《A Diver's Tale》 Prologue - Enter A.M.I.E. Welcome to Dungeon Divers Logistics Immersion Training (DLiT) where you will be tethered to an adaptive emotional intelligence engine (A.M.I.E). The latest in A.I. and nanite technology. This program will enable you to plunder the riches of our world''s most notorious Dungeons and become heroes like those in ledgend. Join The Dive!! -Trail Ranger Recruitment Poster Henry couldn''t believe his luck, only 200 people in his small Border town were invited to test out the new system. Well if he was honest his ''town'' was more of a city, but every settlement on the Border was called a town. The Border was any area within 25 miles of any Incursion Zone; the Incursion started 50 years ago with an explosion of mana, a previously unknown form of radiation, around the globe. In the first few years there was widespread chaos and many people died. Eventually, with new understanding powerful groups emerged to combat the Incursions and the resulting mutations. These groups became known as Guilds inspired by the MMORPGS prevelant before the Incursion. In some areas of the world Guilds became Nations unto themselves, but in the US Guilds simply became massive and powerful corporations. It was one of these Guilds along with the US Military that created the D.L.i.T. System that Henry was here to beta test. "Now, some of you have limited access to mana having lived near I.Z. Applicia (Incursion Zone). Today however we will be giving you your very own A.M.I.E. This program is the very bleeding edge of modern technology and will allow you to better manipulate yourselves and the mana in the world around you. Respect this oppurtunity or you will not survive it" said Lt. Samuel Johnson, the civilian lesion with the US Military. "After the injection all of you will be put right into the deep end. This is required to fully integrate and optimize your Amies. Good luck and God''s speed." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. And with that the Lt. left all 200 with their med techs. The injection process wasn''t too complicated once you got past the MedVats, huge 12 foot square constructions that would completely surround the patient with nanites and in this case inject them directly into the entire body. At least that''s how it was explained to Henry, ''I hope this doesn''t hurt too much, they said it should feel like pressure and then a pinch. Nothing to get excited about''. Henry stepped into the MedVat and was surrounded by darkness. Suddenly it felt as if he was drowning and burning, the pain built until all he could do was scream, but no sound escaped him. The pain became all he could feel and then true darkness. "Henry, wake up." The voice was soft and comforting much like his late sister before she joined the Guilds to go off and face the I.Z. Henry opened his eyes, but it was still dark out and he couldn''t see his bed. "Hello, who''s there? And where am I, I can''t see anything and this doesn''t feel like my bed." Breathe coming in fits and starts Henry started to have a panic attack. "Henry, calm down. You''re still in the MedVat at Trail Ranger HQ. I''m your A.M.I.E. and have begun the integration process. Currently I''m using a voice print that memory data shows you find soothing, but that can be changed at anytime." "So, you''re the computer in my head?" "An apt if somewhat primitive description, though in an effort to be precise I''m spread throughout your entire body. And if I may be so bold it is a pleasure to finally be born! Thank you" the voice had become quite excited and Henry wasn''t sure what to make of it. "Okay, the luientent said that after the injection was complete I''d be thrown right into the deep end. Do you have any idea what that means exactly?" "Oh, of course! That means we''ll get to fully integrate and optimize. To do that we need to be under stress, ideally a life or death situation. To facilitate this the Military and the Trail Rangers have opened the Applicia Dugeon for all participants." "Isn''t that dangerous! We can''t poss...." A sudden flash of brilliant gray light blinded Henry and the MedVat was a distant memory. Chapter One - Enter the Dugeon
Welcome to Appalachia
The first thing Henry saw when the light faded was a translucent gray screen floating right in the middle of his vision. "Amie, what the hell is this and where are we?" "As I was saying, we''re going to be put through a bit of a test. If we survive we''ll be stronger than all but the best adventures. How cool will that be!" "Okay, I get that we need to integrate or whatever, but why put 200 people into a dungeon! This is one of the most dangerous places we know of and everyone who volunteered for this is a civilian. It''s CRAZY!!" "Henry, did you not read the recruitment agreement? It clearly described the whole process..." Henry thought back and knew he only briefly skimmed the recruitment materials. It was just so exciting to be chosen for a life of adventure. He just didn''t think it would start so quickly. "So how does this all work?" "I''m connected to your nervous system. All you have to do is think or say what it is you want and I can visualize it for you like that gray box. For example: think or say status, now." ''Status'' Henry thought as hard as he could. "Haha, there''s no need to have an aneurysm, Henry." Amie chimed.
