《The First Evoker》 Ch 1: A New Era Landon woke up and wearily rubbed his eyes. He went through his clothing chest and settled on his favorite blue linen shirt and some tan breeches, knowing it was going to be a hot day. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d be on the beach or not, so he opted for his leather sandals. As he made his way out the front door, the small town of Sandcrab¡¯s Shoal was still waking up. Most were still inside their houses, which dotted the shoreline like little white shells on the beach. The smell of his town¡¯s famous Sea-berry Bread permeated the air; no doubt the baker was hard at work for the morning rush. He lazily walked along the main road, his pace not at all matching how he felt inside. His mind buzzed with nervous anticipation. Today, he would finally know what his future held. In all of the Vell Archipelago, on one¡¯s eighteenth birthday they would take part in the awakening ceremony. This was quite different from how things were done in the rest of Tierrus. The archipelago had been so far removed for so long from the mainland politics that traditions had changed. One thing remained the same regardless of where people were located -Their soul would link into the system irrevocably ,allowing the assignment of an Archetype. There were thousands upon thousands of potential archetypes, from Brawler to Time Mage to Bandit and everything in between. Landon however, only cared about one in particular, the Mariner. Archetypes tended to be affected by genetics, although that was not always the case. Still, he hoped he could stand alongside his father with his bloodline¡¯s famous archetype. The Mariner received many boons that were perfect for the region. Not only did they gain 150% bonus fishing experience, fishing yield, and ship durability; they were second to none when it came to oceanic navigation. His father had told him countless times of how after a storm many years ago his abilities were able to keep his boat together against the fury of the sea and then safely get him back home. Any ship they manned received countless passive buffs; and the archetype even had skills that could further enhance their vessels. The most renowned skill they received, however, was Breath of Life(Ship). This master level skill allowed it¡¯s user to breathe a spark of life into their vessel; allowing it to gain a lowly form of sentience and also gain experience and attributes. It is said that in olden times some vessels were even able to gain Archetypes themselves. Many days of Landon¡¯s youth were spent pretending he had a living boat, he¡¯d run around the beach with his imaginary vessel pretending to sail the world. He just knew it, beyond any doubt, that the title of Mariner would be his by the end of the day. He had spent his teenage years training in the skills directly correlated to the Archetype. True, it was impossible to gain skill or attribute levels before being tied into the system, but it was said what you naturally developed before the ceremony could impact the Archetype you received. Finally, he made it to the heart of the town. Here, where the energies of the region converged and mana was the strongest, would the transformation take place. In this spot there was a towering white Lighthouse, watching over the city like some alabaster guardian. He stepped into the Lighthouse, where a blue orb floated idly on the first level; pulsing a brighter blue every so often. It was by this mana-focus that his life would change. It was said this object was a fragment of one the gods that created Tierrus, the physical embodiment of the heavens. He nervously walked towards it; loosing his languid swagger from earlier. The elder of the village, alongside his already initiated family members, stood beside the orb silently urging him forward. He could see the excitement in their eyes. Their white robes looked odd in the blue light of the focus, giving the scene an otherworldly hue. The elder, Axon, stepped forward. Although he had been touched by the passing of time, there was a strength in his body that was unmistakable. In fact, the only indication of his age was his greyed hair, and the wisdom behind his piercing blue eyes. ¡°Landon Reed, please step forward.¡± He had the voice of a leader, a rich tone that was used to giving commands yet still had a thread of warmth running through it. Landon anxiously took a step forward towards Axon, careful not to let his emotions show in his gait. Axon gave him a quick smile, he could sense the tension in Landon¡¯s body and hoped to ease the situation a bit. ¡°Landon Reed, today you will be forever tied into the system. You will gain a strength you did not think possible. It is important to note, however, that this strength has a cost. You must swear to protect the realm from danger, and the evils of the world, with your life if so need be.