《The Mechanisms of Power》 Prologue As the door was pushed ajar he was hit by the musty smell of the stale air inside, he gagged twice before running back a bit and covering his nose with the collar of his shirt. the place he had tried to enter was an abandoned house. Tis house was old and had stone walls merely painted over to disguise them, it had belonged to a doctor 30 or so years ago but since then no one had taken care of the plot of land surrounding it, quickly turning it into an untamed forest. As any abandoned place some had come here to do idiotic things, from throwing stones at the windows to hiding inside and drinking or smoking. Mark had never visited this place before even though he lived relatively close to it, so this was his first time here. The inside reeked of trash and rotting fruit, and the floor was lined with empty bottles and cigarette butts from previous visitors. he entered the room slowly taking in every detail of the place around him,the few pieces of furniture, the tables, the broken chairs and lastly the counters: covered by small medicine bottles, from when the old doctor was still alive and gave consultations at home. this was the reason why he had come here, Mark had always enjoyed the look of some old pieces, little things he liked to collect, and medicine bottles were one of them (what? they are empty. he doesn''t want them to get high or something) he carefully walked through the moldy wooden planks, taking in account where the rotten wood might give in. he slowly filled a plastic bag that he had brought with every medicine bottle he could find, some inside the cupboards others spread over the table tops.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. he slowly put down the half full bag as he looked over the room some more, which paid off as he noticed another small stash hidden behind the desk to which he quickly jumped over to. this were even better looking than the ones he had found before, with some twirling in spirals and other neatly designed effects. once he had them all stowed in his bag he stood up and swung over his shoulder. *crack* - Fuck, don''t tell me one of the bottles brok¡­ *chtronk* - AAAaaaaa¡­ the sound he had heard was not of a bottle breaking but that of a floor board and now he was falling towards the basement. he fell almost completely straight, slamming both his feet against the solid stone and falling to his knees and to the side. - ouch,ouch,ouch, ow this hurts like a ¡­ uhhhhh. he let go of the bag and tried massaging his tortured feet and standing up to look around at this new room. to his right there was a small wooden ladder screwed into the wall leading up and to his left a collapsed wall with a giant hole in it, and finally before him a large workbench along with a dusty wooden ark. he slowly walked towards the wooden ark and opened it, inside there were a bunch of old coins covered in a bit of green rust, some more bottles (these ones full) and two silver rings, one marked with a lizard on the otherwise smooth top and the other carved to resemble a pair of hands clutching an orange gem that glittered between the thin fingers. after pocketing the items he turned to the crumbled wall. Now that he looked at it from another angle he could see a large crack wide enough for two people to walk past¡­ a tunnel he realised. Hesitantly, he walked to it slowly examening the walls that seemed too well shaped to be natural yet still rough enough that no tool semed to have been used. *eyandka; tu x amg do Rock* a crouched figure that looked like ¡°the Predator¡± yelled quickly before waving and standing up using only his legs. ¡°what the fuck did i get myself into?¡± mark asked to no one in particular. Exploration and answers *Predator looking*, although great first assessment was a bit off on reality, it neither had the 4 large fangs that outstretched from his jaw nor did it have its extreme height, being at a more reasonable 5 foot 7 inches (1,70 meters), just at marks eye level. It did however still possess its eery scaly skin, and dreadlocked hair, along with the huge forehead and lack of a nose, in its place there was instead a bunch of wrinkly red ridges. it seemed peaceful enough, taking slow and calm steps towards him. ¡°i guess you haven''t been here before then?¡± the alien looking creature asked in a muffled voice (due to its lack of nose) but surprisingly perfect english. ¡°how did you¡­? i mean how¡­ what???¡± Mark¡¯s mind did not expect to be sent from extreme wariness to casual talk in such a short interval. ¡°well it''s good to see someone coming from your world, i''ve been waiting for a long time, to be honest i never expected someone else to come from there.¡± ¡°hold up, who¡­ what are you? and why do you know how to speak english.