《Tactics System》 Chapter 1 - Choosing a System A plain white room with a simple and utterly plain desk. Behind it sat a balding man in a clean white press-on suit looking through a single manilla folder. The only thing on that desk, really. I sighed after taking it all in. I knew exactly where I was, for the twenty-first time. "Hello George, welcome back to limbo. How was your life?" I sat down before the desk, a chair appearing out of nowhere for me to sit on. ''George'' was my name during my last incarnation. The individual before me was also one of a plethora of Gods that chose to work as a Clerk within the cycle of rebirth. They even had a nifty little company name ''Life, Death, and Beyond!'' Personally I felt it cut a bit to close to copyright infringement on a certain store chain on Earth, at least the one I first died upon. I rubbed my eyes before looking at the God before me, Franklin. ''The same as last time, Frank. Peaceful and nice. I had kids this round, did you see any of their pictures in that nifty little docket there?" Frank smiled and nodded his head lightly. I''d been through this far too much to let it bother me now, the fact that there were more than one Pantheon, more than one God, or Goddess, or that they ran the entire bloody Universe like some freaky-deakycompany conglomerate. "Indeed I did, George. Your little girl was utterly adorable during her early years. You''ll be happy to know she will have a lovely life without true hardship or strife beyond the normal hum-drum of Humanity." That made me smile at least. My little girl, she had been crying on my death bed with her kids gathered around. I''d had her late in life and I cherished it like I did all the other children I''d once had. "Thanks for that Frank. So, which iteration of Earth am I destined for this time? I think that one was Z143 or something, right?" "It was Z56914. Your third life had you at Z143. An understandable mistake as the two versions are very similar. Others that spent their life experience on retaining memories also felt the same at the time." He paused, looking at me with a sad little smile. It set a warning bell off in my mind. "Frank? What is it?" I asked after the silence proved too much for me to handle. "Well, George, I''m afraid that those on high have decided you cannot go back Earth, any iteration of it. A new motion passed during your thirties on this one where no soul may return to an iteration of one planet more than fifteen times, and this would be yourtwentieth full life, going on twenty-first if not for this bill." He paused, allowing me to absorb that. I absorbed it as well. Basically, I was going to be thrown into oblivion over some paperwork! I was flabbergasted and pissed off. "What the hell Frank?! What does that mean for me then? Am I being thrown to some other world, am I being thrown to the void?" My voice was low and stable but you could hear the angry tenor as I spoke. He gave that same sad little smile and tapped a single finger on his desk, prompting what looked like a holographic image to arise in front of me. It was a message from whoever Frank''s boss was in the God''s weird company. Attention George. My name is Absolon and I am head of the Soul Personel Reliance Department, SPRD for short. I''ve been made aware that you have chosen Earth twenty times prior to your current situation and by all accounts from your caseworker would do so again. I am afraid that is no longer possible. You are among the few to even go above five iterations of the same planet, let alone twenty full rotations. It''s a sort of record here at the Office. We understand this may be upsetting for you, being denied what should, by right, be yours in your after-life and Rebirth. Sadly new management has changed how things are done. In response to this, and any emotional pain or grief you may be caused we have chosen to give you the lump sum of your entire twenty lives Experience in this single setting so you may provide yourself some comforts for your next life. This amounts to a grand total of five-million experience, truly an astounding number for a peaceful life such as yours. Of course, as always, upon your death, your bonuses will be cycled out and you may obtain others. Once again, I am sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused and wish you a better life to come. From the Offices of SPRD, Chief Operative Absolon. I frowned while I read the personal message. Personal my ass, dick could have at least shown up and told me in person. I took a deep breath, holding back my anger at this entire situation. It wasn''t Frank''s fault and throwing it at him wouldn''t be fair at all. He''d been good to me over the centuries. "Fine, so I''m stuck going to some new place and having no chance at a peaceful life on Earth like I enjoy. What''s with this entirety of my twenty lives worth of experience thing though?" Frank perked up a bit at that, excited to be past what he likely hated doing. "Well, George, those few like you who have gone over fifteen iterations on the same planet have been cast out of our Systems check and balancing norm. So, those on high decided to reward them for their own commitment to their planet and as an apology for denying them their return to a new iteration. You are actually top three in terms of experience. The other two only beat you because they led Heroic or Violent lives and had garnered more. You will, of course, be allowed to choose whatever planet you go too" - "What if I choose oblivion?" I asked, interrupting him. He paused before looking sternly at me. "George, listen to me. I will not allow that option because I know it comes from a place of anger. What would I tell your daughter when she comes here? I take all your children cases after all and I refuse to give them that news." That actually made me feel pretty shitty. I apologized and he snorted at me before continuing his previous lecture. "As I was saying. You will be allowed your choice of planets and you will be allowed multiple additional rewards by spending your experience, as is the norm. What is different is you may now select a Helper System. These are new additions ran by a personalized A.I companion created by Jimmy, our resident God of Technology. Each System has a different cost, of course. This is primarily because each System will cater to a selective individual and will each provide different assistance in your chosen world. For you personally, I have been granted the right to allow you your memories at no additional cost. Would you like to see this list now?" I stared at him in mock disbelieve. This was straight out of a fantasy fiction about fucking games.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "What, did the God of Manga and Games take over or something Frank?" I asked, incredulously. He just grinned before shrugging his narrow shoulders. "Closer than you might think, George. Would you like to see your options?" I nodded at his repeated question and a list of System popped up before me. The list was...well it was really fucking long. Good lord, was that a damn ''Pokemon'' System? Seriously? There was even one called ''Suikoden'' System, whatever the hell that was meant to be. They were also both as expensive as three million apiece. I continued looking through it, apparently, some had the option to add additional content to them. This seemed to be related mostly toward those with a lot of potential, mostly the cheapest ones. "So, I can choose any one of these, huh? Any recommendations?" I finally asked Frank for a little help. It wouldn''t be the first time and he smiled at me in a warm manner before tapping twice on his desk and the little image I was looking at sped upward and singled out a single System. The ''Tactics System'' was what it was called. I frowned, tilting my head a bit. The damn thing cost four-million experience with additional add-ons to it that I could purchase if I wished. "I understand the confusion, but I promise that this System will be the best we