¡± Landon looked Axon directly in the eye and gave a nod, not trusting himself to speak without his voice shaking. Axon stepped forward, years of experience giving him an easy confidence in his steps that could rival the mightiest of kings. He placed a wreath of native sea grasses around Landon¡¯s head. Next his mother came up, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead and then placing another wreath on his head, this one with the berry producing shrubs of the region. He had grown up eating his moms renowned bread made with the very same berries. Finally, his father came up. His stormy greys eyed looked into Landon¡¯s with such proudness that Landon couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional. He gave his son a firm hug, and placed onto his head a wreath of Blue Cassia, a plant whose bark was essential in the creation of a Living Ship¡¯s heart. ¡°Landon Reed, now place your hand on the Orb of Sandcrab¡¯s Shoal.¡± Landon slowly reached out towards the orb, placing his hand onto it¡¯s perfectly smooth surface. It had a warmth to it that he wasn¡¯t expecting; like holding a warm mug on a cold day. Hello. Do you wish to be added to The System? (Yes / No) A blue screen had popped up in front of his face. ¡°Yes¡± he said uncertainly. Thinking commands works just as well. Please wait while Archetype is selected. Landon couldn¡¯t contain himself. Year¡¯s of dreaming and finally he would become a Mariner like his father. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Archetype Selected¡­ His heart was beating so fast it felt like it may flutter away, he shut his eyes, scared to see the outcome. He steadied himself, counting to five before he dared peek. Archetype Selected¡­ Evoker Health: Minimal-- Mana: Mythical+ Body: Minimal- Spirit: Mythical++ He blinked, hoping that when he looked again the results would be different. They weren¡¯t. Evoker¡­ he had never heard of this Archetype before. This was all wrong, he had spent his life readying himself to be a Mariner. Unfamiliarity detected, Archetype explanation requested? (Yes / No) ¡°Yes¡± he thought back angrily. If he was going to be stuck with this unwanted Archetype, at least he should know what it was. The Evoker is a living portal to countless other realms. He is able to not only call forth the beings of these other existences, but shape them to his will while they reside in Tierrus. They have mythical levels of mana and spiritual power, while their bodies and health leave a bit to be desired. They are experts of both battle and utility, although they are most powerful from the backlines allowing their familiars to do the more hands on work.
Landon Reed Human
Evoker Lvl 1
Health 75/75
Mana 1000/1000
Body 5
Vitality 5
Agility 8
Mind 14
Presence 10
Spirit 18
Basic Abilities/Skills : Weak Summon Elemental Spiritual Empathy ¡°So, Is there another Mariner in the family?¡± his dad said to him, a look of certainty in his eyes that his son would in fact continue the family line. ¡°No¡­¡± Landon replied barely audibly. He saw his father¡¯s smile widen, as if his reply had been some sort of joke. Slowly though, his face began to fall as he realized it hadn¡¯t been a joke at all. ¡°I mean, son, your mother and I are proud of you no matter what,¡± He said, seemingly telling himself that just as much. He walked up to Landon and put his sturdy hand on his shoulder, ¡°What Archetype did you get then, Fisherman? You know, that isn¡¯t one to scoff at. Your uncle has made a fine living off of the Increased Bite Rate V perk.¡± ¡°No, not Fisherman. Dad I got assigned Evoker, it¡¯s some sort of magic based Archetype centered around summoning elementalsfrom different realms,¡± He said. He looked at his son with a trace of sympathy on his face, ¡°Oh, uh, a magic arch. It won¡¯t exactly help us bring in a bigger catch but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find some use for it here.¡± His mom walked up to him and wrapped him into a tight embrace, ¡°Son, I love you no matter what. I¡¯m sure Evoker will be an amazing arch.¡± His mother had the heavily support oriented Archetype of Herbalist, allowing her amazing skills are growing and caring for various herbs and spices as well as imbuing them with mana to make their effects more potent. Axon walked forward, ¡°No use in crying over it. I¡¯ve never heard of the Evoker arch but let¡¯s put it to the test.¡± He motioned for Landon to follow and went down a stairway to the basement, ¡°See these wooden practice dummies? Here you can practice your new skills and even gain a few levels in them.¡± He indicated the simple wooden structures shaped like various creatures, ¡° You won¡¯t however be able to level your arch here, since that requires actual experience gained from monsters.