《Redemption》 Prologue On a cold, windy night a young boy slowly trudged through the darkness of the deep woods. A heavy beast fur cloak hung around his shoulders as he made his way towards a massive mountain range seizing the sky above the pines. A quarter of an hour later the boy arrived at the foot of a sheer incline, at which point he promptly turned and began following the length of the earthen wall. After another hour at a slow pace the boy finally reached his destination ¨C a small crack along the mountain, only large enough to allow a small frame to pass through. Once inside the he paused for a minute before continuing deeper into the large cavern spread before him. The walls were made of a heavy black stone different from that which comprised the rest of the mountain range. Easily 500 feet wide, the cavern had an impressively high ceiling demonstrating the strength of the black stone capable of supporting the weight of a mountain. The most impressive facet of the room however, was in the center of the circular cavern. There a massive doorway was placed complete with pure white pillars and gold trimmings, giving it a holy air. Surround the door was countless golden chains, shining even in the dark with no signs of decay despite having spent an unknown amount of time sealed in the cave. Quietly the boy approached the door, until he stood at arm¡¯s length, dwarfed by the massive object fit for giants. There he hesitated for a moment before resolve shone in his eyes and he took out a small dagger ¨C the kind used for skinning hunted animals.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. With a deft motion the boy¡¯s wrist was cut and blood began to flow. As the liquid fell a strange sight appeared ¨C halfway to the ground the blood slowed its descent and came to a stop, floating in midair. There the writhing blood began to form into a small shape, a ring within which was several odd scribbles seeming to represent some ancient language. The blood kept flowing until the boy¡¯s knees began to feel weak from blood loss, only stopping as he fell back onto the ground with one hand clutching his head. Then the blood slowly began to stop wriggling and even seemed to solidify into a ruby colored treasure. The amalgamation of blood slowly floated up and passed through the door underneath the chains. A bright reddish orange light shone out of the cracks of the door and a suffocating pressure descended upon the room, startling the boy, and causing him to shoot to his feet. After twenty seconds the pressure reached its peak and one of the locked chains on the door suddenly shattered in an explosion of light, as if the chain had been made from condensed sunlight. The boy sucked in a breath and prepared for what was to come. However, after breaking the chain the pressure¡­disappeared. A panicked expression came over the boy¡¯s face and he cautiously began to inch closer to the door. When he was once again within arms¡¯ reach he extended his right arm towards the door. The moment his fingertip touched the door an explosion of light, similar in color to the light from within the door, formed at the point of contact and launched the boy¡¯s body across the cavern. His body hit the ground after fifteen feet in the air and bounced five times before sliding to a halt. ¡­ After an unknown amount of time the boy finally opened his eyes, and with a groan propped his body up. Upon a cursory inspection of his body, no serious injuries were found though bruises were many. Only one thing stood out ¨C a glowing symbol on his right hand, exactly like the one formed of blood that had sunk into the door earlier. Upon seeing the symbol, the boys haggard face lit up like the chains on the door, and tears formed in his eyes. Hugging his hand to his chest he slowly got up and made his way back out of the cave and into the howling winds of the night¡­ Chapter 1 Drake woke with a pounding headache. Sitting up blearily and holding a hand to his head, he looked around and realized he was still in his room where he had fallen asleep. What¡¯s going on? he thought. Drake was certain nothing he had done yesterday would have left him feeling like he had been hit over the head with a club ¨C unless that is what happened, and it had been done so hard he had forgotten. Pushing the nonsensical thought from his mind he decided to get up and drink some water as well as get some fresh air. The village had several wells throughout, one of which was in the center of the lane of houses that Drakes abode belonged to. Bringing a small cup with him, Drake walked over to the well enjoying the cool night air as he felt his headache begin to recede. Two cups of water and a few minutes later he decided to enjoy the softly glittering stars in the sky from his favorite spot on the roof. By climbing the fence between his house and the next he was able to reach the edge of the low roof on his house, from there he just needed to pull himself up. Drake knew his father hated it when he climbed using the fence; the last warm season had a lot of rainfall and after one storm Drake had decided to use the fence to again reach the roof. Unfortunately, the heavy rain had reduced the structural integrity of the wood such that Drakes weight was enough to collapse a good five feet of fencing. His father had used this as a learning moment and made Drake perform all the repairs, which had cost him a full day, a small chunk of his savings, and several splinters trying to tear down the broken pieces. Drake smiled while reminiscing, having successfully made it to the roof without collapsing anything. He loved this spot for a few reasons: it had a great view of the rest of the village as well as a small view over the wall surrounding it, and it allowed him to recline while looking at the sky - which Drake thoroughly enjoyed. Leaning back to make himself more comfortable, his headache gone, Drake closed his eyes and prepared himself for a small rest on the roof. With the comfort of a delicate warm breeze it didn¡¯t take long. ¡­ The second time Drake woke was because of a noise. Specifically, the noise of the bucket in the well being pulled up and poured. Cracking both eyes Drake waited a moment to adjust to the low light level of the early morning before looking to see who was mirroring his earlier actions. He then sat up grinning upon see Liz, short for Elizabeth, his neighbor and long-time friend. They had been born just a few days apart and began getting into mischief together just as soon as they could walk. Sliding off the roof, Drake landed nimbly on his feet and walked over to where Liz was finishing another cup of water. ¡°What¡¯s got you up so early?¡± he asked. ¡°Not sure¡­I woke up a few minutes ago with a headache like you wouldn¡¯t believe¡± ¡°I think I might, the same thing woke me up a few hours ago. Felt like someone clubbed me over the head¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Looks like they hit your face by accident!¡± Drake hardly reacted, he was used to it. Seeing as she was capable of joking meant her headache was beginning to fade as well. ¡°I¡¯m going back to sleep after this, I wasn¡¯t made to be up at this ungodly hour¡± Saying their goodbyes Drake and Liz parted ways, each to their own homes. Realizing he was now wide awake after his nap, Drake decided he would get a head start on some of his work for the day. It wasn¡¯t for another four hours that Drake realized something was wrong. Normally the first one in his house to wake up, Drake still didn¡¯t hear the creaking of the floorboards from his father walking into the main room of the house. Perplexed but not worried, Drake decided to be the good son and wake him up. Of course, the method might be a little more¡­creative. Drake thought for a minute before deciding on his dastardly method of morning mayhem. Grabbing two extra planks from the fence episode, Drake positioned them on the side of the bed next to where his father slept making sure they were secure and wouldn¡¯t fall during what came next. Grinning ear to ear in expectation, he swiftly grabbed by his father¡¯s shoulder and knee and pulled him onto the makeshift ramp made of wood. The blanket covering his fathers form came with him and rolled him into a burrito of fabric as he spun down to the floor. Laughing hysterically Drake ran from the room to get a head start on the whupping his father would give him upon realization of his antics. Again, it took longer than Drake would have liked to admit before realizing something was wrong. Now in front of Liz¡¯s house, he still didn¡¯t hear any of the telltale signs that his father was up a chasing after him ¨C something that happened all too often. Walking cautiously back into his father¡¯s room Drake found his father in the same position he had been in as he was running out of the house. Finally, Drake began to panic. He began to lightly shake his father, shaking harder as his attempts failed. As his heart fell into his stomach to stew in fear, he got up and sprinted towards the village center. His thoughts were so frantic that he hardly registered the lack of other villagers. Finally he reached the town apothecary and began banging on the door. After just a few seconds the door swung open, and while panting Drake pleaded- ¡°My father won¡¯t wake up; please can you help!?