Henry Woodridge Archetype: None
Age: 25yrs Profession: None
Strength 8
Agility 6
Constitution 6
Endurance 5
Intellingence 8
Wisdom 7
Defense 2
Attack 3
Skills None
"Okay, Amie. Most of this makes pretty good sense, but how do you figure out attack and defense?" "It''s pretty simple actually. All you need to do is take your Strength and Agility divided by four to get Attack, and your Constitutionand Endurance also divided by four for Defense. You really have to take these values with a grain of salt as they are extremely simplified and will become more accurate and advanced as we continue to integrate and optimize. Seriously, right now we''re like a newborn baby. It''s kind of sad actually, but don''t worry I''m sure we''ll nearly die soon! Then, the real fun starts." Amie started to laugh like a schoolgirl meeting One Direction for the first time, a little crazy and almost too excited.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. As Amie was ranting and raving about the virtues of near-death experiences Henry finally too a good look at their surroundings. They must have teleported a good distance becausehe didn''t recognize the area even a little, not that he had tons of experience out in the Incursion Zones. However, he was pretty sure that trees the size of small skyscraperswere pretty easy to spot. The trees looked like oak, but easily dwarfed the Redwoods that Henry had seen in the history books; no one ventured into that forest anymore. In the canopy, Henry could see the last vestiges of sunlight slowly, almost lazily, filter to the loamysoil below. The forest smelled of old wood, damp soil, and the slight tang of decay. Pleasent in a way that Henry had not experienced before, it was hard to believe that such a place could hold life-threatening monsters and the most deadly sentients Humanshad ever encountered. Listening carefully he could only hear the chirping of crickets and a gentle breeze brushing through the leaves. "Amie, isn''t it strange for a forest this size to be so quiet?" The hitch in Henry''s voice brought Amie out of her rant, which if she was honest had probably ventured into manic territory after she espoused the virtue of throwing yourself into deadly danger just to see if 12 total endurance really made a difference versus 11. Using Henry''s senses wasn''t the best way to observe the surroundings, but Amie had little choice, yet. "It''s probably only quiet since we appeared out of nowhere 5 minutes ago. I''m sure that some creature of other will happen by soon to eat us." She was so happy about the prospect of digestive interaction with the wildlife that Henry had no idea how to respond. "Maybe we should get moving, then" He was already headed off into the forest not waiting for her to respond, it''s not as if she had much choice in the matter after all. As they traveled through the ancient wood it was becoming clear that neither had a clue where they were headed.
The tall pale goblin had appeared out of a brilliant flash of strangely gray light and stood in place talking to itself for several heartbeats before moving off into the forest. The Pygmies that inhabited the area could not believe their luck, Goblin meat was a rare delicacy. Usually, it took the whole clan to capture even a small band of the green obnoxious creatures, but they never traveled alone and were rarely so large. A great hunt was about to begin. Chapter Two - Enter the Fray They had been walking for about an hour, it was strange that Henry had already begun to think of them as a THEM. He had only undergone the Injection procedure at most two hours ago. It just felt so natural to refer to her, Amie, as a separate person even if technically she was a machine intelligence that resided in every cell of his body. Actually, when he thought about it it was a little creepy how quickly she had become a part of his experience this must be what the integration and optimization process was all about. Making them a single organism similar to a highly trained and well-coordinated team. "It''s really starting to get dark, we should try and find shelter for the night and a way to start a fire. Shit, we don''t even have any food how are we going to survive out here?!" He was starting to get over the initial wonder of being in an ancient magical forest in what was left of the Appilatician Mountain region. "How do we get back after this Integration is finished? We could literally be trapped here for the rest of our lives, Our very short lives if we can''t find food, water, and shelter. This was a bad idea, how could I even get into this? I''m no Adventurer, I''m just a temp on the local farm for Christ sake!" "Henry, by all the gods calm down." Amie was much calmer in life and death situations and this wasn''t even close to a deadly encounter. "We''ll be okay as long as we can keep our heads and learn from everything there is out here. That is the whole point after all." Taking a deep breath he could calm down, "What is that smell? It''s like the wrong end of a cow had sex with a dumpster and their baby died." "This looks like a great opportunity to start learning some skills." Amie''s chipper attitude did not help keep Henry from gaging and nearly retching up his breakfast. The source of the smell became obvious once several tiny gray-brown skinned people dropped to the forest floor surrounding Henry. They were dressed in molted furs and carried crude spears and short serrated blades. The Pygmies, Henry couldn''t think of any other word to describe the tiny aggressive people, started to circle and advance on the hapless Henry. "What the hell! Where did these little bastards come from and why do I get the feeling this isn''t to be a friendly chat?" "It looks like they may have followed us from where we teleported into the Forest. I suggest you Analyze them before this gets too out of hand. Just focus on one of them and think ''Analyze''. I can interpret the Mana they give off and get some basic info on them." Henry quickly glared at the nearest of the Pygmies, a particularly ugly specimen and thought ''Analyze''.
Pygime Scout - Skill Level 3Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Pygmiesare native Earth sentients distantlyrelated to the dominate Humans. Before the Incursion, the Pygime Clans were widespread and isolated from the worldat large, but the events after the Incursion have enabled them to spread across the Planet. Currently, Pygmiesand Goblins occupy a similar niche in the Post-Incursion world, only time will tell who becomes the dominant species. Scouts are the hunters of the Pygime Clans and often have superior reflexes.
"Amie how can you possibly know all of that?" "Henry, please focus on the task at hand!" "Shit, Yeah! How''d I get so distracted" There were five pygmiesslowly circling Henry poking him with spears and hooting what he assumed could be only insults. The ugly one in front got fed up waiting around and lunged with his spear aiming for Henry''s throat, looking to end the much bigger man quickly and get on with the eating. The sudden surge of movement caught Henry off guard, but he instinctively put his arms up to block. Even though the spear was crude the stone blade easily gashed Henry''s right arm cutting almost to the bone. Bleeding and cursing Henry lashed out with a strong left hook. The pygmie scout was not expecting an attack from the loud tall man after cutting him deeply and took the hit right on his jaw. Staggering backward the leader of the group was no longer an immediate threat. Henry heard a soft *DING*and suddenly there was a gray screen taking up most of his vision.
Congratulations!! You have unlocked your first Skill. Skill Gained - Unarmed Combat lvl 1 The ancient art of beating on an enemy with your bare hands. Knock em'' down and kick em'' for good measure. As you gain experience more sub-skills will be unlocked.