¡± Axon moved back towards the stairway to observe, leaving Landon almost alone in the center of the room. Wait¡­ what were my skills he thought. He looked at Axon, the embarrassment evident in his features ¡°I don¡¯t remember my abilities¡­¡± Axon moved his hand over his face, clearly a little discouraged, ¡°You can bring up almost any information you need by interacting with the System interface. Just think it with some conviction behind the thought.¡± Show abilities Basic Abilities/Skills : Weak Summon Elemental (I) Spiritual Empathy (I) Well clearly one of my skills is useless for battle practice he thought to himself. He challengingly stared down a dummy in the shape of a large rat, ¡°Summon Elemental¡± Please select element from starter choices (You will be able to change this every time you use the skill) A list with thousands and thousands of options popped into Landon¡¯s view. He was quickly overwhelmed with the sheer amount of options, Flowers, Breeze, Seashells, Embers¡­and on and on it went. Unsure what to do, he picked a random element, ¡°Summon Slime Elemental!¡± He felt a draw on some reserve within himself he hadn¡¯t noticed. Like the humming of an electric current, he felt it snake it¡¯s way from his core to his hands where it danced around his fingers like a miniature green lightning bolt. He pointed his hands at a spot a few feet away from him. Glyphs and sigils, the likes of which he had never seen before formed on the ground where his hand had been aiming. Then, with a dazzling flash and an extremely unimpressive ¡°Pop!¡± his familiar spouted into existence. He heard Axon chuckle in the background before examining his creation. It looked like a domed puddle the size of a large melon, with little specks the size of grapes where it¡¯s eyes should be. It¡¯s blue body seemed to constantly be melting and heaping itself back up in order to keep form. This is my ability¡­ summoning a freaking ball of living snot. System, what in the hell is this thing. Minor Slime Elemental(lvl 1) A young slime, still incapable of some of it¡¯s species¡¯ more impressive feats. Eating it is extremely toxic, and it is composed of a moderate acid able to dissolve even bones within 5 hours. It is extremely resilient against physical damage. Ok, so it¡¯s completely useless unless eaten or given hours to do some damage. Does it have any abilities or skills?
Minor Slime (Lvl 1)
Acid Spit
Slime Pound
Liquefy
¡°Slime, Acid Spit,¡± he yelled, pointing a finger at the dummy. The slime didn¡¯t move, still fixing it¡¯s little unblinking eyes at him. ¡°Slime Pound, Liquefy!¡± he shouted, still without results. ¡°Landon,¡± Axon called out barely containing his laughter, ¡° have you checked your other abilities or skills to see if they might help?¡± Skill Description he thought angrily at the system. Weak Summon Elemental- Call fourth a spirit from another realm to temporarily serve as your companion. Spiritual Empathy ¨C Able to sense general moods and emotions from summoned spirits as well as convey vague messages mentally. Slime, please just attack the damn rat dummy. Unexpectedly, he felt as though the slime was trying to nod at him. It turned around and slowly worked it¡¯s way to the dummy. Once in front of it, the slime proceeding to spit up a more liquefied version of the sludge that made it up all over the wood before proceeding to pound it with pseudopod like appendages it made from it¡¯s body. Each hit didn¡¯t do much damage, but combined with the eroding qualities of it¡¯s thinner and seemingly more acidic slime the dummy began to fall apart. Landon¡¯s face burst into the biggest smile he¡¯d had all day, ¡°Woohoo!¡± he yelled, his little slime had done it. ¡°Good job,¡± Axon said ¡°That honestly turned out much better than what I had anticipated. Now, do it fifty more times or until you gain an ability level.¡± Struck by inspiration, Landon decided to try something. Summon Elemental Sorry, (1/1) familiar slots currently occupied, please dismiss any active elementals. Well, that hadn¡¯t worked quite how I wanted, he thought. Dismiss Elemental With another unimpressive ¡°Pop!¡± his little ball of slime vanished from existence. He still wasn¡¯t willing to go through the whole list, but he needed to pick a better matched familiar to destroy the dummies. Summon Elementalhe thought at the System. Select Element¡­. System, show me only the fire based elementals. Select [Fire] Element¡­ Ember Sunshine Arid Heat His eyes glazed over before even reaching the fourth element. Sure, eventually he¡¯d have to really dig in, but not to fight unmoving wooden figurines of already not so dangerous creatures. A devilish smile found it¡¯s way upon his face as he pictured the wooden destruction this familiar could cause. This could work, he thought. Ch 2 : Growing Pains Summon Ember Elemental! With the now all too familiar ¡°Pop!