currently have available for you, George. It is even based off of one of your more favorite games during your second iteration on Earth. Final Fantasy Tactics. The additions are mostly jobs and a few things that you normally could not do with something like it." I eyed it, a vague memory coming to the front of my mind with the game he mentioned. I had enjoyed it a lot as a child during that life. I selected it, confirming it as my choice and I saw a little counter at the top appear and tick down to only a million experience left. "Thank you, Frank." I said before looking at the additions to this System. It really was pretty much all jobs. Each one was only about fifty experience to add into the System. I asked about that and he answered me in a gentle manner. "These jobs can all be added into the System for next to nothing, there are roughly fifty of them that were not normally in the games itself. The reason they are cheap though is due to how they are acquired." he tapped on one, Dark Knight or something that was already in the System. "See here, it requires you to fully master the Knight and Blackmage Jobs as well as max out their levels at ten, among other jobs needed to reach a certain level to obtain. So while cheap, it isn''t realistic that you will get them all." I chuckled at that, he was playing on my OCD for completing things and he knew it. I chose each of the fifty jobs for fifty experience each taking me down a paltry two thousand five hundred experience. A drop in the bucket, as it were. Follow that was a Mercenary Addition. Now this one was not cheap. It cost four hundred thousand. Apparently, it allowed me to recruit soldiers at the most basic job that was in the game, the Squire, and use them as companions. Upon entering the world they would even become alive, though I could use the System to control their job growth, for another one hundred thousand. I took both for a grand total of five hundred thousand. That left me with four hundred ninety-seven thousand five hundred points. I chose a map function to the System. It only worked with my current area if I explore it, but it seemed neat. It also only cost ten experience. That was when I saw what I wanted. If I remembered the game correctly, highly unlikely to be honest, it took JP or job points to level a job up and purchase their skills. I was allowed to purchase the skill for that now, for one-hundred experience. The odd thing was it went all the way to JP Increase +10. It increased the JP earned per action with a skill for your current job by tenfold, apparently. To purchase all of that would cost me two-hundred thousand four-hundred ninety experience, so I purchased them all. Did I figure anything to make it easier, right? Frank even agreed. Apparently, he was going to suggest it if I missed the option. The other options were all just purchasing skills for jobs to use. I went ahead and purchased the Cure spell, just so I could heal myself if I needed for one thousand experience. Apparently, they judged that to be worth the price. I couldn''t truly fault the logic either. I left the System, nothing else seemed to interest me and then I went toward the ''life'' section where most of the things to make life simpler were in their System. ''Memories'' was already greyed out, having been given to me for free. The fact it normally cost two hundred and fifty thousand made that a boon. I was still pissed off about not being able to return to Earth, of course, but I couldn''t do anything about it so I decided to ensure this new life actually lasted a long time. I chose to increase my natural lifespan to one thousand for one hundred thousand. That left me with just barely enough to select my final option. The option to start off in an adult body. I had no desire to go through puberty again after all. That took me down to only six thousand experience remaining. "Now, George, you cannot afford anything else there beyond Language Understanding, I will tack that onto your bill for you at one-hundred experience. Now you need to select a planet. Sadly, with the amount you have left, they will not be...peaceful planets. I am sorry for that." I shrugged. I''d led twenty peaceful lives prior to this. Perhaps it was time to change things a little. Three planets were displayed for me. Each of them was massive, easily five times larger than Earth had been, if not more. I saw Frank frown at a message he received before he started angrily typing the air and looking at me sadly, removing two options, one of them being the planet I was going to select. "I...I am sorry George, the two planets I removed have reached capacity for rebirth individuals with memories. It is capped at five, as you know. That removed all iterations, for a reason I cannot explain. That leaves you with Atria, a marvelous planet in terms of visual aspects and wild-life. It has magic, technology is stuck around the sword and bow era for most planets. The sentient creatures number in the thousands for each race. You will be born Human, as you do not have the Experience after this to select another race. As a bonus, I will allow you to choose your appearance and name on this planet free of charge." He said the last almost in a vindictive tone while glaring at another letter, likely a response to his previous message. I could have sworn him mutter something about nosy bosses and interfering with a Souls choices, but I couldn''t be certain. I smiled at Frank, fighting back the anger and the feeling I was being manipulated. Frank had helped me, as always, and was even angry at his bosses for this idiocy. I chose my appearance, same as always with blond hair and green eyes. I may have made a few...creative adjustments to my body in the process. I would be eighteen and attractive, I had to ensure whomever I got with was satisfied after all. I chose a simple name following that, Crispin. My Fathers name somewhere around my teen lives. I had liked him best. "Don''t be to upset Frank. I''ll see you again before you know it." He smiled at me then, both warm and sad as I was engulfed in light and sent to the planet, Atria. "Good luck, Crispin. I wish you the longest and happiest life you can have." Chapter 2- System A.I
Level - 1 Experience - 0/100 HP - 90/90 MP - 65/65 CT - 100/100 Name - Crispin Zodiac - Leo Job - Squire Brave - 61 Faith - 55
Move - 3 Weapon Power Jump - 1 R - 0/0 Speed - 11 L - 0/0 AT - Crit - Hit Chance - SPE Chance P - 3 - 0.5% - 79% - 0% M - 1 - 0.5% - 50% - 0%
Equipment Right Hand - None Left Hand - None Head - None Chest - Cloth Leggings - Cloth Accessory - None Accessory - None Ability Primary Job Skill - Fundamentals (Expand) Secondary Job Skill - None Production - None Passive 1 - Gained JP Up +10 Passive 2 - None Passive 3 - None Movement - None
I see...Ok, so this was a bit confusing and seemed not entirely the same as I remembered. I mean, yeah, it was a very long time ago all things considered but I see some pretty key differences at the moment. HP and MP were fairly self-explanatory. They represented my current health and magical points. CT means Charge Time and I think depicts how long it takes to use some skills. It had my name, my Job, and a Zodiac depiction. I had no clue at all what that was going to be used for but hey, who doesn¡¯t want to be a Leo at least once or twice. The Movement thing was confusing, when I tried to focus on it the text changed and showed me that it was how far I could move before stamina needed to be recharged. It actually made me terrified that I¡¯d be relegated to some form of turn-based system. I ended up moving a bit to test that theory, not really seeing where I was yet. Turns out that it just meant I had a Stamina bar and the three was what an average adult man could run before having to take a break. That made me more thankful than I could ever possibly say. The idea of being in something Turn Based was frightening. Jump just meant how high I could jump, pretty simple and went very far to tell me that white men could not