harden slowly enough that they didn¡¯t crack. When I cut the frames out, they were as hard as ceramic; I bet that if they¡¯d had a POTTERY area, I could make the soles easier and quicker out of clay and they might even hold up just as well. Probably would, with magic. The rest of the process was painstaking detail. After he¡¯d shown me how to use a draw knife to de-bark the trunks, I split one of them into planks that I¡¯d use for the sheath and the boot soles, and the other two into eighths that I¡¯d whittle into the arrow shafts. Then, he taught me a spell to use to quick cure the wood so that it wouldn¡¯t warp on us, later. ¡°You¡¯ll want to buy this one as soon as you can if you expect to use this SKILL much when you go back. If you¡¯ve got an extra year or two, depending on the type of wood, you can do it the natural way. The SKILL itself will let you know what you need to do. Your friend doesn¡¯t have any magical abilities, so either he¡¯s going to have to buy already cured wood, or do it that way. You can buy SPELLS through the SCEMA MARKET or learn it from a WOODSMAN as long as he¡¯s reached MASTER rank in that SPELL. If you buy it, it shouldn¡¯t be very expensive; I¡¯m talking silvers, not anything near a gold, but it depends on your CHARISMA score,¡± He explained. ¡°Now, I grew up on a system planet,¡± he told me, ¡°But I¡¯ve talked to enough people to know how things worked before SCHEMA came along. None of this is going to be anything like how you had to do it. Without a lot of extra tools, jigs, and clamps, there¡¯s not much chance of you being able to craft useable arrows. With SCHEMA, though, I¡¯ve seen people take their eating knife and cut the branch off a tree and make arrows straight as can be while walking down the road.¡± If only! SCHEMA seemed like its main goal was to smooth the way. I don¡¯t know; I never believed in free gifts. I used a set of calipers and straight edges to measure and then marked the outlines on all four sides, and then measured them again, and then had the trainer double check my first few attempts before I started my first cut. I used a coping saw to cut the negative spaces all around on every side, then a rasp, and finally different grits of sandpaper to smooth the finished shafts. The work wasn¡¯t anything near fast, but it was absorbing, and before I knew it, I had a good quiver¡¯s worth of shafts crafted. I followed much the same steps, measuring and marking on the tops and sides of the planks I¡¯d cut out for the boot soles. I¡¯d cut all the negative space away, and hasped them down to a rough approximation, and was in the sanding phase of the process when I heard the DING that gave me my WOODWORKING SKILL. That made crafting the knife sheath go that much faster, and when I¡¯d got the two leaves for that finished and smoothed out, I looked up and saw that the kid had made it back from the SMITHING station and was notching the shafts for the fletching and the arrowheads. He¡¯d have to shoot some birds for the feathers, but I could feel the knowledge of how to fit them in in the back of my own mind. I knew that FLETCHING was a separate ABILITY that would teach a person how to choose and cut the feathers to make the best arrows, but I could tell that if I had to, I knew at least enough on how to GATHER the right ingredients for a glue that would work and how to fit the feathers into the shaft. Maybe SCHEMA was here to help? 21. Its Complicated The kid and I walked over to the last area, the TAILORING section. There was nobody at this station but the trainer when we arrived, and he seemed happy to have something to do. ¡°Good to see someone wanting to learn to craft their own clothing! I have put in a support ticket with SCHEMA, though I don¡¯t expect it to go anywhere, asking them to change the name to ARMORER. I think we¡¯d get a lot more people interested in learning, though of course everyone would still have to start out by tailoring cloth and leather. ¡°Normally, if you want to learn the TAILORING SKILL, you do have to start off with cloth and then move on to leather on your own. However, in the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, the powers that be have not provided much in the way of cloth supplies, so we¡¯re making do with leather goods. Like all of the basic SKILLs that are available here, TAILORING has two ABILITY requirements: HUNTING, which can also be met through the HUSBANDRY ABILITY, and TANNING. Since you have already acquired the HUNTING ABILITY, we can move directly to learning to tan the hides that you brought with you from your COMBAT TRAINING. I understand that you have a few rabbit skins, as well, from COOKING, is that correct?¡± The kid pulled out his rabbit skins and then both of us unslotted our rat skins. The trainer took a moment and selected out the best of the bunch. ¡°OK, here¡¯s where things get interesting, and how this station differs a bit from the others. Rabbit skins aren¡¯t very useful for much other than moccasins and gloves. Often people will use them to line cloth or sturdier leather goods for cold-weather wear, but few people would use them for their main clothing. ¡°There is, however, a market for them. Custom artisans use the rabbit skins and fur for decorative fashion aimed at the lower-end of the market, so what skins you decide not to use, I can sell. I can also arrange to trade or register some other of your goods, even some of the food products that you have left from your COOKING SKILL acquisition. Additionally, I can register all of your items. This could work out well for you, if you have no other use for these items, because all items must pass through the system in order to be recognized by SCHEMA. Of course, the items that you have acquired so far are minimally recognized¡ªenough that you¡¯re able to slot them in your inventory¡ªbut only as CRAFTING supplies. You can sell them as such, but you¡¯ll only get the craft value.¡± Seeing the look of confusion on our faces, he explained. ¡°I know, for example, that you gathered some gold, silver, and gems gaining your MINING ABILITY. Those items are counted as crafting supplies and have a value much lower than they normally would. The value of crafting supplies is one of the few items that have a standardized value in every system that becomes part of SCHEMA. That is why when you view these items in your INVENTORY, you don¡¯t see an associated value. The values by law are posted at every MERCHANT stall and are not subject to negotiation. Only values that you can see using your INVENTORY are open to negotiation, because the value that you will see, with your charisma and any MERCHANT SKILLs or ABILITIES you have will be weighed against the same of the buyer¡¯s. So, if I see a gem listed at 3 gold, you might see it listed at 1 gold or 10 gold, depending on your scores. Once the items are registered, they automatically convert to their full value and you can see that value in your INVENTORY.¡± ¡°That seems unnecessarily complicated,¡± I said with not a little frustration at yet another example of government bureaucracy. ¡°That¡¯s as may be,¡± he allowed, ¡°but there¡¯s little either of us can do about it, and once you become familiar with the way the system works, you¡¯ll see that, like every system, it has its benefits as well as its detractions. One clear benefit is that until you register, say, an ounce of gold¡ªwhich is the same amount as one gold coin contains¡ªwill be listed in your total INVENTORY value as about a quarter of that amount, or 25 silver coins. While nobody but SCHEMA and you can see the contents of your INVENTORY, a person with the right SKILL can see the value of it. If a bandit waylays you on the road and you have 100 ounces of gold, but that gold has not been converted to coinage and has not yet been registered with SCHEMA, then instead of showing that your INVENTORY is worth 100 gold, it will show that it is only worth 250 silver.¡± I¡¯m sure my face showed the shock I was feeling at the thought of a thief knowing from a distance how much I was worth, but also at the unfairness I felt in the whole system. Whether he noticed or not, the trainer went relentlessly on. ¡°Even if you manage to cut and polish your stones so that they would normally sell for a great deal of gold, they would not. They would only sell as basic gem crafting supplies. That¡¯s you selling them, of course. If you sought to buy them, it would depend on your charisma score against the charisma of the merchant as to how much you¡¯d actually have to pay, but whatever the amount, it would be guaranteed to be much lower than if you had converted them and they were recognized by the SCHEMA system.¡± ¡®I still don¡¯t understand,¡± I said, ¡°If we craft an item using a SKILL or ABILITY learned through the SCHEMA system, doesn¡¯t that mean that they¡¯re automatically part of the SCHEMA system?¡± ¡°Unfortunately not. They are only minimally recognized. Enough that you can slot them in your inventory. In order for them to be fully recognized, you have to do one of two things. You can sell the items at a reduced rate to a certified SCHEMA merchant, or you can present them at a MERCHANT stall and have them evaluated and registered for a fee. The evaluation is handled exclusively by SCHEMA, not the MERCHANT, so that you can be assured that you are receiving a fair evaluation for the area or system you are in. You will pay that value to the MERCHANT, of course, but the MERCHANT is then required to pass it on to SCHEMA. Minus his standard holding fees, of course. Consider it a method that SCHEMA uses to tax items. Instead of taxing the sale of goods, SCHEMA taxes their registration. This costs you more initially, but if you sell the item for over the listed value, you are not taxed on the excess. This can be a considerable amount, though it does tend to favor MERCHANTS over producers, and the larger MERCHANTS even more so.¡± That seemed to be one point that got the trainer¡¯s goat. It was petty of me, but I was happy to see that something about the system got him. ¡°The system is not without benefit to the producers, though. If you make a piece of gold jewelry out of that ounce of gold, and that gold has been legally registered via SCHEMA, then you will not be taxed on the value of the resulting jewelry, but only on the weight of the initially registered gold. The same with gems, if you register all of your craft supplies before you use them to craft, then whatever you make will be tax free. You take the chance that you won¡¯t have to sell the raw goods before you craft them, because even if you have registered a CRAFTING supply, as long as you haven¡¯t actually used it to CRAFT anything, it still has only its CRAFT value. As I said, there¡¯s good and bad in every system.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°So, as a certified SCHEMA MERCHANT, what I can do is the furs and skins that you do not decide to use, I can buy them from you at a fair craft value cost without requiring you to register them, first. Many MERCHANTS do require you to register the supplies before they¡¯ll buy them, so that they don¡¯t have to. The rest of the items that you decide to keep, I can register for you here in this area, and SCHEMA will waive the registration fees. This is why I don¡¯t have to worry about buying them without requiring you to register them and pay a fee, first. No fees will be deducted, either way.¡± In the end, I decided it was fruitless to argue about it with someone who was to all appearances as much a victim of the same system as I. I had no real way of knowing if he was cheating us or not, but I supposed if he was, I could always file a support ticket with SCHEMA and see if I could get some kind of recompense. The kid didn¡¯t like it any better than I did, but he decided to follow my lead. We laid out what we had planned on crafting with the skins, and the trainer bought the rest. I decided to register my metals and gems as well, but we both decided that we¡¯d keep the food for ourselves and not worry about selling them on down the line. My staff, I discovered, had been registered as its initial wood value, and my slingshot as well. The kid¡¯s original short bow was registered, but the one he¡¯d crafted for himself, and all the arrows and arrowheads, along with the bronze accents that he¡¯d just made at the SMITHING station, had to be registered. I also registered the wooden shoe soles. Even if I was making the boots for my own use, I figured I might have reason to sell them if I found something I liked better. Even now that I think back on that day, I can¡¯t escape the anger at how SCHEMA has arranged this whole system in which we are, in every way that matters, slaves and prisoners. The kid didn¡¯t feel that way at all, having read a lot of stories that spoke about similar systems, he only saw the opportunities, but I think he was starting to come around to my way of thinking after the arbitrary and, really, illogical way that SCHEMA taxed items in order for them to be ¡°real.¡± So, while we did gain the TANNING ABILITY, and we did craft ourselves leggings to replace our homespun, jackets to go over our tunics, new belts, a new set of buckled boots for me, and a set of moccasins and two quivers for the kid, the whole day pisses me off so much that I can hardly recall much else about it other than that conversation we had before we even started the training. Two things of note that I do remember. We were surprised to learn that ounce for ounce rat skins are almost as tough as elephant hide. They¡¯re thinner, so not as tough as a similar garment made with elephant, but they ought to be tough and last a long time, even though they weren¡¯t as nice looking, since we had to piece them together in order to make them fit. The other thing of note is that the trainer traded me some troll hide to use under the wood on the soles of my boots. I traded him several of the flawed garnets for enough to make my soles and the soles for the kid¡¯s moccasins. He explained that while the rat hide was almost as tough as the Troll hide, Trolls had regenerative magic built into their very beings, and that carried over even after they died, so that as long as the soles of our shoes didn¡¯t wear completely away, they would eventually regenerate to like-new condition! When the trainer had first mentioned how many of the garnets he wanted for the scarp of hide, I thought for sure he was cheating me, but after finding out about the regeneration, I knew I had to kill me some trolls to make the rest of my clothes! Finally, we were finished with all of the available CRAFTING stations. After registering my gold, silver, and gems¡ªand paying SCHEMAS tax, of course¡ªwe had enough to go to each of the stations and buy basic craft supplies. While we were promised CLASS supplies as part of our BEGINNER kit, both the kid and I knew that we weren¡¯t going to choose to be a SMITH, or a COOK, TAILOR, or WOODWORKER. We would certainly find use for the SKILLS, but neither of us were interested in making any of them into careers. Each CRAFTING kit took up one slot in our inventory. When unslotted, it appeared as a box that contained a basic kit. The TAILORING kit consisted of a small box, like a tool box, that held a small mallet, an awl, several types of needles from leather needles to fine needles used on silk. There was twine, cord, and 10 spools of various colored threads to use to bind the materials together, as well as an assortment of buttons, a thimble, a pin cushion complete with pins, some samples of the chemicals you can use for tanning hides, a knife to scrape them with, and a few basic patterns on spelled paper. The WOODWORKING kit was larger, like a crate. Even so, it still took up the same amount of space¡ªone slot¡ªas the tailoring kit. Inside there was an axe for chopping trees, a hammer, an assortment of bronze nails, a draw knife for debarking and rough shaping, , a wedge for splitting the wood, a plane for smoothing the planks, a saw for cutting them, a coping saw for finer shaping, three sizes of chisels, and even some knives for decorative carving. There was also a book containing a few patterns for things like basic furnishings and even a blueprint for a small house. The COOKING section contained two nested pots with a pan for frying that served as the lid. Inside the small pot, there were twists of paper wrapped herbs and spices, and a small book containing easy recipes for beginners. Between the tops of the pots and the pan lid, there was a meat fork, a ladle, and a stirring spoon. As a bonus, the kit came with the choice of a flint and steel for those without magical abilities, like the kid, but for me, I got to learn my first CANTRIP, which I discovered was a very minor spell, called ¡°spark¡± that created a spark enough to start a fire if you had good tinder. There was also a magical water filter that we both got that would filter up to 2 liters of water a day, turning even raw sewage into drinkable water. The SMITHING kit was the largest one, since it had a small, wheeled travel anvil and inside the bottom of the anvil was the forge. You attached a leather bladder between the handles, pulled a pin out that held the near handle in place, and extended the bladder to the forge, and that made the bellows. The metal of which is was composed, I learned, was called Ship Steel, because it had been created to use for hulls of space ships. It was tough enough to act as a ship¡¯s armor, but light as aluminum. I was amazed. There were two sizes of hammers and tongs, a set of draw tongs and a plate with various sized openings for drawing wire. We got some molds¡ªincluding molds for coins, there was no such thing as counterfeit coinage under the SCHEMA system, it seemed, where each item showed its base value to everyone, so anyone could make their own coins, if they knew how. There were also plans for making nails and other small items, like our boot and belt buckles, but also household items like hinges and door bolts. It also had schematics for various knives, swords, shields, spear points, and arrowheads, and notions like buttons and small jewelry items. After all our purchases, we considered ourselves fully kitted out, and even had enough left over that we still had all of our original 10 starting gold, plus the kid doubled his with the gold he mined, I tripled mine with 30 gold worth, plus I had 500 silver, the kid had 200, and I had 10 gold in various kinds of uncut, but registered gems. We would only get that estimated value if we converted the metals to coins, or made them into useable items. We were assured that those who took the BEGINNER TUTORIAL were offered these kits at sharply reduced prices, since SCHEMA could only count on each trainee having the original 10 gold, each kit had to be priced accordingly. So, while the whole pricing system still pissed me off enough that I don¡¯t even like remembering about acquiring the TANNING ABILITY and TAILORING SKILL, gaining those kits at good prices and being able to leave the CRAFTING area in new clothes that I¡¯d made for myself was quite satisfying. With that in mind, we slotted all of our kits and extra supplies into our INVENTORIES, got directions on which way led out, and left the area for the last time. 22. Bad to Worse We exited the clearing where the CRAFTING stations were and entered a dark tunnel through a denser part of the forest than any of the examples I¡¯d seen previously. The kid was almost dancing with excitement. ¡°We get to choose a CLASS now, I wonder what choices we¡¯ll have,¡± he said. In his excitement, he had obviously forgotten our still recent scrape with near death during our time in the woods earning our HUNTER ABILITY, but I had equipped my staff as soon as we reached the edge of the clearing, and as we moved down the faintly glowing trail, I began to coat it with MANA. ¡°What kind of CLASS do you want to have?¡± I asked, paying more attention to the dark woods around us than to him. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that, a lot,¡± he began, ¡°usually I choose a tank, but what with being able to feel the pain every time someone hits me, I think I¡¯d rather deal damage from a distance, this time.¡± I shot him a quick look before turning my attention back to our surroundings. ¡°You¡¯ve said that a few times, now. I know you¡¯ll give me that ¡®have you been living under a rock?¡¯ look, but what do you mean when you say ¡®tank¡¯?¡± ¡°A tank is like a knight in full body armor. If you¡¯re adventuring with a group, the tank is the one who keeps the mobs¡¯ attention so that the distance damagers can whittle down its health. They¡¯re the key to wiping out bosses.¡± When he saw the look I shot him on that one, he added, ¡°Mobs is a slang term for ¡®mobile objects,¡¯ they¡¯re monsters that can move from where they¡¯re stationed and attack you. A boss is usually a stronger version of the common mob, but mostly bosses are pinned to one place or one area and don¡¯t move around. They have special abilities and usually at certain percentages of health, they unleash special, powerful attacks. They can really do a lot of damage to you, so you get a guy who has a really high CONSTITUTION and a lot of STRENGTH and really good armor and a shield to stand right in front of the boss and keep his attention. The same with the mobs, tanks often have some sort of ¡®taunt¡¯ ability, which means they can talk shit to the mobs and piss them off and draw all of their aggression on themselves leaving the other party members free to shoot them from a distance.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to smart on the mobs¡¯ part,¡± I said peering carefully up at the sound of rustling leaves where the trees intertwined their branches above the trail. ¡°I¡¯ve seen examples of what I think you¡¯re talking about with particularly dumb enemies who concentrate their fire on what they think of as the largest threat, but that usually doesn¡¯t work out to well for the big bad.¡± ¡°Well, with magic, you usually have a healer or two in the group who can constantly cast heals on the tank, keeping them from dying, so that the mobs waste all their energy on that guy while the rest of your team takes them out.¡± We walked along without speaking for a few more paces before he added, ¡°but you¡¯re right. That¡¯s in a game. When that pig knocked me sideways, I gained a new appreciation for fighting while feeling actual pain, and I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a big fan.¡± ¡°So, since I¡¯ve never played a video game like what you¡¯re talking about, tell me a little bit about CLASSes so that maybe I¡¯ll have some idea what we¡¯re walking into.¡± ¡°Well,¡± he began, excitement coming off him in waves, ¡°a CLASS is like a career path. You¡¯ve got your standard WARRIOR or MAGE or HEALER which is a general type of career, but there are lots of variations involved. Generally, you want to choose something less common, something that has a lot of potential for gaining some kind of way overpowered special attacks or ABILITIES down the line. Usually, it¡¯s the rare CLASSes that give you the best characters who can really wipe the enemy out. Since I don¡¯t have any magic ABILITY, I¡¯ll have to concentrate on things like the bow. I could pick a sniper character, those often make the best ones in solo games. Just stand high up or in some narrow place that the mobs or the boss can¡¯t reach and whale away at them. ¡°I also like playing rogues, like thieves or assassins, but now that it¡¯s real life, I don¡¯t really think I could go around assassinating people.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said, checking our six, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have an opportunity to look at all the classes and I plan on getting SCHEMA to explain everything to me. We can kind of narrow them down and then compare notes. Two heads are better than one.¡± ¡°That might work,¡± he answered giving me a look of respect. ¡°Usually, you make the decision by yourself. You can do research online and check the forums and hear what other people have to say about the different choices, talk it over with your teammates, but usually when the time comes, you can¡¯t interact with anyone else until you¡¯ve made your choice. It¡¯ll be nice to be able to discuss it real time, for a change.¡± Up ahead, I saw a structure; what looked to be a large stone arch that the path passed through. The other side was lost in darkness. ¡°I think we¡¯re about to find out,¡± I said indicating the arch with my staff. I gave one more careful look around, it would be just my luck to get attacked right when we thought we were safe. ¡°let¡¯s go check it out.¡± The arch was built of what looked like sandstone, or limestone. It was pitted and weathered, and a small-leafed creeping vine wrapped around the bottom two thirds of the legs. Nothing could be made out of the other side. It wasn¡¯t as if it was completely black or that there was an impenetrable barrier on the other side, but the path no longer glowed after it met the arch, and you could only see hints of shapes. Nothing moved, and no sound came through. The kid didn¡¯t seem bothered, though. ¡°I think this is a portal, walking through it will take us out of this pocket dimension and either into another one, or back into the real world. I don¡¯t know if it will take both of us to the same place, it might take me back to the City and you back to Texas.¡± ¡°Is that what you want?¡± I asked him, genuinely curious. ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought much about it, I just kind of assumed I¡¯d be back in Armadillo. I grew up there, but my parents are dead and none of my brothers live there, anymore; it¡¯s not like I¡¯m joined at the hip with the place.¡± ¡°Well, I like New York. City, anyway. It¡¯s a lot better than West Virginia. Or was, at least.¡± He considered for a minute. ¡°Of course, in all the post-apocalyptic ones, big cities are a lot more dangerous than they were before. Big cities mean lots of weak crunchy people for the new mobs. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d kind of like to stay together, strength in numbers, you know. I guess we¡¯ll get a chance to find out, maybe they¡¯ll give us a choice or some clue to what we¡¯re going to find. Why don¡¯t we step through together so that we have a better chance of ending up in the same place?¡± ¡°That sounds like a deal. Luck of the draw, let SCHEMA choose.¡± We stood side-by-side in front of the arch, and then with one last look at each other, I counted down. ¡°On three, not before, not after, but as soon as I stay the word, we¡¯ll step together. One, two, thr...¡± And we stepped. I only realized that I¡¯d braced for something, impact, an attack, some kind of weird sensation, but we just stepped through the arch like we¡¯d been stepping through the forest. Except, we weren¡¯t in the forest anymore. We stepped together into a room or building of some kind. It was completely round, and It was very reminiscent of Greece, with columns and white marble walls. The walls were almost an accent, rather than a containment, each one reaching only about waist high with large glassless windows opening in every direction. There were different scenes visible in each window. One window looked out over a white-sand beach. There were tall cliffs to one side, and the sun shown in a cloudless sky over an ocean the peculiar shade of blue I¡¯d only seen in the Bosporus. Another looked out into the depths of a magnificently star-filled night sky. There was nothing but stars, and I couldn¡¯t tell if it was a view from Earth, or looking out from space, itself. I turned all the way around, looking at the view from each of the nine windows. There were scenes of cities, one that looked primitive, but had a grand tower which made me think of Babylon, another that looked modern and completely normal, as far as I could tell. There was a forest scene, a wide open steppe with mountains in the distance, a canyon which walls were composed of stone with rich, vibrant colors pocked with openings and windows of caves or pueblos. A vast desert with wind-blown dunes, and a dark swamp full of twisted trees dripping with beards of moss. When I had made the entire circuit and turned back facing the direction in which we¡¯d arrived, I almost jumped out of my skin; there was a tall woman dressed in a long draped white toga. Her face was pale with just the slightest hint of pink, she had a high, patrician brow and golden hair that wrapped her head in braids, but it was her eyes that captured your attention; they were hazel, a golden brown shot with flecks of green that I had never before associated with a piercing gaze, but they were, and they did. I felt as if my life were open before her, as if nothing could hide from that gaze.