¡± ¡°Calm down¡± a pleasant female voice responded ¡°He¡¯s not the only one in town who isn¡¯t waking up; something seems to have knocked everyone out cold overnight¡± ¡°Wha-!¡± Drake responded, still breathing heavily. ¡°I¡¯m sure you noticed a bad headache upon first waking today, how long ago was it that you woke up?¡± ¡°Umm ¨C 6..no, maybe 8 hours by now?¡± He stammered. ¡°¡­Interesting. Do you know of anyone else who is awake?¡± ¡°I saw my neighbor Liz ¨C Elizabeth a few hours after I woke up and she was complaining of a headache as well¡± ¡°Would you mind bringing her here? A few of those who are awake have gathered here to try and decide what to do.¡± ¡°O-okay¡± Drake managed to get out before shuffling backwards and beginning to jog back towards his house. ¡­ The adrenaline wore off as he was heading back, and his jog slowed to a walk as he began to think about what was going on. Everyone got knocked out by something last night, some sort of gas? What could possibly infect an entire village so quickly? I doubt it was bandits as the wall would have slowed them and the watch seen them. Besides, I doubt they¡¯d aim for every person in the village.Anyway, it seems like there is no danger since a few people have already awoken. I hope I didn¡¯t hurt Dad¡¯s head with that stunt¡­ As his thoughts trailed off he arrived in front of Liz¡¯s house, not even pausing to knock he let himself in, only stopping once he reached the door to Liz¡¯s room. He had learned his lesson before upon walking straight into the den of the lioness, the only time he could remember having a headache worse than thismornings. He knocked gently, waited a minute, then increases the power behind his knock again repeating the process until he heard some noise from inside. Letting out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding Drake began to think about how he was going to broach the subject of a village wide blackout. When the door swung open he was met with a mess of tangled hair rather than a face. Shoulder length and brown with golden strands the curtain was finally parted by two hands and he saw the brown eyes of his partner in crime. ¡°whazzit??¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­I need you to follow me to the village center¡± ¡°¡­why?¡± ¡°Nobody in the village is waking up¡± ¡°There¡¯s two people awake right here¡± ¡°The majorityis not waking up ¨C I was scared when my Dad wouldn¡¯t wake up, so I ran to the apothecary. Seems it¡¯s a widespread issue and those who are awake have gathered in the village center¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯re pranking me, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°One sec, I need to get changed¡± After a few minutes Liz finished changing and they headed towards the village center. Chapter 2 ¡°So, what¡¯s going on?¡± Liz asked as they walked together towards the village center. ¡°As far as I know something knocked everyone out overnight, and only a few people have woken up, each with a headache like the one you had this morning. Other people don¡¯t seem to wake up no matter how you move them or call their name.¡± ¡°Do you think¡­they will ever wake up?¡± ¡°Since you and I are awake I would think so, but we can¡¯t know for sure right now. The lady at the apothecary seemed to have some idea of what is going on, so maybe she can tell us more.¡± The silence of the village as the two walked was distinct and eerie, the sun was now prominently placed in the sky meaning it was well past the time when the village had normally begun bustling with activity. Nearing the center of the village, the houses had given way to shops and service buildings ¨C the blacksmiths, butcher, leatherworker among dozens of others. While not the largest village in the area, Corsel had everything needed to match a simple life and was considered a paradise to those living within its walls. Very necessary walls as the forest to the east contained bears, boars and other beasts that might come looking for food. The duo finally reached the apothecary ¨C one of the last single-story buildings before the actual village center, the only place where higher stories had been constructed. Knocking on the door lightly this time, Drake was again greeted by the attractive face of the woman who served as the village apothecary. Being large enough meant it was impossible to know the name and face of every inhabitant, and Drake tended to avoid injury or anything that would send him to the building that could be smelled from ten doors down. ¡°You are Elizabeth then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡±Liz replied with an aggressively quizzical look. ¡°Could you tell me about how long ago it was that you woke up?¡± ¡°Well I went right back to sleep once my head stopped hurting, but I think it was about four or five hours ago.¡± ¡°I see, that would put you ahead of the majority that are now awake¡± ¡°Is there some importance to the timing we all woke up?¡± ¡°Come with me to where the others are waiting, and I will do my best to explain what I believe has caused this¡± Following the woman into her shop they assisted her with the bags of herbs and reagents she was gathering and began trudging towards the village center. The center of the village was a wide area, stretching about 75 yards from one building to another across the clearing - making a rough circle. The one difference was the village hall, a large building three storing tall and twice as wide which peaked over all others in the vicinity. This towering construct protruded into the clearing about 30 feet from the Western side. The center of the circle had a patch of well kept vegetation, mainly grass and flowers with a few carefully placed bushes. Gathered on several of the benches as well as spread out on the ground was approximately 30 individuals Drake observed. They ranged from visibly aged to children that had not yet hit puberty, and as Drake watched another villager was led in from the Northern aisle. The 8 paths from the center of the were labeled as aisle, each called by their direction. The Western side was considered the best off as they were furthest from the forest and therefore furthest from danger. Drake and Liz lived in the South -East aisle as their parents had jobs that involved some work outside of the walls, however they were not soldiers and were spared from living in the Easternmost area.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. As he approached Drake noticed a lot of eyes turn towards the lady who was guiding them, all filled with expectation. Seemed she had spoken to a number of these folks already and had left them wanting for her explanation of the situation as well. At the lady¡¯s signal, he and Liz put the boxes they were carrying onto the ground and settled into a corner of the grass carpet to wait. After spending a few minutes rummaging through the boxes, the lady stood and walked to the center of the clearing. She cleared her throat and began to speak, far too quietly to be heard. It became apparent that she wasn¡¯t used to oration ¨C something she noticed as well as she frowned and blushed slightly. Restarting her speech, now much louder, Drake heard the first words. ¡°Those of you gathered here are surely aware of the strange situation we are in. Everyone in the village is asleep with no signs of waking, the few gathered herehave been able to regain consciousness. Fortunately, I believe I have some measure of understanding of what is going on though I do not know the cause.¡± Murmurs began amongthe crowd, which was distinctly sorted into groups of different aisles. Despite this the woman continued, emboldened by her success in speaking. ¡°Surely each of you knows that magic, and mana, are forces that exist in our world. You should also know that they are extremely limited, being only enough for simple shows or small tricks. However, this was not always the case.