jump, at all. I sighed a little at my lame joke before checking Speed. That affecting a multitude of things. How fast I could attack, react, and move. Each depleted my Stamina really wanted a bar instead of movement for that but I would make do. Just means I¡¯d have to figure out how much I could do before getting tired. Weapon Power must be the bonus to attack anything I have equipped gave me, having no weapons means I have no bonus. Pretty interesting. Then it went into some mathematical crap that honestly went way over my head. What I gathered is it measured my natural attack capability, magical capability...both to dish out damage I think, critical chance for each that made no sense to me. I mean, I hit someone in the eye that is an instant crit while the foot was less so. I wasn¡¯t going to take that without a grain of salt. Hit chance seems just as confusing and I think it honestly dealt more with ranged things than melee. If I was going to punch someone I highly doubted I¡¯d simply miss. They could dodge, yes, but simply missing I doubted. SPE was apparently Special Effect Chance and applied to any on-hit effects either some skills or weapons applied. Bravery was a funky stats, it depicted how often an automated response to block, parry, counter, whatever the fuck was equipped as a skill would proc. Another thing I wouldn¡¯t pay a lot of attention too, honestly. If I¡¯m gonna block something I won¡¯t rely on some funky chance. Faith seemed to add a bonus to the amount of magical damage I could dish out, that part was kinda neat if I was being entirely honest. Following that was my equipment. I had two weapon slots, a head slot, a chest slot, leggings and two accessory slots. I wondered if the Tactics System would actually limit what I could do or if it was just a feature involved with the box thingie I had. The Skills was something I remembered though, and I knew damn well there were not three passive abilities you could use like that. Not that I was really complaining, but I wondered what the point was about having them equipped. I chose to expand the Fundamental tab and it showed I only had one actual Squire skill, Throw Stone. I frowned, trying to figure this out was going to be a bit of a pain. More so when it seemed the damn thing had several useless features. Who are you calling useless, MEAN!!!This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I blinked a bit, confused and whipped my head around me, looking for the little girl voice that had just screamed at me. It let me see that I was on a big grassy hill somewhere in what I assumed was the countryside, if the fields were anything to go by, and something that looked like a road a good hundred yards away from me to my right. MEAN, MEAN, MEAN! Daddy said I¡¯d have a nice person! What in the actual fuck was going on right now? ¡°Um...hello?¡± I called out as a test. A soft girlish hmph met my greeting/question. I¡¯m your System A.I. Daddy put me in this System saying a nice man would be its holder. You¡¯re not nice though! You called me useless! Okie Dokie then...I¡¯m insane and apparently the A.I for the System I got could talk and was a little girl. What the hell had Frank gotten me into exactly? Right, ok...moving on. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry I called you useless I was just thinking about how some functions seemed a bit off and not really needed in a realistic setting.¡± You promise you didn¡¯t mean it? I could actually hear the hesitant hope in the little voice and...oh sweet baby Jesus, did the box in front of me just turn into a little pouting face? I felt my eyes widen and I tried very hard not to be freaked out before I reassured her. ¡°Yes, I promise. I¡¯m...I¡¯m Crispin, what¡¯s your name?¡± That¡¯s right, treat her like a good girl and avoid any questions relating to your sanity, that¡¯s the best way to go. I mean, I¡¯d seen some freaky stuff, what with all the lives I¡¯ve lived, but this really took the cake. Well...If you promise! Oh! Oh! Daddy said my name was Tactitia, it¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t it?! And the box just turned into a miniature little girl in a pink frilly dress, pink hair with a deeper shade of pink for ribbons and pink eyes. ¡®Gah! My eyes! They burn!¡¯ Her voice turned toward righteous fury expression which was at odds with her teary eyes. You are mean! I¡¯m adorable and you said your eyes burn! I¡¯m never helping you! She turned in a huff and I was still trying to scrub all the pink out of my mind before I realized what she said and I panicked a little. The fact that a little girl was making me panic did not escape me, but it wasn¡¯t like I had much choice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I was just surprised! Pink is a very pretty color I just wasn¡¯t ready for so much of it, I swear!¡± She looked over her tiny little mini shoulder, pink...pink tears falling from her face before she wiped one away and asked me if I was being honest. Yea, think pleasant thoughts about pink Crispin, it is your only hope. ¡°I promise, you¡¯re utterly adorable Tactitia, and such a pretty name. Who¡¯s your Daddy?¡± She beamed at me and started jumping around in place, a disturbing image if you thought about the fact she was some form of A.I, a pink one, and was about the size of my hand...then the fact there was no surface for her to jump on. Just don¡¯t think about it, don¡¯t think about it. My Daddy is Franklin! He helped give me life and said that he felt a man he called George would treat me right as I grew up! Are you George? Your name says Crispin though¡­ Oh shit, she looked like she was about to run away. Whether possible or not I wasn¡¯t really prepared to test the theory so I rushed to calm her. ¡°I am! Rather I was George, I¡¯m Crispin now though. I changed my name. So Frank is your Daddy? He and I are friends and I will do my best to help you grow.¡± I smiled with that but I was secretly planning to find a way to get even with a God for subjecting me to all of this...pink. I resisted the urge to shudder and tried to pat her head, surprisingly I could feel hair but I knew damn well that she wasn¡¯t physical. I wanted to know how this all worked but not bad enough to trigger something bad. ¡°So, can you tell me why a lot of those things in my status screen don''t seem applicable to my current situation?¡± Please answer me without taking offense little girl, please! Um...The Tactics System was designed for the Final Fantasy Esq world, but...we aren¡¯t on that world so most really won¡¯t be usable. I...I can¡¯t change anything with the display though, I don¡¯t have the ability. She started to tear up, apparently, she didn¡¯t like the idea of not being useful...I had to admit she really was adorable just, so much pink. ¡°That¡¯s ok sweetie. Do you know how we can fix that?¡± She nodded her little head and wiped those big tears away...I was beginning to think she was using those tears as a weapon to get reassured. My own daughter, my last one anyway, had done the same as a four-year-old. Yes! I can open the System Shop and you can purchase those rights...but it costs experience and if you spend experience it might lower your level, or cause other problems if done too often or you spend too much. I smiled at her while I thought a bit. So, I could still purchase upgrades for Tactics System, rather Tactitia but it would cost my experience used to level, or my life experience if I went by the old method. Something to check out later, no doubt it¡¯d be a while before I could even afford the stuff. I still asked her to show me the list right now, I did NOT think about my burning eyes when the screen took the place of the pink little girl and was just as bright and vibrant a pink as she had been. The little giggle I heard made me think it had been intentional.
System Shop! Tactical System Version 2! - 500,000 Experience System Rights - 300,000 Experience Item Shop - 100,000 Experience ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ...