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She had the hint of a smile, a Mona Lisa smile. It didn¡¯t make me feel judged, or afraid, or as if she felt she were more than or less than me, it was just a smile and I felt comfortable in her presence. That¡¯s when I realized that we were alone. ¡°Where¡¯d the kid go?¡± I asked. ¡°He is with me, as I am with you. I am Lachesis, who measures the threads of life. Your thread is not his thread, though they may be woven together, still they are separate, and I see them each as they are.¡± ¡°So, not here.¡± Her smile widened by an almost imperceptible amount. ¡°No. He is not here. I am with him in another place as I am with you in this place.¡± ¡°And where is this place?¡± I asked. ¡°This is the place where there are all fates and none. This is the place of decisions.¡± ¡°So, CLASS selection.¡± ¡°Among other things, yes. First, though, there are two matters of which we must speak. I will deal with the second one first. You were attacked by an animal that should not have been in a BEGINNER TUTORIAL space. We have reviewed all of the pertinent evidence and have come to the decision that you could not have been at fault. Additionally, although we have been unable at this time to discover with whom the fault does lie, SCHEMA must ultimately accept that the fault is ours.¡± ¡°How can you not know who put that pig in those woods? As near as I can understand it, that whole area was computer generated, and we and everything else in it was put there specifically by SCHEMA.¡± She frowned slightly, but I didn¡¯t feel like she disagreed with me. ¡°Your understanding of how the BEGINNER TUTORIAL areas are made, and of what they are constructed, is¡­not exact. I will grant that at this point, it will suffice in general, though. We have reviewed every second from the creation of the dimension to the point where you and your friend were attacked, and we have verified that no part of the SCHEMA administration put that animal in that place, but one second there were no pigs in that forest and the next second there were. Regardless of blame, SCHEMA made promises of safety that were not adhered to, and we are prepared to compensate you for this.¡± ¡°Okay, and what form will this compensation take?¡± ¡°You may ask one of three boons: You may choose a CLASS for which you would otherwise not be fated to access, you may choose one weapon that you would not be fated to wield, or you may choose one treasure that you would not be fated to find.¡± I thought about that for a minute. The first thing that came to mind is that she was making this offer before I had a chance to look at the list of CLASSes available¡ªor fated as she put it¡ªand before I had a chance to see whether or not my staff and slingshot would be enough to protect and provide for me, and no idea what kind of treasures she was talking about. A good negotiating tactic, but I was always armed with my counter: Questions. ¡°Do I have to choose now? Can I at least wait until I see my list of available classes? Check out just how my staff and slingshot line up with the unknown whatever that¡¯s waiting for me back home? Maybe get some idea of what kind of treasure would fit the new world I¡¯ll be living in?¡± This time her smile widened perceptibly. ¡°Of course. You must choose your CLASS before you leave this place, but if you do not choose a CLASS outside of what is fated for you, you may have whatever time you require to choose your weapon or treasure. Well done. ¡°Now, as to the second part. You were caught in a trap laid by a trainer whom SCHEMA had placed in your BEGINNER TUTORIAL. As you have already been informed, SCHEMA has judged that this attack was not aimed at you personally, but at a student who would fulfill the requirements built into the spell. Regardless of this, an oath of non-aggression was made to you by the person who knew that if you fit the parameters of the trap, you would be caught, and thus harmed. This is an aggression, and so Stellana of House Clintogne broke her vow. ¡°Stellana¡¯s vow was all encompassing. Her property, her fortunes, her spells, her magic items, even her life are forfeit. Yet, since the action was not aimed at you personally, SCHEMA has decided that mercy shall be granted. You may not claim her life. Additionally, you may not choose anything which loss will severely impact her House, who have not been implicated in her actions. You may not claim all of her possessions, but you may claim one piece of property which is wholly under Stellana¡¯s control. You may claim an amount not to exceed half of her fortune, or you may claim her grimoire. ¡°Stellana¡¯s fortune in liquid assets, that part of which is not considered the possession of her House, is valued at 1,762,584 gold. Half of which would be enough to buy a small country or to live as a king for quite a long time; a much longer time that you would consider a lifetime. She has five properties over which she exercises sole control. Three are estates on her home world, one is a townhouse in the Capital city of Lyonesse on the planet of Atlantis where SCHEMA first appeared, and where our system Administrators reside, and the last is a terraformed planetoid in an undisclosed location in the Orion arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. The last property¡¯s location is known only to Stellana and a few trusted allies, and SCHEMA. Her grimoire is extensive and reflective of a wide range of research and an extremely long life.¡± The possible rewards, or judgments, or however you wanted to describe what I could claim was mind-boggling. While the amount of gold was far less than I¡¯d expected someone like Stellana to have, I guess that personal weath¡ªat least in coinage¡ªwas figured a lot differently, now. Thinking about it for a minute, it made sense, when you don¡¯t have inflation, prices are stable, and people can live on much less than on the devalued currencies we¡¯d become used to. In old books, I¡¯d read of people who managed to live a reasonable life of comparative luxury on 50 to 100 British pounds a year, while during the middle ages, prices barely changed from one century to another. The properties were tempting to me, especially the secret planetoid. If I lived on her home world, wherever that was, I¡¯d be surrounded by her undead species, and possibly targeted by her House. I had no interest in the high life or infighting that life in a capital city townhouse suggested, and while the rest of the galaxy might not know where the hidden planetoid was, Stellana would surely remember how to get there. She probably had more traps on the place than dogs had fleas. The grimoire was the greatest temptation, though. I could only imagine how much gold it would save me, not having to pay trainers or buy SPELLs. God only knew what kind of SPELLS it contained, perhaps some that nobody else would know. There was also the added bonus that if I had her spells, she wouldn¡¯t. That would probably go a long way towards making me safer if she blamed me for their loss. I¡¯d actually spent quite a bit of time in the mine mulling over what I might do with whatever SCHEMA awarded me for her attack, but I hadn¡¯t really understood that I might be able to all but steal her magic from her. I couldn¡¯t remember if they¡¯d mentioned the spell book at the time, but if so, I hadn¡¯t spent any time considering it. What I had considered, though, were Sarge¡¯s last words: You¡¯ve made a powerful enemy; watch your back. That stuck with me. A wonderful old woman, a neighbor who used to let me stay at her apartment when my father was in one of his moods, used to say a prayer that encompassed my decision. At the time, I felt that it was generous beyond words, and equally as stupid, but as I aged, and more especially, as I proceeded to fuck my own life and most everything around me right up, I began to understand. It was probably stupid; it might sound nice, but I probably was going to make the biggest mistake I¡¯d ever made, maybe even the biggest mistake anyone ever could make, but I had thought and thought about it, and I¡¯d come to one inescapable conclusion: The only way for me to possibly avoid any revenge by her or her House was to make sure that everyone understood that I in no way benefitted from the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything of Stellana¡¯s. If SCHEMA feels like it has to punish her in some material way, then SCHEMA is free to take whatever it wants, but I don¡¯t want any of it to be associated with me or with my planet. If anyone wants a reason, just say that I have forgiven her for whatever she has done, I do not hold her accountable to me for anything, and I would simply request that she not be held liable for any action done against me. If it is possible for SCHEMA to grant her total clemency for her actions, I would consider that fair payment. I am guilty of enough of my own evil that I could never feel right by punishing another who was not actively trying to hurt me or mine.¡± I think my answer actually surprised Lachesis, which if she were one of the three Fates of legend, should not have been possible. Whatever the reaction that flitted across her face, it was gone in an instant such that I couldn¡¯t even tell you what I¡¯d seen, or even if I¡¯d seen anything at all. She simply looked at me for a time that stretched to an extent that I began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze, but finally, she smiled. Not that hint of a smile, but a genuine, warm smile. ¡°Well done, Tom Nobody. I don¡¯t believe I have ever been witness to a more astute decision. If I have judged your motivations correctly, I would say to you that SCHEMA would take measures to make sure that neither her nor her House would seek you out for revenge. However, I also know that Stellana¡¯s reach is long, and she has many allies. Not all of whom are willing allies, but they will come when she calls. ¡°If I have judged a motivation of genuine forgiveness and lessened it by applying one of self-preservation, I apologize.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve judged me right. I¡¯d like to be that nice of a person, but I know myself too well to think I am, or ever will be. My motivations are completely selfish; I never want to see her, her House, or even her kind, ever again.¡± Her smile took on a sorrowful cast at those last words. ¡°Then I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, because the government of your planet Earth was too fractured to be allowed to continue to be in control, and the planet has been awarded to Stellana¡¯s species. The translation of their name is as near to Vampire as makes no difference. SCHEMA automatically translates everything we say so that those who hear us understand our exact meaning no matter which words we choose. I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I assure you that while many of your vampire legends indeed contain many seeds of truth, vampires make excellent administrators. SCHEMA expects Earth to prosper under their rule. "I can assure you of one thing, neither Stellana nor House Clintogne are among the new residents or rulers of Earth. However, that is the best I can offer. House Bathory, who have been given provisional regency of Earth, have at times allied with House Clintogne." That was most definitely not what I wanted to hear. 23. Class Selection ¡°Now that we have the unpleasant tasks out of the way, it is time for you to make some choices. First, you will operate the random number generator in your MENU. Please select that option, now.¡± ¡°Wait, what? I don¡¯t have anything like that in my MENU!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the confusion. You have new MENU options. Lets begin by reviewing them, I have already been ¡®warned¡¯ about how thorough you have been, so I will give you an explanation as we encounter each item.¡± I mentally commanded my MENU to open and it opened to my CHARACTER page, which was apparently the default home page. Right away, I noticed that there were new options and some new additions to my STATISTICS and POOL totals: Spoiler: Spoiler
CHARACTER CLASS SKILLS ABILITIES SPELLS INVENTORY CRAFTING JOURNAL MAP CONTACTS TOOLS
GENERAL INFORMATION
NAME: TOM NOBODY
RACE: HUMAN
GENDER: MALE
AGE: 16
DEITY:
TITLES: GRACIOUS TO FORGIVE
CLASS:
LEVEL: 1 EXPERIENCE TO NEXT LEVEL: 250
POOL AVAILABLE RATE OF REGENERATION: NUMBER PER SECONDS
LIFE: 124/124 1/10
STAMINA: 131/131 1/10
MANA: 58/58 1/20
SPIRIT: 90/90 1/20
STATISTICS
STRENGTH: 11
DEXTERITY: 10
CONSTITUTION: 9
INTELLIGENCE: 4
WILLPOWER 8
CHARISMA: 3
LUCK: 3
AVAILABLE:
¡°I could swear some of those are different,¡± I said, looking at Lachesis suspiciously. ¡°DING!¡± She said, with a mischievous grin, ¡°I awarded you one extra point in INTELLIGENCE, WISDOM, CHARISMA, and LUCK based on your decision regarding Stellana. You evidenced above average INTELLIGENCE and WISDOM in coming to that decision, and such an act could not but raise your CHARISMA. The LUCK I added as my way of telling you I hope it works out. ¡°You also received your first TITLE: GRACIOUS TO FORGIVE. TITLES are awarded by conquest, as quest rewards, or by SCHEMA or a DIETY for exceptional acts. You¡¯ll also notice that completing the BEGINNER TUTORIAL fulfilled all the experience requirements to move you to LEVEL 1. ¡°Please open the TOOLS list, now.¡± I wanted to talk about this TITLE nonsense, but I decided it didn¡¯t matter. I looked at my MENU again. The tabs that I¡¯d had before were all still there, though there were now three extras. SKILLS had been split and ABILITIES now had it¡¯s own separate tab, and two new tabs had been added: CONTACTS and TOOLS. The CHARACTER tab was highlighted, while the others were grayed out. I mentally selected TOOLS: Spoiler: Spoiler
CHARACTER CLASS SKILLS ABILITIES SPELLS INVENTORY CRAFTING JOURNAL MAP CONTACTS TOOLS
CALCULATOR
RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR
¡°Currently, you only have two tools; a calculator and a random number generator. Different tools are available through trainers, the SCHEMA MARKETPLACE, as SCHEMA requires you to use them, like now, or through quests, or the possession of magical artifacts. So, please select the random number generator.¡± I selected the RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR and a new screen appeared. Spoiler: Spoiler
STARTIf you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. MINIMUM MAXIMUM
¡°Now,¡± Lachesis instructed, ¡°Instruct it to put the number 1 in the MINIMUM column and8 in the MAXIMUM one.¡± Spoiler: Spoiler
START MINIMUM MAXIMUM
1 8
¡°Then, I want you to hit the START button 7 times, one time for each of your STATISTICS. Each time you do, the resulting number will appear in your calculator. New numbers will automatically be added, and the total will be the number of AVAILABLE points you have to distribute to your various STATISTICS. You may distribute the points immediately, or wait, as you see fit. However, if you die and are resurrected or allowed to respawn, you will lose all of your undistributed points, so be very careful to remember to distribute them before your life is in danger.¡± I did as she instructed and with the first spin (a lucky 6) a standard looking computer calculator appeared to one side with the number already entered. The resulting spins came up 5, 2, 4, 8, 7, 7, and7 for a total of 40. ¡°Now, navigate back to your CHARACTER page and you will see that the number has already been entered in your AVAILABLE points slot. As I said, you can distribute these points as you see fit, but I would suggest that you wait at least until you see what CLASS you want. Many CLASSES have minimum STATISTIC requirements that you will have to meet using the point distribution. Additionally, different CLASSES use different POOLs, so you¡¯ll want to know which STATISTIC to raise to maximize the potential of your new SKILLS and/or ABILITIES. ¡°Before we go on, do you have any questions, so far?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I answered, ¡°What is the CONTACTS tab for?¡± ¡°That is so that you can contact people you list via the SCHEMA system. Both you and your potential CONTACT must add your names to the list for it to become active. Once your CONTACT becomes active, you may CONTACT that person no matter where in the galaxy he or she may be. There are some restrictions; you or your CONTACT may turn the service off if you want to sleep undisturbed, for example. Also, if you are in another dimension, like this one, or your BEGINNER TUTORIAL, or a dungeon, the attempt will not connect, but you may leave a message and your friend will receive it once they return to the same dimension. The controls are self-evident. If you have used one of your smart phones, you can use the CONTACT features. Do you wish to review each setting, or are you satisfied with my explanation?¡± ¡°No,¡± I reluctantly answered. ¡°Well, yes, I would like you to hand carry me through the process, but I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s necessary.¡± Still, I quickly navigated to the tab just to get a quick look to see if there were any surprises: Spoiler: Spoiler
CHARACTER CLASS SKILLS ABILITIES SPELLS INVENTORY CRAFTING JOURNAL MAP CONTACTS TOOLS
CONTACT < ON/OFF> MESSAGES
ROB COLDITZ OFF 1
I noticed that the kid¡¯s name was already in my CONTACT list, though grayed out. I looked at Lachesis guiltily and touched it. A prompt appeared: ADD CONTACT? I mentally thought, ¡°yes¡± and the name cleared, but the ON/OFF still said it was OFF, so apparently we weren¡¯t in the same dimension. I really wanted to check the message, but I wasn¡¯t that rude. ¡°Are you ready to continue, Tom?¡± Lachesis asked with a hint of humor, or perhaps indulgence in her voice. ¡°Yes,¡± I said, feeling my face flush, ¡°Sorry about that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯m a Fate; I knew you were going to do that. Now, as we have no other tabs to fully and completely explore,¡± she added without blinking an eye, though the sarcasm came through loud and clear in her tone, ¡°please navigate back to your CHARACTER sheet and we will be able to finish up so you can read your message or contact your friend.¡± I navigated back to the CHARACTER sheet and noticed that the AVAILABLE points list had been updated with the40 points I had available. I already knew I was going to wait at least until I had my CLASS to distribute them, so I asked, ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°The only item left that will impact your CLASS choices is DIETY. Would you like to see a list of available DIETIES, or do you already have one that you follow? You may also choose to list yourself as Agnostic if you want more time to think about it, or you can choose Atheist, if you don¡¯t follow or want to follow any gods. I warn you, though, that if you choose that last option, healing and resurrections SPELLS, and all other SPIRIT based spells will not be available to you.¡± ¡°Okay, this one¡¯s easy. I¡¯m not big on organizations, so I don¡¯t follow any particular denomination, but I do believe in God. So, I choose him.¡± ¡°Him who?¡± ¡°Oh, well I guess you¡¯d know him by the name Jehovah, or maybe Jesus.¡± ¡°Ah, I see,¡± she said with obvious disappointment. ¡°A monotheist. SCHEMA has solved the problems generally associated with religions by outlawing all monotheistic religions. Additionally, we did put out a call for all DIETIES particular to your planet, and while several did answer, neither Jehovah nor Jesus replied. The Pope did respond, though, and we have reached a compromise with the Catholic church whereby its members may continue to worship as they have, only eliminating any mention of a sole DEITY. So, which Saint do you, or have you chosen as your Patron?¡± I looked at her nonplussed for a minute before finally answering, ¡°Um ¡­ well, I¡¯m a very tolerant person. I don¡¯t care who worships what god as long as they don¡¯t force it down my throat. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever mentioned my own personal views on the subject unless someone¡¯s asked me a direct question, and since, I have to admit, that nobody would accuse me of being a religious person, that means in situations like this when I need to put something down on some kind of paperwork. So, I¡¯m not Catholic. I really don¡¯t know anything about most Christian denominations, but I¡¯m really not interested in choosing a Saint. I mean, I¡¯m sure they were all¡ªare all¡ªfine people and probably good Christians themselves, but I don¡¯t worship them.¡± ¡°Ah, that is going to be a problem, then. I will have to list you as Atheist¡­¡± seeing the stubborn cast to my features she quickly added, ¡°I know that you profess a belief in a particular DEITY, and for your sake, I wish he would have answered SCHEMA¡¯s summons, so they could work out some sort of compromise. However, he did not, so unless you choose another one, the only option left is Atheist. As long as you realize that SCHEMA will quickly put a stop to any sort of proselytizing for any monotheistic religion, or any fighting over the subject, then you may continue to believe as you always have. The only problem is that all SPIRIT SPELLS are powered by DEITIES, and so you will not have access to any of those.¡± I thought about that for a long while. I honestly didn¡¯t care what other people thought about religion. I¡¯d miss being able to heal myself or others, but I¡¯d lived all my life to this point without it, so I guess I could just continue to rely on potions like I had been all through the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. ¡°Okay, I guess that sounds like what we¡¯ll have to do. Is there anything else I need to do before we get to CLASS selection?¡± Yeah, I was irritated. Sue me. ¡°No,¡± she gently replied, making me feel guilty, ¡°SCHEMA has just notified me that they have tabulated the results of your BEGINNER TUTORIAL and the conversations you have had here and with SCHEMA directly, and compiled a list of all the available CLASSes from which you may choose. You still have the option of selecting one that is not in your list, so those will appear after the ones SCHEMA has selected, but grayed out. The only restriction to choosing off the selected list is that, again, you cannot choose a CLASS that requires SPIRIT in order to function. Would you like to see the lists that SCHEMA has for you at this time?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I said, my previous frustration already being replaced by excitement. Finally! ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± The list that appeared was absolutely mind-boggling. Just the readily available CLASSes that SCHEMA had cleared me for took up 20 closely-typed pages. I looked at Lachesis openmouthed, and I¡¯m sure my face had to be white as a sheet. This was WAY more choices than I imagined in my wildest expectations. ¡°How can I possibly make it through all of these CLASSes? I¡¯ll be here for years!¡± ¡°I understand that it is a very extensive list. However, if you would like, I can sort them for you by type to give you a better idea of what you¡¯re dealing with. Once you eliminate a specific type of CLASS, I can remove all of those options.¡± That gave me the ability to breathe again and, remembering what the kid had said, I spoke up, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a criminal. No thief, or assassin. I don¡¯t want to choose a CLASS that requires that I join a group, especially the military. I did my time and I had more than I could stand of people telling me what to do. Now, I want to be able to fight, so if there¡¯s a freelance version of some of them, you can leave those. ¡°Very good, that will narrow things down some. Here, now take a look.¡± The list was shorter, the ¡°approved¡± section reduced from 20 to 14 pages. Not as much as I¡¯d hoped, but it was a start. A thought hit me, I can start with just the approved list. That will give me an idea of what kind of things they have on offer, and I can use that to narrow everything down. I pulled up a seat on the floor and began my research. I started with the first item on the list, which happened to be ARMORER I selected it and a description popped up: ARMORER: This is a non-combat CLASS which is concerned with crafting armor of all types. The ARMORER may work alone and sell his wares directly or through a MERCHANT, or he may work as part of a noble House¡¯s retinue, a mercenary group, or a military organization. STATISTICS: +1 STRENGTH, +1 DEXTERITY, these STATISTICS are the major STATISTICS for this CLASS and will be raised+1 at each LEVEL. Underneath the description was what Lachesis explained was a SKILL TREE. Apparently, each CLASS started out as one thing, but through selecting different SKILLS or SPELLS choose to individualize their CLASS and evolve it at higher levels. I could only see the level above mine, the rest appeared as dots on the tree with no descriptions. A thought struck me, ¡°Okay, I have another question, it says here that an ARMORER is a ¡°non-combat¡± CLASS. Does that mean that one cannot enter COMBAT, or are they still COMBAT capable?¡± ¡°Anyone can enter COMBAT, and truly, if you wish to advance your levels, you will almost have to. I get your meaning, though, so I will remove all the CLASSes which would make being an effective combatant difficult or impossible. DIPLOMAT, for example. DIPLOMATS do not engage in COMBAT as they consider that a failure in DIPLOMACY. That particular one wasn¡¯t on the list that SCHEMA selected for you, but I¡¯ll remove it and the ones like it from the greater list.¡± I don¡¯t know how long I sat there, but eventually, I worked my way through all 8 (after non-combat capable CLASSES were removed) pages of the approved list. I turned to the ¡°unapproved¡± CLASSes and almost gave up. The list would have made an encyclopedia jealous. Dear Lord! What am I going to do? How can I possibly choose? I don¡¯t know if it was an answer to a desperate plea for help, or just my increased LUCK STAT, but I started just skimming through and one of the options jumped out at me: SCRIBE: A SCRIBE encompasses many possible roles. Basically, a SCRIBE has the ability to learn and then enSCRIBE any language or instruction, magical or mundane. SCRIBES often work in government offices, temples, noble Houses, or travel to places where their services are not normally available. The testimony of a SCRIBE is considered legally binding, and they are often employed as standard messengers or direct messengers of the nobility, speaking with the full authority of those who send them. STATISTICS: +1 DEXTERITY, +1 INTELLIGENCE, +1 CHARISMA These STATISTICS are the major STATISTICS for this CLASS and will be raised+1 at each LEVEL. That doesn¡¯t sound very exciting, I thought to myself, but I looked down at the SKILL TREE, anyway. The next branch had an option that jumped out at me: ENGRAVER. I selected it: ENGRAVER: An engraver can inscribe magical runes on items, including weapons, armor, gems, and even persons, in order to create various magical effects. Magical effects depend on the individual¡¯s knowledge of runes. I looked at the rest of the SKILL TREE, and I noticed something unusual; I could see all the way to the end. Not every choice, and not clearly, it was like I was seeing them through a blurry lens, but up a ways, one of them jumped out at me: HAND, then near the top: RUNE WRIGHT. Clicking on these didn¡¯t have any effect. I probably wasn¡¯t even supposed to be able to see them, so why am I seeing it? Is this a hint? I didn¡¯t know, but I had a feeling of certainty growing inside. ¡°I¡¯ve made my choice, I said with more confidence than I actually felt, ¡°I want to choose SCRIBE as my CLASS SKILL. 