¡± he yelled through his absolute confusion. ¡° Yeah, im a Nigena, i was a friend of Rock, he taught me how to speak it a long time ago.¡± mark didn''t seem to be able to lose his confusion as every question he asked seemed to bring along either insufficient answers or more elaborate question. (a few minutes of conversation after their first encounter.) ¡°So Dr Rock was the first friend you made here in *the Mind* over 30 years ago, it must be hard to be the only one still here after so long.¡± Mark said in a sympathetic voice. ¡°Not at all there are a lot more people still here, we just have to leave this zone to get to see them. Come on let''s get you into this place properly.¡± he said pulling him by one of his arms. Although short and stout he had a surprising amount of strength as he pulled him deeper into this space. The little area they had been in had three individual tunnels and the large one where they were headed, the small tunnel to the right had been where Mark had come from and the left one belonged to *him*, who he did not yet know the name. ¡°what''s your name by the way? I don''t even know that yet.¡± He asked forcing it to to stop tugging him along. ¡°i guess i have been rushing this a bit, my name is Ras and your is¡­?¡± he asked dragging the last part waiting for an answer. ¡°Mark, the name is Mark and Why are you rushing this so much! I just arrived here and you seem to want to take me everywhere, calm down, i need to analyze this well i can''t just run around i want to understand this place.¡± Ras nodded in understanding calming a bit down and seating against one of the walls. ¡°You said this place was called *the Mind* but what is it exactly? you never told me?¡± MarkIf you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. inquired calmly only to receive an answer in an even calmer tone than his. ¡°And i won''t tell you, because that¡¯s where i wanna take you! It might not make sense now but you will soon understand it.¡± Mark sighed and followed a bit behind the alien looking character, the large tunnel through which they had come lead to a giant open space looking like a city square and he could see against the walls a serie of shops in quick succession lining the edges of this open circle, the smell of food and the noise of tools and chatter filled this zone, and on its center a bronze adorned glass tube filled with, balls? He could make out a few rounded shapes floating inside the liquid but they seemed a bit off putting, looking slightly transparent at the edges and a deep blue at the center. ¡°And these are¡­what exactly?¡± he asked pointing into the glass jar that spanned from the floor to the ceiling of the cave. Ras pulled a few of those coins from a pouch and pushed them into a slot four feet of the base, Mark heard something move within the base of the glass tower and of it popped out a small cylinder carrying a single one of those spheres. ¡°here you go! eat it and you can get your answers.¡± Ras said, tossing the glass canister at him. Mark twisted the top of it, making the usual *pop* of a vacuum sealed container, he emptied its contents into his hand as instructed by Ras. The liquid was slimy and seemed to have the consistency of whatever they used in canned peaches, and finally out plopped the gooey ball, the moment it touched the air it set ablaze to his surprise but not of the alien who held his hand in place so Mark didnt drop it. ¡°its ok, its not real fire, just eat it.¡± he said in a excited voice forcing the hand a bit closer to his face, Mark wondered where all that strength the relatively small guy had, came from. He slurped the wet ball after some hesitation, it was lukewarm and had the consistency of a grape¡­ that tasted like a sweeter banana.
seed of knowledge consumed. ask your question:
The screen floating before him came as a surprise but not a very good one. ¡°So there¡¯s floating blue screens, neat and organised! just like i hoped.¡± he said to himself scratching his back. ¡°u¡­. you don''t seem surprised? isn''t this your first time here? I expected you not to know this was a thing that could exist.¡± he seemed disappointed as he said so, probably hoping to surprise him only to receive a bored expression back. ¡° No, no i am surprised, its just that it''s a common idea for certain stories in my world, so it doesn''t seem so outlandish to me. Im just going to ask the question now if you don''t mind.¡±
Q: What is ¡°the Mind¡±? This is the Mind, a bridge connecting all sources of sentient life in yours and all other dimensions bearing some variation of such life. It uses part of the processing power and concepts created by all life within it to generate a variety of creations, either good or bad and uses them to strengthen the individuals who enter it, proportionally to their actions performed within it.