It went on a great deal further but those three took my attention at for the most part. The experience cost alone was frightening. I¡¯d figure out just how much it¡¯d hurt me later on, I think, but for now I¡¯d have to live with the current display and try to ignore the useless information. The box turned back into Tactitia when Is aid I was done and she lowered her head and looked up at me with big, pink, eyes while twirling her hands. Oh god, if not for the pink she¡¯d be the cutest little thing in the world. Did I do good, Crispin? ¡°Yes you did kiddo, I¡¯m proud of you!¡± It was an automatic response that just kinda popped out of my mouth when she asked that. I meant it, but it was disturbing that she appeared to be actively using that cuteness to manipulate me. Oh well, better cuteness than...other things, that would probably make me off myself and smack Frank, damned be the consequences. She did a little jump in the air and said ¡®Yippee!¡¯ adorable! Ok, I grinned a little. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be all that bad to have a pink kiddo following me around. ¡°Can anyone else see you?¡± I asked in passing. Nope! Only you and anyone you purchase from the Mercenary Shop can see me. The Mercenary Shop people can only see me if I want them too though. That was a minor load off of my mind, the fact I could think/talk to her made it easier. I wouldn¡¯t seem like a complete lunatic that way. Well, I guess I really should finally take a look around me, a more detailed one anyway. I turned in a circle slowly, ignoring Tactitia¡¯s question about what I was doing. The resulting pout was another thing I ignored. I needed to focus. My surroundings were the same, farmland seemed to surround me and that road. I scratched my head a bit. I¡¯d hoped someone would be around, at the same time I¡¯m glad they weren¡¯t. I didn¡¯t need to be known by the locals as a lunatic after all, and I had been acting like one. Talking to what would be the air in their eyes. I was distracted a moment later by Tactitia saying something, she seemed really excited about it, probably because she remembered what she forgot. That made me worry for her, was she a ditzy kid? Crispin! I remembered something! You get a care package from Life, Death, and Beyond for purchasing a System and changing your world! It is a one time reward but it is tailor made for any System you chose, so me! Here, here, her! Open it quickly, I wanna see what we got! I smiled at her, a weird little blue box simply appeared in my hands. Tactitia stuck her tongue out at it and went brrrt, a very unladylike thing to do but utterly adorable in a little girl. Blue is icky! I chuckled before patting her head and then opening the box. I wondered what I¡¯d get. Chapter 3 - The care Package I looked at the box for a bit before shrugging and opening the thing. I¡¯m not sure what I was expecting. It wasn¡¯t this though.
Hello Crispin! As a personal thank you for your understanding and compliance with our changes to managing your rebirth we have granted you a few additional gifts.
  1. One free System upgrade
  2. Tamer Job has been unlocked
  3. Tame Skill acquired
  4. One free Mercenary
We at Life, Death, and Beyond understand this is a small compensation toward you and others like you but we hope it aids your new life.
Yeah, I wasn¡¯t expecting anything like that. Then again I suppose they did feel a bit bad for forcing these changes on people like me. Even if the number of folks was low in number. I heard a soft little gasp, and I turned toward Tactitia and saw her jumping up and down. I can be upgraded! Upgrade me upgrade me! She was pretty adorable. I smiled at her and asked her what she wanted for a System Upgrade. I figured I¡¯d let her choose. ¡°What would you like Tactitia? Whatever you want, ok?¡± Why not? I did want to change that old status screen but making what amounted to my best friends daughter, and a lifelong companion happy early happy was far more important to me. Really!? You promise? Too late! I want the Second Version of my system! It upgrades so much and comes with a lot of the cheaper improvements on the screen according to Daddy¡¯s message! I grinned at her, though my mind was all but sprinting. Frank was actively speaking to Tactitia, that wasn¡¯t what I thought the norm for the Gods was. I had a feeling me knowing that wasn¡¯t a good thing as well. Best to stay quiet about her little slip for now. I had her bring up the System Upgrade box, thankful it wasn¡¯t a bright pink again and selected Tactics System V2 Tactitia was cheering a bit after I confirmed my free upgrade and after two minutes of that, she said that several changes were made and I needed to see them. She was still smiling and doing her little cheer which had evolved into a twirling dance. Adorable little pink girl. I did what she asked and opened my status screen, happy with what I saw.
Name: Crispin Job: Squire - 1 (Change - Expand) Zodiac Sign: Leo Title: None Exp: 0/100
HP - 90 MP - 65 ST - 100 Str - 3 End - 2 Sp - 2 Mind - 3
Abilities Passive - JP Up +10 Active - Stone Throw Tame Defensive - None
It still seemed rough, but a lot of what made no sense was gone now. There was a Title addition as well which I thought was cool if I was honest with myself. The fact the Zodiac thing stayed behind made me feel it actually was something pretty important or would be anyway. I even had a stamina bar! Right below the MP one and it was set at one hundred. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was the max and a stat that increased depicted how fast it decreased or if it could be improved. When I asked Tactitia, she confirmed my original guess as correct.Stolen novel; please report. Your Stamina is set at a maximum of one hundred. A combination of Endurance and Speed dictate how quickly it decreases. Strength affects how strong you are, Endurance how much damage you can effectively mitigate or endure, see what I did there! As well as how long you can do it. Speed is your reaction time, casting time, and movement speed. Mind covered your casting time with Speed and affects how fast your MP regenerates and how much oomph you can put into a spell based ability! She went way into detail on that. I was thankful for it though. Each stat affected something and needed the others to combine them. ¡°How can I increase them?¡± May as well get into this oddity. Stats get increased at a random one increment based on your equipped Job when leveling. You can improve them naturally as well as through hard work. Kind of a let down there but it still seemed fun. So my stat increase depended heavily on my Job when I leveled. I imagined something like Squire giving me a random boost in any of the stats since it was the base Job from the games. I grinned at the implications behind it. I also remembered one of the most significant pains in the ass functions of the game. Balancing your EXP gain with your JP gain. It was pretty clear I¡¯d get way more JP than I would EXP with my boost in that area but it never hurts to ask. ¡°How about EXP, how is that gained with JP?¡± She paused, scrunching up her little face in the cutest way before jumping in excitement. EXP is gained by living! It took a bit because Math is a meanie''s head! You obtain it in a lot of different ways. Walking for over an hour can give you anywhere from one to three EXP while fighting another person can increase that a whole lot if they are stronger than you! Killing something grants you a massive boost based on what it was, its EXP, or level, about your own and some other factors that seem silly like if it¡¯s a boy or a girl. JP is your skill and ability with your Job. All actions performed by skills gained from Job will add to your equipped job. So your Throw Stone will give you ten JP based on if it hits the target. With your modifier that increases to over one hundred JP! Goodness that is amazing! Your Job level also apparently changes how much JP you earn with the action. Throw Stone will add JP to the Chemist Job if you have it equipped instead of the Squire Job. I think it¡¯s weird! That was a lot to take in all at once, but I managed. I was even able to ignore the jumping blur of pink that was Tactitia for a bit while I thought about all of that. I had a broken ability to maximize and master several Jobs and their Skills with the JP boost I have. The fact this upgrade seems to have removed the limitations made it even more busted. I was happy that I had taken it over the EXP boosts back in Frank''s office. The EXP gain was pretty much the same as before it seemed as well. You got it by living. Fighting would gain me the most, and I had only one real way to test that out. It ruined my desire for a peaceful life, but if this World was as violent as Frank hinted at then, I could only have a quiet life by ensuring I was strong enough to secure it. I sighed in frustration at that, patting a suddenly concerned Tactitia¡¯s head. ¡°Alright, so how much JP does it take to level a Job, and how much EXP does it take for me to level each time?¡± She scrunched her face at me and pouted like I had asked her to do something awful. You are making me do Math! I hate icky Math! Your EXP gain increases by double with each level you gain. In the event you delevel due to the purchase from the System Shop then you get triple the EXP needed to regain that level. JP is more comfortable; each Job is set to hit level two at one hundred JP. From level two to level three you need two hundred JP and then it jumps to five hundred and then one thousand. After that, it takes an additional two thousand JP per level until it hits level ten where it maxes out. Yeah, my JP boost was broken as shit. ¡°How about Skill purchases? How does that work?¡± She grinned at me and then changed into a box from her little girl shape, showing me the Squire Job.