¡± That shut the murmurs up, and people looked at her in bewilderment. ¡°My profession ¨C potion maker, requires a small use of magic to combine and bind all ingredients and is considered a highmagical job. To become registered for this I visited a school in the capital for some time, where I learned many things. Most notable to our situation is the fact that the density of mana was not always this low. Hundreds if not thousands of years ago the density of mana was so high that nearly everyone was capable of using it, and it¡¯s use in warfare was overwhelming.¡± The murmurs began again, some excited, some mocking. Drake continued to sit in silence thinking about the shocking information. As far as he knew, magic was a rarity and not something people concerned themselveswith. Those who could use it had access to some higher tier jobs but were not generally considered to have higher status. The woman had learned quickly how to speak to a crowd and waited for some silence before continuing. ¡°To keep things simple: I believe what knocked everyone out was a wave of pure mana, which has increased the density to levels many times what we are all used to. To prove this I present a few of the herbs I use on a daily basis.¡± She leaned down to pick up a small burlap bag, and from it produced a lightly glowing plant. ¡°This plant likely evolved many years ago to use mana and create light. Normally it is dim and requires a mage to feed it mana to glow. Now as you can see it glows without any external help¡± As she finished speaking she dropped the plant. Even after landing it continued to glow, proof that she was not supplying any mana. This earned her more than murmurs as people became visibly agitated and the noise level rose by a few notches. ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me to continue I believe there are two more points it would be prudent to cover. All of you were able to wake up early because you possess more advanced levels of mana affinity. Hundreds of years ago you would have had the ability to become mages, earlier waking times likely signify greater affinity.¡± This served to both calm the crowd and excite them at the same time. People no doubt imagined the incredible possibilities such magical talent might entail. Drake found himself wondering if he would be able to shoot fireballs, fly, and control the weatherlike heroes in bedtime stories. After a much longer pause the lady began speaking again, seemingly reluctant to do so. ¡°The recordsalso told of another great difference from today¡­thanks to the abundance of mana certain¡­creatures were able to exist that may have presented a danger to humanity. These were sealed along with the magic of the world long ago, but if this wave of magic has any connection to that I believe we should be on the lookout for potential dangers.¡± The way she presented clearly lessened the blow, but her words were enough to incite panic amongst those gathered. Fortunately, the lack of immediate danger gave people time to calm down, at which point a man got up and walked to the center area which was now designated as a place for people to speak. Drake clearly recognized this man as one of the village officials, despite never having an interest in the politics surrounding such positions. ¡°While I¡¯m sure you are all worried about yourselves and loved ones, now is not the time to panic. In order to properly face this potential threat, order and planning is required; I would ask that any guards or soldiers come talk with me after this to set up a patrol rotation that will be ready for these ¡®monster¡¯ attacks if they ever come. Other noncombatants are to come with me to register their name as well as an approximate time for when they woke up. After that you are instructed to continue your daily routine, only stopping to help others as they wake up and direct them towards the village hall.¡± With that order was restored before it could be truly lost. Being only 15 years old, Drake was too young to be considered for the patrol duties despite his sword training. He instead registered his time with the man and headed home alongside Liz. Chapter 3 Roughly a month passed in the village after the night of endless rest as it had come to be called. Things were normal for the most part, despite the introduction of enough mana to perform magic. Some tried to figure out the ways in which to manipulate the esoteric force, but oddly they hadn¡¯t gained any sort of sense for the stuff. Everything was like before and there attempts usually ended in a beet red face from extreme concentration. The apothecary, which Drake had now learned went by the name Aela, had become a sort of advisor to the whole village. She began to explain some of the workings of magic, how it might affect the villagers, and tried to start lessons about the manipulation of mana. However, she quickly realized even her own use of mana had been shut down, despite her constant use for the past decade. This quickly led to the realization that the wave of mana had more to it than raw force; soon measurements began, and it was found that the density was already hundreds of times the normal and climbing. Sighing, Drake resumed his wood chopping. He was a logger¡¯s assistant, usually one of the few professions to enter the forest to get timber. The recent events however meant that he was confined in the walls for fear of a beast attack. Things would remain this way until they got a notice from the empire giving details on what was going on. Drawing his axe back into the air, Drake brought it smashing straight down onto a waiting log splitting it open with a *ping* sound. Wait¡­ping? And suddenly things began to change. In front of Drakes face was a small screen that read.
Drake Verity Class: None Level: N/A -- 0%
Strength: 4 Constitution: 5 Agility: 7
Dexterity: 6 Intelligence: 5 Wisdom: 4
Abilities Extreme Mana Affinity Blessing For Humanity Skills Rune of Regeneration
What¡­is this? Drake thought, bewildered. Could this be another part of that wave of mana? But Aela didn¡¯t mention anything like this¡­ While wondering about the origin of the odd window that seemed to be floating in midair, another one suddenly came into existence, overlaying the first. System reinitialized, due to lasting absence tutorials will be reimplemented. Welcome to the System! A service available to worlds with an abundance of mana to allow balance with the monsters of the world. As a new member of the system you have minimal stats each averaging 5 with deviations based on your physical and mental attributes. Drakes mind was reeling from the information and implications it could have. First on his mind was the fact that monsters were practically guaranteed based on what this ¡®System¡¯ was saying. Thanks to the tutorial certain aspects of the System will be explained upon inspection by users. Taking a few minutes to try and wrap his mind around what was going on, Drake shook his head and decided to let the ¡®System¡¯ do the talking. It seemed it would give him explanations for things it deemed important. Testing this out, Drake focused on his highest stat AGI. AGI represents agility and the ability to move at high speeds, also slightly increasing cognitive speeds. Seeing a reasonable, succinct answer had Drake nod before inspecting his other stats. STR represents strength and the ability to exert maximum force when lifting or striking. CON represents constitution and the ability to take more damage without injury as well as increased regeneration from physical wounds. DEX represent dexterity and the ability to better control movements as well as improving reaction times. INT represents intelligence and the ability to memorize and recall, also slightly increases cognitive speeds. WIS represents wisdom and the ability to learn and apply new information, also affects mana regeneration. Thinking over the new information Drake understood what each represented though certain parts seemed a bit odd. Were these increased through training? Or would he be able to increase his strength with the system and then suddenly be able to lift more? Stat Gains Upon receiving a class every individual receives 5 points upon reaching a new level, which they can allocate to any of the statistics. Additional points may be garnered from abilities. Drake had many more questions, like how one was able to get a class, but the rising commotion made him realize it might be best to gather to the center of the village to get more answers. Before heading straight to the center of the village Drake headed to Liz¡¯s house to go with her. He felt more comfortable going with someone and she was the best friend he had. Reaching her house, he opened the door directly sans knocking to be greeted with Liz holding a knife and staring at him intently. Momentarily worried, her continued lack of motion told Drake she was probably looking through the system pages like he had been doing. She had likely been cooking and hadn¡¯t put the knife down before poring over the new information. Drake realized he had done the same with his woodcutting axe and sheathed it in the small holster on his right hip he had made a year ago. He had never been much for crafts, having little patience to spend doing something so mind-numbing. He supposed some could find peace in the action, and he was at least a little happy with how his product had turned out, but he didn¡¯t see himself become a tradesman anytime soon. ¡°Hey¡± Liz looked up after a few seconds, mouth open, obviously confused and probably more than a little scared. She was like that, mischievous yet emotional, always toeing the line with pranks so they bring more joy than harm. ¡°What is- are you seeing this stuff?!