¡±, Landon was left staring at what appeared to be a candle flame the size of a fist. The little elemental¡¯s flames were a deep red and vibrant yellow, pulsing in and out with a rhythm similar to a heartbeat. Two Little black dots looked on emptily where eyes would be expected to appear. ¡±Ok,¡± Landon thought ¡°let¡¯s teach these wooden dummies a lesson- burn them all down.¡± From his mental link to his familiar hesensed a wave of acknowledgement, and what felt like immense approval. The Ember elemental zipped to one of the dummies, what looked like a wild boar, and emmited a wave of heat. Like the Sun¡¯s rays reflecting off the white sand beach, ripple after ripple of heated air emenated towards the dummy. Landon stared onward, once again disappointed with his abilities. He had expected a blast of fire, and would have even settled for the tiniest flecks of flame. But no, he got the mighty powers of standing too near a bonfire. After about ten seconds smoke started to rise from the segment of the dummy closest to the elemental. After another 5, flame began to slowly spread. ¡±Success!¡± Landon yelled triumphantly as Axon looked at him, a threat of laughter shining in his eyes. The next few dummies met the same fate, but as the heat built up in the room things began to change. The elemental seemed to feed off the ambient fire energy in air, growing more powerful. What had taken 15 seconds eventually took 10, and then 5 . Spiritual Empathy has increased in rank to Spiritual Empathy II. Communication will become marginally easier. Summon Elemental has increased in rank to Summon Familiar II. Creatures will now transfer over with more essence from their realms, becoming slightly stronger. ¡°Good Job,¡±Axon cheerfully said ¡°just know that increases in both skill ranks and levels will steadily decrease in frequency as they become more powerful.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Having known this from his research and talks with his parents, Landon simply nodded politely. ¡±Now, here is something you may not have known.¡± Axon responded suddenly growing more serious ¡°Within our little island exists a special and dangerous place, a dungeon. It is through this dungeon, as well as It¡¯s sister in the Hellfire Atoll, that the people of the Vell Archipelago gain enough strength to remain free of the monarchy.¡± Shock was written plainly on Landon¡¯s face. How could he have lived here his whole life and never heard of a dungeon. Dungeons seemed like they only existed in remote corners on the mainland, some mythical location that he would never actually encounter. ¡°What do you mean a dungeon?¡± Landon replied. ¡°I mean just that. A place where monsters thrive and the energies of the world coalesce, strengthening them further. The gods place these magical locations throughout the world to strengthen the intelligent races- rewarding our bravery with untold treasures and experience.¡± Axon made sure Landon was paying attention and continued on ¡°On ones eighteenth birthday, they are not only given an archetype here. If deemed worthy, you are given the option to become a full on Initiate Adventurer of the Vell Archipelago.¡± Landon¡¯s mind went into overdrive; him, become and adventurer. He could picture himself now, countless riches and treasures, abilities beyond his wildest dreams at his command. ¡°I accept!¡± He yelled eagerly. ¡°I was worried you would. This is not some grand adventure where danger does not seem to affect you. You are not the hero of some fable, there are risks to this. We are directly rebelling against the monarchy by supporting our own unsanctioned country. Even worse we hide dungeons from them, an act of war by their standards.¡± Axon replied, growing more serious by the second. He grew solemn for a moment ¡°That isn¡¯t even mentioning the dangers of the dungeon itself. Only a handful of individuals come from throughout the archipelago every year, and even fewer make it out from their first test.¡± Landon took a moment to try to grasp the severity of the situation. On some level, he realized that therecouldbe actual danger. But the dreams of him being an adventurer outweighted that small part of his brain. They may have even made up for him not getting his dream archetype. He looked Axon in the eyes, trying to consciously look like he had given this idea proper consideration "Yea, I still accept." Axon stared him back, gaze not revealing anything about what he was thinking. "I do believe you could be extremely powerful one day, but you are also so rash you may never make it there." He placed a hand on Landon''s shoulder and sighed, "I will gather the neccesary supplies within the hour. Unfortunatly, your family has been sent away to preserve the secrecy of