24. Stat Distribution For the second time, I believe I surprised Lachesis. Either that, or her intense gaze was meant to test my resolve. She stood unnaturally still¡ªbut hauntingly beautiful¡ªas if she were a Grecian statue carved to blend in with these surroundings. Then, the moment passed, and I watched what it must look like when a statue comes to life. ¡°That is quite¡­a surprising choice,¡± she finally said. ¡°I had excluded it from the original selection for two reasons. The first was because SCRIBEs are not known for COMBAT ability. Though you cannot see so far ahead in the SKILL TREE, some later CLASS evolutions do place SCRIBEs into situations where they may see COMBAT, but these are rare. I know you wouldn¡¯t have known that, but perhaps that knowledge will help you, now that you¡¯ve made your choice.¡± If only she knew, I thought, and I now know that I wasn¡¯t supposed to see those choices. I wonder why¡­ ¡°The second reason is due to not choosing a DEITY,¡± she continued, ¡°The majority of SCRIBEs work for temples, so it will be difficult for you to find a mentor to apprentice yourself to. The combination of two led me to believe that you would not be interested in such a CLASS. However, I am a Fate, and I did see one tiny thread that might connect you to that one, so I did not remove it completely. ¡°You will be happy to learn that by choosing SCRIBE, you did not go off of SCHEMA¡¯s original list.¡± I furrowed my brow and she noticed my confusion. ¡°You did not use your boon,¡± she stated, simply. ¡°You still may choose one. Either a weapon you would never be Fated to weild, or a treasure you would never be Fated to find. Would you like to request your boon at this time?¡± I already knew the answer, but I gave it some thought, anyway. Knowing how little I knew about what might wait for me in the outside world, though, made me certain that I should save it. ¡°I think not,¡± I answered, carefully. ¡°How can I contact SCHEMA at a later time and let them know that I want to use it?¡± ¡°Simply say ¡®SCHEMA, I wish to use my granted boon¡¯ and then say what you want, and SCHEMA will tell you where it can be found.¡± I didn¡¯t like the sound of ¡°tell you where it can be found.¡± That sounded like SCHEMA was going to make me work for something that they had promised me for free. I decided it wasn¡¯t going to get me anywhere to argue about it, so with an unconscious throwing away gesture, I moved on. ¡°Is there anything else that I need, now that I¡¯ve made my CLASS choice?¡± ¡°You may take this opportunity to distribute your AVAILABLE STATISTIC points, if you wish.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± I said, happy that she¡¯d reminded me, ¡°Now that I¡¯ve chosen my CLASS, I think I will.¡± I¡¯d already given the matter some thought; I had no idea what would be waiting on me as I exited this pocket dimension, but there was always the chance that I wouldn¡¯t have time to distribute my points before something¡ªor someone¡ªjumped me. I would be taking the chance of loosing them all. I¡¯d learned quickly, both in the military and in my¡­less savory professions: It can¡¯t help you if you left it back at the base. I brought up my CHARACTER sheet and saw that my CLASS of SCRIBE had already been added to it. A quick flick over at the CLASS sheet showed me that the SKILL TREE was also there, with SCRIBE as the trunk of the tree, with branches going in four different directions. To my surprise, the options that I thought I¡¯d seen, of HAND and RUNE WRIGHT were no longer visible. I wonder if I really saw them? I couldn¡¯t help feeling a chill. What if it¡¯s another trap that someone set for me? Could House Clintogne be already on my ass? I just didn¡¯t know. ENGRAVER, the next choice I could make once I reached LEVEL 10, was still visible. The descriptions for both SCRIBE and ENGRAVER were very close, but a careful reading revealed that while SCRIBEs could INSCRIBE on paper¡ªor paper analogues, like parchment or vellium¡ªENGRAVERs could INSCRIBE on almost anything. The first branching came at LEVEL 20. I had two choices¡ªneither of which I could see¡ªboth of which brached off again at LEVEL 30. ¡°I have a question, if I may?¡± I asked Lachesis. She inclined her head and I asked, ¡°If I want to take full advantage of the entire SKILL TREE, can I choose to make every choice, given time and EXPERIENCE?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said, ¡°However, you must navigate to the ultimate choice on each branch. You don¡¯t have to choose all of the connected options, but you have to progress to each ultimate choice on each branch before starting over on another. Once you have done so, you may continue to choose from the second branch, or you may choose more options from the first, but you must reach the ultimate option on the second branch before choosing to begin the third, and so on. ¡°With the possibility of living an extremely long life, as close to being immortal as makes no difference, many will choose to follow this path. Also, at LEVEL 20, if you find that you do not like your CLASS, then you may choose to reCLASS at that time.¡± I filed that thought away for later. I remembered the branch that lead to the two choices I¡¯d seen¡ªmaybe seen¡ªearlier, so, depending on what I saw when I got as far as ENGRAVER, I knew I could find my way there. With that in mind, I flipped back to my CHARACTER SHEET and looked at the 40 in the AVAILABLE position. I knew that I wanted to raise my STRENGTH and CONSTITUTION, as much as possible, since those were the primary STATs involved in determining my LIFE and STAMINA pools. I knew I needed MANA, and thus INTELLIGENCE, for spells, but DEXTERITY was one of my CLASS STATs, so I had to raise that one, too. From how I understood the CLASS to work, the MANA would be applied at the time of the inscription, and not on the fly, so while it was important, and I would definitely have to raise it next, I had to make sure my primary CLASS STATS were raised first. With that in mind, I also needed to raise CHARISMA, as it was also a CLASS STAT, but from what I¡¯d read in the CLASS description, it appeared its main use was for getting work and dealing with important people. Even though it seemed counterintuitive, I was more of a loner than anything, and so I would put some points in it, but not as many as in the others. That left WILLPOWER and LUCK. WILLPOWER was a primary stat in SPIRIT, which I guess I wouldn¡¯t need at all, but it also helped to resist mental domination and making decisions, and was a contributing factor in MANA, so I had to consider that. LUCK was the big question. What does LUCK even do? I wondered. Something about mob drops and critical hits, I thought I recalled from one of my conversations, either with SCHEMA or the kid. One thing I did know, if LUCK had been a real thing in my former life, I¡¯d seen it play a huge role in keeping some people alive and opening doors I never would have guessed they could go through. I had to throw some points in that at some point. I just don¡¯t know. So, I began with the ones I did know. I put 4 in STRENGTH, 5 in CONSTITUTION, and 6 in DEXTERITY, bringing them all up to an even 15. That dropped my AVAILABLE points down to an 25, but there was nothing for it. I had to have more LIFE and STAMINA or I was a gonner the first serious opponent I faced, and those three STATs were critical for that. After a lot of internal wrestling, I raised my INTELLIGENCE up a whoppin 11, using almost half of my remaining points and bringing that score up to 15, as well. Now I had to figure out what to do about the rest. Finally, I decided to raise my CHARISMA up to at least 10, so I put7 points in there. That left me with 7. Acting on impulse, I decidedleave WILLPOWER alone and drop the rest in LUCK, bringing it up to 10 as well. I hoped that it was intuition and not just stupid. Immediately, I got a pop-up asking me if I wanted to confirm my choices. I looked at them again, but honestly, I couldn¡¯t think of any other way to distribute the points that would make more sense, so with a beating heart and a creeping sensation that I was making the wrong choice, I said, ¡°yes.¡± It was done.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I watched the numbers in my pools rise, and some of the anxiety that I¡¯d made the wrong decision started to leak away as I saw that, while it didn¡¯t raise them as much as I might wish¡ªespecially with my MANA¡ªit did raise that one nearly double, and the rest of them were much better than they¡¯d been before. The longer I looked at the new numbers, the more satisfaction, and the less worry, I felt that I¡¯d made the right decision. With a decisive nod, I said, ¡°done.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Lachesis replied. ¡°Now, here is your CLASS equipment. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the contents,¡± and she handed me an oddly shaped box. The box, it turned out, was a travel writing desk made of a dark wood with a deep, almost purple grain. I wanted to say it was mahogany, but I had only read about that now illegal wood, so I couldn¡¯t say for sure. The finish was perfect, it shown almost as if it glowed, and it was smooth as silk, with no knobs marring its clean lines; even the hinges were recessed. At first glance, it looked too bulky to be a travel desk, but as I inspected the outside, I noticed tiny circles where the grain was set perpendicular to the rest of the wood at each corner near the bottom of the case. It had to have been done intentionally, I couldn¡¯t imagine the master who had created this work of art would have missed something so obvious. When pressed, narrow telescoping legs popped downward from the corners. Playing with it proved that the number of times you pressed the circles determined how long the legs would stretch. There were three heights, one for fitting over your lap if you were in bed, the next at what would be a comfortable height if you were seated in a chair, and the longest as a standing desk. Turning it over, I noticed that there was another offset circle in the center of the bottom, near the front. Pushing that showed that the bottom of the case concealed a compartment in which a small, leather-seated folding stool. I refolded the stool and closed it back in its shallow compartment and turned the case back over to the front, leaving it at standing height. The case appeared to open from the center of the front, but I could see no knob, perpendicular-grained circles, or latches, but when I pressed my fingers against the front of the case, a latch did release and the top opened with a snap. The top had two wings that unfolded to each side, and at the bottom, a leaf that folded out to make a slanted writing surface covered with a stained leather blotter. Folding the wings out revealed cubbyholes and small drawers that rivaled many a roll-top desk I¡¯d seen. Each case and every drawer were filled with ink pots, quills, nubs, a sand shaker, and a rocking blotter. Folding out the writing-surface leaf revealed a compartment with space filled with both modern paper and antique parchment. On top of these, there was a folded parchment with a wax seal embossed with a stylized L. Next to that was a rubber stamp and ink pad. The stamp had a stylized TN which I took for my personal seal. I noticed that there was what appeared to be a small compartment at the top of the lower part of the case. Touching this opened a drawer. Nestled within was a complete kit for wax sealing, including a candle-holder with a mount for a small scoop slightly larger than a tablespoon in which to melt one of the selection of narrow wax bricks lined up like crayons between the melting pot and a stone seal with the same stylized TN as the rubber stamp. Next to this removable case, I found two curious metal pens. I couldn¡¯t see any means to load ink, and the writing end was a smooth, rounded point. Underneath all this was a small leather-bound book with embossed gold writing on the cover. This being a primer for beginning inscribing with runes I rubbed my fingertips over the letters on the cover of the book and looked up at Lachesis with wonder on my face. I was delighted and enchanted at the writing desk and contents, and I¡¯m sure it showed clearly in my expresson. ¡°This is wonderful!¡± I finally managed to exclaim, ¡°I never expected anything like this! It makes the kits that I bought for my other SKILLS look like a child threw them together!¡± She laughed like golden bells falling into crystal waters, the sound made the Elf girl¡¯s laugh sound like the braying of a mule. ¡°I admit that this is not the standard SCRIBE kit that SCHEMA usually hands out. I know that you will face many challenges in your coming life, and I wanted you to have something special to start you out.¡± She cut off my stuttering attempt to protest this incredible largess, ¡°No, I have to say that not all of this upgrade is my doing. SCHEMA allows us some leeway, so it really didn¡¯t cost me anything more than if I¡¯d given you the kit they had planned. "While you have your primer out, go ahead and learn your CLASS SPELLS." I opened the book and saw that it was divided into three sections. The first was a tutorial on how to INSCRIBE, the second was a small collection of RUNES, and the last contained my three CLASS SPELLS. I looked at the first: POLYGLOT: Allows the SCRIBE to converse, read, and write in the target language.
COST: 1 TARGET: SELF TIME: INSTANT DURATION: PERMANENT
Underneath the description were the same kinds of unintelligible words that I''d seen when I temporarily learned MANA BOLT. When I focused on them, they began to swril and just as I was starting to become dizzy, they disappeared and I understood the SPELL. Next on the list was INSCRIBE: SCRIBE focuses mana through an INSCRIPTION tool which allows the SCRIBE to IMBUE MANA onto the page. This isdone so that the reader is able to VERIFY the truthfulness of the letter or document. Only truthful words may be INSCRIBED. The MANA COST varies according to the length of the document or the complexity of the RUNE.
COST: VARIES TARGET: PAGE TIME: INSTANT DURATION: PERMANENT
After I learned that spell, I moved on to the last one: VERIFY: When cast on a TARGET, including the SCRIBE, himself, the TARGET is only able to speak truth, as the TARGET understands it, for 60 seconds. Once the SPELL is cast, SCHEMA will notify any listeners that the TARGET must speak truthfully for the given period of time.
COST: 1 TARGET: VARIES TIME: INSTANT DURATION: 60 sec
¡°That,¡± she said, her face growing solemn, ¡°brings us to the final item, but before I tell you that, I want to draw your attention to the letter in your case and the one in my hand.¡± I lowered my eyes to the sealed parchment that had already been in the desk. ¡°This is your introduction to the SCRIBE¡¯S GUILD. You will find that every profession under the SCHEMA system is governed by the GUILD system. It is somewhat like your country¡¯s labor unions, but much more powerful. Until you reach a city where a GUILD HALL is located, you may practice as a SCRIBE, but once you find a GUILD HALL, you must immediately register with the SCRIBE¡¯S GUILD or face their censure. A GUILD¡¯s censure is no laughing matter and can affect you in any other profession or CLASS in which you seek to find employment. The letter introduces you to the local GUILD MASTER and includes permission for the withdrawal of sufficient funds to pay for a lifetime GUILD subscription. This letter,¡± she said, removing another wax-sealed parchment from the breast of her tunic, ¡°is permission for a SCRIBE MENTOR to withdraw funds sufficient to pay for the full length of an apprenticeship.¡± ¡°Do I have to go through an apprenticeship?¡± I asked, taken aback, ¡°I hadn¡¯t planned on that, it could take several years, as I understand it.¡± ¡°No, you do not have to serve as an apprentice, and truly, even at your tender biological age, you¡¯re a little old for one. You can test at any GUILD HALL in order to earn your JOURNEYMAN and MASTER status once you reach the required proficiencies, though I warn you that it is still difficult and time consuming to gain the necessary proficiencies for these without a MENTOR To teach you. Still, there are ways. You can purchaseaproficiency directly from the SCHEMA MARKETPLACE, though I warn you, it is quite expensive. Prohibitively so, for most USERs. Additionally, you can buy, find, or be awarded books, such as the primary one included in your travel desk, that allow you to learn in the traditional manner. These are less expensive, but still not cheap.¡± I took the letter from her and stored it in the desk, which I folded up and collapsed the legs before storing the whole thing away where it appeared next to my other kits in the CRAFTING INVENTORY. ¡°Thank you, Lachesis. I am very grateful for all of your help. Is there anything else that I need to know?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she said, dropping her arms to her side as if she were standing for an important event, ¡°This final thing. I have to inform you at this time that not every USER is allowed a BEGINNER TUTORIAL. The ones who are have been selected by the Fates and SCHEMA as those we believe have the most potential to make a lasting impact on their respective worlds. ¡°There is no way we can determine exactly what that impact will be¡ªgood or bad¡ªbut we felt it would be helpful if we gave you some training and experience to give you the best chance possible. The SKILLS and ABILITIES that you acquired, as well as the STATISTIC points you earned before you rolled points here today, came using a system unique to the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. This places you at a great advantage over the vast majority of those you will encounter, especially during the lower LEVELs, as they will only have what they can roll during their initial CHARACTER CREATION. "When you leave here, you will appear back in your world at the moment that the SCHEMA system initiates. It will be as if no time has passed, and you will see, first hand, the effects of SCHEMA taking control of a planet.¡± Her face set in grim lines as she said these words, and my heart stuttered. ¡°Since you now know that you have been given training and have a better survival chance than any other USER not so gifted, and since you also know that many¡ªmost¡ªof your fellows will not have this chance, and are unlikely to survive, you have this one opportunity to choose where and with whom you will appear when you return. ¡°Where would you like to go, and with whom would you like to be?¡± 25. A Little Light Remodeling While having the choice was a surprise, the answer wasn¡¯t. I¡¯d already spent a lot of time in the mine thinking about all those people on Earth that were going to die. It did make some difference that I had to move the time frame forward into the future instead of looking at it like a done deal, but in the end, that didn¡¯t change my answer. I¡¯d long ago lost touch with every member of my family. My two older brothers had willingly followed our parents into alcohol addiction and threw drug abuse in for good measure. My two younger ones had exchanged that kind of abuse for allowing themselves to be religiously abused by extreme fundamentalist churches. They had briefly reconnected when they learned I¡¯d been sent to prison, and sent me a great deal of Christian literature. Some of it was actually decent, and they were encouraged when I told them that I¡¯d made a decision to change my life and try God¡¯s way, but they cut off all contact when I refused to accept their extreme judgmental views. I had no idea where any of them were, now. I wasn¡¯t without emotion over what might happen to them, but there was nothing I could do about it. ¡°I¡¯m not really in love with any particular place. I would like to stay in the US, or what¡¯s left of it. I¡¯m not thrilled at the idea of landing in a big city right when things go all to hell, but I care about the kid, and if he¡¯s going to be able to survive, then being there with him would only increase his chances, in my way of thinking, so send me to wherever he¡¯s going.¡± Lachesis¡¯s face broke into a broad smile, and she actually followed that up with a laugh. ¡°I felt sure you would make that decision; I am happy to inform you that Rob Colditz actually told me essentially the same thing. He wants to go wherever you go. I¡¯m afraid that your location from where SCHEMA translated you into the BEGINNER TUTORIAL dimension will not survive the reforming of the continents. Most of the medium to large cities will suffer the same fate. ¡°Mr. Colditz is currently waiting for you to join him in the most stable area I could locate near your origin point. I must warn you, though, that none of the pre-SCHEMA maps will do you any good. SCHEMA relocates cities, people, and terrain based on how they will all fit within the new contours they have judged optimal for your planet. Perhaps after a great deal of exploration, you may manage to piece together the parts of different places that will now make up the reformed area from identifying features unique to those areas, but I suspect that you will find simply making new maps to be more accurate and less time consuming. Your own system map will automatically update itself as you pass through. ¡°I am ready to translate you directly to the chosen area, but perhaps you had better learn your spells?¡± With a jolt, I realized that I had completely forgotten about my magic in all but the most general of ways. With a thought, I plucked my SPELL BOOK from the air and opened it. On the first page I found my name and LEVEL listed along with my MANA and SPIRIT POOL information. On the facing page, was the CANTRIP SPARK that I had received as part of my COOKING SKILL. Underneath that a second CANTRIP was listed: CHILL: allows the USER to reduce the temperature of a small amount of matter to a great degree. Larger amounts of matter may be chilled to lesser degrees, or greater degrees over a longer amount of time.
COST: 0 TARGET: TOUCH TIME: INSTANT DURATION: VARIES
That could be useful, I thought. At least I won¡¯t have to drink my beer warm, if we find any! There was a lot of space left at the bottom of the page, but it was blank, for now, anyway. ¡°How many CANTRIPS are there, and where can I find them?¡± I asked Lachesis. ¡°There are dozens of minor CANTRIPS and like all SPELLS, you can learn them from a TRAINOR, buy them via the SCHEMA MARKETPLACE, find them, or be awarded them,¡± she replied. Turning the page revealed a table broken into two parts: CLASS SPELLS and GENERAL SPELLS. My CLASS SPELLS were already populated in the list, but the rest of the table was blank.As soon as Ilooked at it, a message popped up: PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR LEVEL ONE SPELLS. YOU MAY SELECT THREE FROM THE LIST: This was followed by page after page of spells. Without thinking, I said, ¡°Okay, lets do this like we did the CLASS list. Since we¡¯re preparing for an emergency, remove all but the offensive or defensive spells.¡± My face flushed a bit when I realized I had treated a being who probably considered herself a god, or at least god-ly, like a personal assistant, or a computer, but if it bothered her, she didn¡¯t let on. The names on the list shimmered and when it cleared, was much shorter. Seeing as how I was already familiar with MANA BOLT, I looked for and found it on the list. I didn¡¯t have to think much about selecting that one, I touched it and it populated. i didn''t bother checking the description, since I''d already done that in the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. I scanned the rest of the list to see if anything popped out at me, and was surprised when my eyes caught on one that seemed to have little utility: SEE MANA. I clicked on it and the description appeared: SEE MANA: USER can see MANA anywhere within a 50¡¯ radius centered on the USER unless it has been specifically shielded. Items which are imbued with MANA will be surrounded by a colored aura that reveals their rarity: Universal: white, Common: green, Uncommon: blue-green, Rare: blue, Epic: red, Legendary: purple, Divine: gold. Will not identify purpose. Beings composed of MANA or with MANA abilities will be surrounded by a colored aura following the rarity color scheme which will indicate general strength. Scalable.
COST: 1 TARGET: 50¡¯ TIME: INSTANT DURATION: 60 S
¡°Why is SEE MANA considered an offensive or defensive SPELL?¡± I asked a bit more deferentially. ¡°The most important aspect of any battle is ¡®know your enemy.¡¯ If you know that the beings arrayed against you are MANA users, and have a general idea of how strong they are compared to you, you have a significant advantage. Also, if there are any traps that have been created with, or use MANA, you will be able to see them. Out of COMBAT, it is a very useful thing to have as it can reveal nearby magical items, or let you know if a door or container has been affected with MANA. It won¡¯t tell you how they have been affected, you¡¯d need an IDENTIFY SPELL for that, but you would at least be forewarned to expect a possible trap or magical lock.¡± That does sound pretty useful, I thought, I¡¯ll put it in the maybe list. Of the ones that sounded like a more traditional defense, I narrowed it down to: MANA ARMOR: Covers the USER with a shield of MANA that blocks up to 10 damage unless dispelled. Blocks all damage unless negated by SPELLS or item properties. Scalable.
COST:A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. 10 TARGET: USER TIME: INSTANT BLOCKS: 10
MANA SHIELD: Creates a disc of MANA 5¡¯ in diameter that can be extended up to 5¡¯ in any direction. Blocks up to 10 damage of any kind unless dispelled or negated by SPELLS or item properties. Scalable.
COST: 10 TARGET: 5 x 5 TIME: INSTANT BLOCKS: 10
GRASPING MANA: Creates tendrils of MANA that extend from a circle 5¡¯ in diameter on any surface up to 50¡¯ from the USER for 10 seconds. TARGET must pass DEXTERITY check or be immobilized. Scalable.
COST: 5 TARGET: 50x5 TIME: INSTANT DURATION: 10
All of the offensive SPELLS available to me at LEVEL 1 were either ranged the same as the MANA BOLT or required direct contact, and only did the same 1-3 damage. My staff, even without coating it in MANA was better than that, not to mention my slingshot could match it. Some of them sounded intriguing, spraying MANA on a target that acted like acid, which had a chance to do another 1-3 damage over time, but in the end, I decided that I had more mundane offensive ability than any of the SPELLS could offer, at least at this LEVEL. So, I chose MANA SHIELD as my main defensive SPELL. It was less useful for me, but I could extend it over anyone else who was within 5 feet of me, making it more useful if I needed to protect someone else. It was kind of expensive in MANA COST at 10, but with the amount ofMANA in my POOL, I could cast it multiple times without worrying about using it all up. If I was going to be facing attacks from anyone at my level, I could expect to block at least one or two of their strikes before I had to cast it again. SEE MANA really tempted me with its utility and low MANA COST, but in the end, remembering the pig attack made me choose GRASPING MANA. If we¡¯d have been able to stop that pig in its tracks, we¡¯d have either had time to run or time to hit it maybe twice more apiece. I could always choose SEE MANA when I wasn¡¯t expecting to have to fight right away.
SPELLS
CLASS SPELLS
LEVEL: 1 NAME: POLYGLOT COST: 1 TARGET: SELF TIME: INSTANT DURATION: HIT
LEVEL: 1 NAME: INSCRIBE COST: V TARGET: PAGE TIME: INSTANT DURATION: HIT
LEVEL: 1 NAME: VERIFY COST: 1 TARGET: VARIES TIME: INSTANT DURATION: 60
GENERAL SPELLS
LEVEL: 1 NAME: MANA BOLT COST: 1 TARGET: LOS TIME: INSTANT DAMAGE: 1-3
LEVEL: 1 NAME: MANA SHIELD COST: 10 TARGET: 5x5 TIME: INSTANT BLOCKS: 10
LEVEL: 1 NAME: GRASPING MANA COST: 5 TARGET: 50x5 TIME: INSTANT DURATION: 10
¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got my SPELLS and I¡¯m ready to go,¡± I told Lachesis, and before I even had the words out of my mouth, I was gone.