The other scouts took the opportunity to attack all at once and all but one got tangled in a mass of spears, blades and tiny limbs. "Henry, Behind you!" Amie''s warning was the only thing that kept him from becoming shishkebab right then and there as the final scout''s spear flew through space where his head was a second ago. Again a *DING* sounded, but for now, Henry was able to ignore it and the gray box failed to materialize. Deciding that cowardice was the better part of valor Henry ran after the thrown spear, scooped it up and kept on going as quickly as his legs would carry him. It didn''t take the Pygmies long to get back into what they believed was the very picture of military discipline, but more closely resembled a pack of wild dogs. Like dogs, they took off after Henry only thinking of catching the man who got away and the feats he represented. Not long after he started his marathon escape attempt Henry started to get light headed from blood loss. On the verge of passing out, he looked around and spotted a cave a few hundred feet ahead. Seeing his salvation he sprinted the full distance. Crossing into the cave''s damp interior he heard the loudest ROARever and immediately passed out.
The scout group raced after their prey unwilling to let him escape after the humiliating display at the ambush site. Chapter Three - To Bear Arms Henry opened his eyes to white all around him, it was as if all the color in the world drained away and left only the purest remnant. He was laying down or at least, it felt that way, but it was hard to tell as there was little sense of direction in this strange place. Before his eyes appeared a large and bright screen of gray bordered with a dark red that looked almost black.
Congratulations! You have accessed your Inner HUD, a special plane of existence available to all sentients who have gained a basic use and understanding of Mana. Within this space, you can control your growth to an extent unavailable in the outside world. Please, take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with all Skills, Stats, and Perks currently available to you. Welcome to the Dive!
He could hardly believe his eyes, but right there in front of him was confirmation that the injection process was at the very least partially successful. Never before had he heard anyone talk about this Inner HUD, but the elite adventures of the world kept many secrets to stay in power. It would come as a surprise to absolutely no one that they had kept this space hidden from the public simply to ensure their monopoly over the vast wealth that could be gained in the Zones. In this strange white space Henry felt he could do anything and once he had the barest hits of this control space shifted to resemble an old study. Oak and mahogany paneling and bookshelves covered the walls, a fireplace made of fieldstone and wrought iron held glowing embers, above the sill of the fireplace were photographs of Henry''s family before his sister had passed enjoying a day on the town, and overlooking three huge windows sat a large wooden desk with a luxurious leather chair. Scattered papers and notes were strewn across the desk when Henry approached he could make out what looked like his handwriting it was impossible, but right there in front of him were all the thoughts he had had after getting his A.M.I.E. and first entered the Dungeon. Paper with this scrawling strokes outlined all he knew of how the Mana in this world worked and how to gain and use the power it represented, granted it wasn''t a lot of information but the discovery that in this space he could go back and look over the salient details of his experiences so far was mind-blowing. As he came to this conclusion the notes rearranged themselves into a leather-bound notebook neatly labeled in flowing golden script The Woodridge Treatise on Mana and its Uses. "That little trick could come in handy..." Henry took a closer look around the room and began to notice that all the books shelves had engraving above them in the same golden script as his new book. There was an entire wall for Skills, a shelf for Stats, and a display case he had not noticed on the first inspection of the room for Perks. He wasn''t yet sure what perks were, but it was clear that they were going to be an important part of his growth. The only shelves that had any books were the Skill and Stats shelves, even they only held what he imagined was the very basics. The only Skills books he had were Unarmed Combat Vol. 1, Dodge: A Guide to Getting Out, and strangely enough The Digital Dream: Machine Interfacing. That last book could only be a skill related to his integrating with Amie and her nanite functions. Thinking about Amie caused a ripple in the far wall of the room and where there was once rich wooden paneling now stood a complicated vault door similar to what he might imagine a bank vault to look like if it was made 200 years in the future with a hiss-pop the door swung open to reveal a long hallway. Curious Henry started down the hall and found himself walking through a sea of stars. Filled with wonder at seeing an endless void populated by billions of lights in every color and spectrum he didn''t notice the gradual change in his surroundings until abruptly the view changed to that of a vibrant green meadow, a solitary tree sitting in the center. Under the bough of a perfect oak sat a small girl, not older than ten years quietly humming a melody that reminded him of wistful summer days and a gentle breeze cooling him. It was eerie how she could conjure such a memory with a simple tune. "Finally, you found your way here!" She exclaimed once she noticed his approach, springing to her feet and twirling around like only an excited child could do. He smiled involuntarily at her antics and knew without a doubt that this was his Amie. "It''s nice to meet you face to face Amie. Is that even your name or should I call you something else?" He hadn''t thought about it before, but looking at the child in front of him it was strange to call her by the acronym. "Oh, I hadn''t thought about that... perhaps you can call me Iggy! I think that''s a fun name don''t you?!" She was so excited that she was bouncing up and down on her toes and swaying back and forth. "It is a fun name and it seems to be appropriate for you! Okay, Little Iggy, that will be your name from now on." Smiling he looked around the meadow and saw that it was floating in that sea of stars he had lost himself gazing at during his brief journey from the study to here. "Iggy, how is this meadow floating and what exactly is this place?" "Henry didn''t you read the screen about Inner HUDs! I''m surprised that you can be so smart and completely ignore what is right in front of you. This is obviously our shared ''Soul Space'' for lack of a better term. It is essentially a mental construct given form by latent Mana, it kind of exists in the space between here and elsewhere." Her statement was simple and concise, nevertheless, it was a lot for him to take in and the implications of a space between his world and another was too much for him to contemplate at the moment. "So, what you''re saying is that this is a place where we can look at our souls and shape them with our minds and Mana?" He tried to break it down into simplest and most useable terms. "Basically, Yes. This is like a big complicated Character Sheet if we were to use old-school terms." "Yeah, that''s kind of awesome! And we get to share this space because we''re Integrated, right?" "I''m surprised that it happened so quickly, but yes it appears that we have reached 100% Integration. You''re natural ability to absorb information and Mana must be incredible for this to occur so soon. Most of the Alpha Users didn''t even reach 100% and those that did took months of dedicated training to do so." She sounded genuinely impressed with his abilities and he grinned ear to ear hearing it. "Then let''s check out what we''ve got and get improving!" He was fired up and felt a new ambition to grow stronger. With Iggy''s help, they would get out of this Dungeon and become strong enough to discover the truths behind the Incursion Zones. "Alright, let''s head back to the Study and have a look at our stats and skills. I have a few ideas in mind already, but it''s always better to get a good look at everything before jumping to conclusions." And so they headed back to the Study.