¡°Did you get a decent answer Mark?¡± he asked in a smug grin. ¡°Its ok it tends to take you for a spin and mess with you, just ask more simple questions next time. Here!¡± he said throwing a little bag which he had filled with a hand full of coins. ¡°That should be enough for you to trial and error it till you have a sense for how it works.¡± ¡°Actually it answered what i wanted to know already, but thanks anyway.¡± He giggled while snatching the bag from the air, giving back an even smuger grin to Ras ¡°Seu flhodpta mentroso¡± he yelled in his alien language. ¡°Hey you were the one who gave me the money, there is no point insulting me¡± he said in between mocking giggles. ¡°wait you can understand me?¡± Ras asked a bit terrified of this human who seemed to already be prepared for everything. ¡°nope, i have no idea what you said but i can deduce from your tone and face."he answered giggling even harder. Gearing up Mark was now laughing freely as he playfully ran from Ras into the absolutely huge opening on the other side of this place. The entry lead to a cave like room, with an unknown light source beaming down on all things in it, and with a ceiling so tall that it could only be seen occasionally as little clouds floated near it. ¡±Don''t go in yet, i want to give you a few things first, don''t want you to get hurt so soon either.¡± They walked back away from the edge of the circular rest zone, and into one o the small shops built against the wall, this one had tables on the ¡°outside¡± hidden from the light under a red tarp that hung from wooden scaffolds just a few feet above him. this place was practically packed full of items of all kind. The corner of one table clustered with a bunch of bracelets and rings with the rest of it exposing a series of swords alternating from pointing to and away of him, yet another half covered in shoes,boots and leg protectors with the other half filled with chest plates. ¡°This place is a mess, it''s a miracle no one has tried to steal from whoever owns this place.¡± Mark said shocked at the lack of organisation and security on this place. ¡°Oh, many have tried but they don''t go far with what they took. Ras quickly picked up a ring and chucked it out the store only to have it boomerang back a few feet of the entrance, hit the ground on its side and roll its way to one of the table legs which it climbed, falling back in place, slowly spinning to a stop just like a coin. - Me and Rock used to compete between each other testing our strength by seeing who could pull an object further away from the store. But that''s besides the point, let''s get you some equipment, im not paying more than 700 coins though. ¡±cheapskate.¡± he said in o joking tone followed by an equally mocking reply of ¡°broken bastard¡±. ¡°you mean broke?¡± ¡°you damn well know what i meant, i''m just a little rusty, that all!¡± he retorted lightly slapping Mark in the back of the head. The first thing they looked for was a weapon, something Ras insisted was the utmost essential item to have in this place. They went past a variety of weapons as they looked for something adequate, simitas, lances , some katanas at which he frowned immediately, and one of the goofiest weapons he had ever seen, looking like a regular sword upon the table but drooping it''s blade to the ground like overcooked pasta, a fucking whip-sword he quickly set it down before his mind was able to imagine how much of an idiot he would look like swinging that thing around. he finally settled for a small dagger and a polearm from the bundle of weapons exposed. ¡°Boar spear pretty good for the first levels, it will serve you well.¡± the next thing they looked for was a pouch and armor, or what could pass for it as the prices on them seemed to be exorbitante for some decent things, this time he couldn''t choose so openly, picking only a simple but sturdy backpack made of two layers of burlap stitched on all sides and some arm and shin guards made of dried leather, shaped into place and lined with a rough but still softer cloth which covered respectively from the elbow to the wrist, and from the knees to his feet.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°What''s next, are we missing something? or can we go already?¡± ¡°you could get something to help you further, but i dont have the money right now to buy you amulets. So maybe next time.