I landed on my feet and stumbled a bit. I thought maybe I had dropped from a higher place, but then I stumbled again, and almost fell. Earthquake! I thought, and looked wildly around trying to find a place that wasn¡¯t shaking. I was in a wide open plain, surrounded on all sides by tall, waist-high grass. I heard a loud yip! And looked behind me just in time to see the kid throw his arms up and fall, lost in the grass. That actually looks like a good idea, I thought, and dropped to all fours and scrambled across the shaking ground in his direction. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?¡± he shouted, grabbing me like a drowning person does a lifeguard. Without anything else to hold onto, I grabbed him, too, and we both held on for dear life as the shaking tried to tear us apart. I tried casting a MANA SHIELD under us, hoping to protect us from the impacts as we were repeatedly tossed into the air, but we were taking damage so quickly that no sooner had I cast it than it shattered. I called up the POOL overlay that I¡¯d arranged during the INFORMATION part of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL and saw my LIFE POOL dropping like a thermometer in Siberia. I was down to 50 LIFE when with a mighty CRASH! An entire mountain range that hadn¡¯t been there before appeared nearby. Trees and rocks and pieces of buildings began to fall all around us as we huddled together. Quickly, I cast MANA SHIELD again, this time over our heads as small pieces of broken rock and sand began to fall on us. I tried to cast it again, hoping to double up the protection, but apparently I was only allowed to have one at a time. I had to cast it three more times before the deadly rain stopped. Suddenly, where there had been chaos like I had never experienced¡ªlike I had never even heard about¡ªshaking, and things falling from the sky, there was a stillness and silence that was as shocking as the noise and the tumult that preceeded it. Still clinging to each other like each other was the last refuge in the world, we lifted our heads and looked around. What I saw was impossible, and I know my jaw dropped to my feet as I took it all in. The mountains had to be much farther away than it seemed when they fell from the fucking sky! because all the trees had impossibly, magically landed root-down at the feet of the new mountain range planting an entire forest. We were still in the big middle of an ocean of waist-high grassland that stretched off in all directions, except for a field of boulders that dotted the ground for maybe a mile between us and the tree-covered slopes. I looked in the other direction. Buildings of all sizes and descriptions from tiny homes to skyscrapers littered the plain with no rhyme or reason to how they were placed. The nearest to us was a 20-story sky scraper, most of its gold-tinted window fa?ade cracked and shattered. I felt light-headed and cold, and I knew that I was certainly in shock. I looked at the kid, and he didn¡¯t seem any better off. He was taking quick-shallow breaths, his mouth gaping like a fish, which reminded me to close my own, and he¡¯d taken a hit from some bit of detritus judging by the gash in his forehead that was bleeding like a fountain. ¡°Here,¡± I said plucking my old homespun breeches out of my INVENTORY, wadding them up and shoving them into his hands, ¡°Put some pressure on your head before you bleed to death!¡± That got his attention, but when he looked at me, I could tell that the lights were on, but nobody was home. I quickly pushed him over onto his back and put pressure on the cut. Head wounds were a bitch, they bled like nobody¡¯s business and you could never tell whether a guy had a concussion or was just in shock until sometimes it was too late. I cast around in my mind, trying to remember what to do, but when I thought of checking his pupils, I didn¡¯t even have a flashlight to see how they reacted. Finally, I did the only thing I could think of, I held up a finger in front of his eyes and shouted ¡°SPARK!¡± The end of my finger flashed sparks like a 4th of July sparkler just for a second and then, to my great relief, a flame sprang up. I almost panicked when I saw my finger burning, but I quickly realized that I wasn¡¯t feeling any pain. It was like when you coated your finger in lighter fluid as a kid and set it on fire. I moved it back and forth in front of his eyes. I don¡¯t know if he knew what was going on, but his eyes tracked it¡ªwhich was good¡ªmost likely because it was the brightest thing there. Near as I could tell, both pupils contracted about the same amount. That put my mind somewhat to rest. It will have to do, I¡¯ve just about exhausted all my wealth of knowledge about concussions. Where¡¯s a medic when you need one? I willed the flame out, and it disappeared. That¡¯s when I heard the screams. I¡¯d probably been hearing them, but they hadn¡¯t registered. My ears felt like they¡¯d been stuffed with cotton and were just now clearing. I kept up the pressure on his head while I turned around and tried to locate where the screams were coming from. The skyscraper, of course. About that time, the kid¡¯s hands came up and with little fumbling, swatting motions, found where I was holding pressure on the cut and grabbed the breeches. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± he said, his voice thin with pain, but he pushed my hands away with one hand while keeping pressure with the other. He struggled trying to sit up one-handed and I put an arm under his back and eased him into a sitting position. ¡°That,¡± I said, ¡°was SCHEMA. Do you think you can keep the pressure on your cut while I go see if I can help whoever¡¯s screaming?¡± ¡°I think I can do better than that,¡± he said, and plucked his healing potion from the air. He was fumbling about trying to pop the top off one-handed when I grabbed his hand and the vial both. ¡°Wait,¡± I think you¡¯re getting better, we¡¯re not in COMBAT right now, so our LIFE should be regenerating at 1 point every 10 seconds. Why don¡¯t you swallow down some of that stew, instead? It¡¯ll double your regeneration for LIFE and STAMINA both, and we can save the potions in case someone¡¯s really hurt bad. They only cure 10 points, that¡¯s like a minute and a half¡¯s worth if you eat the stew, but if all these people are at the same LEVEL we were before we took the TUTORIAL, it could mean life or death.¡± With a nod, the red tube disappeared, and a steaming bowl of healing stew took it¡¯s place. I took it from him and let him get in a better position before sitting the bowl in his lap and handing him a spoon. ¡°Eat that, and when you feel like you can, come find me. You Okay with that?¡± ¡°Yeah, go help those people, or at least shut that bitch up! That screaming isn¡¯t helping my head one bit.¡± I laughed outright, his gallows¡¯ humor taking the edge off the tension, climbed to my feet, and headed towards the screams. 26. I, For One, Welcome Our New Overlords The Ordinary Life of Tom Nobody CHAPTER 26. I For One Welcome Our New Overlords ROUGH DRAFT Working my way through the tall grass was not as easy as it sounds. I had never seen grass so tall, but I suspected it wasn¡¯t as easy as it should have been. The edges of the blades of grass made me more aware of how they¡¯d gotten that name than I ever wanted to be. By the time I got close enough to the skyscraper to get a better look at the front of the building, my arms were covered in multiple cuts that stung like hell. The building had been done in a revival art deco/modern fusion that I wasn¡¯t too sure made sense. The ground floor had a stone fa?ade with stylized pillars, while the upper tiers converted to glass with an occasional stone accent. Over the large double doors the name REGENT had been mounted in carved stone. I guessed it was probably a hotel or residence. The glass doors themselves were hanging skewed, obviously damaged when it fell to its present location, and he could see one of them shaking violently as someone tried to bet it open. ¡°Stand back,¡± I shouted through the cracked glass to the sturdy, but older man who had been trying to pull the door open. He looked at the rat-leather gear that I had so proudly made with alarm, and backpedaled so fast that he fell. I guess I do look outlandish, but I don¡¯t have time for niceties, I thought as I equipped my pickaxe and set the wider flat end into the space between the edge of the door and the jam. I made sure it was firmly set and then used it like a crowbar to pull the door completely off the top hinge where it had become jammed. With a screeching protest, the door frame pulled free and the whole thing sagged, the top part swinging down and out, while the bottom slid back across the floor into the building. The lower hinge finally gave up the ghost and the whole thing crashed to the floor, shattering what was left of the glass. Fortunately, it was safety glass, like they use in car windshields. That meant that when it broke, it broke into a billion tiny pieces, but while they were a navigation hazard, nobody would be slicing their feet up to get out the door. I slotted my pickaxe back into my MINING kit, and moved quickly to help the man to his feet. He just gaped at me as I reached down and caught him under his arms. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to hurt you, damn it! Stand up so I can help someone who really needs it!¡± ¡°I ¡­ I ¡­¡± he began, but I just moved him outside with as little force as it took to get him moving. He was wearing some kind of doorman¡¯s uniform, all red with gold trim, and I figured he was an employee. ¡°Get out of the way in case some more glass breaks and falls. I pointed in the direction of where I¡¯d left the kid, ¡°Go stand over there, take off your jacket and wave it around so that people can see you. I¡¯ll send anyone I find out and you can start gathering everyone in one place.¡± When he just continued to gape and stammer, I shouted in my best sergeant¡¯s voice, ¡°MOVE!¡± He scurried off like the rabbit he was. Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the dim interior of the hotel lobby. Emergency lamps had come on casting their harsh glare around the edges of the space, but it was such a large area, that they didn¡¯t help as much as the architects had probably imagined. Club chairs, sofas, and odd bits of tables, and broken lamps littered the cavernous room. The lobby extended upwards to the second floor where thankfully the windows began, adding some illumination from the overcast sky. It was still dimmer than I¡¯d like for trying to figure out who was hurt and who was just freaked out, but it was better than the alternative. A group of dazed guests were picking their way through the jumbled mess towards the now open door. I quickly moved inside more where the dimmer light would hopefully hide exactly what I was wearing and encouraged them to move outside. ¡°Keep moving. I think the worst is over, but it¡¯s better to get outside. That¡¯s right, keep moving. The doorman¡¯s already out there, gather outside with him so we can make sure everyone made it out Okay.¡± Here and there I could see some hotel employees mixed in among the patrons trying to calm people down¡ªincluding one loudly screaming woman who did not appear to be injured, but who was drawing too much of their attention away from others who looked like they needed help more. A man in a suit who was probably a desk clerk¡ªhe looked too young to be a manager, but he was someone who thought he was in charge¡ªwas trying vainly to calm her down while a group of people in white shirts and black vests and trousers were adding their own attempts. The whole thing was a clusterfuck from start to finish. As I worked my way through the lobby, I directed anyone I came across towards the front door. Just as I reached the growing crowd around the screamer. I heard a loud voice call for ¡°ATTENTION!¡± At first I thought someone had gotten the PA system working, which would have made our lives a lot easier, but then I realized it was SCHEMA. ATTENTION! Residents of planet Earth! WELCOME to the SCHEMA system! DO NOT BE AFRAID! I just squatted down on my heels right then and put my head in my hands. OH. MY. GOD. This was going to be painful. Your world is now part of the Sentient Civilization Hastened Evolution MANAgement Alliance or SCHEMA. The former fractious governance of this planet was deemed too primitive to continue in place, so SCHEMA has appointed the House of Bathory, members of the Elder Race you would think of as Vampires, as your new Overlords! You are in LUCK! This area has been chosen as the most likely to survive the CULLING of the North West Region and is therefore destined to become a thriving bureaucratic city and the home of the Lord of the North West Region of Planet Earth! Representatives of your new government will soon be here to occupy the appropriate structures and surrounding areas for the needs of the governance and citizenry and to establish your first MARKETPLACE! In the meanwhile, SCHEMA is happy to announce that you are in LUCK! SCHEMA has determined that there is not one, but TWO of your fellow Humans who were preselected for a SCHEMA FAMILIARIZATION AND INTEGRATION or BEGINNGER TUTORIAL! These ADVANCED USERS are nearby and able to help you survive the CULLING! SCHEMA is here to help! As I began to see where this was going, I rose to my feet. I don¡¯t know what I had intended to do, probably run, but just as I stood, I was surrounded by a blindingly bright light, like someone had just thrown the switch on a spotlight, and I froze like the proverbial deer. SCHEMA has placed identifiers on these individuals, please address all questions and complaints to them! SCHEMA is here to help! I never wanted to kill anyone more in my life. ATTENTION! Phase One Relocation has been completed! Phase Two Relocation will commence in twelve local hours! SCHEMA strongly suggests that new citizens familiarize themselves with their MENU items, arm themselves, and create defensive positions in expectation of Phase Two Relocation! Due to the presence of two ADVANCED USERS, SCHEMA, in our overwhelming benevolence,has WAIVED the EXPERIENCE PONT requirement for reaching LEVEL 1! CONGRATULATIONS! You have LEVELED UP! To prove that SCHEMA is here to help, we have also optimized your LEVEL 1 roll! All citizens who reach the building known as the REGENT HOTEL before the end of Phase One Relocation will be granted optimal rolls: ALL 8s! SCHEMA is here to help! Phase Two Relocation will consist of no creatures stronger than LEVEL 3 with the majority being LEVEL 1. House Bathory has informed SCHEMA that representatives are en route, but not expected to arrive before Phase Two Relocation begins! Please look to your ADVANCED USERS for assistance! SCHEMA is here to help! We were so fucked. Everyone waited a few beats to see if there was more, but apparently, SCHEMA thought this was specific. The spotlight flicked out, leaving me seeing little but spots. I looked down at myself, and my whole body was faintly glowing, like the paths through the forest. There was no way that I could get away, so I¡¯d better just suck it up and figure out what I was going to do. The hysterical woman, who had miraculously quieted down during SCHEMA¡¯s speech started screaming again. Fuck. I shook my head and tried to blink the stars out of my eyes. First things first, I had to get some kind of order here. ¡°Tom! Tom!¡± there was a clear note of panic in the kid¡¯s voice as I turned and saw him scrambling through the door with a crowd of shouting people following him. Fuck. ¡°All right everybody!¡± I shouted bringing everyone to a halt and shutting that damn woman up again. ¡°Ki¡ªer Rob, Go back outside and find a place away from the building where I can start sending people. Walk them through their MENU items and I¡¯ll be along as soon as I can.¡± He kept moving towards me shaking his head, so I walked over to him as quickly as I could. ¡°You need to get out of here, kid, the whole place might come down at any minute, and I need to figure out who¡¯s hurt and how bad, and I can¡¯t do it alone. I need someone who knows something that I can send these people to. That has to be you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do!¡± He squeaked, his voice thin with fear, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say! I can¡¯t do this!¡± ¡°Yes, you can, damnit! Get outside before this place caves in and kills the both of us! Just do as I say. Sit everyone down, shut everyone up and keep them busy with their MENU. I¡¯ll be as quick as I can and we¡¯ll figure out where to go from there.¡± I shoved him towards the door more roughly than I should have, and he gave me a kicked puppy glare, turned to go back outside, and ran smack into the doorman. ¡°You!¡± I shouted at him, ¡°Get the fuck back outside where I told you to go!¡± ¡°Now wait a minute!¡± He began, still moving in my direction. A group of other men, disgruntled guests, by the looks of them, joined him and they moved towards me en mass. I don¡¯t have time for this shit! I thought, and then an idea hit me. If I were walking into a panicked village of potentially hostile civilians who thought they were tough enough to take me, I¡¯d give them a show of force. I might not have a tank backing me up, but I had something better¡ªI had magic! I threw out a hand (for the dramatic effect, I always wanted to do that) and shouted ¡°STOP!¡± Immediately, the floor around the men took on a blue glow and what looked like wisps of fog shot up and began wrapping their legs. The doorman, who was in the lead, had momentum behind him and while his upper body kept moving forward, his feet were stuck firmly to the floor. He tipped over, barely catching himself on his hands. At least until the portly man behind him preformed the same maneuver and knocked the doorman flat under his bulk. That is SO cool! I saw movement to my right: the hotel manager or whoever he was, storming in my direction. ¡°Now see here,¡± he began¡­ ¡°SPARK!¡± I shouted, holding up a sparkling, flaming hand, and he pulled up short and started backpedaling away. ¡°Now everyone just calm the fuck down, OR I WILL ROAST YOU WHERE YOU STAND!¡± I was pretty sure I couldn¡¯t do anything of the sort, but they didn¡¯t know that. The woman started to scream, again. ¡°Somebody shut that woman up!¡± I shouted in my best parade ground voice, ¡°Ki¡­Rob, you need to get back outside and find a place away from the building in case things start to fall off. Do what I say, and I¡¯ll join you when I can.¡± I gave him my patented glare in trade for his rebellious look and with a huff, he stalked past the men stuck in my GRASPING MANA towards the door. ¡°EVERYONE WHO CAN MOVE ON THEIR OWN NEEDS TO GET OUTSIDE. MOVE CALMLY FOR THE FRONT DOORS AND GET OUTSIDE NOW!¡± The woman was still screaming, so I pushed past the manger and moved right in front of her. ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW OR I WILL FRY YOU LIKE A CHICKEN!¡± Her mouth snapped closed, her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed into the arms of the man who had been clutching her shoulders. Probably her husband, God bless his poor heart. ¡°You, I said to a strongish looking bellman among the crowd of useless employees who had been ineffectually trying to calm the woman down, ¡°and you, I said to another, pick this woman up and take her outside. You, I said pointing my flaming finger at the cowering husband, go with them and KEEP HER SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I whirled around to the manager whose sense of propriety had caused him to overcome his fear and move towards me, one hand outstretched as if he were going to try to correct me. I glared at him and he stopped in his tracks. After a minute, he lowered his arm to his side with a guilty look. ¡°You, who are you, anyhow?¡± I asked. ¡°I..¡± he choked out. He stopped, straightened up and I could see the parts of his personality pulling back together. He tugged at his suit jacket, straightened his already straight tie, and tried again. ¡°I¡¯m the Concierge for the Regent Guest Management Group. Who, may I ask, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Tom Nobody, literally, but I¡¯m also the one that SCHEMA told you was here to help save your asses from what¡¯s coming. I¡¯m sorry to be the one to bring you the bad news, but the Regent Guest Management Group is no more. The United States is no more. Planet Earth, as we know it, is no more. I can answer all of your questions, but first we need to find all the people in the hotel and get them outside until we¡¯re sure that the rest of this building isn¡¯t going to come crashing down around our ears. The art-deco, glass panel chandelier that enjoyed pride of place in the center of the lobby chose that moment, of course, to crash down, crushing a group of tourists who had been huddling together in the center of the room. This started more people screaming, but it also started a mad dash towards the front door. With a thought, I equipped my staff and pointed it at the Aztec motif clock above the door and fired off another GRASPING MANA. It wasn¡¯t in position to actually grab anyone¡ªpreventing anyone from being trampled was my motivation, after all¡ªbut it did pull people up short and stop a lot of the panic. ¡°WILL YOU PEOPLE CALM THE FUCK DOWN.¡± I shouted running towards the broken remains of chandelier and human bodies, hoping to find survivors. ¡°Somebody, help me move this thing!¡± I said, as I squatted down and took hold of one side of the sturdy iron ring that made up the widest tier of the fixture. A couple of shaken, but more level headed guests who had been standing close by moved to help, and we hefted the ungainly mass up and dragged it off of the bloody mass below. Amazingly, It didn¡¯t appear that anyone had died. One man was unconscious from where the rim of one of the bands had knocked him upside the head, but the chandelier itself hadn¡¯t been all that heavy, the rings were the heaviest part, but there were only five of them, and most people had just been trapped. There were some nasty cuts, though, from the glass panels, and I shouted at the Concierge to get a first-aid kit. He sent one of the bellhops who pulled a white plastic suit-case with a big red cross from behind the front counter and ran it over. By the time we had most of the bleeding stopped on the five people who¡¯d gotten cuts, my spells had long since timed out, and almost everyone in the lobby had rushed out the one working door. Some of the hotel employees were better trained in first-aid than I was, so I left them to it; nobody seemed likely to die, but we had 20 floors of rooms to search for survivors. ¡°Do you have a printout of everyone staying here?¡± I asked the Concierge, who seemed to be the only one of any authority around, ¡°Where are the desk clerks, and where¡¯s the Manager?¡± ¡°I..I don¡¯t know where Ms. Wilkinson is, I haven¡¯t seen her. She must still be in her office!¡± He started to move towards the front desk, but I grabbed his arm before he could go. ¡°Wait just a minute, we¡¯ll check on her together as soon as we get everyone organized. Do you have a guest list? Something not on the computers?¡± ¡°There should be one in Ms. Wilkinson¡¯s office,¡± One of the vested employees spoke up. I looked at his name tag which said KEVIN FRONT DESK. ¡°Okay, Kevin, you go check on Ms. Wilkinson and call if you need help. You,¡± I said pointing at the Concierge, ¡°Can you gather all of the employees together? We need to search the hotel. Do you have a master key, or do the rooms work only with key cards?¡± ¡°They work with key cards,¡± he said, ¡°but all the locks are battery powered, the cards should still work.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°that¡¯s going to save us a lot of trouble. Find every employee who has a master key card and start organizing a search. Check the maids, I bet they can get in all the rooms.¡± I turned to another employee, ¡°You, take two others and go check the rest of this floor, the restaurant and any shops. Don¡¯t get separated, one of you can come back if you need someone to perform first aid, but don¡¯t split up to search, we don¡¯t need anyone getting lost or hurt on their own without anyone to help them.¡± Once most everyone had scurried off to see to their different tasks, only me and a handful of employees, were left with the injured and the ones who were giving them first aid. ¡°Okay, you, I said, to the only guy there who would meet my eyes, I need you to find something we can put these people on, something sturdy like a blanket. We can use sheets, if we have to, or big towels, but we need to put these people on something and carry or drag them outside. He ran off. ¡°The rest of you, stay here and collect all the other employees as they arrive. I¡¯m going to go check on the Manager and then go outside and check if any other employees are out there, and send them back here. Then, I¡¯ll start getting people organized out there, and come back to see how things are going inside. Okay?¡± One of the girls who looked the least shaken of all the employees around, nodded her head, but looked nervously up at the distant ceiling from which the chandelier had fallen. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry about anything else falling, this is probably the safest place in the lobby, now.¡± She nodded again and I moved off towards where Kevin had gone to check on the Manager. I found him and the wayward Concierge who I¡¯d sent to do something else, helping her out the door of her office at the rear of the front desk area. He gave me a guilty look as I gently took her arm from him and scurried off, hopefully in search of more employees, like I¡¯d told him to do. ¡°Ms. Wilkinson?¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m Tom Nobody. We need to get you outside, and get you some first aid for that bump on your head. Can you walk, or do we need to carry you?¡± She raised her head from where she¡¯d been holding a folded cloth to a nasty lump on her forehead, and straightened herself up. Kevin hovered nearby, hands outstretched to catch her if she fell, but I could tell she was coming back to herself. ¡°I¡­I think I can walk,¡± she said and took a cautious step, ¡°Yes, I think I can walk. What happened? Did we have an earthquake?¡± She looked around the dim lobby, her face white as a sheet in the harsh battery lamps, but her eyes had focus. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, you might say that we had an earthquake. I¡¯ve started organizing a search of the rooms for guests. I understand you have a printout of the guest list, can you tell Kevin here where it is, so that we can be sure we¡¯ve found everyone?¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± she said, personality and professionalism settling around her shoulders like a cloak, ¡°Kevin, it was on my desk when the earthquake hit, if it¡¯s not there, it should be on the floor nearby.¡± Kevin gave her a nod and moved back through the door. ¡°She looked at me, and took in my leather gear and fur-lined boots. ¡°Are you a guest?¡± She asked, ¡°Is the fire department here?¡± ¡°Come this way, and I¡¯ll fill you in as we go.¡± I said still gently holding her by her elbow. ¡°Things are a little more serious than you might expect, I don¡¯t think the fire department is going to be coming.¡±