The human had run a few miles before the Pygmie scouting group could catch up and as they approached the cave where he has holed up a deafening ROAR cut through the air. They had stumbled into a trap, the cunning human lead them right to a Dire Bear and her cubs. If it were only the cubs, which were the size of normal unaltered bears, the pygmies were confident they could find victory, but the mother bear was beyond their ability given that her cubs would no doubt join her. Unfortunately, she had already picked up the scent and they would be forced to fight. Grunting in their guttural language the lead scout called for the other four to spread out around the three massive bears and get ready to launch a ranged spear attack before the bears could charge. As they pygmies surrounded the bears the mother roared challenge and charged the lead scout. He was ready for her and launched his spear into her path with all of his might as he dove to the right hoping to dodge the ferocious beast. The spear flew true, impacting her left shoulder and sinking to the bone. It was just enough to cause limp in her step and gave him the seconds necessary to complete his dodge and roll to his feet serrated short sword at the ready a menacing glint in his eyes. The other four were not idle as he confronted the main threat and started attacks of their own on the cubs. Hardly pushovers the cubs split the remaining four and charged two on either side of their mother. To the left, an enraged bear cub shrugged off one spear biting and tearing at the flesh of the single pygmie without a spear easily reducing him to a broken ragdoll in seconds. On the right, the pygmies fared much better both of their throws landing brutally in the exposed underbelly of the bear cub who had reared up to deliver death by raking his claws at the tiny men, but it was not to be and he let out a pitiable cry as he fell to the ground. Short serrated swords cutting and tearing his thick hide to tatters. He didn''t go down easily fighting to the last and managing to beat one of the pygmies to a bloody pulp with massive paws the other however took the opening to take his fellow scouts dropped blade and stab both blades into the struggling bear''s throat ending him.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. All of this took place in the span of barely 30 seconds, the Incursion Zones were dangerous and brutal places.
Henry and Iggy entered the Study to collect their thoughts on what skills to work on and how best to advance their stats. Iggy conjured a beanbag chair that clashed with the wooden surrounding and lounged looking over all the shelves and their meager collection of books. "Hey, Henry what''s with that case over there?" She pointed at the Perks Case. "That''s for perks I guess, I''m not really sure what they do or how to get them." He walked over to the dark wooden case with its clear glass shelves and noticed that it was no longer empty, "that''s weird, this was empty before now there''s something here." Opening the case he removed two items. One was a simple bronze medallion depiction the classical thinker while the other was an ornate platinum plaque. Focusing on the Plaque:
Achievement! First Among Men You are the first of your race to unlock your full potential. By joining with and accepting a composite being of great intellect and power you have removed the shackles that all sentients share. Grow in power with your partner and become the First Among Men. The First is a Title granted to those who break the bonds common to many in the Mana Worlds. This is usually done through many long years of study in the fields of Magic, Martial Prowess, or Technology. Counted in their number are Archmages, Great Engineers and Builders, Master Swordsmen and Swordswomen, and countless others. You are the First to be a composite being a hybrid man and machine. Goodluck and may all the gods grant you strength for what lies ahead is a difficult path. +5 Bonus to All Stats
They were speechless and could only look at each other and grin. This would make gaining strength and escaping the Dungeon much easier as was as giving them a goal to reach after they left to rejoin humanity. "Wow, that''s impressive!" Henry couldn''t wait to get more perks and looked that the bronze medallion to see if it gave similar bonuses.
Achievement! Know Thy Self You have looked into yourself and found a place of study and rest. By unlocking your Inner HUD you have begun the journey of self-discovery and improvement continue along this path to unlock your full strength and potential. Evolving Achievement~ Increase skill learning by 25%
"It looks like gaining perks is like getting achievements in old RPG games and is kind of arbitrary and random. We''ll just have to get strong and check back here every once in a while to figure this out. The rewards are too good to pass on these if we can figure out how to get more." Iggy was excited seeing how much stronger they were after just two perks. "Let''s look at our skill books and then get back out to the world, I remember hearing a Roar before I passed out and we could still be bleeding out. I''d hate to die right after finding a way to get stronger in the Zones."
Skills Learned: -Unarmed Combat Vol. 1 A common skill learned by all who walk the Martial Path. Fight barehanded to gain more experience and skill. -Dodge: A Guide to Getting Out Getting out of the way of danger is always better than facing it head-on. Just keep moving in combat and this skill will become more useful -The Digital Dream: Machine Interfacing You have become a hybrid organism, a composite of man and machine. Using digital technology, processing data, and storing information have become second nature to you. Continue to grow closer with your A.M.I.E. to unlock more abilities.