¡± ¡°Yea, I can¡¯t make much sense of it, so I figured we would be better off going to the village center where I¡¯m sure people will begin gathering.¡± ¡°Oh...yea you¡¯re right¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you keep me around isn¡¯t it?¡± She looked at me with a beleaguered look. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, you¡¯re more family than anyone else I know¡± Taken by surprise at the honest feeling, Drake could only silently open and close his mouth before signaling that she should follow him. The two began to wordlessly walk towards the center of Corsel, Liz still tinkering with the floating screens. What she had said was very true, her father was someone she had never met, and her mother was now a part of the empires army, only sending money back but never visiting. To Drakes knowledge it had been almost two years since he had seen the woman, and then she had been so terse and formal he could only stand quietly to the side as the two women regarded each other. Most years birthday gifts were sent, but never on time. He could understand why she disliked her family, but he could also see the strain her mother was going through not knowing how to raise a child. She was loved but loved in a way she did not understand. Drake and his father had helped fill the hole in her heart, being there for her, eating meals with her, and making memories. He wondered how the empire and the army were doing I these times ¨C if beasts were bound to sweep through the country then they would have their hands full. Shaking his head, he turned to Liz who was still poring through screens. ¡°Aside from what the stats mean I didn¡¯t look too hard into the ¡®system¡¯, did you find anything cool?¡± ¡°Mm, I¡¯ve been looking through all sorts of things ¨C skills, attributes, but I¡¯m really interested by the Blessing for Humanity. According to the info from the system it was a part of the seal that was put in place to stop the monstrous horde. Soma grand sage something or other put his life into this thing, and it grants some pretty sweet bonuses if I understand right.¡± Drake decided to check out the thing that Liz was gushing over. Blessing for Humanity Using the life of grand sage Albrecht Becker, a blessing was fused into the mana of the seal used to seal the monster horde. Upon its release all humans will receive this blessing. +10% Experience gain Ability to effectively communicate with all humans Minor Resistance to Fear ¡°Based on the experience gain it seems we are supposed to raise our level? How are we supposed to do that? I hope it doesn¡¯t involve fighting the monsters that are apparently coming.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really get a clear answer on that one, apparently this system is lie a way we can interact with mana as a resource from¡­somewhere else, didn¡¯t tell me where. By using mana in certain ways, we can raise our level, I think by making things or absorbing more mana.¡± ¡°Ehh I¡¯m not so much into the whole crafting thing but I suppose with whatever benefits the system brings along I could get into it¡± ¡°I¡¯d guess killing monsters would also do it, since they are super saturated with mana¡± ¡°Where do you read that?¡± ¡°I just focused on the monster¡¯s part of the massage from the blessing¡± Monster Beings intrinsically linked with mana, having been born from and molded by it. They possess strength on par with the amount of mana they contain which can be increased with time. ¡°So, these things are just going to pop into existence now that mana has been introduced to the world?¡± That thought rewarded him with another message. Introduction of MonstersDid you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Due to the low density of mana in the world, only the weakest will be able to enter until the density reaches a certain level. Points of high concentration may form dungeons which will have higher level existences. Current density: 10% ¡­ At the new message Drake scrunched his face and went silent. ¡°What is it? Or should I say how bad is it?¡± Liz asked at seeing his expression. ¡°You should probably look for yourself, focus on the introduction of monsters¡± After just a moment Liz had a face that mirrored Drakes earlier expression. ¡°This is really important information, we need to make sure Aela and the Elders know.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Having been roped into the system scouring, Drake continued to look through screens as they walked. Abilities Passive boosts that can represent nearly anything. These can be gained through a multitude of means. Skills Skills require action to be used and most often involve the use of mana. These can be gained through a multitude of means. Extreme Mana Affinity Your use of mana comes naturally, and you perform far better than others. Cannot be upgraded further. Mana control +100% Mana recovery +50% Rune of Regeneration A small rune carved on the body capable of regenerating wounds based on the amount of mana utilized. Can be upgraded further. *WARNING* Due to internalizing the rune, its affects cannot currently be manifested outside of the user¡¯s body *WARNING* Due to severe damage the rune will have very reduced efficacy Upon inspection of his active skill he was met with multiple warning. He wasn¡¯t even sure what the rune was or where he had gotten it from. ¡°Hey, do you have any¡­runes? Or active skills at all?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t have anything in my skills section, and what¡¯s a rune?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but for some reason it says I have one inside of me and it¡¯s badly damaged¡± ¡°We should ask¡ª¡± Suddenly the ground began to shake, Drake and Liz both half-walked half-fell to the wall of a shop and began to look around wildly as the rumbling grew. It was but a moment before they learned the cause of the rumbling as the Eastern wall veritably exploded, sending shards of wood dozens of meters into the sky. Through the splinters and the dust cloud hundreds of shapes could be seen charging, ranging in size from a toddler to a two-story house. The speed at which the monster horde was moving was the scariest part, Drake could tell there would be no chance of outrunning it, so he grabbed Liz by the hand and pulled her to the side of the building. In coordinated fashion he hoisted her onto the roof before climbing on himself. As the stampede got closer he could tell two things, they were avoiding the building in lieu of speed and open space, and they were failing miserably. The sheer number of monsters pushed those in front and jostled them round until they smashed into numerous building, larger monsters levelled a house, smaller ones punched holes through walls. The sight of two humans clearly excited some of them as he followed the gazes of a few that began growling, screaming, or whooping. Realizing his position would soon be forfeit, he motioned to Liz and began running along the roofs, generally heading towards the center of the village but more so looking for anywhere safe. Looking over his shoulder at the monster horde, he widened his gaze to look past the head of the pack. What he saw gave him some hope. On the ground several monsters were lying still, too injured to move or dead. But beyond that, near where the wall had been, he saw humans. Some of the guard were actively fighting with the beasts. While he could tell the guards were having a tough time of it, the fact that they were able to fight meant this wasn¡¯t an unescapable tragedy. Looking again in the direction he was headed he saw the center of the village, crowded with people but with many beginning to stream towards the Western aisle. A few of the