It took several hours before we were reasonably certain that we had everyone gathered in a large area of tromped-down grass in front of the hotel. One of the people on whom the chandelier had fallen bled to death. The cut on his head distracted us from a much more serious one where a knife-shaped shard of glass had pierced his femoral artery, the spreading blood disguised by his dark suit pants and the burgundy patterned carpet until it was too late. There were three broken legs, a handful of broken arms, one a serious compound fracture. Luckily one of the employees was a doctor and had managed to set the broken ends back together. The hotel had a small clinic, little more than a place for guests to go and get an aspirin or a band-aid, but it did have some inflatable casts designed to stabilize a break until real help arrived, and we made do with those until we could figure something more permanent out. For the rest, there were more than a dozen guests with possible concussions of various degrees of severity, but precious little that we could do for them other than to put people with them to monitor them, and try to keep them comfortable as best we could. The overwhelming majority of the guests had come through with nothing more than bumps and bruises. I couldn¡¯t imagine how miraculous it was that we¡¯d only had the one¡ªso far¡ªdeath. It was a good thing that none of them had witnessed the hotel falling from the sky from the outside, like the kid and I, and we smoothed over the details of that as people gazed in wonder at the vast forested mountain range that hadn¡¯t been anywhere near Dallas when they¡¯d checked in. One guest had slept through the whole thing and was royally pissed when we came pounding on his door. Nothing new had collapsed, and from what my admittedly amateur eyes could see, the building appeared to be structurally sound. The Hotel Day Manager, Ms. Wilkinson had taken the news that we were no longer in control of our own planet much better than anyone should have. Any thought that I was not telling her the truth was laid to rest as soon as we walked outside and not onto a street in downtown Dallas, not to mention the regular every hour on the hour updates that SCHEMA gave us assuring us that they were ¡°Here to help!¡± and informing us on how long we had until whatever would happen with this Phase Two Relocation. I had to threaten several of the more combatively disgruntled guests who refused to believe they were no longer anyone with any money or influence and expected to be catered to immediately. Judicious casts of GRASPING MANA and one very satisfying punch in the jaw got this under control. I¡¯m sure the entitled babies still didn¡¯t really believe me, but they were at least smart¡ªor cowed¡ªenough to shut up. The great good fortune we had was that the entire city of Dallas had been sold out for several major and a few minor conventions, whose arrivals had not been expected until later, so there were only 151 rooms out of the 520 that might have held guests. More people from other buildings had migrated to the hotel as the largest structure anywhere in sight. Man-made structure, I guess, not counting the mountains. By the time we reached¡ªby SCHEMA¡¯s account¡ªthe six-hour mark, most of the people who were going to make it before whatever was going to happen, happened, had trickled in. Both the kid and I had gathered groups and started them off on learning how to use their MENUs. None of them had starting kits, no travel rations, no crude knives, no LIFE or STAMINA potions. Their INVENTORIES were completely empty, and as none of them had any SCHEMA REGISTERED posessions, nobody could put anything into them. The activity at least kept most of them quiet and I hoped they''d learn something, since they could select pretty much everything and get an explanation from SCHEMA. It was surreal to see all those people sitting around on the grass waving their arms around in front of them as they swiped through their MENU I looked around and not finding anyone clamoring for my attention for the first time, decided I might just head back on inside and check out that bar I''d scoped out. As I was moving towards the door, though, the kid intercepted me. ¡°I think we really need to get everyone back inside,¡± he said, ¡°I think this area might become flooded with mobs when the next Phase begins, and we don¡¯t have a chance with all these squishy noobs out here in the open.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked him, a spike of adrenaline hitting my heart like a dagger, ¡°What mobs?¡± ¡°The ones that SCHEMA is preparing to put here in the Phase Two Relocation!¡± he said too loudly in his frustration with my obtuseness. ¡°Shhh,¡± I said, grabbing his arm and moving him further away while I glared until the curious found somewhere else to look. ¡°Maybe I missed something, but I didn¡¯t hear SCHEMA say anything about any mobs. I was expecting maybe another rain of houses, or something.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember SCHEMA saying to arm ourselves and hoping we survive?¡± He asked, incredulously, but, thankfully, with less volume. ¡°Check your record.¡± I did. I was chilled to the bone with the implications. I had a staff and a slingshot, the kid had a bow and a sword. None of that was going to help keep this many people alive. For the first time in my adult life, I didn''t feel like I knew the best thing to do. In all the chaos of Phase One, I¡¯d been able to put the sheer impact I¡¯d felt from my returning memories aside. By the time we¡¯d finished our last CRAFTING session, I¡¯d thought that I¡¯d regained everything. I had regained most of my memories, but I hadn¡¯t regained my personality. I don¡¯t know how to put it into words, but the best way I can manage is that we¡¯re not just a collection of memories of actions and interactions with others. In the same way a computer might contain all those facts, but not be human, I had somehow entered the BEGINNING TUTORIAL in a neutral, almost innocent state. During the last part of it, I¡¯d remembered most of the facts, but I didn¡¯t have the impact of those events living inside me, the emotions, the loss, the betrayal, the love, the lust, the joy, the greed, all the thought processes and decisions that had worked together to make me who I was. But I had them back now. The utter ruthlessness of the man I''d become had served us well during the chaos and bickering of the last few hours, but it wasn''t going to do a thing to help these people. The first thing I felt was a burning desire to leave them to fend for themselves. There was no way two people without any modern weapons¡ªeven with my anemic magical SKILLS¡ªcould take on a serious attack. Even the rats would wipe most of these unarmed people out. Any smart man would slip away and take off for the hills and never look back. I gave a heavy sigh, and the kid looked at me in alarm as my shoulders sagged. The strain of the last six hours, on top of our whole world falling apart, on top of remembering what it felt like to be a ruthless criminal asshole was almost too much. I just about gave up on everything, right there. I didn''t¡ªquite¡ªbut I did slump to the ground and put my head in my hands. The kid just stood there, gobsmacked. ¡°Look what I found! Pretty flowers!¡± a small, bright voice brought my head back up. A girl, no more than 5 or 6 was running over towards us, her ragged looking mother pulling away from the main group looking at us with fear in her eyes. ¡°Honey,¡± she called, her voice almost in a panic, ¡°don¡¯t bother the men! Come back here right this instant!¡± Just as she caught up to her little girl, who now held up the bouquet of bright red blossoms to show her mother, something clicked into place. ¡°Wait!¡± I called, scrambling clumsily to my feet, ¡°let me see what you have there, honey.¡± If anything, my words scared the mother more, and she snatched her up and clutched her tight, backing slowly away. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you, or your daughter,¡± I told her in the voice you¡¯d use to calm a skittery horse, ¡°I think she may have found something very important. I just want to look at the flowers.¡± ¡°Flowers!¡± the girl called out, shoving her arm out in my direction, a huge smile making her face light up, ¡°I found lots and lots of pretty flowers!¡± I cautiously moved over to them so that the woman wouldn¡¯t bolt, and slowly reached up and took the bouquet of Lady¡¯s Heart from her pudgy little fist. ¡°Honey, can you show me where you found these flowers? Were there more of them?¡± I asked, my heart starting to beat with excitement. Maybe we had a chance. If we couldn¡¯t keep people from getting hurt, maybe we had a chance to keep some of them alive. 27. In Defense of the Regent Hotel I looked out over the most beautiful field of blooms that I had ever seen in my life. Of course, I might have been prejudiced since this particular field wasn¡¯t just eye candy, but might well save lives. I drug Ms. Wilkinson along and explained what needed to happen, and with no little bit of incredulity, she nevertheless set out to pull a large group together to GATHER all the Lady¡¯s Heart we could find. Mixed in with the Lady¡¯s Heart were the blue blossoms of the Star King. I made sure that all the GATHERers picked up some gloves from the kitchen and explained that the leaves were poisonous. I had them collect them, anyway, poison might come in handy. Next, I rounded up the Doctor, somepriests and a group of nuns who had migrated over from St. Mary¡¯s Cathedral (from my home town, it had landed about half a mile away), and all the kitchen staff. The head chef assured me that the hotel was abundantly supplied with sterno for keeping chafing dishes warm that they could use to boil the herbs down for a tincture. The doctor briefly presented a problem, because he didn¡¯t believe me when I described Lady¡¯s healing properties, and outright refused to believe that magic even existed I was more than pleased to employ my first CLASS SPELL: VERIFY and used that to convince him that not only did magic now exist, but that everything I told him was true. After that, he was my most enthusiastic supporter in the endeavor, especially when I suggested that it might be possible for him to unlock the ALCHEMIST SKILL while he tried making tinctures of the blossoms. I also told him I wanted the strongest concentration of the Star King leaves he could manage. As thick as possible so that we could coat weapons with it. He gave me a shocked look at that, but didn¡¯t argue. He put his head together with the chef, who gathered his staff and they all headed off to the kitchens to brew potions, make poison, and lunch. None of the people had eaten all day, after all. If they could manage to unlock something in the process, it was possible that the meal would boost everyone¡¯s regeneration for a while as well as keeping us all on our feet. My earlier depression had faded to a bad dream. I wasn¡¯t completely convinced that we weren¡¯t royally fucked, mind you, but any time I had a plan, I was happy. The next item on the agenda was how to arm everyone who could fight and shore up the hotel¡¯s defenses. In that regard, we were extremely lucky, the two stories that made up the ground floor had long, narrow windows too small for anything big to come through. If we could find some plywood or something¡ªmaybe chop up some tables or doors¡ªwe might be able to block those and the front doors off. There were two large interior rooms on the ground floor without any windows that were used for conventions or banquets, and we could fortify those as a last ditch defense for the non-combatants. As an added benefit, they could only be reached through the hall that exited from the lobby between two restaurants, then some shops and the clinic on one end and a bare hall that ran the width of the hotel that contained the employee entrance and emergency exits, which were solid metal. Of the three, only the employee entrance had an outside handle, and it could be locked from the inside. There was a service elevator in the back hallway, but the cars were on the ground floor and by that time even the emergency power had run out. Ms. Wilkinson pointed out the Facility Manager, a gruff looking type in a blue maintenance uniform, and I was just talking to him about what materials he might have on hand to build up our defenses when a kid wearing a distinctive orange apron butted in. ¡°I come over from the Home Depot,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but when all the shaking quit, we wasn¡¯t in Amberline anymore, we¡¯re right over behind the hotel, now.¡± ¡°Kid, you may have just saved our lives!¡± I rounded up as many able-bodied men as I could and sent them off to the Home Depot in search of plywood, tools, and anything that could be used as an improvised weapon. Things were looking up. The next item on the agenda was walking people through the CHARACTER CREATION process. Earlier, before I fully understood what we might be facing, I¡¯d instructed everyone to hold off on assigning their AVAILABLE STATISTIC points until they had a good chance to look through their class choices. I expected this process to take quite a while, and I was shocked when I heard that most of them had very few choices. Just general ones: Warrior, Priest, Archer and the like. I guess it made sense that there was a trunchated selection, since SCHEMA had waived the requirements for reaching LEVEL 1 and none of them had even a single EXPERIENCE point. The kid and I put our heads together and came up with a plan. To be fair, the plan was mostly his, but it made sense. While it would be nice if everyone could fully explore their options and distribute their points for maximum effect based on their preferred CLASS, we had to survive first. It¡¯s all well and good if you want to be a BARD (some type of musician character, the kid explained), but today you had to have the STATISTICS necessary to keep yourself and everyone around you in the land of the living. We came up with two groups. We identified those who were either willing or could be drafted as FIGHTER characters, and those who couldn¡¯t. These we labeled SUPPORT characters. We had everyone who didn¡¯t know what CLASS they wanted to choose, or were sure that they didn¡¯t want a FIGHTER or traditional SUPPORT CLASS character to hold off on their CLASS selection. It ultimately didn''t matter what CLASS they chose, as long as they had the STATS to do what needed to be done. Those who were satisfied with FIGHTER characters, the WARRIORs, the ARCHERs, and the three hotel security guards who were offered the KNIGHT CLASS, to go ahead and lock those in. Thank God that SCHEMA had optimized their CHARACTER CREATION rolls and everyone got an 8 on every roll. When I had looked at my CHARACTER SHEET at the end of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, I¡¯d noticed that it had a lot more information on it than before. Next to each STATISTIC it had something called a MODIFIER. The kid explained that these gave an extra boost or some kind of negative effect to that STATISTIC¡¯s effects. It seemed like there was an average that got a zero modifier, like my CHARISMA and LUCK STATs, and some that got plus modifiers, like my STRENGTH, CONSTITUTION, DEXTERITY, and INTELLIGENCE STATs, and some that got negative ones, like my WILLPOWER, which had once been my major STAT, but since I lost all possibility to use my SPIRIT POOL, I¡¯d left at 8, which gave it a - 1 MODIFIER. The kid explained that our STRENGTH MODIFIER of + 3 (the Kid also had a 15 STRENGTH. In fact, his rolls had come out a lot better than mine, and he didn¡¯t have anything in the negatives. I really tried not to be jealous) gave us a + 3 to every hit with a melee weapon and our + 3 DEXTERITY MODIFIER gave us a + 3 to all damage done by ranged weapons. "What does that mean in English?" I asked. "Okay, SCHEMA says that the mobs that we''ll be facing are all in the LEVEL 0 to 3 range. In practical terms, I expect the marjority of them to be LEVEL zero like we were at the start of the BEGINNER TUTORIAL. That means they''ll have only one point in every STAT. For us, that meant 10 LIFE points, but for them, it depends on what kind of mob they are. Humans, or humanoids, I should say, usually get better dice to roll their STAT POINTs with. We get D8s, but they''ll probably only get D4s. Level 0s probably won''t have but 3 LIFE points total, maybe less. That means that even if we hit them with our weakest shots, we should still one-shot them. LEVEL 1s won''t be much better, maybe 8 points total, meaning we could conceivably take them out in one or two shots. LEVEL 3s might be a problem, depending on their size and all, but none of them should pose that big of a threat." I looked at him skeptically, "do you not remember the rats? Someone once said that quality may beat quantity, but if the quantity is big enough, it has a quality all its own. If there''s enough of them, it doesn''t matter how much LIFE they have, they can still overwhelm us." "That''s why we need to make sure that every FIGHTER has at least a + 1 to hit and no minus physical stats. If they had minus stats, they could stab them all they wanted and none of their hits would even land." I didn''t like the sound of that at all. "That doesn''t even make any sense, no matter where you are, a knife is still a knife, if you stick something with it, it''ll cut." "Unless they have armor," the kid answered with that look he got when he was trying to use words small enough for even a moron to understand, "If all you have is a knife and you''re squaring off with a tank, you can hit it all day long and at best you might scratch the paint." It still didn''t quite make sense to me, but I knew I didn''t have enough experience with these kinds of things to be able to decide, so I had to trust that the kid''s way would work. We really didn''t have any other options. I dropped it and took up the pages where we''d written down our STATs and worked up the ones for everyone else. The kid had a 16 in DEXTERITY, since he hoped to concentrate on bows, but apparently my 15 rounded up, somehow, so I could match him. He¡¯d chosen the SCOUT CLASS, saying that in his previous gaming experience, it often lead to being a RANGER or SNIPER CLASS that dealt damage from a distance and concentrated on that and STEALTH. Rob¡¯s CHARACTER SHEET: Spoiler: Spoiler
MENU
CHARACTER CLASS SKILLS ABILITIES SPELLS INVENTORY CRAFTING JOURNAL MAP CONTACTS TOOLS
TIER 1 INFORMATION
GENERAL SPECIFIC MODFIER/RESTRICTION STATISTIC
NAME: ROB COLDITZ
RACE: HUMAN -1 STRENGTH
GENDER: MALE +1 STRENGTH
AGE: 16 +1 LUCK
DEITY: ST. SEBASTIAN +1 DEXTERITY
TITLE(S):
TIER 2 INFORMATION
CLASS: SCOUT
LEVEL: 1 XP: 100 NEXT LEVEL: 250
TIER 3 INFORMATION
POOL: AVAILABLE: TOTAL: RATE PER SECONDS TO REGENERATE
LIFE: 132 132 1 10
STAMINA: 108 108 1 10
MANA: 57 57 1 20
SPIRIT: 42 42 1 20
TIER 4 INFORMATION
STATISTIC: NUMBER: MODIFIER:
STRENGTH: 15 + 3
CONSTITUTION: 15 + 3If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
DEXTERITY: 16 + 3
INTELLIGENCE: 12 + 1
WILLPOWER: 10 + 0
CHARISMA: 10 + 0
LUCK: 10 + 0
AVAILABLE: 0
Once we decided on the best way to distribute the points, we divided everyone but the children into two main groups: FIGHERS and SUPPORT characters. We walked them through the CHARACTER CREATIONinsisting that they let us decide how to distribute their points. I had to use VERIFY to convince them that we weren¡¯t trying to cheat them for our own benefit, and that it was the best thing we could think of to ensure everyone¡¯s survival, but after we got past that hump, things went pretty smoothly. Since nobody had been able to come up with any makeshift ranged weapon ideas, we optimized all the FIGHTER classes for a melee build with a + 1 MODIFIER for extra damage. We also made sure that everyone, regardless of whether they were SUPPORT or FIGHTER characters, had a + 1 to CONSTITUTION. We were under no illusions that we would be able to create a mighty victorious army in the rapidly dwindling time we had left before Phase Two Relocation began, we just wanted to keep as many of them alive as possible. The SUPPORT characters were divided into two main camps. Though I tried with some of the people I felt sure would be MANA USERs, I couldn¡¯t figure out any way to release their MANA POOLs. Besides, we didn¡¯t have any SPELL BOOKs just lying around. Still, the way SCHEMA rewarded effort, I believed that there was a good chance that some of them might surprise us and manage to pop off a SPELL before the fight was over. That group we optimized for a MANA USER build by making INTELLIGENCE their other + 1 STAT. I wanted to make WILLPOWER their 10 score, but the kid convinced me that DEXTERITY deserved that, since it had a + 0 MODIFIER at 10, he explained they wouldn¡¯t be falling all over their own feet while running away or trying to drag a hurt FIGHTER to safety. We compromised with the SUPPORT CLASSes by putting their STRENGTH as their 8 (- 1) STAT and either INTELLIGENCE or WILLPOWER as their other 12, depending on how they were bent. Of course, some people, especially among the teens in the crowd, had already chosen a CLASS and distributed their STAT points. Some of those still chose FIGHTER or SUPPORT CLASSES and their STAT distribution didn¡¯t totally suck. Some really messed up, at least as far as surviving the night went, in my opinion, but we¡¯d try our best to keep them alive, anyway. There¡¯s always at least one in every group, isn¡¯t¡¯ there? This is what most everyone¡¯s CHARACTER SHEETS should have looked like: Spoiler: Spoiler
FIGHTER SUPPORT
POOL AVAILABLE TOTAL POOL: AVAILABLE TOTAL
LIFE: 19 19 LIFE: 17 17
STAMINA: 17 17 STAMINA: 14 14
MANA: 11 11 MANA: 15 (11) 15 (11)
SPIRIT: 9 9 SPIRIT: 11 (15) 11 (15)
STRENGTH 12 + 1 STRENGTH 8 - 1
CONSTITUTION 12 + 1 CONSTITUTION 12 + 1
DEXTERTITY 10 + 0 DEXTERITY 10 + 0
INTELLIGENCE 8 - 1 INTELLIGENCE 12 (5) + 1 (- 3)
WILLPOWER 5 - 3 WILLPOWER 5 (12) - 3 (+ 1)
CHARISMA 1 - 5 CHARISMA 1 - 5
LUCK 1 - 5 LUCK 1 - 5
We couldn¡¯t see their CHARACTER SHEETs, but when they told me their POOL numbers, any residual disappointment in my own disappeared. There wasn¡¯t a person in the whole bunch who had a POOL over 20 points and both the kid and my main POOLS were in the triple digits. The Home Depot team came back trundling carts with plywood for the windows and all the demo battery operated saws and drills that still had charges left, along with some hand saws, hammers, screwdrivers, nails, and screws. The guy who worked there found a bunch of wood axes and steel table legs for clubs and brought all that they could carry and went back with more people for a second trip. In the meanwhile, we worked with the Maintenance workers to board over all the windows, and after everyone had returned from any trips abroad, we boarded up the doors and built a series of barricades in the long hallway as fall-back points. There was a metal employee door atthe far end of the hall, and we put handwritten signs on the plywood-covered main doors informing anyone to go to the employee entrance and drew a little map, then we posted a couple of teenagersthere to act as doormen if anyone came late to the party and needed to get in. Finally, we blocked off the stairwells to the upper floors; we knew we couldn¡¯t defend the whole building, and we wanted to make sure nothing could come through any broken windows in the upper stories and ambush us from behind. We posted some more teenagers who wanted to fight at those barricades. Even if they got scared and ran, they¡¯d at least be able to give us warning. In fact, I told them as much, that I didn¡¯t want them to fight, I just wanted them to warn us if anything looked like it was going to be able to break through on our ass. There were several ABILITY acquisitions among the crowd during this time, much to my relief. The doctor, the priests and nuns, and their helpers who had been working on the potions and poisons had all gained the HERBALISM and DISTILlATION ABILITIES and the doctor and some of the others had also gained the ALCHEMY SKILL. Their healing potion wasn¡¯t as potent as the ones the kid and I had forgotten in our INVENTORIES. When we tried them out on the broken limbs, concussions, and severe cuts, we discovered that they gave between 5 and 7 LIFE points apiece, depending on who¡¯d mixed them. By repeated applications, we managed to bring all of our casualties back to full health. The doctor was amazed. He actually cried over all the patients he¡¯d lost over the course of his practice. It wouldn''t help to mention it now, but I gathered he wasn''t a hotel doctor because he had been especially skilled. ¡°Look Doc,¡± I told him as I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him back into the darkened dishwasher area of the kitchen where they¡¯d been mixing the potions, ¡°You can¡¯t do anything about that. The past is the past, but now you¡¯ve got a chance to work actual, real-life miracles. We need you, we¡¯re all depending on you to keep as many of the FIGHTERS alive as possible.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I can look at myself in the mirror,¡± he said, not meeting my eyes. He was one of those guys who had rounded shoulders and a permanent stoop. The crisp white shirt and impeccably pressed lab coat he¡¯d started the day with were rumpled andcovered with stains from the potions. ¡°I¡¯m not really a very good doctor. My parents were both surgeons, and they pushed me to follow in their footsteps. I was a terrible surgical resident. Somehow, I managed to pass the board exams, but I was at the bottom of my class. I thought my father would never speak to me again when I chucked it all and went into family practice, and things have been very strained since I took a position here. I think his actual words were, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just get a job on a cruise ship and save yourself the trouble?¡± Okay, that one was a little hard to maintain my caring expression, but I did manage not to laugh. Thank God it was dark. ¡°Well, that¡¯s as may be. Whatever any of us think about all this: about SCHEMA and who knows what kind of monsters getting ready to storm the place, you¡¯ve got a chance to make a clean start. You don¡¯t have to keep on being a HEALER if you don¡¯t want to, you can go into business selling potions, or chuck it all and do whatever you want.¡± ¡°I¡­I could, couldn¡¯t I?¡± he looked up at me with something resembling hope in eyes that I don¡¯t think just tears had made red-rimmed. That was some more of none of my business. As long as he did the job tonight, he could drink the bar dry in the morning. ¡°Yep, so why don¡¯t you go make sure they¡¯ve got the infirmary set up in thebanquet room? I¡¯m sure Ms. Wilkinson has everything under control, but you can get some people to help you carry supplies from the clinic so that you don¡¯t have to be running back and forth once the action starts. You got this.