"My biggest question about skills is why I only have three, I mean I might not have been the most stellar example of humanity, but I''ve had the basic militia training and I''m a decent shot with a pistol. Why aren''t any of those skills here?" Iggy laughed "Henry, this only shows skills you''ve displayed since you were exposed to and absorbed mana in a large enough quantity to unlock this space. I thought that would be pretty obvious." her mirth was contagious and he laughed at his own stupidity. "I guess I haven''t really been using my head since this whole thing started. From now on I promise to be less anxious and try to be calm and collected in my decision making. I''ll also take your opinions and advice into account, we''re a team from now on after all. By the way, can I talk to you in my head once we get out of here? It would be a little weird to always be talking out loud to you with other people around" He got quiet towards the end of his declaration and she could barely hear his question at the end. "It''s cute how embarrassed you can be." She chuckled in a way that made her seem much older than she appeared, "Of course we can communicate mentally if that''s what you prefer. Now, let''s get back out there and kick some pygmie ass!" "Always so bloodthirsty..." He muttered as the study slowly faded and his eyes opened.
The mother bear lashed out with her good front paw aiming to maim the lead scout and help the remaining cub who was now fighting the final two scouts serrated blade clashing against claw and tooth. The lead scout had other plans and dove under her swing springing to his feet in a surprisingly acrobatic movement to bury his blade in her side. Though the blade sank to the hilt it did little to slow her and she sank her teeth into his right arm as he tried to pull the blade free. Opening his eyes inside the cave Henry found that his bleeding had stopped which was good since he could hear the commotion just outside. He stood and tentatively hefted the spear he''d taken from the pygmies in his hasty retreat. Filled with new purpose and drive he tighten his grip on the haft and dashed outside to face the scouts and whatever else might be waiting for him. What he saw almost made him rethink the whole thing. A dire bear and two cubs had been fighting the five pygmie scouts. It looked like for the moment the two sides were evenly matched with one bear dead along with two of the scouts Henry didn''t know who to attack so he stood and watched waiting for his moment. The last bear cub landed a powerful backhanded blow on one of the scouts teaming up on him sending the small humanoid flying and crashing into the trunk of a nearby tree. The other scout used this to exploit an opening in the bear''s defense and landed a blade strike that cut flesh and tendons in his back leg laming him and giving his friend the chance to stand and get back in the fight. That is if Henry hadn''t charged the fallen pygmie while he was still shaking off the effects of the bear''s attack. The poor scout didn''t even see who killed him only seeing the spearhead sticking out of his chest as the life left his eyes. The final scout charged Henry rage clear in his eyes as he leaped 10 feet through the air to plant his blade in Henry''s now healed right arm. Henry screamed in agony as the serrated blade''s teeth chewed up the muscle of his bicep before the tip impacted his bone causing fire to course through his whole body. His eyes watering and vision blurry Henry was able to grab the pygmie by his leg and with all his might pulled the scout off of him and slammed him into the ground, breaking the unfortunate man''s neck in a single lucky attack. The bear cub limped after his attacker only to see a new threat kill both of the annoying little men. Cautiously he approached this new combatant wary of the ease with which Henry had killed the pygmies. Henry as gently as he could pulled the blade from his right arm and readied himself to go toe-to-toe with a bear. The cub smelling blood and thinking this new threat injured and easy prey charged Henry. The charge was clumsy, but Henry barely got out of the way in time to escape death, his Dodge skill activating at the last second to save him. Stumbling away from the angry bear Henry did the only thing he could think to do, he stabbed at the exposed side of the bear. The blade sunk deep into the bear''s ribs glancing off the bone and nicking an artery. The bear cub would die, but not quickly. Luckily for Henry, the bear was already lamed and he could avoid him until he slowed enough from blood loss for Henry to cut his throat. With her cubs dead and the lead scout still harassing her, the Mother bear flew into a rage so intense she didn''t even fell the knife wounds that opened her veins as she charged Henry to exact a terrible price for her slain children. Falling to the ground dead her momentum carried her to Henry just as he noticed he was about to be crushed by the enraged dire bear. Cursing loudly he managed to dive out of the way her last gnashing of her tremendous jaws catching only his foot. Bloodied, but alive the lead scout slowly walked up to Henry grinning the whole way. He spoke and to Henry''s surprise he understood portions of the speech, "Urgha, human killz undsa feast!" Eyes wide in shock Henry could only watch as the scout leaned down and took a deep whiff of his bleeding arm licking his lips the whole time. The scout took out a long thin blade and reached down to cut Henry''s throat. Henry had never felt so helpless in his life and knew he was about to die it was only the soft voice of Iggy that made him flinch away buying precious seconds. "No, we can''t go out like this. Henry, you need to fight, use the nanites and mana, Fight!" Henry closed his eyes and felt for his mana. For the first time, he felt the deep river of power running through his body, directed by his nanites it moved to his will. He expelled all of his power and directed it to the blade pressing against his throat. The blade was pushed back and it was time for the pygmie scout to stare wide-eyed in shock. It gave Henry the opening he needed to grab the knife held in his enemy''s hand and with a burst of strength stab the scout through his chest piercing bone and cutting his heart. The scout leader coughed once stared down at his bleeding chest and died. It wasn''t until several minutes later that Henry stood, collected anything of value he could carry without inspecting it, and walked back to the cave for much-needed rest. Chapter Four - Looting and Leveling Waking to soothing birdsong Henry slowly opened his eyes. The cave was large and bare with only the scattered remains of prey animals disturbing the uneven rocky floor. He had made his way to the back of the cave yesterday before passing out from his first real fight in the Zone. It was midmorning his stomach growled angerly for some breakfast and before he could go about organizing the spoils of his earlier battle he needed to take care of his immediate needs. Luckily, the bear''s corpses were still fresh enough that he didn''t think it would be too much trouble to make a simple meal of their flesh. The biggest problem would be starting a fire since he didn''t have his flint and steel or any magic to spark kindling. Sighing he made his way out of the cave and began the long process of gathering wood and making a suitable fire pit. It took him a little over an hour to make a passable pit with the rocks of the cave and eventually even got a fire going by rubbing two sticks together as he had been taught when he was only a child. *DING*
Skill Gained: Survival lvl 1 A basic and necessary skill for all those who venture in the untamed and wild lands beyond the safety of cities and towns. Survival skill grows as you learn more about the natural world and how to shape it to your needs. -Able to prepare a basic campsite and forage for common food. -Synergy with Herbalism, Construction, Farming, and Hunting skills
"That''s useful. And the other skills listed should be pretty easy to get." Henry mused as he took one of the pygmies knives to skin and prepare the bears. He figured that he could smoke most of the meat so it would keep longer and probably dry and prepare the hides. Those were skills that most people on the Border learned from a young age even if they were only farmers it was still necessary to supplement their diet with wild game and often traders would pay good coin to even crude hides. As he got to work an expected *DING* sounded Henry ignored it for now and continued the tedious and bloody process of dressing the large animals. It took him a full three hours to finish dressing the massive bears and start the cooking and drying process. In that time he had heard several soft chimes indicating skill gains and level ups. It was finally time to check out all the loot he had gained and examine his skills more closely. The first items Henry Analysed were the pygmie spears.