the dungeon. Very few ever hear about it, and even less learn it''s whereabouts. We will remain here until it is time to depart." Landon could not help but feel excited. He felt the familiar feeling of his heartbeat getting faster and faster. He was swept away in a tidal wave of thoughts, what-if scenarios, and plans - getting carried away as he wasinclined to do. Ch 3 : Psamanthe鈥檚 Blessing A member of the Gull Wings, a group that patrolled the nearby island on their Cutters and recognizable by their aqua tunic with a white gull insignia, barged in to the training room. He made his way to Axon and pulled him aside, nervously whispering in his ear. Landon caught Axon¡¯s eyes momentarily widen before he composed himself again, turning back fully to face him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in about about an hour.¡± Axon said, his face not containing a trace of the worry Landon had glimpsed. ¡°Stay here,someone will be down soon to drop supplies off and we can go inside the waterfall when I return.¡± Landon tried his hardest to not betray his surprise at Axon accidentally telling him where the dungeon was. Doing his best to follow his orders, Landon tried to occupy himself by fantasizing about what a dungeon would be like. After a few minutes even that going boring, and following a brief stint of pacing, Landon grew inpatient. Tiring of being in the company of only wooden dummies, Landon rushed up the stairs to go back to the room where the blue orb was housed. Looking for entertainment, his eyes searched around the room, hoping for inspiration to strike at any moment. Not finding anything that could hold his attention, he casually strolled towards the orb, quickly running his hand between the orb and it¡¯s pedestal to see if it put out any force while levitating. After being disappointed that he couldn¡¯t feel anything, he decided it couldn¡¯t hurt to place his hands on it again. As the first Evoker to awaken in Tierrus, you have the innate ability to Communewith Psamanthe¡¯s Shard. Should you continue this process, you will be locked from fully processing the blessings of any other God Shards. Make your choice carefully, as this process will bless you with great gifts while also handing you immense responsibility. God... shard? I¡¯d had never heard that term before, he thought to himself. What exactly were the gifts that communing wouldgive me. If this orb, er, shard is able to bestow Archetypes, it must be impressive. I¡¯m sure I can handle any responsibilities it throws my way. Though usually more susceptible to overthinking things to the point where it affected him negatively, Landon could not turn down this opportunity. Screw it. Commune, he commanded mentally, focusing on the shard with all the will he could muster up. He felt a part of himself being forcibly pulled out, his conscious seemingly plunging down out of his body. Landon¡¯s vision was overtaken by a blur of colors speeding by. His body met with the uncomfortable sensation of being simultaneously compressed and stretched out. The overwhelming sensations began to steadily decrease. After they ceased completely, he took a second to reorient himself and gather his surroundings. As far as his eyes could see there was crystal clear water that reached half way to his ankles. The landscape stretched endlessly on to the horizon, light dancing along the ripples that had been created by his sudden entrance into this strange world. Landon curled his hands over his eyes, as if shielding them from a sun that did not exist in the pale blue sky above. Well I¡¯m obviously in some sort of water realm, but what the hell am I supposed to do here. He bent over and grabbed a handful of sand from beneath the water. It was stark white and smoother than any he¡¯d encountered living on the archipelago. He could imagine laying on a beach of it on a lazy afternoon, the sand as comfortable as his bed after a hard day of fishing.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Slowly loosening his grip, he watched as the sand settled to the ground again, lazily drifting down once it hit the water. The ripples created by this disturbance once again disrupting the placid waters as they continued on their journey to some unseen location. Failing to find any signs on where to travel, he chose a random direction and walked aimlessly. After trudging half a mile, Landon felt a tug on his body that appeared to be guiding him towards a specific location. Deciding he had no better options, Landon gave into this sensation and adjusted his course through the shallow waters. Due to your willingness to be guided by forces beyond your perception, you have gained the skill: Spiritual Awareness (I) Landon read the message excitedly, soaking in every word and reveling in his first gained skill since obtaining