¡± I ended, patting his shoulder and hoping to God he could hold it together and didn¡¯t end up killing anyone by accident tonight. The kid had taken the religious people aside, the priests, the nuns, and those of the guests who considered themselves spiritual in any way and explained our suspicions on how SCHEMA rewarded initiative. It helped that some of them had already gotten some ABILITIES from either GATHERING, BREWING, or DISTILLATION, so we appointed them as our PRIEST characters and explained that their job was to call on their Saint or DEITY in prayer and expect miracles. I took the opportunity to take a little break from the preparations and concentrate on my own CHARACTER development. I borrowed Ms. Wilkinson''s desk and pulled out my SCRIBE case to get to my primer. The information section was little more than a series of templates for different kinds of official documents: birth, death, and marriage certificates, certificates of ownership, which appeared to be the SCHEMA equivalent of titles and deeds, bills of sale, and basic contracts. I was intrigued to learn that these qualified as SCHEMA registrations, so basically, if I gave someone a certificate of ownership for something, it was registered into the SCHEMA system. There was a set cost for each document given in coinage¡ªhandy for me, since I was completely ignorant on what anything was worth¡ªand at the end of the section there was a handy conversion chart that could be used with barter goods if coins were not available. The RUNE section was the most interesting. This is where my INSCRIBE SPELL came into the picture. Basically, I would write out the doctuments using a qulll, and after it had been signed by all required parties and stamped with my seal, I would use the MANA tool¡ªthose metal pens¡ªto INSCRIBE the appropriate RUNE. There were several examples that I had to learn. OWN, SELL, for deeds and sales, LIFE, DEATH, and BONDING for birth, death, and marriage certificates, and an IDENTITY RUNE that, if I understood correctly, that linked directly with their CHARACTER SHEETs and certified that the signatories were who they claimed to be. I was practicing the MESSENGER RUNE, a RUNE that linked a document to a SCRIBE so that it couldn''t be lost or stolen before it was delivered to the intended recipient (as determined by the IDENTITY RUNE on the document, itself) when I got my first commission. A knock on the door frame pulled my attention from the sheet of printer paper I had been practicing with to Ms. Wilkinson. "I hope you don''t mind me borrowing your desk, do you need your office back?" I asked starting to stand. "No, please, don''t get up. I have a little situation that I''ve been told you can handle for me," she said, taking one of the chairs in front of her desk. I felt a little guilty making her take the penitent chair while I sat back down behind her desk, but she continued before I could say anything. "I just got an odd message from this SCHEMA, and it told me that you could help me," she began. "It seems that you weren''t kidding when you said that theRegent Guest Management Group was no more. SCHEMA has just informed me that as the most senior manager on premises, I am now the owner of the Regent Hotel." For someone who had just inherited a large hotel, she didn''t look happy. She had recovered her poise remarkably in the time we''d been making preparations. The lump on her head had been completely healed with LIFE potions and she had obviously found the time to wash her face and comb her stylishly short brunette hair. It even looked like she''d managed to apply some tastefully understated makeup. She was neither young nor any great beauty, but she was one of those lucky women whose bones gave her face a timeless air that didn''t fade with age. The almost pleading look on her face did nothing to detract from her air of dignity and professionalism. "I really don''t know what to think, this can''t be right, can it?" I started to tell her that I didn''t have a clue, but past training in handling the unexpected came to my rescule. Maybe I was better equipped to handle this kind of situation than I thought. "Well, let''s find out," I said, and cast the VERIFY SPELL. "Have you been notified by SCHEMA that theRegent Guest Management Group is no longer the owner of this hotel? I asked. "Yes, of course!" she said, managing not to look offended. "And has SCHEMA notified you that you are now the owner of this hotel?" "Yes, I would never lie about something like that!" she replied with a little heat. "I''m not implying that you are," I assured her, "I have to VERIFY the facts of the situation before I can REGISTER you with SCHEMA as the owner of the hotel." I looked at the slim primer volume which lay open to the MESSENGER RUNE page. "I confess, I have never done this before, and I don''t know if it will work, but I have a template for a certificate of ownership that I believe will REGISTER you as the owner. Since SCHEMA sent you to me, I have to assume that it will work. Why don''t we give it a try? If it doesn''t work, I guess you can wait until someone who knows what they''re doing comes along," I added with a chuckle. With her nod of agreement, turned back to the section on certificates of ownership and found the one for a piece of property. It contained specific instructions on the requirements down to the type of paper, color of ink, and even the size of the nib for the quill. I reached into my travel case and pulled out a crisp sheet of vellium, a bottle of black ink, the rolling blotter, a new feather quill, and the correct size nib. I arranged these in what felt like a good setup on top of her desk, fixed the nib to the quill, opened the bottle of ink, and read the instructions for the certificate one last time. With more nervousness than I expected, Ipicked up the quill and hoped I didn''t make a huge mess. I''d never used pen and ink like this before, but I had some idea that it could make a mess in the hands of a novice, but I needn''t have worried, SCHEMA to the rescue! As soon as I dipped the pen in the ink, my muscles took over. It was like my brain went into a trance, and my body took over. Without a single drip of ink on the desktop or blot on the paper, the words of the template flowed from the end of the nib as if I were a printer controlled by computer software. The document quickly began to take form in a swirling calligraphy that was as much art as writing. It reminded me of the writing on the original Declaration of Independence. My hand moved with sure, precice movements and I never had to even refer to the template before the page was covered with all the correct flourishes and legalese. Even the signature lines were clear, straight, and exactly precice. "Well," I said as the process released me. "I do believe that this will work." I knew that I didn''t need to, but I double checked each line with the template in the primer; everything was exactly the same with the exception that the names of the former and new owners had been added in the appropriate places. "Why don''t you call in a couple of people to act as witnesses, perhaps two of the priests." I told her. When she returned, she had one of the priests and the former concierge in tow. I used the VERITY spell again to confirm their identities and the truth of her ownership and they agreed to serve as wittnesses. Then, it was just a matter of signing my own name as the SCRIBE who had created the document and add my seal. I wiped the nib and returned it to the tray with the others, replaced the quill, and chose one of the metal styluses for the RUNEs. Just like with the rest of the document, the process worked itself. This time, though, instead of ink, I used my MANA for four IDENTITY RUNEs next to each of our names and a single, large OWNERSHIP RUNE at the top of the document. Ahem, I began, "Now all that remains is the fee. I would gladly waive my own fee, in this situation, but there doesn''t appear to be any way for me to do so. In order for this to be a SCHEMA registered transaction, SCHEMA has to be paid. Since none of you guys has any SCHEMA coins yet, we''ll have to work out something in barter. I have a conversion chart; why don''t we go over that and you can figure out what you have that will do." "Actually," she said, her face taking on a flush that in the soft light of the candles I''d lit, showed how attractive she must have been in her youth, "I think I do have some coins that will work." She moved to a squat safe that I hadn''t noticed in the corner of her office and spun the dial. Taking out a rack that contained rows of packets that I recognized as collector coins, she sat it on the desk. None of the coins were what I expected to see. There were no Kugerands or American Eagles, each one of them was a SCHEMA gold or silver coin like the ones I had in my own INVENTORY. "One of the first things I did earlier in the day was to check the contents of the safe," she began explaining. "Some years ago, during the banking crisis, the parent company decided to convert a portion of each location''s petty cash into gold and silver in the event that we were unable to access our funds, so that we could continue to operate. At the time, I thought it was an outlandish suggestion, but it appears that I was wrong. How much do I owe you?" I checked the table for property ownership. "I don''t really know what the value of these SCHEMA coins is compared to American dollars," I began, "but apparently the dollar isn''t worth squat, anymore. You''re not paying for the property, so we''re not talking sale value, here; it''s more like a tax for transferring the deed into your name. Still, it seems quite a small amount for a property of this size, but the amount is pre-determined. "The value in the property is land value only, regardless of what''s on the property. The certificate itself determined that the property covers an area equal to fifteen acres, at a tax of one gold per acre. My fee will be deducted as 10% of that total." She pulled fifteen gold coins from their slots, and when I indicated that she should, she took them out of their packagingand handed them over. I didn''t know how or when I would have an opportunity to transfer it to SCHEMA, so I just slotted the whole amount into my inventory. *DING* Certificate of Ownership of the REGENT HOTEL has been REGISTERED for Leslie Wilkerson and all fees paid. A quick check of my INVENTORY showed that only my cut of the transaction had made it, SCHEMA had somehow taken their fee in the process. Magic, what can I say. "Here," I said, my hand filling with one gold and 500 silver coins, "You can have my part of the fee back, I''d feel bad taking your money." "Absolutely not!" She exclaimed pulling herself up straight. With deft movements, she took the tray of coins from the desktop and moved towards the safe and set it inside. "I always pay my debts. You performed a legitimate service for which I not only owed, but am very grateful. I got all these coins, which going by the tax rate, is a fortune, not to mention, I now own a hotel that I never paid for. I think I''m more than happy to pay your fee." She punctuated this by shutting the door and spinning the dial on the combination lock. "Thank you, Mr. Nobody, it''s been a pleasure doing business with you." I laughed and finished packing the ink bottle back in my travel desk. "No, thank you! That''s the easiestcash I''ve ever made in my life, and it''s Tom." "All right, Tom, and you can call me Leslie," she said. "You remind me of my son, Cade," Oh, she thinks I''m16. Ithought about explaining, but then with a shake of my head decided it didn''t matter. I might be 16 physically, but I wanted no part of any relationships. They might be fun at first, but I''d never had one that didn''t bring more misery than it was worth. SCHEMA saved me from having to respond with the news that we were now one hour from the beginning of Phase Two Relocation. I had the Chef pass out the LIFE and STAMINA regen stew that he¡¯d managed to cook. It didn¡¯t improve regeneration double, but it improved it some, and we could use all the help we could get. The kid and I shared out our own remaining meals with those we hoped would be the best front-line damage dealers.They spent some time coating their axes, kitchen knives, clubs, some of the kid''s arrows and my shot with the thick sickly yellow-green poison thathad been concentrated out of the Star King¡¯s leaves, and I made sure that I had enough time left for my MANA to regenerate and IMBUED my staff, a bag of shot, and a quiver of the kid¡¯s arrows with MANA. I also took a chance and INSCRIBED several sheets of plain paper with STRENGTH RUNEs and sent some of the teens around to tape them to the barriers and barricaded doors, windows, and stairwells. They had been pissed that we weren''t letting them fight on the front lines, thinking that we should be on board with the teens running the show, but I disabused them of that notion early on and they had to be happy with support FIGHTER roles. The RUNEs I sent them around with were for an ENGRAVER, which skill I didn''t possess, yet, but I figured what the heck? It might help. Looking around, I was painfully aware that everyone was looking at me with cautious hope in their eyes. I don''t know how two seeming kids had managed to convince a large group of adults that we knew what we were doing, but I was grateful we had. We were all making our stand in the hallway that led back to the conference rooms, since that was the most defensible position we could manage on short notice. There were three fall-back barricades between us and the makeshift infirmary on one side and nursery on the other. Each of those were manned by people who we''d judged less able or inclined to fight. It would be nice if they didn''t have to, but we couldn''t take the chance. The facility manager pushed and pulled at the waist-high barricade that we''d built just before the hall opened into the lobby, checking his work, hoping it held. Armed FIGHTER characters lined both sides of the hallway, ready to jump in if and when anything broke through, hoping to protect their loved ones, hoping that nothing made it that far. The PRIEST characters stood just outside the two doors, hoping for miracles, and the kid and I stood alonebehind the forward barricade, the only distance dealers, and I added my own prayers, hoping that my growing anxiety was baseless. We had done all we could. All we had left to do was hope. It had to be enough. 28. The Battle of the Regent Hotel Part I The rays of light grew long and bright around the rough-cut edges of the plywood panels over the west facing doors and windows that fronted the lobby of the Regent Hotel. We hadn¡¯t had enough to cover every window on the upper level, even reaching them had been a feat, so we had settled on just the cracked or broken ones, hoping that the others would hold or that any monsters that appeared would be earthbound. As the final seconds ticked away on the timer, and Phase Two Relocation began, SCHEMA fell blessedly silent. The constant updates had begun to grate on my nerves. While I didn¡¯t trust SCHEMA as far as I could throw them, I had grown spoiled on their apparent willingness to share information during the BEGINNER TUTORIAL, and their complete silence in answer to any request for more information on what we might expect felt ominous. Just as the light through the cracks seemed to point directly into our eyes, causing us to constantly shift positions to keep from being blinded, the ones on the ground floor blinked out, like someone had thrown a switch. At the exclamations of alarm among some of the defenders, I spoke up to reassure them: ¡°Settle down! It¡¯s only the sun going down past the new mountains to the west. Most of you probably haven¡¯t seen how fast night can fall in the mountains, but I¡¯ve seen it before.¡± The news seemed to relieve some and disturb the others who didn¡¯t like being reminded that Texas now had another mountain range (or maybe just the same tail end of the Rocky¡¯s relocated), and there was a susurration of muttering. I wanted to shush them, but these were not military troops, these were ordinary people thrown into a possibly life-threatening situation; there¡¯s only so much you can do with a bunch like this. The kid shot me a look that told me he too had been unnerved, and I put my free hand on his shoulder to reassure him. Gradually, the muttered complaints died off and the silence of waiting began to reassert its irritation. The tension was almost a physical thing, the not knowing what we faced almost an illness that settled deep in the gut and gnawed at you. I gave the kid¡¯s shoulder a firm squeeze and put my hand back to my side, trying not to wipe my sweaty palm on the leg of my breeches. I wasn¡¯t immune to the bite of nerves, but I¡¯d come to understand and learned to endure it. The kid turned and surveyed our fellows lined up on each side of the hallway, then he turned back and moved a little closer to whisper something when we were both frozen by the sound of a door slowly opening somewhere in the lobby, the not-quite-quiet creak of a rusty hinge in a long, drawn out, heart stopping complaint. Everyone froze. I heard someone behind me take a breath and held up a hand to call for silence, listening intently for footsteps or the rustling of little rat feet. And waited. Nothing. I was just about to say something reassuring when the door slammed, the sound cracking through the silence like a gunshot that caused even me to jump with the spike of adrenaline that shot through my chest. ¡°WHAT WAS THAT? WHO¡¯S THERE?¡± one of the more excitable defenders shouted, panic riding his voice. ¡°Shush!¡± I barked out, turning my glare around in an attempt to identify the culprit. In the growing gloom of the hallway, it could have been any of them. I didn¡¯t know them well enough to guess. Speaking in a low, but natural voice so that any listening ears would hear just a murmur, I added, ¡°you lot stay here, Brian,¡± I said to the facilities manager who stood closest to us shifting his grip nervously on the haft of his fire-axe, but whose face was resolute, ¡°pick someone and come up and man the barricade, it was probably just the wind. We¡¯ll go check it out.¡± He gave me a nod and waved another of the maintenance men to move up with him as I looked at the kid and nodded towards the lobby. He gave me a nervous nod and swallowed loud enough that I was sure if anything was out there, it had heard, but with sure movements, he put the arrow he¡¯d had nocked back into the quiver at his back, shouldered his bow, and drew the bronze sword that rode on his left hip. He gave me a nod when he was ready, and I swallowed down my own nerves and edged out through the small space left between the end of the barricade and the wall. With a thought, the end of my staff sparkled and burst into flame causing a few muted shouts of alarm that Brian quickly shushed. Ignoring them, I held the staff up like a torch, and we glided as quietly as we knew how into the now cavern-like depths of the lobby, trying to angle the light so that it would give us enough illumination without completely spoiling my vision. The sound came from off to our left, really that was the only place it could have come from, that was where the front desk and few offices were. Dropping into stealth (though what good that would have done while waving around a flaming banner that said ¡°HERE I AM¡± I don¡¯t know) we crept around the end of the hallway until we could get a better view. We crouched there trying to control our breathing for what seemed like ages, but was probably less than a minute, peering into the gloom. Nothing. Without a word, we both moved forward towards the gap at the end of the long front counter. Eventually, we reached Ms. Wilkinson¡¯s office, which was first in the line, and I motioned for the kid to open the door while I readied a MANA BOLT with my off hand. The door swung smoothly open without a sound and I quickly thrust the flaming end of my staff through the opening. A gust of frigid air swirled out causing the flame to stutter, but there was nothing else. The office wasn¡¯t large, and the desk was one of those that¡¯s more like a table, so it was easy to see that nothing was hiding under it. I guess something could have been crouched down behind the little column of drawers on one side, but I wasn¡¯t in an all fired sweat to look. Rob closed the door just as quietly as he¡¯d opened it, and I was glad to shut away the chill. We moved down the line to the other two equally empty offices finding the same bunch of nothing. I would have felt better about it, except that none of the hinges on any of the doors had made a sound, and that cold chill from the manager¡¯s office still had the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up. Moving to the front counter, I held my staff up high and peered into the dark of the lobby trying to see if maybe a piece of plywood had fallen off one of the windows or something, but unless we wanted to make the circuit, the wan light of the tiny flame was just not good enough to see much. ¡°Nothing to see, here, folks. Move along,¡± I said in a quiet attempt at a joke, but you could hear the nerves in my voice. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the barricade,¡± Just as we got there, I opened my mouth to reassure everyone when the lock on the glass door to the shop that sold newspapers and cigars, the one just behind where we¡¯d sat up the first barricade, clicked open, loud in the hush of the hallway.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Every eye turned towards it; the people nearest it jumped and started moving more towards the center of the hall. Like it was following them, the door swung slowly open, hinges creaking like they hadn¡¯t been used in years. We could all see through the glass wall and door into the shop. Nobody was there. The lights on the coke machine behind the register inside chose that moment to flicker and turn on. We all stood there, in shock. There was no way, no possible way. The lights flickered off. Even at the distance I was, I could feel the cold emanating from the empty shop. Across the hall, the glass doors to one of the restaurants gave a loud click and started to swing inward with a screech. People were starting to react, everyone moving towards the center of the hallway. I was frozen where I stood, my mind refused to work. A little ways down on the same side of the hallway as the newsstand, the metal door of a broom closet gave a loud click and popped open on screaming hinges. One of the maintenance workers, a woman short as me, but sturdy with muscle was standing right in front of it. She didn¡¯t hesitate at all, she shot out a hand and SLAMmed that door shut and, with probably more force than necessary, put her back to it, setting her feet to keep it that way. That broke the spell and Excitable Man let loose with a wailing scream that would do any ghost proud just before he hit the deck, passed completely out. I shook myself like a dog, from head to toe, like I was breaking out of a shell of ice and said, ¡°Someone drag that idiot back into the infirmary.¡± That started a rustle of movement towards the back of the group, just when the double doors to the infirmary slowly began to creak obligingly open, followed immediately by the ones on the nursery across the hall. I opened my mouth to say something, I don¡¯t know what, I didn¡¯t have a clue, but someone¡ªsome thing¡ªbeat me to it. With an ear-shattering scream, a shining white woman in tatters of shining, flowing clothing flowed out of the ceiling, she headed straight for me, burning eyes in a skeletal face, claw-like hands reaching for my throat. My arm started to move, to interpose the guttering flame of my staff between us, but she was quick as nothing I¡¯d ever seen, and before I could even think it, she was on me. And through me, leaving a rim of ice on my furred jacket and stealing my breath away. I whirled around trying to bash her with my staff. Evidently passing through solid objects slowed her down some, because I did it, but it was like swinging at thin air, the staff didn¡¯t connect, but the flaming end did and oh, she did not like that one bit. With an angry screech she flipped around backwards, still flying in the same direction, those blazing eyes promising retribution. From the empty depths of the upper reaches of the lobby, glowing figures in tattered garments began to swoop down, swirling around one another, screaming their pain. The woman reached the center of the lobby directly in front of the hallway, her screams of anger becoming wails of pain as the flame from my staff passing through her began to catch on the tattered ends of her shroud. The other specters that had at first swirled around her now drew back in alarm, swirling in two great columns as more and more flowed from the ceiling and through the boarded windows to join them. With a shout, the kid fired one of his MANA arrows into the swarm on the left and the creature it hit, exploded in flames that spread to those nearest it. With screams of rage and pain, both columns surged towards us like great white tornadoes of screaming burning rage. I broke my mind free of the spell that had held me frozen in place, and spammed GRASPING MANA along the sides of both hallways and the ceiling in front of the barrier, following that with blast after blast of MANA BOLTS from the end of my staff. The screams of the ghosts were quickly joined by the screams from the crowd in the hallway, and I spared a glance over my shoulder to see Brian swinging his fire axe impotently through a glowing bear with tatters of fur flowing raggedly from its huge skeletal frame. Jumping forward, I screamed wordlessly as I jabbed the end of my staff right into the middle of its chest, setting it aflame. It screeched in eldritch pain and turned its hateful gaze on me, but before it could reach me, I followed up with a blast of MANA and it withered away. Others joined it from every direction, great slavering wolves, giant screeching eagles, men and women all with their glowing eyes and grasping claws, everyone they hit staggered, and soon the ill equipped defenders began to fall to the ground breathless, covered in icy frost. The kid was shouting wordlessly, shooting arrow after arrow into the massed columns flowing through the lobby while I desperately tried to fill the walls and ceiling of the hallway with fields of GRASPING MANA and MANA bolts, swinging my lone staff from side to side while running down the hall towards where the screams of women and children came from the banquet rooms beyond. Then, a loud voice came from the room that we¡¯d set aside for the infirmary, ¡°In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti¡±! The Latin words rolled out in great booming syllables, over and over, and a bright golden light burst into the hallway through those open doors. From the other side of the hall where the children were, other voices took up the chant, some in Latin, others in English, ¡°In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit!¡± and the golden light spread there too. Then the priests came out with their crucifixes held high, burning with a blinding light that filled the hallways, and people on both sides of the hall dropped to their knees. The spirits, both animal and other, turned towards them as one being, hatred shooting from their eyes and screaming out through their mouths, but they couldn¡¯t stand in the face of that golden light, nobody could stand in the face of that golden light, they had to back away, flowing into the walls and ceiling from where they¡¯d come, those still caught in the MANA traps struggled desperately to escape, and finally overwhelmed the tentacles of GRASPING MANA and jerked back into the walls. A scream from the kid whirled me around just in time to see the traps there fail, too. He¡¯d run out of MANA arrows, and the masses of screaming spirits had overwhelmed him and were surging forward with hate that you could feel. For a moment, the golden light from the priests seemed to pause, and then to contract into itself, pulling back until just the priests and their crucifixes still glowed. And then with a loud voice, the senior priest, Father Keller prayed: Princeps gloriosissime caelestis militiae, sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio et colluctatione, quae nobis adversus principes et potestates, adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiae, in caelestibus. And his fellows took up the prayer in English: ¡°O glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, defend us in battle, and in the struggle which is ours against the principalities and Powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against spirits of evil in high places¡± And it was as if the light had only been drawing a breath, gathering its strength, and with a mighty explosion of sound and light, it burst from the breasts of the three men and rushed down the hallway, exploding into the lobby and filling the whole place with its glorious glow. And where it passed, ice melted, breath returned, and the fallen stood with renewed hope and vigor. Where the passing through of the specter had frozen me in fear, that great golden light filled me with peace and safety, strength and victory. I turned around towards the lobby just in time to see its explosion, and when it passed, and the darkness returned, it was empty. The spirits were gone. I turned back towards the priests. Only their crucifixes were glowing now, and that slowly fading. The youngest one¡ªI couldn¡¯t remember his name¡ªcollapsed to the ground, and even Father Keller sagged and put out a hand to the wall to keep from falling. ¡°You got any more of them crosses?¡± Brian the facility manager asked, and that struck me as the funniest thing I¡¯d ever heard, and I laughed, and the rest of the defenders laughed with me as they moved to surround the priests and help the one back to his feet, and I to check on the SUPPORT people in the banquet rooms beyond. Maybe we¡¯d make it through this night, after all. Update Hey everyone. I have not abandoned this story, I promise! I just got home from the hospital. I had the first of two planned surgeries. Everything went well, as far as I can tell at this early stage, but the pain is more than I expected. I''m on some pills for that which means that I don''t trust myself to write anything even if I could concentrate enough to do so. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.Anyway, I won''t bore you with details, I just wanted to check in and let you know that I''ll continue the story just as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience. You''re the best readers a guy could have! CHAPTER 29. The Battle of the Regent Hotel INTERLUDE I got sidelined on my way to check on the SUPPORT people by the insistent blinking in the lower right-hand corner of my vision telling me that I had notifications. I had never seen it blinking so rapidly, and even the color had changed from white to red. As I mentally selected the blinking icon, my vision was completely overwhelmed. The first one was a good indication of the bulk of them: Specter LEVEL 1 hits you for 10 ( 7 frost + 3) You take 4 frost damage You hit Specter LEVEL 1 (imbued) for 11 (8 bludgeoning + 3) You hit Specter LEVEL 1 (focused) for 8 (5 fire +3) You take 3 frost damage Specter LEVEL 1 takes 3 fire damage You take 4 frost damage Specter LEVEL 1 takes 3 fire damage Specter LEVEL 1 takes 4 fire damage You hit Specter LEVEL 1 (imbued) for 6 (3 bludgeoning + 3) You hit Specter LEVEL 1 (focused) for 7 (4 fire + 3) Specter LEVEL 1 takes 3 fire damage Specter LEVEL 1 takes 3 fire damage Specter LEVEL 1 has died CONGRATULATIONS! You have earned 50 XP! That must have been the first woman. The first chunk of damage I¡¯d taken must have been when she passed through me on her way to the lobby, I hadn¡¯t even realized that I was continuing to take damage, though it looked like the continuing damage from the frost lasted a lot less time than from the fire I hit her with. Adding up the points, it looked like a LEVEL 1 Specter had 50 LIFE points, and that they gave the same amount in EXPERIENCE POINTS. Too bad for her, I had 129 LIFE at the start of the fight. Flicking through the rest of the damage notifications, I hadn¡¯t taken any more hits, but my MANA BOLT shots into the thick of the tornado of ghosts had apparently taken out 12 LEVEL 1s and my GRASPING MANA traps had shredded another 20, though most of those were LEVEL 0s and only gave 10 EXPERIENCE POINTS each. The Spectral Bear was LEVEL 2, but I only got an assist on that one with Father Keller, but it still gave me another 50 XP. My damage numbers didn¡¯t seem right. If my MANA BOLT SPELL hit at 1 -3, how was I getting so much damage with each hit? I pulled up my SPELLS sheet: Spoiler: Spoiler
MANA BOLT
COST: 1 TARGET: 60 TIME: INSTANT DAMAGE: 1 ¨C 3
On impulse, I looked at the staff in my hand. A moment of focus brought up its properties, and everything made sense: Spoiler: Spoiler
WEAPON PROPERTIES
HANDS MATERIAL TYPE RANGE DAMAGE 1 DAMAGE 2 FOCUS IMBUED
1 - 2 DRAGONWOOD QUARTERSTAFF 5¡¯ 1 ¨C 6 1 ¨C 8 1 ¨C 10 1 - 14
SPECIAL PROPERTIES: ENGRAVED SPECIAL ABILITIES: ???