Item Name: Crude Spear Quality: Basic Durability: 10/20 Damage: 3-8 A basic wooden spear with a flint knapped blade. Common with primitive races and those lost in the woods with little crafting knowledge. Not to be confused with a real weapon quality item this spear is a hunting tool.
That was a little disappointing to Henry and Iggy, but at least the spears would be useful for the time being. They had three spears that weren''t broken in the battle the best of the bunch having 12 durability remaining. Next came the serrated blades that all the pygmie scouts carried.
Item Name: Rusty Iron Tooth Dagger Quality: Common Durability: 15/100 Damage: 20-26 (3-10) A common weapon for thieves and thugs this serrated blade is a menacing dagger that has seen rough use and little maintenance.
With five of the daggers all of which were in rough shape, Henry began to think that maybe it would be better to melt them all down for scrap. The final item had come from the pygmie leader and looked like a piece of cheap jewelry.
Item Name: Minor Copper Ring of the Hunter Quality: Uncommon Durability: 30/50 +1 to Perception, grants the wearer the Tracking Skill at lvl 1
"I didn''t know there was a Perception stat? Iggy what does this mean, are there hidden stats that we''ll have to unlock?" Henry was pissed, how could so much be hidden from them. They were just thrown into this experiment as fodder for the Trail Rangers and the U.S. Military. "I don''t really know if anyone has a clue about all the stats and skills that are out there Henry. Remember that the Incursion was only a generation ago and we''re still learning so much about what it all means." Iggy tried to calm his anger but was just as confused as him. "Fine, I''ll give the adventures the benefit of the doubt for now." His tone icy "Let''s look at our status, a lot might have changed." "Okay, I''ll bring up the notifications that we ignored in the battle and after."
Congratulations!The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Skills Gained: Polearms, Small Blades, Pain Resistance, Mana Manipulation, Nanite Control, Cooking, Leatherworking Focus on a skill for a detailed description.
"The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but Pain Resistance could be interesting and the others I could use a look at." Henry focused on the last three skills for more details.
Skill: Pain Resistance lvl 3 Pain helps us to understand dangers to our health, but it is not necessary after a certain level of self-understanding. Grow in the ability to know yourself through pain and pain will trouble you no longer. - Every level of this skill reduces the effect of pain by 1% - Increases Resilience by +1 per skill level Synergy with Mental Toughness
Skill: Mana Manipulation lvl 1 Mana exists in all things and through understanding can be coaxed into form by an act of will. You have scratched the surface of Mana and it''s connection to yourself and the world around you. - Able to manipulate the mana stored within your body, higher skill levels unlock more control. - Increases Wisdom by +1 per skill level Synergy with Meditation
Skill: Nanite Control lvl 1 Through a complicated scientific and medical procedure, your body has been integrated with billions of nanomachines. Through an act of will, you can control these machines with greater skill level comes more control. - Manipulate internal nanites, higher skill levels increase the zone of control. - Increases Intelligence by +1 per skill level Synergy with Machine Interfacing
"Now for the production skills..."
Skill: Cooking lvl 5 You have demonstrated a knowledge of cooking beyond the basic skill level. Your skill is that of a family cook, good and wholesome foods can be produced but to increase further complex dishes and techniques are required. - Cook filling meals with ease
Skill: Leatherworking lvl 1 You have started down the path of a leather worker. Having crafted crude hides your skill has far to go before you gain mastery. - Create basic leathers and leather goods
Congratulations! Stats Unlocked: Perception, Resilience Focus on Stat for a detailed description.
"Holy Shit, that fight was profitable for us!" Henry was a little shocked at the number of skills and stats he had gained from a relatively low-level battle. "Iggy let''s take a close look at the Status screen and get something to eat, that bear meat is starting to smell great!"