¡± Mark jolted in place as he remembered something ¡° hold on i''ve got these rings here, is that what you''ve been calling amulets?¡± he said pulling out the two highly detailed metal objects. Ras took a quick look at them and his face turned into that of surprise for the briefest of moments followed by a more permanent frown of sadness and a bit of suffering. ¡°Those rings¡­ they belonged to him didn''t they..?To Rock?¡± he seemed to whimper a bit as he tried to hold back some tears. ¡°what''s wrong?¡± Mark asked trying to calm his alien friend down a bit.¡±why are you crying¡± ¡°im.. im sorry its just that, i already expected him to be dead but i had hoped that maybe he had just moved away or something but i ¡­ i hadn''t really accepted that reality , that''s why i also hadn¡¯t asked you about him, i had hoped he might have lived¡­ that he might have survived but if you have those, then he truly is gone.¡± Ras slumped down the nearest wall still inside the store trying to stop himself from having a mental breakdown. mark stared at his crying friend the only thing really able to describe him being: loss¡­ of a friend, a comrade and most likely someone he considered part of his family. ¡°Here! Have them, i understand that they are important to you.¡± ¡°No, keep them. They will be more useful to you and Rock would have said so too.¡± Ras asked for Mark¡¯s hand as he set himself back up. ¡°let''s pay for this and see what those rings do.¡± they both walked behind a curtain in the very back of the store where brown statue stool. Shaped like those wooden movable mannequins, it seemed to be made of an omogenous brownish clay a few shades darker than terracotta and with a red insignia made of extremely thin crystal for a face. Ras placed a few coins atop the ¡°salesman¡¯s¡± hand, having them sink into it like a metal ball on honey. ¡°Could you tell the boy what these rings do?¡± the figure¡¯s ¡°face¡± blinked twice as the information was passed onto Mark.
Ring of the lizard tribe. A ring used as a symbol of maturity amongst the lizard kind. This ring was forged by their metalworkers and imbue with a bit of their strengths as a tribute to a member of another species, for his self sacrifice in their times of peril. enchantments: Skin change. Lowered metabolism. enhanced resting regeneration.
Ring of the clinger I forged in a planet of nomads by Crux, a man who refused to leave anything behind, he would exert himself to the brink of death in order to take all of his possessions, he studied for a long time the arts of crystal blessings so he could create this first prototype from a perfect agate found in one of his journeys. not enchanted. weight reduction 18%. weight redistribution.
¡°come on put those on, you¡¯ve got a few levels to conquer, and i don''t wanna waste time Mak.¡± ¡±you mean Mark?¡± he asked mocking him a bit?. ¡°Rock told me all about human weak spot, dont test me or i''ll throw you to the ground and tickle you to near death like he once tried to do to me.¡± mark couldnt take it anymor and fell to the ground gasping for air. ¡°Whats so FUNNY!?¡±Ras yelled at him ¡°YOU!¡± First blood They had lined both up to the edge of this new zone. Mark could feel the wind brush past his cheeks, to him it felt like heaven as the sweet aroma of the grass went by. ¡°The moment you cross this line you will have to choose the *level* in which you are dropped, you can only choose the first one for now, i wanna take you to the third level at least before running back. Sounds good?¡± Ras asked putting a dent in Mark¡¯s look of bliss. He tried to think back to all of this, why was he doing this? he was always a coward but at the moment he felt nothing even approaching fear, just pure euphoria., ¡­ but that didn''t stop him from acting logically. ¡°why am i doing this,it goes entirely against who i normally am?¡± Ras patted im on the back. ¡°that''s why i want you to go in! the first time someone arrives here they are completely spellbound by the effects of this place, but after a few hours of being here you will start getting some immunity to it. You do look quite dazed so it might take you a little longer¡±.
pick the zone in which you wish to be transported:
zone 1: 1.1- open field. unavailable- must be reached to use.