brae ones had taken some defensive positioning with whatever they could find: he saw blacksmith hammers, tongs, and fair amount of kitchen knives being wielded. Being on the roofs meant he and Liz had an advantageous position, they were able to both see the horde more clearly as well as bypass the crowd that was pushing and shoving below. Choosing to take advantage of the fact, they continued into the Western aisle. It was there they were presented with a problem. Being the richest part of the village, many of the houses near the village center had two stories. While climbing up would not be a problem, a fall from this height could very well be fatal and the horde was gaining. Drake thought grimly that the crowd in the village center might slow them down, but the weight and number of monsters would eventually overrun them. They decided they didn¡¯t want to be on the ground for when the horde made its way through. Now high enough to see beyond the walls they were running towards, and subsequently high enough to be severely injured with a fall, Drake could see what few were lucky enough to make it out of the walls. A good number of them were gathering around some of the caravans positioned alongside the stables by the edge of the village. Some were also continuing their mad dash into the fields to the west, likely intent on running all the way through to the closest villages. He wasn¡¯t sure if those villagers were fairing better if they faced the same dangers Corsel was currently facing. ¡°The caravan, it¡¯s leaving!!¡± Liz¡¯s shout alerted him to the fact. ¡°If we sprint we should be able to catch up before it gets too far.¡± Drake reassured her. They decided to pick up the pace, going from a comfortable jog to a run, burning some of their stamina for the prospect of safety. Risking a look back Drake made sure their situation wasn¡¯t dire. Many monsters had indeed been held up at the crowd in the village center, a few had broken out, but most were far from them. However, Drakes blood froze when he saw what looked like a giant leopard staring directly at them now only a few hundred feet back. ¡°Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT¡± Drakes voice quickly elevated from a near whisper to a full-on shout prompting Liz to look back and blanch. ¡°Sprint! If we can make it to the wall it might slow down and give us time to escape¡± Seemingly the only plan with any chance of success the two took off across the roofs, now only some 200 feet from the edge of the wall. The wall was made of wood, processed by a craftsman and layered until it stood about 15 feet in height and 3 feet in depth. It surrounded the village and was the greatest source of defense for the village. The monster horde not just breaking through but shattering the east gate likely crushed the confidence of villagers. Between the last house and the ramparts around the wall there was a gap of about 12 feet, with a height difference of somewhere between 8-10 feet the house being higher. Perhaps it was the adrenaline but both Drake and Liz jumped immediately, landing securely on the platform near the top of the wall. He helped her climb to the wall where she pulled him up and together they dropped to the ground. Breathing hard they slowed to a quick jog for a few seconds to get some energy back. The caravan was just barely in sight, the last few members beginning to crest a small hill. Drake kept glancing back at the wall as they moved, worried about he monsters ability to surmount the wall. This meant he saw an incredible feat. The leopard was easily twice as large as normal and had an abnormal look to its pattern. The normal spots on a leopard were more spaced out and black arcs that looked to be a part of its fur jumped back and forth between the spots like lightning. This gave it a feeling that it was always moving with incredible speed. That speed was no longer up for question as the beast cleared the wall in a single jump effortlessly. Feeling an even larger rush of adrenaline he yelled to Liz and pushed himself to top speed, intent on getting close to the caravan for protection. Unfortunately, the leopard was far too fast for them to win a footrace. They were still nearly 150 feet out when Drake realize they would not make it. Keeping an eye on the predator behind him he waited as long as he could before he turned to face it, drawing his woodcutters axe for what little protection it would offer him. He heard some commotion from the caravan, so he knew they saw him. Liz was smart, and he heard her yelling for help, waving her arms and he thought he heard her choking up a bit. Focusing all of his attention on the creature that was now preparing to pounce on him, Drake tuned out the noise of his potential saviors. It was somewhat dangerous he knew, they might call to him at some point with advice, but this was the way he always was with sports or fights ¨C drowning out all thoughts but what was in front of him. From the leap before he could tell this thing was faster, stronger, and quicker than he was. Therefore, he resolved to dodge preemptively rather than reactively. Knowing he needed to keep its attention on him he also bent down to grip a handful of dirt and stone, ready to throw it if the thing so much as looked at Liz¡¯s fleeing back. His gaze intensified as he tried to take in all of its movements, strengths and ¨C hopefully - weaknesses. He was rewarded with another blue screen, somewhat up and out of the way so it didn¡¯t hinder his view of his foe. Lightning Leopard Lv. 21 Usually a stealthy predator, that have quick movements and high attack power but relatively poor defense. All of this was information he had gleaned from its movements earlier, but it was good to know it had some sort of weakness if Drake could find a way to exploit it. Its level was also crazy high, given how no human had a level higher than 1. Unfortunately, the time for thinking was over as the leopard had reached a range where one jump would be enough to reach Drake. Without a pause it leapt towards him with a preternatural grace, rivaling a bird¡¯s grace in the sky. However, Drake had also begun moving, rolling to the right while simultaneously tossing the dust soil and rocks he had picked up earlier into the space he was formerly standing. He made sure to dodge extra far, fearing it might change direction in air to hit him. It did indeed flail its claws in his direction but missed by a few inches, and instead collided face first into the cloud of debris tossed by Drake. Momentarily disoriented it began to shake its head to clear the dust from its eyes. In that space Drake decided to attack. Had he though about it, running probably would have been the better option to keep his own life intact, but he was already in battle mode and an opening meant an attack. He got one big strike with the axe, cleaving some ways into the flesh of the beast ¨C but not nearly as far as he had hoped having run into the tough muscle and sinew of this apex predator. Face hardened Drake attempted a follow up attack, but suddenly had the wind know out of him as the leopard instinctively swatted him with the back of its paw. He flew five feet and skidded to a stop, keeping his eyes on the creature but staying down for a moment to catch his breath. Both he and the beast recovered at the same time, once again facing each other as opponents having learned from the first exchange. Drake once again had a handful of dirt and dust which the leopard eyed warily. At this time another loud splintering echoed out as the western gate was smashed to smithereens. From the wreckage a large body could be seen with numerous smaller ones streaming out in front. The system alerted him they belonged to and ogre and goblins respectively, creatures that often lived in a symbiotic relationship. Swearing Drake immediately turned and ran towards the woods to the side of the path he caravan was following. The leopard had turned at the loud noise, so Drake got a few dozen feet on it before it turned and began to chase after him. Using that time Drake spared a glance at the caravan which had continued to move with only a few people hanging back with bows in an attempted defense. He now realized there were a few arrows scattered near where he had battled before, obviously in an attempt to help but shot by incapable individuals. Now with ogres and goblins approaching the people in the caravan they couldn¡¯t spare any more time on him and were again moving at top speed away from the village. The goblins all had low levels, so he figured they could handle the immediate threat, plus they were drawing things away from him which was good. The bad news