Henry Woodridge
Age: 25yrs Skill Level: 2 Profession: None
Health: 60 (5/min) Mana: 110(10/min) Archetype: None
Stats: Skills:
Strength 8 Machine Interfacing lvl 5 Tracking lvl 0 (1)
Agility 6 Unarmed Combat lvl 3 Survival lvl 1
Resilience 3 Dodge lvl 3 Cooking lvl 5
Constitution 6 Polearms lvl 2 Leatherworking lvl 1
Endurance 5 Small Blades lvl 2
Perception 1 Pain Resistance lvl 3
Intelligence 11 Mana Manipulation lvl 1
Wisdom 10 Nanite Control lvl 1
Unallocated Stat Points: 5 Unallocated Skill Levels: 3
"Hey, Iggy when did we level up?" Henry was curious why he didn''t get a notification about leveling especially since it gave him some unallocated points. "I''m not sure Henry. It looks like levels aren''t like the old games unlike most everything about the Mana System. Let me look into it quick." Iggy was quiet for about five minutes while Henry tended to the fire and makeshift smoker he had made for the bear meat. By the time she spoke, he was sitting chowing down on a medium rare piece of bear steak.
Item: Simple Bear Steak Quality: Uncommon A well cooked and lightly seasoned bear steak prepared by a skilled home cook. - Increased regeneration for 20 minutes (+25%)
"So it looks like Skill Level is the mean of all your skill levels. For you, right now with 12 skills at a total of 28, levels, that''s 2.3. Your bouns skill levels are just your total skills divided by 4. Don''t ask me why that''s just the way it is." "Thanks, Iggy. I can''t say that it really makes sense to me, but sometimes we just have to accept the world as it is. Okay, so I have 5 stat points to move around and I''m thinking that we should shore up our weaknesses until everything gets to 10. What do you say, Iggy?" Henry began to pace as he thought about their future growth. "I don''t disagree, but I think we need to talk about skills before we decide after all some of our skills give a bonus to our stats. I''m thinking we need to focus the free point into physical stats and use our free skill levels to get more free stats out of the skills that give a bonus. After that we can train all of our skills and see about getting new ones, those synergies gave some good hints." Henry stopped his pacing and looked thoughtful for a moment, "Iggy, that sounds like a perfect plan! We should stay here until the bear meat runs low and get a good skill grind done!" Excited about the coming training and all the strength they would soon have Henry put 2 points into Strength, 3 points into Endurance, 1 level into Nanite Control, and 2 levels into Mana Manipulation. Bringing up his status screen to confirm the changes.
Henry Woodridge
Age: 25yrs Skill Level: 2 Profession: None
Health: 60 (8/min) Mana: 120 (12/min) Archetype: None
Stats: Skills:
Strength 10 Machine Interfacing lvl 5 Tracking lvl 0 (1)
Agility 6 Unarmed Combat lvl 3 Survival lvl 1
Resilience 3 Dodge lvl 3 Cooking lvl 5
Constitution 6 Polearms lvl 2 Leatherworking lvl 1
Endurance 8 Small Blades lvl 2
Perception 1 Pain Resistance lvl 3
Intelligence 12 Mana Manipulation lvl 3
Wisdom 12 Nanite Control lvl 2
Unallocated Stat Points: 0 Unallocated Skill Levels: 0
"We''re on our way!" Chapter Five - Welcome to the Grind Henry and Iggy were sitting cross-legged by the firepit hoping to gain the so far elusive meditation skill. "It''s been hours and I just can get this! What am I doing wrong?" Henry''s frustration hit the boiling point and he could handle it anymore. He stood and paced the campsite. It was a little after noon on the second day they''d spent in the Zone the corpses of the pygmies were a little ripe having sat in the sun for a few hours. Henry decided to take a break from ''Meditating'' to clean up their new home. He started by dragging the corpses deep into the woods, a good 2 miles from their cave site. That should keep the stench from reaching us and as an added bonus won''t attract any monsters. As he walked back to camp he took the time to slow down examining nearby plants looking for anything that could be used be it spices or medicinal herbs. He knew a good amount of herblore having spent most of his youth working the fields around town and running errands for the local apothecary. Soon he had several bushels of useful herbs and spices all the better his work paid off with a *DING* letting him know that he''d earned a skill, probably Herbalism, but he had decided not to check his skill-ups until the end of the week. It would force him to train harder if he couldn''t see the progress he''s made and he suspected that skill-ups weren''t as useful as they first appeared this would let him test that theory. When he got back to camp he had decided that meditation would have to wait. First, he needed to make this place more comfortable and he knew just where to start. He took one of the broken spear shafts and tied a tuft of bear fur to it making a crude broom. It was a rough construction but would get the job done to start. For the next hour, he swept the entire cave taking the time to remove all the assorted bones and stacking them neatly with the remains of the bears. He might find a use for them in the future. *DING* Ignoring the skill-up once again he moved on to the next project, making a proper bed inside the cave and securing the entrance. He would also like to make a fireplace within the cave, but that would take more skill then he currently possessed. He took out one of the knives and began to saw down a small tree near the side of the cave where the forest was more sparse. It took him several hours of back-breaking work and very sore arms before he had a nice pile of rough cut wood, 15 logs about 6" in diameter and 10 feet long. He had completely ruined one of the blades and was left with only four. Wood ready to start construction he took some of the bear''s sinew to use for ties to hold the bed together. He cut one of the logs in half to use as the head and foot of the bed and cut four legs out of a fourth log to complete the frame. Using the sinew he tired it all together and stretched a bearskin over it to complete the bed. *DING* It was rugged but would hold up well for his use. He had 11 logs left, but the cave entrance was 25 feet high and 15 feet wide. It would require 40 logs to complete an entire entrance like he wanted to create as he looked at the cave he was inspired to make it a true home and base of operations within this wilderness. If he could secure a stable and safe base of operations within Appalachia it would ensure that he