his Archetype. The unknown guiding force became sharper, transforming from a weak tug to a mild pulling sensation. Well this looks exactly the same as everywhere else in this giant puddle, he thought to himself, finally arriving to where the force has guided him. He explored the immediate area until he stubbed his toes on something barely buried in the sands. Bending over, Landon quickly dug out what appeared to be a stone tablet. Its surface depicted a raging battle between a seal and a wolf, both caught in perpetual acts of gaining the upper hand. Without warning, the sand in a half mile radius gently rose from beneath the waters. Landon tensed his body to steady himself against the rumbling. When most of the sand had settled in its new terrestrial location, a mass at the center of the circle continued it ascent. Like some sort of living clay, the mound began shaping itself into a square cottage. The sand dried out further and seemed to harden, gaining the appearance of a grittier alabaster. That same force gently nudged Landon forward, beckoning him towards the newly formed structure. Landon stared at the structure with his jaw hanging. Well, if I¡¯ve already come this far, I don¡¯t think I can ignore something like what just happened. Pushing down his nerves, Landon walked cautiously towards the building. Not knowing proper etiquette when it came to magic cottages that seemingly materialized out of nowhere, he lightly knocked on the lustrous door. Wow, that¡¯s a lot denser than I expected, He thought, surprised at how solid the structure felt. The door gently swung inwards, revealing a cozy interior decorated in furs from various marine animals. Landon¡¯s eyes fixed on someone sitting over a hearth, ¡°Hello, my name is Landon,¡± he croaked nervously. The person lazily turned around, their amber eyes fixed straight on Landon. Now lit by the open door, the older woman¡¯s features came into view. The passing of time had not dulled what was clearly a beautiful face. ¡°Hello child, I know who you are,¡± she said. Landon made a conscious effort to not show his unease at her reply, ¡°Oh, great. So, uh, can you help explain what¡¯s happening.¡± ¡°What is occurring can not be explained at the moment, for I do not have the power to maintain this form for much longer,¡± she said. ¡°You have been chosen for greatness and must prepare for what is to come. Take my blessings and flee to the dungeon on your island as soon as you are back in your world. You will find the entrance behind the waterfall. ¡± Noticing his unease, her face softened ¡°I know this is sudden, child, But you must be brave right now.¡± ¡°What do you mean,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. How can I be brave when I have no clue what¡¯s happening right now. I think you might have me confused for someone else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry this burden has fallen on your shoulders, Landon,¡± she said, emphasizing his name. ¡°You know not the extent of what is to come, and time is of the essence.¡± Landon felt that familiar feeling of anxiety creeping up, choking him, the sensation of him shrinking into himself. The woman stared at Landon, sympathy on her face. ¡°If I can offer you one grace in this, it is that you will not face what is to come alone.¡± She stood up, her movements not showing any wear from her age, ¡°Come here child, we must proceed.¡± Landon walked up to her, noticing she smelled of a summer breeze on the beach. She gently placed her hands on his forehead. Instantly, Landon was filled to the brim with an unknown energy. It reminded him of the lazy waves lapping against a calm beach, the sun shining down on the sand providing warmth and comfort, waves angrily crashing during a storm and destroying everything in their path. You have received Psamanthe¡¯s Blessing. What this fully entails will reveal itself in time. You have gained the skill Call Familiar ¡°With this blessing you may now enter any dungeon in the Archipelago without it¡¯s key.¡± She looked him in the eye, a hint of warmth once again entering her face ¡°Your familiar will be both your best friend and most powerful ally, treat him right.¡± She opened a chest in the corner of the room and pulled out a blue bag. She hurriedly offered out the bag to Landon, ¡°This should have everything you need for the immediate future.¡± Landon quickly grabbed it from her, still processing everything that had transpired in such a short amount of time. You have been gifted Psamanthe¡¯s Bag. ¡°The rest of my blessing will come to light as you gain power,¡± she said, her voice weakening. ¡°Now go my champion, time is running short. I will see you again when the time is right.¡± With a final touch of his temple, Landon was once again caught tumbling down through some hazy, alien landscape.