Job Skills: Squire
Focus - 300 JP Rush - 80 JP Stone - Learned Salve - 150 JP Tailwind - 200 JP Chant - 20 JP Steel - 200 JP Shout - 500 JP Ultima - 2000 JP Counter Tackle - 180 JP Beastmaster - 200 JP JP Boost - Learned (Increased by ten with System)
There were a few options mission like the movement abilities, but I guess the System Upgrade got rid of things that didn¡¯t fit in the Final Fantasy Tactics world or something. I had no actual clue, but I was thankful for it. The JP costs were pretty cheap when you took into account my OP JP accumulation ability. The Squire Job also had fewer skills compared to several other Jobs if I remembered. I tilted my head to the side and contemplated how I wanted to live my life in this world. I knew most of what I wanted if I was honest, how I was going to get to the end goal. I think I should go ahead and let my perfectionist side out here. With my JP Boost Ability, it would allow me to go utterly bonkers with mastering everything with the Jobs. I grinned a bit, cracking my neck in preparation for grinding by throwing stones at everything I could. ¡°Shall we see where we are Tactitia?¡± I asked a moment later. She turned back into the overly pink little girl again and cheered out in joy. She wanted to see new things. I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t a bit excited as well of course. I made my way toward the road with confident steps. That was the plan at least when I took three steps from my little hill overlooking all the farmlands with their grain-like crops I heard a loud shout coming from behind me. ¡°Who the hell are you!? What do you think you¡¯re doing on my land?!¡± I turned toward the voice and decided that caution was the better part of valor and started running like never before. Why do you ask? Because the fucking thing yelling at me was a massive wall of muscle with a bull''s head and horns the size of my upper body. I let loose a mighty manly scream while Tactitia yelled Weeeeeeeee as I ran and she was dragged along with me. Chapter 4 - Ajax and the Mercnary I gasped out a question to the still ¡®weeeing¡¯ Tactitia in my mad dash away from the big bull-man. ¡°What the hell is that thing!?¡± I started panting at that point. I¡¯d been moving at a dead sprint for a good five minutes at that point, so it was a natural occurrence. The A.I. let out a little giggle before she answered me. The big guy is called a ¡®Minitoan.¡¯ They are one of the native people of Atria. They tend toward large builds and are herbivores by nature. The Bulls are the aggressive ones whereas the females of their kind are nurturing and sweet. I took a second to glance at her in confusion; she sounded like she was reading from a fucking script. She caught me just as I turned and moved to hide what looked like a manual behind her back while adopting an innocent expression that would melt anyone into a pile of goo. ¡°You!¡± I gasped out while still running. ¡°What is that in your hands?!¡± Oh God, my lungs, they burn! A present from Daddy! It tells me the basics of this world so I can answer you if you ask a question. You can¡¯t see it though! Only I can cause it was a present, and Daddy said only I could read it!¡± Damnit, Frank! I started flagging at that point, risking a glance behind me. The loud ¡®Stop running!¡¯ Let me know he was still chasing me. When I turned around, I saw he was closing in on me, and all I could do was choke back a sob. I was going to get killed by a half bull-half man with massive horns in the first hours of my new life. I tripped over something in the few moments I allowed myself to look at my horned doom; I was sure the painful roll looked anything but graceful as well. I went head over heels in two circles, a lot of dirty and small rocks going into my nose and mouth before I stopped on my back gasping for breath and hurting in more places than I cared to think about. Closing my eyes against the pain, I heard the big man-bull-thing chasing me slow down while letting out a massive snort that made me think of something about to charge and gore you. I let out a little whimper before I heard the voice again, the sound of it seemed to vibrate my entire body with its deepness. ¡°What in Atria are you doing on the ground? I was getting into the swing of things chasing you.¡± ¡°Oh God, don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯m sorry I ever got on that hill!¡± I heard another snort, then felt a massive hand grab me by one of my arms. I flinched and whimpered again. ¡°Oh stop that whimpering you whelp. I ain¡¯t gonna kill you; I want to know what you¡¯re doing on my land! It¡¯s mating season, and I don¡¯t like the idea of being watched by some tiny Hume.¡± was his reply to my begging and whimpering. I let out an internal sigh of relief at not being gored on those horns. I opened my eyes after he hauled me to my feet and set me on them. I was still gasping for air as well, made standing on my spaghetti legs all the harder. After a few shaky moments of taking in deep breaths and releasing them as slowly as I could, I opened my eyes to look at the man. I was met by a chest that was so overly muscled I it would put any number of professional weight-lifters on Earth to shame. Since I didn¡¯t feel like looking at man-boob, I lifted my gaze up, and up toward the Minitoan¡¯s head. I blinked in shock, and the big man shook his head a bit before snorting again. His entire body was covered in a black-furred hide, and he had a massive cow¡¯s head in place of something human. His left eye was the only oddity, having a single white patch of fur there. The eyes themselves were a deep brown as well. I¡¯d call the big guy soulful if I weren¡¯t very confident he¡¯d rip me in two just my flexing. He was that fucking muscular. ¡°What ya looking at little Hume?¡± He asked, snorting again, and I realized I had been staring at him. I coughed a bit, taking my eyes from the sheer absurdity before me and realized that aside from the head, fur, and obvious size difference he had a human body. No hoofs that I could see at least. ¡°Well?¡± Right, need to answer the big scary man. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I have never seen a Minitoan before, that¡¯s all!¡± I yelled that out, shock and a great deal of residual fear making my voice way louder than it needed to be. The big man let out a cow-like low and then stuck one large finger in his ear closest to me. ¡°Easy little Hume, no need to scream. How haven¡¯t you seen a Minitoan before? We¡¯re one of the more common races on Atria since we make the best farmers!¡± He said that with pride and I chose to not insult the big man by saying farming seemed a waste of that physique. ¡°I¡¯m not from around here.¡± I managed to say in a calmer voice, and the big bull nodded at me before smacking me on the back. The blow sent me tumbling forward into the ground again. I think he said sorry, but I was still groaning in pain and trying to ignore the fact my back just went snap-crackle-pop in more places than I think it should from the seemingly casual blow. Ouchie, are you ok Crispin? That looked like it hurt a lot¡­ I ignored the miniature pink girl and focused more on making sure I could still move! When I realized I could, I was being hauled back to my feet by the big man who seemed genuinely concerned for my well being. ¡°Sorry about that, I forget you Hume¡¯s are weak compared to us. I¡¯m Ajax, by the by, what¡¯s your name? Why are you on my land as well? Peeking at me, and my herd during mating season?¡± I shook my head, trying to regain something like cognitive faculty before answering him, still gasping a bit from the pain. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know this land belonged to anyone; I was looking for a town. I was not looking to seeing you mate with anyone either!¡± The big man, Ajax, looked at me like I was lying before shrugging. ¡°It¡¯s polite to give your name when given another, or asked Hume.¡± Oh shit, don¡¯t piss off the big bull. ¡°Crispin! My name is Crispin. Sorry, still a little out of it from that blow.¡± He nodded sagely when I mentioned that, moving his massive hand to my shoulder, engulfing it. I winced a bit expecting it to hurt. It was surprisingly gentle this time though. ¡°That¡¯s alright little Crispin. The town you¡¯re looking for is a good ten miles down that road. It¡¯s called Foxington, mostly Foxan live there, they¡¯re good folk, but their traders will skin you alive and sell you if given half the chance. Go to the Inn, only one in town so you can¡¯t miss it, tell them Ajax sent you and they should give you a good deal. Now get goin, I have a few of my wives waiting back in the field that needs attention.