I had always understood that imbuing it with MANA multiplied things¡¯ damage, but I hadn¡¯t thought to try and quantify it, before. I guessed that the DAMAGE 1 and DAMAGE 2 were force multipliers based on whether I struck one-handed or two-, and IMBUED was the word used to describe when I coated the weapon with MANA, but I didn¡¯t know what ¡°FOCUSED¡± meant. I concentrated on that word and: FOCUSED: This weapon allows spells to be focused through it, thus strengthening the result That must be how a simple CANTRIP like SPARK allowed the tiny flame intended as a light or to start a campfire to turn it into a formidable weapon against the specters. After dismissing the last of the damage notifications, the next ones were LEVEL ups: CONGRATULATIONS! You have reached LEVEL 2! You have SPELL options available! CLASS CHARACTER points automatically distributed; please roll 1 d6 for free CHARACTER points CONGRATULATIONS! You have reached LEVEL 3! You have SPELL options available! CLASS CHARACTER points automatically distributed; please roll 1 d6 for free CHARACTER points CONGRATULATIONS! You have reached LEVEL 4! You have SPELL options available! CLASS CHARACTER points automatically distributed; please roll 1 d6 for free CHARACTER points CONGRATULATIONS! You have reached LEVEL 5! You have SPELL options available! CLASS CHARACTER points automatically distributed; please roll 1 d6 for free CHARACTER points ¡°Everybody check your notifications!¡± I shouted to the rest of the group milling around in the dark hallway, ¡°You may have LEVELed up and have options that will help us with the rest of the fight!¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®the rest of the fight¡¯?¡± one of the nearby men burst out, ¡°we already fought, you mean there¡¯s more?¡± The last words rose to a high-pitched squeal. ¡°We have to assume that there will be more,¡± I said, looking at his frightened expression, ¡°I don¡¯t know that there will be, but we have to be ready. ¡°Rob!¡± I shouted over my shoulder, ¡°when you¡¯ve collected all of your arrows, join me in here,¡± I said, pointing towards the banquet room where we¡¯d gathered the children and those unsuited to fighting, then I pushed past the people who had gathered round demanding to know what other monsters we might face and into the banquet room, shutting the doors firmly in their faces. I stood just inside and let out a relieved sigh and clicked on one of the notifications about new spell options. Immediately, a long list of possible new spells popped up. It wasn¡¯t nearly as long as the CLASS selection list, but it was daunting, nonetheless. At the top of the list were these confusing instructions: You have new SPELL options! You may select one (1) additional LEVEL 1 SPELL You may select one (1) additional LEVEL 1 SPELL and one (1) LEVEL 2 SPELL, or three (3) additional LEVEL 1 SPELLs You may select one (1) additional LEVEL 2 SPELL, or two (2) additional LEVEL 1 SPELLs You may select one (1) additional LEVEL 2 SPELL and one (1) LEVEL 3 SPELL, or six (6) additional LEVEL 1 SPELLs, or three (3) additional LEVEL 2 SPELLs, or one (1) additional LEVEL 2 SPELL and four (4) additional LEVEL 1 SPELLs I puzzled over the different options, but then the light came on and I facepalmed at my own obtuseness. Each LEVEL, I got an additional spell at the previous SPELL LEVEL. At LEVELs 3 and 5, I also got an additional spell at the next higher SPELL LEVEL, or I could trade them for a lower LEVEL SPELL at a 2:1 ratio: One LEVEL 2 SPELL = 2 LEVEL 1 SPELLs and so on. Adding them all up, I could have an astounding 12 more LEVEL 1 SPELLs, if I traded them all in for that level, or if I took them all at their optimum value, I could have 2 LEVEL 1 SPELLs, 3 LEVEL 2 SPELLs, and 1 LEVEL 3 SPELL. *DING*[1] My head swam with the seemingly endless list of possibilities, so I equivocated by pulling up my CHARACTER SHEET and my RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR so that I could distribute my new STAT points so I could see what I really had to work with: The first thing I noticed was that the numbers for DEXTERITY, INTELLIGENCE, and CHARISMA had each gone up by 4, those being the ones that my SCRIBE CLASS considered as primary STATISTICS. Then, I set the RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR¡¯s minimum to 1 and the maximum to 6 and hit the button 4 times to roll my free STATs. They came up as: 4, 4, 2, and 3 for a total of 13 free STATS that I could put anywhere I wanted. Spoiler: Spoiler
MENU
CHARACTER CLASS SKILLS ABILITIES SPELLS INVENTORY CRAFTING JOURNAL MAP CONTACTS TOOLS
TIER 1 INFORMATION
GENERAL SPECIFIC MODIFIER/RESTRICTION STATISTIC
NAME: TOM NOBODY
RACE: HUMAN -1 STRENGTH
GENDER: MALE +1 STRENGTH
AGE: 16 +1 LUCK
DEITY: ATHEIST -100% SPIRIT
TITLE(S): GRACIOUS TO FORGIVE
TIER 2 INFORMATION
CLASS: SCRIBE
LEVEL: 5 XP: 1,090 NEXT LEVEL: 2,500
TIER 3 INFORMATION
POOL: AVAILABLE: TOTAL: RATE PER SECONDS TO REGENERATE
LIFE: 129 129 1 10
STAMINA: 125 125 1Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. 10
MANA: 60 60 1 20
SPIRIT: 0 83 1 20
TIER 4 INFORMATION
STATISTIC: NUMBER: MODIFIER:
STRENGTH: 15 +3
CONSTITUTION: 15 +3
DEXTERITY: 19 +5
INTELLIGENCE: 19 +5
WILLPOWER: 08 -1
CHARISMA: 14 +2
LUCK: 10 +0
AVAILABLE: 13
In the end, I decided that I needed to raise the MODIFER for each STAT in the most optimum way, which meant going for an odd number. I¡¯d figured out that if you subtracted the base STAT number of 10, which SCHEMA apparently considered the average for everyone, and then divided the remainder by 2, rounded up, you¡¯d get your MODIFIER. Since odd numbers did not divide equally by 2, I could save a CHARACTER point by leaving each one at an odd number and still get the same MODIFIER as the higher, even number. *DING*[1] I considered a lot of different options, trying to think ahead to how each point would help me the most, but in the end, I decided that my advice to the people this afternoon¡ªa time that seemed long in the past, but had only been a few hours before¡ªwas the best: I had to optimize for the fight now and not worry about tomorrow. With that in mind, I knew I needed to work on my two main damage STATs: STRENGTH and INTELLIGENCE. Since INTELLIGENCE was a primary STAT, it had already increased by 4, with a MODIFIER of +5, so I raised STRENGTH up to match it. I knew that CONSTITUTION, STRENGTH, and DEXTERITY affected my LIFE POOL, so I put another 4 points into CONSTITUTION to bring it up equal to the other two. That left me with 5 more points. Even though I couldn¡¯t use my SPIRIT POOL at all, and WILLPOWER was its primary STAT, I knew it also affected my MANA POOL, so I brought it up to the next odd number. Besides, its MODIFIER had been a ¨C 1 and I didn¡¯t like the minus. That left me with 2 more points, so I put one each in CHARISMA and LUCK making all of my points odd numbers giving me the most out of the MODIFIERs. After hesitating for a second looking at the CONFIRM Y/N? and selected YES. Immediately, two more notices popped up: Roll 1 d6 for LIFE Roll 1 d6 for STAMINA I rolled a 1 and a 2 respectively. Immediately, my POOLs updated. I looked at the updated numbers. While both LIFE and STAMINA increased by a noticeable amount, the big winners were in my MANA and SPIRIT POOLs, with MANA now at 90 and SPIRIT at 108¡ªnot that it would do me any good, but the WILLPOWER boost helped the MANA, though the totals were still confusing. I really needed to update them sometime when I had more time to try and figure out how each one was figured. Surely, there would come a time when I wouldn¡¯t be fighting for my life when I LEVELed up? Surely! Spoiler: Spoiler
MENU
CHARACTER CLASS SKILLS ABILITIES SPELLS INVENTORY CRAFTING JOURNAL MAP CONTACTS TOOLS
TIER 1 INFORMATION
GENERAL SPECIFIC MODIFIER/RESTRICTION STATISTIC
NAME: TOM NOBODY
RACE: HUMAN -1 STRENGTH
GENDER: MALE +1 STRENGTH
AGE: 16 +1 LUCK
DEITY: ATHEIST -100% SPIRIT
TITLE(S): GRACIOUS TO FORGIVE
TIER 2 INFORMATION
CLASS: SCRIBE
LEVEL: 5 XP: 1,090 NEXT LEVEL: 2,500
TIER 3 INFORMATION
POOL: AVAILABLE: TOTAL: RATE PER SECONDS TO REGENERATE
LIFE: 167 167 1 10
STAMINA: 166 166 1 10
MANA: 90 90 1 20
SPIRIT: 0 109 1 20
TIER 4 INFORMATION
STATISTIC: NUMBER: MODIFIER:
STRENGTH: 19 +5
CONSTITUTION: 19 +5
DEXTERITY: 19 +5
INTELLIGENCE: 19 +5
WILLPOWER: 11 +1
CHARISMA: 15 +3
LUCK: 11 +1
AVAILABLE: 0
Now, I was back to trying to figure out which SPELLs to pick. I flicked open the list almost violently. I just hated feeling rushed, but there was nothing I could do about it. I looked at the list and considered the pros and cons of each different SPELL as I came to them, all the while frustration was burning in my heart keeping me from being able to concentrate. I almost gave up and shut the list completely without making a decision at all when something caught my attention. Across the room, the farthest from the door was a section that had been set apart for the smallest children. One of the caretakers had a guitar and had began to strum a lullaby. The music flowed from her fingers and spread around the room until every eye in the place was focused on her. The crying and chatter of young children that I¡¯d heard when I first came in the room had all died off; the smaller children were nodding away on the mattresses that had been spread for them while the older ones tried to sit up, but their nodding heads showed they were fighting a losing battle. As for myself, the music seemed to give me a sense of calmness; the frustration I felt just moments before seemed to dissolve like cotton candy in water. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯d been so frustrated, if anything, I should have been elated at the wealth of choices I had. With renewed determination and restored concentration, I turned back to the list. It all seemed so simple now. Very quickly, I selected out the SPELLs that I felt would do me the most good. I chose the optimum selection deciding to go for quality over quantity. SCHEMA had informed us that we would be facing LEVELs 0 ¨C 3 tonight, and I¡¯d already faced a LEVEL 2 SPECTRAL BEAR with my (focused) SPARK CANTRIP and (imbued) staff, plus God only knows how many LEVEL 0 and 1 other specters and come out on top. With a cost of only 1 MANA per MANA BOLT or GRASPING MANA, I could spam those spells for quite a while. As the previous battle had proved, I wasn¡¯t the only one here who could fight, either. In the end, these are the SPELLs I chose: 2 LEVEL 1 SPELLs: BURNING MANA: Throws a ball of MANA flames up to 60 feet at a single target for 1 ¨C 3 burning damage. Successful hit causes additional damage over time. Nearby targets may take reduced burning damage if initial target becomes fully engulfed. Stackable; scalable. Spoiler: Spoiler
BURNING MANA
COST: 1 TARGET: 60 TIME: INSTANT DAMAGE: 1 ¨C 3
SHOCKING MANA: Charges caster with electrified MANA that discharges on touch for 1 ¨C 3 shocking damage. Target must save for DEXTERITY or become incapacitated for 10 seconds. Any target touching the primary target must save for DEXTERITY or be knocked back. Scalable Spoiler: Spoiler
SHOCKING MANA
COST: 1 TARGET: Touch TIME: INSTANT DAMAGE: 1 ¨C 3
3 LEVEL 2 SPELLs: WALL OF FLAMES: Places a six-foot-wide wall of flames wherever the caster designates up to 30 feet from the caster. Targets caught in or passing through the flames take 2 ¨C 6 burning damage. Burning targets take additional damage over time. Targets who become fully engulfed may cause reduced damage to other targets with whom they come into contact. Scalable Spoiler: Spoiler
WALL OF FLAMES
COST: 1 TARGET: 6¡¯ DURATION: 60s DAMAGE: 2 ¨C 6
FREEZING MANA CONE: Fires a cone of freezing MANA 10 feet out with the caster at the apex of the cone. The base of the cone will measure five feet across. Targets caught within the area of effect will take 2 ¨C 6 freezing damage. Targets must make a DEXTERITY save or become frozen solid for 10 seconds. Scalable. Spoiler: Spoiler
FREEZING MANA CONE
COST: 1 TARGET: 10 x 5 TIME: INSTANT DAMAGE: 2 ¨C 6
For my defense, I chose an upgraded form of MANA ARMOR which was basically the same as the LEVEL 1 version, but at half the MANA cost. With a flash of embarrassment, I realized that I¡¯d completely forgotten to cast MANA SHIELD in the previous fight, but I could just set this one on myself at the beginning of the fight and forget about it until it took enough damage that I had to cast it again. It would certainly help to prevent sneak attacks or someone shooting unexpectedly from a distance. While MANA SHEILD had seemed to have more utility when I¡¯d selected it, I could only cover someone from one direction, and as events had shown, an attack could come from anywhere. MANA ARMOR II: Covers the USER with a shield of MANA that blocks up to 10 damage unless dispelled. Blocks all damage unless negated by SPELLS or item properties. Scalable. Spoiler: Spoiler
MANA ARMOR II
COST: 5 TARGET: SELF TIME: INSTANT BLOCKS: 10
1 LEVEL 3 SPELL: For my LEVEL 3 SPELL, I chose: MANA LIGHTING: Caster fires a bolt of lightning infused MANA at a single target up to 60¡¯ away for 4 ¨C 10 shocking damage. Target must save vs DEXTERITY or become incapacitated for 20 seconds. Targets take additional shocking damage over time. Targets touching the primary target take reduced damage and must save vs DEXTERITY or be knocked back. Scalable Spoiler: Spoiler
MANA LIGHTING
COST: 1 TARGET: 60 TIME: INSTANT DAMAGE: 4 ¨C 10
With a warm feeling of accomplishment and none of my former frustration, I immediately confirmed my selection. I closed out my screens and looked over towards the children¡¯s area hoping to catch some more of the wonderful lullaby that had helped me so much. All of the children were sleeping soundly as various adults moved between them tucking them in, but the musician was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I heard a voice to my right and nearly jumped back as the woman who¡¯d played the children to sleep had left that group and come to stand next to me while my attention had been on my screens. ¡°Dear God! Don¡¯t do that to me!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± she cried, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to startle you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Okay,¡± I quickly responded when I saw how much I¡¯d upset her, ¡°I was focusing on my notifications and didn¡¯t notice you¡¯d come up. Here, let¡¯s start over¡­¡± I extended my had, ¡°I¡¯m Tom, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Grace,¡± she said, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Tom. I was hoping that I could help out if there was any more fighting.¡± Nonplussed, I looked at her. She was young, well, older than my new physical age of 16, but somewhere in her late teens or early 20s, I¡¯d guess. She was a little taller than me, I thought maybe 5¡¯5¡± or 6¡±, but it was always hard to tell how much taller than me someone was. She was also slight and didn¡¯t have much of a fighter¡¯s look about her. ¡°I appreciate the offer,¡± I started, trying to pick my words carefully so that I wouldn¡¯t continue to upset her, ¡°do you have any particular fighting skills?¡± ¡°N-o-o-o,¡± drawled, ¡°but I¡¯m one of the ones who¡¯s played RPGs before, and I always wanted to be a professional musician, so I chose a BARD CLASS.¡± As if that explained anything. ¡°Okay,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m not one of those who¡¯s ever played an RPG before, so you¡¯ll have to tell me how that can help us in a fight.¡± I added a smile on the end to soften my doubt. It felt fake to me, but it seemed to do the trick, because she perked up and smiled back. ¡°Oh, I can do BUFFs!¡± She said. ¡°Uhh, I remember something about BUFFs from the BEGINNER TUTORIAL I went through, but it slips my mind, can you refresh my memory?¡± ¡°Well, just like what I did with the kids, I used a CALMing BUFF¡ªyou know, I added ¡®CALM¡¯ to everyone¡¯s minds so that the kids would fall asleep faster, and the adults would feel calmer. I can also do COURAGE and I have a DEBUFF of FEAR and one of SLEEP that I can use for the enemy!¡± I stopped and considered her information. The CALM BUFF had certainly helped me decide on what SPELLs to choose; it had just stripped all the worry away and made my choices so clear. I could see how that would help in a fight. Also, remembering the near panic when the specters had first appeared, it might help keep people in the fight instead of running away. ¡°All right,¡± I decided. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried that you¡¯ll get hurt, but at this point, we don¡¯t have much luxury to pick and choose. I¡¯ll try and surround you with some fighters, maybe put you with the priests so that you can all provide mutual support, will that be okay for you?¡± ¡°Oh goody!¡± She actually hopped up and down and clapped her hands; this perky thing could get old quick. ¡°Just let me go get my guitar and I¡¯ll follow you out!¡± With that she ran to put action to words and left me wanting to shake my head. I turned and grabbed the handle to one of the doors to return to the hallway and try to coordinate things. That¡¯s when the screams started. [1] CONGRATULATIONS! Intuitive Learner + 1% [1] CONGRATULATIONS! Intuitive Learner + 1% Chapter 30. The Battle for the Regent Hotel Part II With a thought, I cast my new MAGE ARMOR II and threw open the doors. The hallway was filled with screaming and chaos, people running back and forth shouting and even one of the healers standing in front of the closed doors to the makeshift infirmary had broken down in tears and was being comforted by one of the priests. A teen who¡¯d been guarding the door to the support area shouted my name and tried to grab me, but my armor reacted with a bright blue discharge of energy and threw him back, his eyes round and his mouth opened wide in shock. Raising the burning end of my staff overhead so I could see in the darkened hallway, I managed to identify the main source of turmoil where a woman was screaming incoherently as the metal table leg she was using as a club rose and fell with almost mechanical precision. I couldn¡¯t see through the knot of men surrounding her what she was fighting, but Rob was writhing on the ground nearby howling in agony. ¡°MAKE WAY!¡± I shouted and began shouldering my way through the disorganized crowd. ¡°Get back!¡± I managed to force my way through while simultaneously preparing to blast a MANA BOLT when the oddities of the situation finally began to impress themselves on my mind. ¡°Aaaaah! Aaaah! Oh God! Oh my God! Aaaah!¡± Rob panted as he rolled on the ground holding his stomach, ¡°I can¡¯t stand it! Oh my God, somebody help me!¡± I looked at him in alarm, but I couldn¡¯t see any marks on him. ¡°Kid! What¡¯s wrong? Where are you hurt?¡± I cautiously edged around between where he lay near the middle of the wide hallway and the far wall as several of the men around the screaming woman turned their faces towards me with almost guilty expressions and shuffled a little to the side so I could finally see what the woman was fighting just as she landed another blow on a creature the size of a dog in front of her. ¡°Everybody back!¡± I shouted as I pointed the burning end of my staff at the creature and let loose the MANA BOLT. It shot forward as if the MANA were eager to join the fray and smashed into the monster¡¯s mid-section causing it to fly up off the floor and strike the woman with the club in the chest, knocking her down and landing on top of her. She immediately panicked and began to scream even more as she frantically tried to scramble away. ¡°GET IT OFF OF ME! GET IT OFF OF ME!¡± She screamed and I swept the end of my quarterstaff down and deftly flicked it over onto its back where it lay, multiple legs waving weakly in the air as it lay dying. ¡°What the FUCK?¡± I asked nobody in particular, ¡°A fucking COCKROACH?¡± ¡°Aaahh haaa! Oh my God, I¡¯m gonna pee my pants!¡± Rob wheezed from where he lay at my feet laughing hysterically, as I now realized, ¡°Oh, this is so good. SO good.¡± ¡°Get the fuck up,¡± I told him, punctuating it with a none-too-gentle nudge of a boot, ¡°I¡¯m glad somebody is enjoying themselves, but we¡¯ve got a hotel to save.¡± That set him off again, and I turned away in disgust towards where two men were helping the now sobbing woman to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she managed through hitching breaths, I just panicked when I saw it, roaches are just so disgusting!¡± she spat on the roach and when it hit, it hit like electrified acid, causing a bright spark and a sizzle like holy water on a vampire. *DING*[1] I looked at her as she looked at me, her face mirroring the same shock as we received the death notification, then our heads swiveled back to where the roach lay dead, the acidic spittle still melting its way through the things underside. ¡°Acid spit?¡± I asked, ¡°Electrified acid spit?¡± ¡°Aaaahhh, STOP! PLEASE GOD STOP! I CAN¡¯T TAKE ANY MORE!¡± Rob screamed, still rolling on the floor. ¡°I umm¡­¡± I stammered, ¡°that¡¯s uh ¡­ different,¡± I finished lamely. I switched my staff to my left and stuck out my now free hand, ¡°Tom.¡± ¡°Lynette,¡± she smiled weakly, but genuinely, as she did the same fumbling weapon/hand swap. ¡°I¡¯m the Sales Manager¡ªwas the sales manager¡ªfor the Regent.¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said, staring at the giant dead bug, ¡°Now I guess you¡¯re the roach spitter.¡± ¡°STOP! DAMN YOU!¡± Rob cried as he collapsed again from where he¡¯d been trying to stand and then dissolved into weak gasping bouts of what could have been laughing, or crying, it was hard to tell. It looked painful. ¡°When we were fighting those ghosts,¡± she said, completely ignoring the kid and taking major points from me in the process, ¡°I tried and tried to hit them, but my club just kept passing through. I never really wanted to be a fighter, but, you know, I kind of liked it when you said we might be able to do magic.¡± She shot me a look out of the side of her eyes, ¡°I always wanted to do magic,¡± she added, wistfully. ¡°Anyway, about halfway through, I was starting to get really worried, some of the ghosts had just kind of passed through me and I was getting real cold, like they were freezing me each time they did it, and I kept thinking, ¡®I¡¯ve got to fight these guys before they kill me!¡¯ and I imagined ways I could kill them and, I don¡¯t know why, I guess I settled on frying them with electricity, or maybe dissolving them with acid, and all the sudden, I started hitting them. I got enough of them, that I managed to LEVEL up, and got a SKILL where I could imbue things with electricity and acid! ¡°When that disgusting thing squeezed itself out from under the closet door,¡± she indicated one of the storage closets that lined the hallway, ¡°I was so freaked out, I kind of lost it,¡± she glared at the kid, ¡°I didn¡¯t even think about imbuing my club,¡± she gave me a guilty look, ¡°but when I spit on it, I just wanted to put everything I had into it!¡± ¡°Well,¡± I said after considering that for a moment. ¡°It worked. I guess you ought to see if there¡¯s anything you can recover from the carcass, maybe it has some valuable parts; that shell its got looks pretty sturdy, might make for some good armor.¡± ¡°Eww! No thank you,¡± Lynette backed away shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s all yours, I wouldn¡¯t take anything from a cockroach if it shit diamonds!¡± I heard a desperate sounding wheeze from where the kid was trying to climb up from the floor again, but I¡¯d joined the ignore Rob club and just squatted down and tentatively put one finger on the nearest part of the bug that didn¡¯t have a bristly leg or antenna to see if anything popped up. I didn¡¯t get any notifications, but my TAILORING, HUNTING and COOKING SKILLS kicked in and I knew, somehow, that the meat was a delicacy and that the shell would indeed be good to cut into plates for armor. I got the indication that there might be more that someone else with different SKILLs might find. ¡°Okay, we need to move this to the back of the hallway out of the way so that we can harvest it later when we see how tonight¡¯s going to go. There may be more of these, or different things, so we need to form a squad that¡¯s not too squeamish to collect all the ¡­ I guess parts or bodies or whatever so that everyone who kills something can collect the bits in the morning. I¡¯d have to have a quiet word with the chef about the cockroach meat. I¡¯d always believed that a lot of deep-sea creatures were a little too reminiscent of insects, so I suspected that cockroach and lobster might have a lot more in common than anyone was likely to appreciate. Still, while we¡¯d managed to save most of the perishables in individual inventories, for now, the food we had on hand wouldn¡¯t last forever, and we¡¯d have to figure out some way of feeding ourselves out of whatever came our way, like it or not. I think the American way of pretending meat comes shrink wrapped in the grocery store would probably cover a lot of sins if the chef and I could talk about it without anyone else overhearing. ¡°SCHEMA has a marketplace setup, I don¡¯t know how exactly it¡¯s going to work, here, but nobody¡¯s going to be taking dollars anymore, so we really can¡¯t ignore it when cash just drops into our laps like this.