was the leopard was almost on him again as he raced into the thicket. Perhaps not the best place to fight a nimble foe, the woods served to avoid the view of other monsters. Provided he could kill or escape from the leopard he could have some time to work out a plan. None o the trees around were worth climbing and he figured the leopard was good at climbing, so he simply continued deeper into the dense foliage. Along the way he managed to grab a nicely shaped branch that were serve as another weapon in the rushed combat. Realizing he could no longer hear the leopard¡¯s steps he peeked back to find the thing was gone. Only then did he remember that it was supposedly a stealth hunter and would find the heavy vegetation a perfect place to sneak around. Knowing that it was faster than him, Drake decided he would find a place as open as possible to face the ambush. Hurrying along it only took him two dozen steps to reach a clearing made by a small pond; it was only about 30 feet across and knee deep, but it would be perfect for giving him time to react to the leopard reemerging from the tree line. Standing, knee deep in the water was the most stressful thing Drake had ever done. For three stressful minutes he stood silently, waiting for what could be his death. Every rustle of leaves was suspicious and every shadow suspect. Drake continued to spin around, making sure there was never enough time for the leopard to sneak behind him. Finally, the leopard revealed itself, abandoning the sneak tactics upon realizing Drake had found such an open space. Pausing at the edge of the pond, it tensed up in preparation for leaping at Drake, its eyes watching his every move. Then it pounced. Being in water Drake knew his mobility was cut, but so too would be the leopards after the first leap. Or so he thought. By dropping back flat into the water he managed to dodge the claws that were aiming for his throat. The leopard flew by, continuing its momentum all the way to the other side of the pond 30 feet away. Now drenched, the cold water calmed some of Drakes nerves and forced him to think. Taking his axe, he cut off his shirt and dunked it in the water, making sure it was dripping wet. Keeping an eye on his foe, he spread the shirt out as far as possible in preparation. Again, the leopard leapt, this time aiming a bit lower, willing to wet its paws in exchange for a kill. The low jump allowed for even more speed, it moving fur looking every bit like black-gold lightning. As it leapt drake tossed the shirt in the air before stabbing it with the stick he grabbed earlier and throwing it into the path of the leopard. Tearing out with its claws the shirt was destroyed along with the stick, but his goal was accomplished. The wet shirt had wrapped around its front paw, its weight causing the leopard to be knocked off balance, spinning into the water. The fall soaked its fur and the sudden temperature change stunned it momentarily. Drake used this opportunity to attack. Learning from his last attempt he knew that despite its apparent weakness in defense Drakes own lack of offense could not properly pierce its body. So, he aimed for the head. Drake began moving before it had even landed, jumping into the air, and raising the axe above his head with both hands. Envisioning the head as another log of wood, Drake struck the same way he had countless times, but with much more force. The air faintly whistled as it cut through the air, its dulled blade offering enough resistance to be felt. Drake only swung harder. The moment it made contact Drakes whole body shook, combined from the force and the emotional shock. The handle of his axe snapped leaving him holding a broken nub. But his attack had worked, the blade was now embedded some two inches into the skull of the monstrous predator. It thrashed for a moment before going still blood oozing out of the wound and dying the pond red. Drake fell to his knees, he could feel himself crying from the emotional burden that was now lifted, all his exhaustion coming back. It was all he could do to crawl to the shore before passing out, his feet still submerged. Chapter 4 Drake felt awful. His first thought upon waking were something along the line of Ow, ow, ow-oh a blue screen-ow, ow. Some body checks revealed a lot of damage to his ribcage area, from when the leopard had backhanded- back pawed? - him during their fight. His torso was turning a lovely shade of blue that made it painful to breathe. He could even muster enough willpower to focus on the screens. Wait. The system. Don¡¯t I have some healing skill? Finally managing to pull up his status, he confirmed that a skill called Rune of Regeneration was indeed in his skill list. Now how do I use it? Ow. Skill Use Willful desire to use a skill activates system assistance to manipulate mana into proper forms. That¡¯s simple. Please use the rune of regeneration. Ow. Drake focused his mind as best he could whilst holding his breath to limit the pain. He felt a cool sensation begin to gather towards his right hand, a light glow seeming to form from within his palm. After thirty seconds or so a warm feeling was transferred back to his body, mainly his chest, and as he watched the swelling decreased and the color changed to his normal peachy tone. Holding the skill made Drake feel amazing, like an unbridled power was washing through him filling his body with strength and his mind with confidence. The feeling was like liquid youth, if that made any sense, his desires to run and jump and punch and kick all screaming out as if they could no longer hold back. The feeling continued to spread until it encapsulated every inch of his body. Unable to suppress himself he got up and began running back and forth, kicking off trees and snapping branches. Then he began to feel woozy and the world began to spin. Unwilling to part with the sensation he held on, the world spinning faster and faster until it was all cut short as he again passed out. ¡­ Waking for the second time Drake still felt awful, this time not due to physical pain but rather a more mental and emotional pain. A dull ache had formed right behind his eyes, and his body that had previously bee full of strength now felt hollow. Mana Deprivation Upon use of all mana stored within the body, extreme weakness and fatigue will overcome the user. Unlock: Mana gauge Looking blearily though the pain in his head, which was reminiscent of Night of Endless Sleep, Drake realized that the cool sensation must have been his mana moving in his body. That meant that whatever rune was in his body was in his right hand. Observing his palm revealed no significant changes, though it seemed smoother than before. Shaking his head, Drake observed the rest of his body, which was feeling much, much better than before. He had no cramps, no muscle soreness, no bruising, no pain. While not at the level of what he would call a miracle, it was certainly better tan any medicine he had heard of. Looking again at his status he noticed a small addition next to his skill. Rune of Regeneration (0.01%) This was promptly followed by an explanation. Skill Mastery Utilization or insight into skills increases the mastery level, increasing their power. At 100% mastery the skill can evolve into a higher tier if an evolution exists. That¡¯s right, it did say something about how the skill could evolve further¡­I¡¯ll have to work on that. While pondering how he could further his mastery with the rune in his hand, Drake turned towards the body of leopard. He was met with the sight of a small orb, the size of a fist that looked like it contained a storm cloud. The body of the leopard was gone, as if it had never existed. Even the blood along the far edge of the pond had disappeared.