¡± He shoved me, impatiently shooing me like you might an annoying fly before rushing back the way we had run bellowing out at the top of his lungs. ¡°Here I come Clariiiiice!¡± I had no idea who Clarice was, but it probably was the name of one of his wives...Multiple being key there. I shuddered, wincing from that blow still before staring at his retreating form in wonder. What the actual hell? ¡°Care to explain Tactitia? I¡¯m bewildered right now.¡± I was, Minitoan, Foxan, multiple wives, being chased by someone I thought planned to kill me and could have ripped me in two without much effort only to be given directions and a bit of help. Atria has odd social customs; Daddy didn¡¯t explain it much beyond that. A Foxan is like the Minitoan; they are animal-human hybrids that have a mixing of the features. The males tend to have more beastial characteristics while the females are more Human, or Hume, in appearance with ears and tails, maybe some fur covering their bodies. Yeah, that just confused me more. ¡°What other races are there?¡± I asked after a moment of just standing there in a daze. Lot¡¯s! There are even kitty people! I can¡¯t wait to see them. Um, the book said there were several kinds of sentient races like Elves, Humans, Dragons, Demon thingies that are meanie heads, as well as a whole lot of animal people! They call themselves Beastfolk as a whole though. Alrighty then, ok. I got a free Mercenary right? I¡¯m going to go ahead and use that I think. If nothing else maybe I won¡¯t die instantly to a fucking Dragon if they are there to distract it. I felt my mind melting a little at the possibilities of this world and the dangers. I did not want to fight after seeing that big guy, someone who was a fucking farmer, being over three times my size in sheer muscle mass. I coughed, trying very hard to ignore the thought of my early and gruesome death before speaking to Tactitia again. ¡°So, how does using this free Mercenary work?¡± Are you ok? You still sound hurt. Well damn, the kiddo was a little more observant than I liked. ¡°I¡¯m ok, consider it a bit of culture shock. How does this free Mercenary thing work?¡± If you¡¯re sure¡­ The free Mercenary they gave you is a template that I use to create a living, breathing entity. It gets complicated after that because once I create them after you finish customizing portions, they become living breathing people. Daddy said it was complicated and would tire me out afterward so I can¡¯t do it often. Um, unlike the game my system emulates the Mercenary you select can be pulled from every race on Altria. Well, aside from some unique ones, or actual monsters. I blinked a bit and smiled at the pink kiddo. She was scrunching her face up in concentration while trying to remember whatever Frank told her. It was genuinely adorable. I moved to pat her head with a finger as gently as I could. I heard her giggle and two tiny hands grabbed my index finger before she started swinging a bit. ¡°Think we should go ahead and get it then, Tactitia?¡± Yes! Here, I¡¯ll bring up the proper information for you! She let out a high pitch scream after I asked her if we should, she was so full of energy. I ignored the feeling of being an old bastard while watching her turn into a table.
Mercenary Selection Race Gender Cost
Squire Minitoan M/F Free Squire Foxan M/F Free Squire Wolfin M/F Free Squire Draconian M/F Free Squire Vampire M/F Free Squire Flamico M/F FreeIf you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Squire Lamia F Free Squire Felidae M/F Free Squire Demonic M/F Free Squire Hercule N/A Free Squire Naga M/F Free Squire Avian M/F Free Squire Ent M Free Squire Leofric M/F Free Squire Canid M/F Free
The list went on for a while, about three more pages to be exact. It was a little overwhelming. Some of the selections were Female only, or Male only, some appeared not to have known genders as well. Most had the standard male and female roles though, which was nice. I selected the Minitoan because I knew what to expect there. When I did a tab with information on the race as well as an actual display with sliders and stuff to change the appearance appeared. The description only stated what Tactitia had told me about which was standard. The male looked like a smaller carbon copy of Ajax; it was kind of neat fiddling with his appearance as well. I looked at the female next, and I was reasonably sure my jaw dislocated and hit the ground. The image of a Minitoan female was entirely one of curves. A soft, nurturing face like a human woman with two small little horns on the side of her head leading down to a chest that held two breasts, each the size of my fucking head, tapering down into a slim waist with a flat stomach and then widening out at the hips to support a perfect heart shaped butt that had no right to look that damn good. The little-spotted tail twirling behind the image just added a cute factor to her. I blinked at the image a while before Tactitia pulled me back to reality with a little cough and asking if I was done yet. She was bored. I shook myself a bit and then went down the other races. Hume was further down the list, and while I might like the idea of a human-like companion, I figured I might as well select another form. Get used to the reality of this world and hopefully numb me a bit to the strangeness I¡¯d see later on. I debated on the Flamico because they were super strange and I¡¯d have to adapt fast with them. Imagine a Flamingo with human features in some unusual combination, and you had their appearance. Tactitia was all for it because both male and females of that race came in pink. I decided against it, for the sake of my eyes and sanity though. ¡°Do they gain any bonus based on the race I select?¡± Yep! You won¡¯t know them until you learn more about the people of this world or ask me specific questions so I can answer you. Of course getting the Mercenary version lets you ignore most of that. Hmmm, that made things a bit more complicated, but I ended up choosing the Leofric. They were a tribe of Beastfolk resembling lions. The males were easily the size of Ajax with actual to God lion heads and substantial gaping maws filled with fangs. Intimidating as all hell. The women were just pure sexiness on a stick though. Where the Minitoan female was all curves and size, the Leofric was more streamlined and had a lot more muscle tone while keeping softer curves. It was entirely selfish of me to select female because I wanted to stare at a perfectly toned and soft ass all day long, but I still chose female. The options menu expanded and I started creating the perfect version within the races limitations, well, perfect for me at least. I gave her c-cup breasts, a nice handful. I made her face mostly sharp angles, with a bit of fiddling it seemed both soft and harsh while maintaining an exotic feel. Her hair was a tawny golden brown and I had it flow down her toned back toward just the very top of her ass. Her butt I made a little bigger than I probably should have, but I¡¯d be damned if you wouldn¡¯t be able to bounce a dime off of it with little effort. Her arms were made to be a blend of muscle tone and soft feminine curves. The legs were the same, though I had her thighs and hips a little wider to accommodate the bubble butt. All in all her body was still athletic and very curvy for her size. I made her top out at five-six, four inches smaller than what I appeared to be. That left her eyes, those I had a lot of fun with. I had to have spent twenty minutes alone on her eyes, making them seem sincere and soulful, it added to that exotic feel and made the huntress looking body primed for combat seem a little sensual as well. They were feline eyes, the pupil''s slit, and black. I colored in the Iris a deep emerald green with an outer layer of amber. The green itself lightened in color the further out you went until it faded entirely into the amber lining. I smiled at my handy work, those eyes alone would cause trouble for any horny man, but that wasn¡¯t a concern of mine right now. This was purely selfish want, and desire for a female companion I could stare at that wasn¡¯t pink and tiny. Her tail I slimed out a little, it matched the rest of her body and made her seem a little bit more deadly. I was done, and damn happy with my work as well. I hit confirm on the little thing and was asked to name my Mercenary, a fun little feature right there. I named her ¡®Leona¡¯ and approved again. Tactitia screamed out a bored finally. Note to self; children hate doing nothing for extended periods of time. Shortly after where her box became a glowing ball of light that quickly formed into Leona, I caught a pleasant glimpse of gentle curvature before the light built into the same linen-like clothing I was wearing, followed by a status screen suddenly showing up before me.