he tapped the screen, making his finger poke through the blue screen and nothing happened. ¡°did you just try to touch it! man, you are really screwed aren''t you?¡± ¡°shut up¡± Mark puffed. ¡­(15 minutes later) They both walked at a medium pace slowly moving across the soft dirt and puffy grass surrounding the occasional tree. mark could see something budge by the shade of one of said trees ¡°Ras? what''s that thing in the distance?¡± ¡°Big Rats! pretty tame and sluggish but their skin still sells for a bit of money on the stores outside. Go ahead and hunt it.¡± he turned in shock. He had just told him, an untrained kid to kill an animal, it wasn''t like he was afraid of it really, or even that he idea of killing shocked him,but something else seemed to slowly stir inside him. it was the small fear of combat, something he had never tried before. he clutched the spear tighter and took what he thought would be a good stance as he marched forward.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. the animal was distracted and seemed completely unaware of his presence to which Mark took full opportunity of, slowly moving himself closer and closer till he could barely hear the breathing of it. A BIG rat was close to its aspect, or maybe an over sized mole with some hair, he wasn''t quite sure. He took a final look as he aimed the spear to the back of its head and towards the neck. slowing down and steading his breath he lunged forward with his full body, making the spear run all the way through its neck and pinning the animal into the soil as a ¡°krrr¡± sound escaped from its cut throat, making that its final breath. He kept the spear plunged into the ground as the already dead body of the creature gave its final two kicks, (involuntary spasms from its already severed spine) and finally stopped.
First creature killed. 500 tokens bonus common item: ???
wooly mole hunted. 2 tokens.
With a quick jerk from his arms he pulled out the spear now dyed a deep red, and cleaned it by ripping out a few tufts of grass and scraping them across the blood stains. ¡°not bad, you already seem to understand and have a sense on how to strike and kill, but the next times will not be such direct attacks, you will have to use traps and long range attacks.¡± ¡°then why did you tell me to get a spear? isn''t it useless then if i''m only going to use long range and traps to kill?¡± he asked trying to look away from the dead animal. ¡°you chose a spear,not me. And as to why you have it? well it''s pretty simple: options and versatility.¡± he said crouching by the bloodied corpse. ¡°you can''t be expecting to use a single weapon to solve all your fights, there is a reason why there are so many different ones in the first place. Give me the knife!¡± mark took the short blade from the bag and removed its sheath, handing it to him by the wooden cable. ¡°you should have it at reach at all times, tuck it on the hem of your pants or something, but make sure you can use it in an emergency. Got it?¡± Mark nodded and watched as Ras draw a straight line down its belly. ¡°look closely, this will come in handy, inside these creatures is something valuable, it''s always lodged between the heart and the right lung, if they have neither, it''s in their brain.¡± he said, finishing the cut and raising the animal by its back before giving it a swift tug up and down ,spilling all its organs across the floor. ¡±...see that?lodged in the lung?... where are you going?¡± he asked as Mark ran behind the tree, dry heaving from the the rotten smell natural to all wild animals insides. ¡°just give me a moment¡± he said positioning himself in the direction the wind came from in hopes that the smell would not be so intense. ¡°Yep, i see it. What about it?¡± ¡°It''s a treasure core, that''s what holds the money an items you get, and since it''s your first kill i know there is a common item inside, let us see what you got.¡± he plucked the item from the organ and cleaned it of the spongy material surrounding it. ¡°open¡± he said and the ball shined a bit and expanded like a balloon being filled with air. Inside the yellowish film he could see a wooden box and a few coins stacked atop it. Ras handed it over to him and popped it with a sting from the tip of the dagger. ¡°owo, whats this? it¡¯s a lunchbox, those are always filled with delicious things, oh and your money. Here you go 500 and something tokens.¡± Mark looked as he was tossed a few different colored coins that clattered against the ground. ¡°Are you seriously going to eat something that came out of that smelly thing? how can you even think of food right now?¡± ¡°You get used to it:¡± he retorted taking a bite of a red jelly looking fruit.