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Stooping to pick up the small artifact, Drake was met with yet another window. Monster Drops Upon killing a monster, the mana making up their body will be absorbed to increase the level of the user, monsters with high levels of mana may form crystals that will in turn become ¡®items¡¯ when they are killed. A large difference in level between the user and monster will increase the quality of the item. Satisfied with the explanation, Drake observed the orb more closely. It was perfectly smooth to the touch, with swirls of darker and lighter grey and the occasional flash of energy. Just as he was able to see monster names and levels, he also saw a description for the item off to the side of his vision- focusing on it brought it to the middle of his line of sight. Lightning Leopard Core (Uncommon) Grants the user minor lightning manipulation. Use? Y/N Yes! Absolutely yes! Drake thought the moment he read the description. The smooth surface of the orb shattered, turning into sparkling light that disappeared before it hit the floor. The small storm cloud within then spread out before slowly moving to Drakes chest and passing straight through his skin. A small sense of euphoria again came over him and he shuddered. Finally, the moment passed, and Drake again opened his status page. [Drake Verity] {Class: NONE} | Level: N/A---0%| | STR: 4---CON: 5| | AGI: 7---DEX: 6| | INT: 5---WIS: 5| {Abilities} |Extreme Mana Affinity | Blessing for Humanity {Skills} | Rune of Regeneration---(0.01%) | Minor Lightning Manipulation He was happy with his new acquisition, but felt a bit confused at the lack of a level. Wasn¡¯t killing monsters supposed to raise his level? Why didn¡¯t the percentage change? Classes Classes increase and specify the power of a user and may be strengthened by levelling up. These can be chosen at any time from the list of classes but cannot be changed until the maximum level for the class is achieved. While classless excess mana will be saved until a class is chosen. List of available classes: The list was not very long but it left Drake with a large decision. Should he pick one now or would it benefit him to wait and see if he could unlock something more powerful? On one hand he was certainly in need of immediate power, there were definitely going to be things roaming around that were as deadly as the leopard but with larger numbers. On the other hand, it would improve his odds of success if he could get a class that gave him more. Unsure, he decided he would interrogate the ¡®system¡¯ to see if he could get a clearer picture of things. ¡­ A few hours later and Drake felt almost overwhelmed with the newfound knowledge. He had learned a massive number of things about classes, monsters, and the system. For starters, he learned that the tutorial would end upon his selection of a class. This had prompted to get him to ask for every detail he possibly could on every issue he could think of. He even asked if ¡­ He had learned that this wave of monsters was those escaping from the rift where the seal had broken, an area that had become more mana dense than much of the world meaning more powerful monsters would appear there first. Plants and animals would soon begin to strengthen as well, allowing for improved medicine and food products but also making them another potential danger to humanity. Due to their lack of sentience they would grow instinctually which would stunt their growth in the long run as well as make them more predictable. Finally, Drake had decided on an answer to his class dilemma. Based on the short descriptions the system gave him for his options, he had decided on the adventurer class. It was available to all who were choosing a class and provided survival skills ¨C the system had recommended it as the first class he take as it had a max level of only 20. Drake wasn¡¯t disposed to fighting much more, so being able to survive off the land would hopefully allow him to make it to proper civilization. Delving back into the system, he navigated to the class page and selected the Adventurer class. Warning! Selection of a class will end the tutorial, proceed? Y/N Clenching and spreading his fist continuously, Drake gave it one more thought before reaffirming his decision and selecting the Y. Immediately he felt the cool sensation in his chest spread out, the same as it had when he used the rune in his hand. This time however, it spread through his whole body, simultaneously revitalizing, and draining him. It felt like it was traveling through his veins at first, but after a few seconds he felt the chill pervade his muscles. It filled him with power, but different from the hot feeling of reckless power from the rune, a more controlled, long lasting power that was quickly becoming his to wield. A look to his stat screen explained the feeling as every one of his stats had risen by two. Considering his low stats, it was a considerable increase. Then he notification popped up that Drake had been waiting for, his skills one for selecting the class and a surprise second for reaching level 5. Inventory Allows the user to store any number of items equaling 5x the weight of their highest stat in an independent space. Itemization Allows the user to decide whether a monster should dissolve into experience or remain usable for food and resources. Must be set prior to combat. The first he had expected after what the system had told him, but the second was an unexpected surprise. It made sense as a large population would find it difficult to maintain farmland or breeding with monsters roaming about. This also offered an interesting possibility as he was certain that the claws on the leopard were the sharpest thing he had ever seen. The rumbling of his stomach cleared his mind and reminded him that he was still sitting out in the woods having eaten nothing for a full day. Resolving to head to town to asses the situation and find potential survivors as well as gather whatever food he could, Drake took one last look at where his first battle had taken place before walking into the forest. Chapter 5 Using the woods as cover, drake made his way back towards the village. He wanted to see for himself the destruction caused by the eruption of beasts, as well as look for other survivors. Once he could see the border wall he began to make his way towards the nearest entrance, the same one that he had leapt over in his hasty evacuation. After few minutes of watching and seeing no activity from the tight viewing angle he had from the side within the woods he decided to take a small risk and move closer. Darting into the shadow of the wall he moved to the opening smashed through what was once the heavy wooden gate and peered around the corner. Small fires danced within his vision and the destruction was a sight to behold, but what truly caught the eye was the creatures still scattered around rooting through fallen debris. Hundreds of small, green creatures danced among the flames, flipping over small stones, raiding pantries and rushing around with glittering finds to some unknown location. In addition, there were a umber of larger green beasts aiding the small ones, like a parent helping a child- only this involved tossing huge boulders like they weighed nothing. These beasts slower, not dancing around like the smaller ones, but were clearly many times more physically powerful. After a moment of being simultaneously stunned and angered, Drake got ahold of himself and identified each of the different beings. Goblin Lv. 4 A small, weak monster that bands together to form large tribes. Individually they are weaker than a child, but with numbers they can grown strong enough to overwhelm nations. Intelligence is their main attribute, allowing them to gradually learn to use crude weapons and tactics. Troll Lv. 19 A large, burly monster powerful enough to pull trees from the ground. They are slow and dumb, but sheer strength makes them a dangerous threat. They often join under the banner of goblins who will use them to much more destructive effect than they would have alone. The two seemed to be common monsters but their potential threat worried Drake. He was certain that their combined strength could beat the leopard that had nearly killed him, leaving him uneasy at the though of venturing into the city. With a rumble, his stomach reminded him of his current quest and refocused his gaze on the activities of the monsters. The goblins continued to raid houses for all forms of foodstuffs, leaving Drake with little chance to fins food within the village. As dangerous as it was, Drake realized he would need to find both food and shelter in the woods. He hoped he would be able to find some wildlife that had not been scared away or killed by the stampede of monsters that had burst through the village. With one last glance he plunged back into the forest. ¡­ A few hours had gone by before he managed to secure shelter, and he was deep into the night by the time he finished. Food had been his priority, and after roughly an hour the traps he made secure him two decent sized rabbits. He had made sure to keep his fire small and far from the village to avoid alerting monster to his presence. After he had finished off the entirety of both cooked rabbits, something he was not aware he could eat alone, he had begun making his shelter. Mainly using sticks, leaves and dirt it took him nearly two hours to finish a shelter that would just barely cover his sleeping form. He had focused on making it indiscreet, again to avoid attention from potential