Name Job Zodiac Sign Title Exp
Leona Squire Sagittarius None 0/100 Change - Expand
HP MP ST Str End Sp Mind
100 10 100 5 5 3 2
Abilities
Active Passive Defensive
None Leofric Presence Block
I checked out the Leofric Presence while she was still forming into reality. The passive was pretty damn good, all things considering.
Leofric Presence
Just by being in near the noble countenance of a member of the Leofric race you feel pride and strength infuse your body. Capable of inspiring those within three feet of the Leofric into an act of bravery and heroism helps combat adverse mental conditions such as fear.
I had a terrible feeling I would need that at some point, though the fact that little ability was so far outside of the game itself confused me. Until I learned more I¡¯d just chalk it up to being race exclusive and the system just popped it in there because of it. When she formed entirely I saw the vacant and distant eyes suddenly fill with life, adding a depth and vividly compelling desire to stare into what I had spent so much time on, then she lunged at me while letting out a roar that sounded way too much like an actual lion and sent a cold chill down my spine. I had a moment to think how utterly beautiful and frightening she was and then she latched onto me, my mind going blank and wondering how many more times I was going to be scared for my life after just arriving. She took me to the ground, and I tried to get her off of me, the action itself made feeble by the frightening strength she had at her disposal. I felt the soft fur along her face, something I did not remember adding, rub against my neck, I felt fangs nip me, and I was sure I was going to die. A moment later, wondering why I was still alive and this frighteningly dangerous and sexy woman was rubbing against me, I heard it. Was she...purring? I felt it a moment later as it deepened and she nuzzled me harder while rubbing her cheeks against me. I was baffled, lions didn¡¯t purr and as far as I knew they didn¡¯t scent mark anything, admittedly I knew little about lions beyond how cool they looked but still. She said something, uttering it. I gasped when she nuzzled a ticklish spot on my neck, and she muttered it again. This time I heard it, the purring she was doing adding an odd little tremble to her words. ¡°Mine, all mine.¡± Chapter 5 - Sexual Conflicts. ¡°What the fuck!? I¡¯m not yours! Get off me! Tactitia, what is this!?¡± Ok, I admit I was losing it a little here, but I had a woman that was a very great deal stronger than me, with claws, trying to take my pants off! I smacked at her hands, and she let out a purring giggle when I snapped at her. ¡°Stop that!¡± It did absolutely nothing to dissuade her, and Tactitia wasn''t answering me as well. ¡°Tactitia!¡± Tactitia is currently unavailable. I am the Battery Operated Backup unit, or Bob if you prefer. How may I assist you? Ok, figure that out later, first things first. ¡°Why is the crazy woman trying to rape me!?¡± I smacked her hand again, and she started nipping at my ear. That was playing dirty! My ears are sensitive Goddamnit! Ah, that is because a Leofric only serves someone outside their kind through trial by combat. The system subroutines showed you had no chance of actually doing that as you currently are so we were forced to change her personality. For Female Leofric to lose in combat further adds on the bonus of marriage. Though a Male may have just as quickly decided you would be his mate, the race is a bit wishy-washy in that regard. I felt my asshole clench at the implied meaning. I also swore that I would make Tactitia tell me everything she could about fucking cultural differences in the future. Another whack to wandering hands that were way too soft and warm. ¡°Mmm, I like when you play hard to get.¡± she murmured at me and then actually gripped both my wrists in one of her hands, my flailing only barely delaying the situation. I was a little curious about just why she wasn¡¯t commenting on me talking to the air, but it was a minor concern. The actual problem was she had now freed my fucking pants down to the middle of my thighs in one quick tug. She let out a little gasp once the treat I¡¯d given myself was released for all the world to see. I was suddenly thrilled I¡¯d splurged a wee bit on that particular aspect of my anatomy. The primary reason being she appeared so enthralled by it that her grip loosened, allowing me to rip a hand free and pull my pants back up. It resulted in a very confusing and frightening reaction from Leona. She looked at me and began growling while pouting. ¡°Stop it!¡± I yelled at her again. Her growl deepened, and I saw her free hand flex slightly, forcing claws to elongate while her adorable little feline ears pressed flat against her hair. ¡°Mine!¡± I saw a flash and then heard ripping fabric as she brought her claws to bear on my poor pants. The bitch was psychotic! ¡°Bob? Bob! How do I make her stop!¡± I said in desperation. Sex was all well and good, but I was saying no damn it! There is no real way to stop it. Her kind is hardwired to consummate their ¡®marriage.¡¯ I advise you to accept the inevitable and enjoy it as much as possible. About when I finished listening to him, I felt a hard, wet, sensation that reminded me far too much of sandpaper along my semi-hard shaft. I yelped out in pain, and she looked up from her ministrations curiously before licking it again, causing me to yell in pain once more. Her eyes narrowed at me, and I covered my junk with one hand while trying to think of a way out of this entire situation. ¡°Wait! Wait, you want our first time outside, on the ground?¡± I had no clue if it would work but I was desperate at this point. She was trying to pry my hand off of what she considered hers but paused to look at me. Her voice was low and husky when she replied. ¡°I do not care, I want this. Give it to me now!¡± Oh shit. Think, good lord my fingers don¡¯t bend that way woman! ¡°It¡¯s yours! Please stop, I want the first time to be special!¡± Lie, lie like the wind and then run like hell the first chance I get. She regarded me again, my index finger bent at a painful angle. ¡°Special?¡± she whispered, that purr returning as she did. ¡°Yes! You deserve to be pampered and worshiped. I can¡¯t do that here, in the open, where all who happen by can see your body. Isn¡¯t that mine as well? I don¡¯t wish others to see it!¡± I would love to say that part was a lie but I had done some beautiful fucking work on that body and what I said was entirely true. I didn¡¯t plan to do it anytime soon all the same. She began purring again and crawled her way up my body, her posture sexual as all hell, not to mention arousing. ¡°Only you can see me?