¡± I looked at Rob who had regained his feet, finally, ¡°or crawls out from under the door.¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± He said, but with a big smile. ¡°I was going to get you to imbue my arrows again, but after that, I think I want She Ra here to give me some of that magic spit!¡± That broke the tension in the hallway as everyone shared a laugh and a group of four teens volunteered to take over dealing with the bodies until we could sort them out for harvesting later. The night wore on with a frustrating number of minor encounters. More Enraged Cockroaches crept out from under the closed doors of closets and the restaurants, and in one disgusting case, dropped through a dislodged ceiling tile. The only serious threat came when a group of five banded together and slipped into the room where the children were sleeping. By the time the kid and I managed to rush back there, it was all over, Grace, the bard, had put them to sleep until some of the nearest defenders were able to surround them and club them to death. I resisted jinxing the night with the thought that we might escape unscathed, but hope is a seductive whore and as the light of moon that crept in around the plywood covering the lobby¡¯s windows grew dim as it moved behind the western mountains, I gave in and began to think about what to do when morning came. It was almost a relief when the other shoe dropped. ¡°Hey kid,¡± I started, turning towards where he lounged against the wall to the right of where the hallway let out into the lobby, ¡°When the sun rises ¡­¡± WHUMP! My head whipped around back towards the lobby as my adrenaline suddenly spiked. Something had hit one of the windows around the upper part of the lobby at the second-floor level. I couldn¡¯t tell which one¡ªthank God the plywood held¡ªbut it had to be something big. Either big enough to reach that high, or more likely big enough to make that much of an impact and flying. Please God no giant flying insects, I¡¯d had about enough bugs for one night. WHUMP! WHUMP! Two more somethings crashed into the barriers. The attack was coming from the right side as we looked out into the lobby. I tightened the grip on my staff with my left hand and reflexively added another coat of MANA to it with my right. I¡¯d been doing that, off and on, all night, like a nervous tic; God only knew how many I¡¯d already added to it or whether it did anything but drain MANA after the first layer. Rob straightened up, pulled an arrow out of the quiver strapped over his right shoulder and nocked it. It wasn¡¯t as smooth a move as Legolas in the movies, maybe, but it didn¡¯t suck, either.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. CRASH! That last one caused one of the wood panels to come loose on one side; in the dark, I couldn¡¯t tell by how much, exactly, but immediately, a dark claw or talon or something slid in the newly-created opening and began to try to pull the wood out through the broken window. Not very bright, then, I thought, but when I heard the cracking sounds start, I reconsidered. Maybe, maybe not, but whatever it was it was godawful strong, so it probably didn¡¯t need much in the way of brains. THUMP! BANG! WHOMP! Several more plywood panels around the perimeter, as well as those over the broken double doors, of the lobby began to show signs that something¡ªor somethings¡ªbig was trying to get in. Cries of alarm came from the crowd in the hallway, and I began to worry that the group of makeshift defenders would break before the fight even started. ¡°Anyone who¡¯s discovered any offensive or defensive magic come to the front NOW!¡± I yelled. ¡°Everyone else ready your weapons!¡± I didn¡¯t hold out much hope that many would listen, I had never really been a great leader or one to inspire random troops who didn¡¯t know me, but I didn¡¯t know what else to do. Just then, I heard the soft strum of a guitar and then Grace began to sing, her voice steady and clear: I''ve paid my dues Time after time.. As the familiar lyrics washed over me, I could feel something begin to firm up, my doubts about our readiness started to fade, and hope flared up in its place. I''ve done my sentence But committed no crime¡­ I firmed up my hold on the quarterstaff and settled my feet in a more solid stance. I could feel others around me doing the same. And bad mistakes I''ve made a few¡­ All around me, heads started to raise, looks of fear replaced with, if not confidence, then at least determination. Just then, with a screech of wood against the metal frame, the plywood from the first window¡ªthe one that the claw had been pulling on¡ªgave up the fight. I saw the edge where the claw pulled swivel towards the outside, the other edge swung toward the middle of the lobby before gravity took hold and the whole thing came crashing down. My heart skipped a beat and the new spirit of confidence froze in my chest, I felt everyone pull in a breath, I didn¡¯t know whether to scream or what, but the fear came back, in spades. But then ¡­ I''ve had my share of sand kicked in my face But I''ve come through! I don¡¯t know what happened, but inside me, something clicked, some spirit of heroism that I didn¡¯t even know was there, thought couldn¡¯t possibly be there rose up like a giant grizzly, and with one voice, everyone in the hallway let out a mighty roar¡­ We are the champions, my friends And we''ll keep on fighting ''til the end We are the champions We are the champions No time for losers ''Cause we are the champions of the world *DING*[2] All the thumps and bangs and animal screeches stopped, just stopped. Like they were shocked at our declaration. Truth is, I should have been shocked at it, but there was no room for it inside anymore. There was no room for shock, or fear, or running away, there was only a growing, swelling confidence. We¡¯re going to win! We¡¯re going to send them straight to hell! My whole body, like it was acting on its own, swiveled to face the gaping hole that had been torn in our defenses and I saw the ugliest face I¡¯d ever seen on any creature; glowing red eyes over a flat, smashed-looking muzzle filled with yellow fangs, two giant pointed ears to each side. A fucking giant fucking bat. Another black claw as long as my forearm clicked into place on the other side of that massive head that now began to force its way through the opening. I could feel the rage rolling off of it in waves, like our very existence was an affront. It opened its mouth and suddenly all I could think about was pain. I almost dropped my staff to clap my hands over my ears to shut out the horrible scream that the thing let loose, but then I heard: *DING* [3] And I could think again. What¡¯s more, I was pissed. I lifted my staff and pointed it directly at the thing and let loose my strongest SPELL. With a flash that momentarily blinded me, lightning flashed from the burning end and struck the bat right on its ugly maw. Its scream of rage replaced by one of pain and it disappeared, knocked back outside.[4] With that, it was like everyone had permission to move again. Around me, those who hadn¡¯t made their save climbed back on shaky legs, Grace¡¯s voice, and those closest to her, never faltered; either they¡¯d made their saves, or were too far back for the thing¡¯s sonic attack to reach. Whichever it was, the singing was still sending its courage BUFF over us, and we were determined to win this fight. Unfortunately, we weren¡¯t the only factor in the equation. The bats, and whatever else there was, had a vote too, and they were voting for our deaths. As soon as the first Giant Bat had been knocked back, another took its place, this one, thankfully, smaller, but I revised that opinion as I realized its size meant the size of the opening was no longer an impedance as it shot through. Instantly another followed. The sight reminded me of an old house I¡¯d been remodeling; the soffit around the underside of the roof looked to be rotted away, but one day I realized it had been eaten away by termites as a young queen or queens began their flights to start new colonies, and flying termites spat out of the space like machine gun bullets in what seemed like a never-ending stream. As soon as the first one cleared the opening, its momentum carried it almost halfway across the lobby before its giant wings even began to unfurl. It too let loose a screech of rage, but this one was either not as powerful as its much larger cousin, or our WILLPOWER was already tuned to resist, and other than hurting my ears a little, it had no other effect. With the confidence and clarity that Grace¡¯s song provided, I reacted almost instinctively as I threw up my LEVEL 1 MANA SHEILD directly in its path. The shield wasn¡¯t strong enough to withstand its inertia and shattered almost as quickly as it appeared, but it did shut the thing up and throw it off course from where it had been headed to crash right into the front lines. Quick on its heels, one of Rob¡¯s arrows took it through the throat and it crashed to the ground and slid to a stop, dead at our feet. There was no time to celebrate, though, and I shot fireball after focused fireball out of the end of my staff as its kin swarmed through the opening. Screams of rage and pain echoed off the vaulted lobby ceiling and the space began to fill with smoke and flame as the creatures burned. Two Giant Bats tried to force their way through the window at the same time and became stuck giving me the chance to stop spamming fireballs long enough to cast GRASPING MANA at it, hoping to keep them there like a living plug. Just in case they broke it, though, I added a WALL OF FLAME and their bickering screams of frustration turned into wails of pain as they disappeared behind the fire. Just then, the plywood blocking the front doors took a mighty hit and came crashing down, causing smoke to billow in a huge cloud towards us. I bent down to one side of the barrier in front of me and tried to see under the choking mass of smoke at what was coming through. Rats. That¡¯s okay, I thought, any of us can kill these! I quickly stood and turned to look at the rest of the defenders, greatly encouraged to see that they were no longer cowering in fear, but actually pressing forward in anticipation of a fight. ¡°Come on! These ones can be hurt with your weapons! It¡¯s time to take the fight to them!¡± It was like I¡¯d took my finger out of the hole in the dike as they surged forward, almost knocking me over in their eagerness to take the battle to the enemy. The kid and I held our places as the hallway behind us emptied into the lobby, and we shared a grin as he shot off arrow after imbued arrow at Giant Bats that were forcing their way in as one after another the sheets of plywood covering the windows gave way. I turned and joined him, switching to MANA BOLTs as I didn¡¯t want to take the chance that my fireballs would cause collateral damage to my fellows or the hotel, itself. At that point, the whole battle became a surreal nightmare of confusion interspersed with random moments of absolute clarity, like snapshots of blood and gore. Grace moved forwards with the healing crew and her song changed and rats and bats began to fall, sound asleep as the forward group of defenders hacked and bashed their way through to the door, some of them moving to take up the 4 X 8 sheets of plywood to block it again, using their own bodies to keep them upright. The kid and I, along with a few others who had unlocked some ranged abilities worked on keeping the bats under control, but the sheer number of them made it impossible. Thankfully, Grace¡¯s SLEEP songs seemed to affect them more than I¡¯d imagine, but, again, there were just too many for any group our size to control, and soon there were so many of them flying through the crowded air of the lobby that defenders began to take damage. I don¡¯t know how long we kept it up before the battle began to turn against us, it felt like hours, but it may have been minutes. My MANA was already starting to run low, and I snatched what seconds I could to down as many of the weak, homemade MANA potions as I could. It wasn¡¯t enough. Defenders began to fall; then, they began to die. At first, groups would run out from behind the barricade and retrieve the wounded, but as more and more of the bats began to fill the space, it became too dangerous. I knew the defenders who¡¯d gone forward were out of time, I had to act. ¡°Wait for me to cast then fall back!¡± I shouted to the defenders at the doors. ¡°When you see the MANA hit the floor, leave the doors and fall back behind the barricades!¡± I raised my staff to cast at the doors, but the defenders panicked. They abandoned the barricades and tried to run. It was a rout. It became a massacre. As soon as the ones trying to keep the plywood over the door openings started running back towards us, the wood came crashing down under the weight of hundreds, maybe thousands of rats of all sizes. They swarmed them in numbers I¡¯d never imagined, it was like something out of the worst horror film. I ignored my own order to retreat and vaulted the barricade, the kid following right after, tossing his bow to someone else and drawing his sword. Somehow, I still managed to cast GRASPING MANA and WALL OF FLAME at the front door before we were all overwhelmed. I waded in to the mass of rats swinging my staff like a scythe, imbuing it with SHOCKING MANA over and over again as I swept hordes of rats the size of cats to each side where they landed flopping around as the SHOCKING MANA discharged over and over, while at the same time trying to keep Giant Bats from taking advantage from above. I just had to hope that others would come behind and finish them off, there were too many to pay attention to individuals. Rats began to run up my legs, my MANA ARMOR II flashing sparks as they hit, and quickly failing. I had to drop my staff as it was no use in such a close quarter fight. I knew then that I had made a terrible mistake by jumping into the mass, focusing through my staff was my greatest weapon, but it was too late, now. If I turned back, they¡¯d swarm me just as they were those who¡¯d tried to retreat from the doors. I quickly equipped the knife I¡¯d crafted what seemed like a lifetime ago and used it for my SHOCKING MANA SPELL I didn¡¯t have any finesse; I just swung it wildly, trying not to stab myself in the process. It was all I could do to keep them off my face. I was mostly successful at that, but I began to take damage to my arms and legs. I could hear Rob screaming curses nearby, but I didn¡¯t have any attention to spare for him. We were all on our own. Then, as if things weren¡¯t already bad enough, I heard the rats still flowing in through the now gaping doors¡¯ squeals rise in pitch in what sounded like fear. I shot a quick glance that way and froze in shock as the LEVEL 3 Giant Bat I¡¯d blasted out the window shouldered its way in the door, crushing its smaller and weaker brothers under its bulk. It was the size of a small horse, covered with patchy dark brown fur, smashing those two long claws on the leading edge of its great, black leathery wings into the floor and using them to propel itself forward. Straight at me, with bloody murder in its glowing red eyes. [1] LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach bites Lynette for 3 (piercing) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Rob strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach for 10 (5 piercing +5) LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach successfully resists knock back Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Lynette strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with Improvised Club for 2 (1 bludgeoning +1) Tom strikes LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach with MANA BOLT (focused) for 14 (3 piercing +5 + 6 focused) Lynette strikes Enraged Cockroach with Shocking Acid Spittle (imbued) for 8 (4 shocking + 4 acid) LEVEL 2 Enraged Cockroach has died (XP = 14) [2] WILLPOWER +2 for the next 30 minutes [3] LEVEL 3 Giant Bat hits you with sonic blast for 4 Save vs WILLPOWER you have resisted knockback [4] Tom strikes LEVEL 3 Giant Bat with MANA LIGHTNING (focused) for 15 (8 shocking + 7 focused) LEVEL 3 Giant Bat fails save vs DEXTERITY and is knocked back LEVEL 3 Giant Bat takes additional shocking damage for 5 LEVEL 3 Giant Bat takes additional shocking damage for 3 Chapter 31. The Battle for the Regent Hotel Finale The one good thing about the appearance of the Alpha Giant Bat was that it didn¡¯t give a damn about the rats, and they knew it. Those of us still on our feet had been on the verge of being overwhelmed, but when it appeared, all the rats that were swarming us disappeared like a magic trick; those that weren¡¯t fast enough learned why they should have spent more time on cardio as dozens of them were crushed under the bulk of the giant bat as it heaved it¡¯s bulk from side to side trying to fit through one side of the broken front doors. With a screech of failing metal that mirrored my own failing courage, the part of the door frame that used to separate the two glass doors gave way and the monster shot into the room and directly towards me. I had faced battle before, I was no novice, but it had been a long time, and nothing I¡¯d gone through could compare to the terror that this thing struck in my heart. I¡¯d never considered myself a coward, but all I could think about in that moment was getting away, in any direction, and saving my own ass. I jumped to one side, narrowly avoiding the talon as long as my forearm on the thing¡¯s wingtip that buried itself in the floor where I¡¯d been standing. Somehow, I had the presence of mind to conjure another MANA ARMOR II as I came up from one of the worst jump recoveries I¡¯d probably ever executed. I staggered a few steps before turning around and casting WALL OF FLAMES, hoping to give myself a second to think. That, at least, did something as the creature reared back from the burning WALL OF FLAMES, but my respite was short lived. It opened its ugly maw and I steeled myself for another sonic attack, but not well enough. I was concentrating on fortifying my WILLPOWER to resist a knock down, but this time, the thing¡¯s scream conjured a blast of wind that snuffed out my flames like a birthday candle and blew me back into the wall at one side of the lobby. I didn¡¯t even think of it when I hit and my MANA ARMOR II crashed into pieces around me; I just threw myself to the side and scrambled away on hands and knees, headed vaguely in the direction of the front doors. I¡¯d like to say that I was trying to protect everyone by leading it away from the barricades, but I was going on pure instinct and adrenaline, just trying desperately to stay alive. Whatever my motivation, it did cause the thing to swivel around towards me, back the way it¡¯d come. Thanking anyone who would listen, I was relieved to see that the thing didn¡¯t totally break every law of physics, because it took some bit of effort for it to heave its mass around until it could face me head on, which gave everyone else a chance to get over the initial shock and Rob¡¯s arrows began to pepper it, quickly followed by weak ranged MANA attacks from those who were able. I don¡¯t think it even noticed. The kid¡¯s arrows weren¡¯t imbued, I guess he¡¯d shot all of his imbued ones off, already, and it didn¡¯t look like any of them could penetrate its fur or hide, and the others¡¯ LEVEL 1 spells didn¡¯t seem to have any effect, either. With a thought, I slotted my knife and equipped my staff and fired off another focused MANA LIGHTNING aiming once again for its (hopefully) sensitive nose. That again had some effect, but not nearly as much as previously. Its face dipped to one side as the bolt hit, but instead of being knocked down or incapacitated, it shook it off and came at me, screaming its rage.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I saw my death in its eyes, and something inside me snapped. I matched its with a scream of rage of my own. Barely even aware of the thought, I switched back from staff to long knife and ran towards it as it ran towards me. I think I had some notion of leaping up and stabbing it in an eye, I¡¯m not sure what exactly I was thinking, but whatever it was, it was ill planned and poorly executed. My foot hit a piece of debris on the ground and slid out from under me, causing me to fall forward just as it reached me. I had my right arm fully extended with the knife turned to where the blade was parallel to my arm--evidently so that I could stab better from an overhead swing--meaning it was in the worst possible position to do the creature any damage as its great head the size of a boulder suddenly stretched out and its gaping maw clamped down on my arm. My hand spasmed when it happened and I knew I¡¯d lost the knife, though I couldn¡¯t see it where it was buried in the thing¡¯s mouth. There was little pain, at that point, just a feeling like a terrible weight had been tied to my forearm, and the thing reared its head back and I flew into the air. When my arm snapped, I felt it down to my toes, but the best riposte I could manage was to puke all down my front as I whiplashed back towards the floor. Then, it got worse. The bat opened its mouth and screeched and started worrying me from side to side like a terrier with a chew toy. I couldn¡¯t tell at the time, but from what I¡¯ve been able to piece together, one of the two great fangs that dominated the front of its mouth had become stuck between my radius and ulna. One of the bones had snapped in two, I distinctly remember seeing a flash of one jagged end sticking out through a bloody rent in the skin of my forearm, but it was not only stuck on the one fang, but jammed up against the other, it would have to chew my arm completely off to get loose of me. I knew I was in shock, I¡¯d experienced it several times in my life, so while I should have been panicked and screaming my ass off in pain, the world just seemed to slow down. Everything seemed somehow detached from reality and the whole scene in front of my eyes was framed by tattered edges where everything lost focus. I knew I was going to die, and I seemed Okay with it, but I was just stubborn enough not to want to go out without a fight. I didn¡¯t know how much MANA I had left at that point, I knew not much, but I hoped I had enough for one good spell and concentrated on focusing MANA LIGHTING through my broken arm. I felt the discharge and saw that the bat did as well when its piggy eyes grew twice the size, and felt it even more as its jaws clamped together as it began to convulse from the internal tasering I was feeding it. That¡¯s when the shock passed and the pain hit. Hard. I screamed and all rational thought fled my mind. I couldn¡¯t tell you what my thought process was at that moment; I can only guess that I wanted to shield myself from the pain, somehow. I tried to cast MANA ARMOR II again, but I came up dry. Not enough MANA. So, I defaulted to my weaker and less costly MANA SHEILD, instead. The first thing I knew was a brief, but oh-so-wonderful feeling of relief as my arm stopped shaking with the thing¡¯s convulsions. The next was a pain that made the previous one feel like a tickle as the giant bat¡¯s head¡ªwith my arm still firmly clamped inside its mouth¡ªcame crashing down to the floor. The third thing I felt was when I was nearly drowned by the fountain of blood that hit me from my 5¡¯ MANA SHIELD going off inside the bat¡¯s throat and completely severing its head before shattering. The last thing I felt was blessed oblivion as I passed out. Sorry So, I just got home late yesterday from a week in the hospital. I had two procedures on my back. A fusion and a laminectomy. They told me both procedures went well. Unfortunately, the pain is a lot worse than I expected, and I expected a lot. I just can''t concentrate enough to write, and I don''t know when I''ll be in any condition to take up this fiction, so I''m going to have to put it on hiatus. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I''m very sorry. I want to thank every one of you who stuck with me this far and I hope I will get back to it, soon.