passing monsters. The insulating dirt would keep him warm, at least until the colder seasons came ¨C he hoped to be in an actual house again by that time though. Finally, as the moon was nearly directly overhead, he laid down to rest. Despite the discomfort he felt at sleeping on dirt, it was not enough to keep sleep at bay for long as he fell into a deep sleep. ¡­ The remainder of the week Drake split his focus between a number of tasks. The first was securing a source of food ¨C the nearby rivers and ponds were his go-to, but he made several traps that he set up each morning to ensure he caught enough. His second task was continuing to visit the village, both to monitor the monster presence as well as check for resources, survivors, or potential rescue by the army. His final task was preparation for the future, namely training his newly acquired lightning manipulation skill. He had high hopes for it at first as a potential means of defending himself should he eventually be found by monsters. However, despite multiple days of repeated use it was unable to create more than a few sparks from any part of his body. The only saving grace was his increased understanding of the way mana worked ¨C ¡®mana¡¯ was essentially a basic resource of reality or existence or some such thing, and manipulation of it could influence and empower natural phenomenon. Essentially, he created sparks by using mana to forcibly create the circumstances that would create lightning in the first place. He guessed he would be able to control actual lightning should he ever get the chance, and if he were to gain enough mastery ¨C lest he be burnt to a crisp.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The possibilities of mana intrigued him, and he continued to practice his manipulation daily especially after noticing his mastery rising. ¡­ After nearly two weeks in the woods, Drake had become much more used to his life. His diet had expanded to include certain plants and spices after realizing he could identify them much the same way he could a monster. His clothes had begun to rip despite his careful maintenance of them and his appearance had begun to take on a more grizzled look. He still could not even grow stubble, but his hair began to grow out and small marks and cuts began to find their way onto his skin. Drake was forced to admit that he would need to find a way to get some resources in the village if he was to even maintain the status quo. He had originally hoped that help would arrive within few weeks, but with the number of monsters that must have continued to push beyond the village he was certain that even the army had its hands full. His next hope was to find a way to travel to some of the nearby villages, but the same problem applied ¨C they had most likely been crushed as well. His only sure bet was to travel to the capital, but by foot that was multiple months of walking. Resigning himself to his fate, he began moving towards the village along the same path he always followed. But noise stopped as he was only partway there, a guttural screaming and panting which he had never heard before. Drake immediately assumed defensive posture and found a hiding spot in a nearby bush. As he listened, he realized that the sound was not moving. Steeling himself he emerged from his hiding spot and began to slowly move towards the source. When he reached the source of the noise he nearly burst out laughing. A goblin had gotten itself stuck in one of his rabbit traps, unable to move it had begun yelling until its voice went hoarse and was now panting and trying to recover. An opportunity, Drake thought. Cautiously he approached the goblin that was limply swinging from a nearby tree (using sticks and braided river grass he had fashioned a simple t-bar trap) taking care to avoid its attention as much as possible. When he was close enough he used a stick, he had picked from the ground to roughly poke the swinging monster. This caused an uproar from the creature which immediately spun to face its attacker as it howled with anger. Unfortunately, the spin caused it to continue in a circle uncontrollably as Drake mercilessly poked with his makeshift torture weapon. When Drake finally had his fill of poking, the monster was hanging limply ¨C it had passed out from a combination of blood rushing to its head, dizziness, and excessive movement. Realizing the opportunity, Drake ran back to his camp and grabbed all the ¡®rope¡¯ he had made from vegetation. Rushing back he began to tie up the monster, making sure to bind its hands, legs, and mouth. Finally done, he woke it with a spark from his fingertip. Its struggle was not long lived this time. Drake continuously used his lightning manipulation on the poor beast, constantly pushing for stronger output or range, really any sort of improvement. Within an hour his wish was granted as he began to notice small black marks wherever he zapped, as well stronger muscle spasms from his captive. Finally deciding to take a break, he glanced at his lightning manipulation mastery and involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath. The percentage which had remained under 1% despite his constant training, had now risen to nearly 2.5%! Is it because I¡¯m using it on a monster? Drake thought. Feeling invigorated he continued to use his manipulation to harass the monster until it finally burst into motes of light and earned his a few percent towards level 6 Adventurer. By that time, he had already surpassed 4% mastery despite spending less than two hours doing so. This made Drake realize the only way to get strong enough to defend himself before the goblins found him was to fight and defeat them, levelling himself and his abilities. If he could reach combat efficiency with his manipulation skill, he would feel far safer. He began to imagine the possibilities -calling lightning from the skies to smite enemies from afar. The thought empowered him and despite the waning light he again began moving towards the village. ¡­ Peering in at the village he was once again uncertain about his chances. The goblins moved almost exclusively in groups and he doubted his ability to defeat more than two or three at once ¨C despite hearing they had the strength of children. So he waited. And waited¡­ ¡­ Finally, as night began to fall the Goblins started moving en mass towards the same far off place where they would carry their stolen goods. However, a few - likely guards - remained stationed around the village. The groups were anywhere from 2 to 5 stationed roughly 100-150 feet apart. Looking at the smallest group, only 2 goblins, Drake made plans on how to silently kill both. It would be best if he could bind one to continue his harassment of shocks, but he didn¡¯t have the proper materials with him nor the confidence to be able to subdue one without noise. Making sure to stay in the shadows cast by the ever-present fires, he stealthily made his way to within twenty feet of the small group. His weapons were makeshift, the remains of his axe held in place by more grass rope as well as sap from the trees. He hoped it would survive a single cut. The second was several differently sized branches which he had sharpened with the blade of his axe as best he could. As he observed the goblins continued to merely sit around the fire, occasionally glancing around but not seeing Drake in the deep shadow he was in. He waited another half hour or so, unmoving before one goblin got up and made his way over to one of the piles of rocks at the edge of the firelight. Determined not to waste this chance, Drake made his way towards the lone goblin as quick as he could while maintaining stealth. Finally, he was close enough to hear the goblins sighing, as it picked through the rocks aimlessly. Drake stopped to calm himself, breathing deeply before grabbing one of his fashioned spears. His whole body tensed up and he shot straight for the goblin - aiming at its neck. Despite the dim lighting his aim remained true, and the goblin dissolved into lights before the light of recognition entered its eyes. Without pause Drake spun and leapt towards the goblin still sitting by the fire. It had been warming its hands and looking at the flames as Drake made his move, thus it was still unaware of the danger just a few feet away. Again, his spear struck like lightning, swiftly and accurately piercing the side of the monster¡¯s throat. It too dissolved before realizing what had happened. Drake for his part did well to make it back to the shadows before collapsing into a ball of nerves and adrenaline. It took him almost twenty minutes to calm down and decide to make his way back for the night.