¡± she asked in a teasing half whisper. I gulped when she reached my face, our lips centimeters apart. Goddamnit! I¡¯d made her way too sexy; the soldier was starting to betray me entirely. I nodded, seeing as that was all I could do, I didn¡¯t trust myself in the slightest. Not with her suddenly changing tactics to seduction over rape. A throaty giggle came from her at my nod, and I felt my soldier betray me again, but I was able to keep it under control, not really but lying to myself helped some.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Her warm, intoxicating breath, caressed my face. It smelled kind of like cinnamon, which I found weird as hell. ¡°Do you promise?¡± She asked, moving a little closer to my lips. I felt my eyes widen when she took them for herself and her rough tough invaded my month in an attempt to all but throat fuck me. I won¡¯t lie, I felt like I was a girl on the wrong end of a bad date right now, but I would be damned if it wasn¡¯t sexy to be that fucking desired. I¡¯d ignore the little fact her mind was warped upon being ¡®born¡¯. ¡°Good, we should hurry to a place you can do just that then my sweet Husband. I won¡¯t allow you to keep me waiting.¡± I nodded, out of breath from the very passionate kiss. I don¡¯t believe I had ever been kissed that thoroughly in any iteration of my lives. I needed to either give in, run, or find a way out of this situation before we were able to get to the village. Otherwise, I¡¯d be ravaged against my will. Watching her get up slowly, forcing her breasts against me, made me think I¡¯d give in and keep it away from the little rape scenario we had just had. I got up slowly as well, though my reasoning was mostly because I feared being tackled again. Judging by the way she was eyeing my half erect member as I did it wasn¡¯t a far-off notion. I looked at the tattered remains of my pants, frustrated at this entire fucking situation. I should have just picked a Hume, at least then I¡¯d be free of this little issue. ¡°We, well we need to head toward a town called Foxington, it¡¯s ten miles that way....¡± She perked up at that and grabbed my hands and started dragging me off in that direction, ignoring everything around us. ¡°Wait! Damnit, woman! I need pants!¡± She looked back at me, and I could see the frustration growing in her eyes. ¡°You want other women seeing what you claimed?¡± I asked, hoping that would do the trick. She just shrugged and pointed at my hands which were feebly attempting to cover myself. ¡°They can all look at my Husband. They can be jealous knowing that you are mine and that I get to enjoy your penis. Perhaps I¡¯ll even let a few of the stronger ones enjoy it in time as well.¡± That part made my mind blank a moment, the fantasy of any number of women combined with Leona, naked, servicing me a little much at the moment. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t WANT to be shown to the damn world!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait for you to consummate our marriage either, but we don¡¯t all get what we want. We move now, or we go back to what I was doing but a moment ago.¡± Her voice, which had slowly sounded a little cultured, took on a growling tenure again and I gave up, grabbing the rags of my pants and knotting them into a banana hammock. That was all the fabric left, enough to create a fucking speedo. ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± I muttered, she snorted at me and grabbed one of my hands, forcing me up beside her, as well as matching her speed. This was going to be a very long walk, I could already tell. ¡®Bob! Where is Tactitia! Also, why the hell did I not get informed about this little quirk beforehand?¡¯ I thought at the replacement A.I. Tactitia is in a forced hibernation because the creation of a life form, fully grown, with a personality and system in a world where there is no other game like quality costs Deity energy. Primary A.I. Tactitia is what is known as a Deific Artificial Intelligence and has the potential to evolve into a true God over time. She is but a child though, and the free mercenary took her available energy. Usually, the money used to purchase one would cover a lot of that, though I cannot explain why. Only the God of Currency could. As for why you were not informed, if you had bothered to look at the bottom of each race, you would have seen a page icon. It would have explained the needed changes to make it work, as well as cultural differences and warning. It is entirely your fault for not taking your time. I detected a whole lot of snark in that comment, but okay, he was right. I should have looked closer at everything before selecting. The fact Tactitia was asleep was a little concerning, though I kind of knew why Frank thought of her as a daughter now. She was a baby, God, according to what Bob just told me. ¡®Ok, fine...when will she wake up?¡¯ My battery charge is set to three years, Atria Standard Time. There are ways to decrease this, but none of them are available to you at this time. I groaned at the thought of being stuck with someone so readily associated with a damn vibrator for three years. ¡®What ways?¡¯ Ways involving ten thousand experience. Well, that shut me up pretty quick. I chose to speed-walk in silence with Leona at that point. Nothing else to ask, and still coming to terms with everything that had happened in the last hour or so taking up most of my mental faculty. ¡°Soooo, why are you so hell-bent on marrying a man you honestly don¡¯t know?¡± I finally asked after about an hour of farmland and a whole lot of nothing. She looked at me like I was stupid and tightened her grip, almost like she was afraid I¡¯d bolt. I would have, if not for the fact I knew she¡¯d catch me and take me by force. That was beside the point though. ¡°You defeated me; you are stronger and therefore perfect husband material. Our cubs will be adorable and strong as well.¡± Well, yeah, any babies that popped out of her would be cute as a button...wait, what!? ¡°Err, I¡¯m not having kids anytime soon,¡± I said, slowly. She just snorted at me before pulled me in close to her side and stopped walking. I got ready to bolt, but she just turned me toward her, a foot separated us. She angled herself so that all of her womanly assets were on display and I fought to not look down at her lightly furred breasts. She smirked at me and then answered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be getting pregnant outside of mating season, and even then there are ways to stop it. We will have cubs though, one way or another; I¡¯m fine waiting for now though.¡± I nodded, no longer fighting the valley of heaven she was tempting me with. She pulled me in closer toward her, and I went willingly this time. I decided that this was a new world, a new life, and I may as well enjoy it while it¡¯s all new and exciting as opposed to hundreds of years from now when I would no doubt have explored it all. Before she could kiss me again though, a rustling sound came from the large weeds off too our right, and a group of three tiny little green creatures burst out wielding clubs screaming, in order; ¡°Meat!¡±, ¡°Woman!¡±, ¡°Kill!¡±