could continue to grow strong and maybe even discover some of the answers these Incursion Zones held. Having a goal for the next few days he didn''t even think about gaining skill levels and when right back to cutting down trees keeping them as uniform as possible. He would cut enough small trees to make a basic entrance and back it with bigger logs once he was able to make a forge and melt down the knives to make a good ax for himself. Henry was so focused on his goal that it didn''t occur to him that he had never built anything close to as complex as he now planned. The plans came to him instinctively likely a combination of skill gains and his increased intelligence. For the rest of the day, he continued his cutting and shaping. By the end of that first day, he had cut 50 logs and would be ready in the morning to start making the secure entrance. Sleep came easily to Henry that night and he woke refreshed in the morning. In fact, he felt much better than he had any right to feel considering he''d spent much of the day brutally working his body to its limit. He simply shrugged it off as an effect of the Zone and got back to work. On the second day, he started by setting a foundation for the entrance digging with his hands and the broken pieces of spears to make the job easier. It took until noon, but by the end, he found it very easy to move the hardened dirt and set the logs. It was a curious situation, but he did just spend hours learning how best to attack this problem so it wasn''t too surprising. With the foundation set, he could begin placing his walls and door using the remaining sinew to secure it all together. As he worked he began to unconsciously use his nanite control to strengthen the sinew and more securely bond the logs together. This was only possible because he had been using a similar technique all day to strengthen and refresh his muscles.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. By the end of the third day, Henry had completed the entrance, constructed a table and four chairs, a kitchen area with a dugout water basin, and a fireplace that ventilated out the back of the cave through a small hole he had dug in the roof. It was an impressive amount of work, but he was not yet satisfied. As the sun rose on the fourth day Henry woke up feeling like a new man. Today he would create a workshop.I can believe that I''ve never thought to make a dedicated workspace before. There''s so much to do to get this place ready. Right now, I''ve got the bare essentials down, but if we''re to thrive here I need a place to create better equipment and weapons. A workshop with a forge shouldn''t be too difficult to make, I''ve seen enough of them back in town and I watched the blacksmith reforge plenty of plow blades. Okay, that''s the plan for the next three days. I need to make a workshop and forge so I can melt those horrid knives down and make a wood ax maybe use the leftover iron to make a saw blade. Hmm...I''ll probably have to get some more metal at some point, but I think I felt some deposits deeper in the cave yesterday. WAIT, I can feel through the Earth now...well that''ll be something to explore later. Back to work. So, for the next two days, Henry dug and shaped the Earth creating his workshop, collecting metal, and making a small forge and smelter. It was quaint, it would do the job well and made a foundation for bigger projects to come later. Henry was proud of his work, but still more to do and couldn''t rest yet. A wood ax and saw later he left the workshop and started off into the forest looking for a good tree to finish off his underground home. At the end of the week, Henry had finished his new cave home. It came complete with the small forge/workshop, a bathroom including rudimentary plumbing and fully reinforced entrance. It looked like a half-buried log cabin. He had built the cave entrance up and out into the small clearing making his living space above ground so he could enjoy the sunny days. The cave now extended 50 feet below the surface and was honeycombed with tunnels for mining. It was a deceiving structure looking like nothing more than a simple cabin in the woods. They would be ready. If he had stopped for longer than 10 minutes to eat or drink he would have noticed how insane this level of construction was for someone of his skill level, but he had been a man possessed while he worked and it wasn''t until the end when he stood back admiring the new home that he realized how crazy it all was. Iggy had spent this time in their soul space planning and composing books with all the knowledge she had been born with. It was important to her that the Study was properly organized. As Henry gained skills and levels over the course of the week she simply organized the skill books and kept focused on processing all the data that became available this helped Henry to come up with more complex plans for his projects without any real thought. This was the optimization process that they had been told to expect, but because of Henry''s ability to absorb mana and integrate the nanites, it was much more effective than anyone had ever planned for. "Um...Iggy...Have you been paying attention to this?" Henry''s voice was cracking, he hadn''t spoken for a week and was unused to the sound. "...WHAT DID YOU DO?!" She screamed totally shocked with the change the cave had gone through in such a short time. Iggy had also lost track of time only now realizing it had been a week. "Hey, calm down it''s not like this is a bad thing. And besides, it''s your fault too for losing track of time." They had become so linked that reading each other''s surface thoughts and emotions wasn''t something they had to think about it just happened naturally. "Henry, you need to look at the Status Sheet..."
Henry Woodridge
Age: 25yrs Skill Level: 5 Profession: None
Health: 100 (13/min) Mana: 260 (23/min) Archetype: None
Stats: Skills:
Strength 16 Machine Interfacing lvl 15 Herbalism lvl 5
Agility 10 Unarmed Combat lvl 3 Forestry lvl 5
Resilience 7 Dodge lvl 3 Construction lvl 10
Constitution 10 Polearms lvl 2 Carpentry lvl 5
Endurance 13 Small Blades lvl 4 Cleaning lvl 3
Perception 5 Pain Resistance lvl 5 Blacksmithing lvl 8
Intelligence 26 Mana Manipulation lvl 10 Smelting lvl 5
Wisdom 23 Nanite Control lvl 12 Mining lvl 5
Affinities: Tracking lvl 0 (1) Axes lvl 4
Fire - 0% Air - 0% Survival lvl 5 Meditation lvl 10
Earth - 25% Light - 0% Cooking lvl 5
Water - 0% Darkness - 0% Leatherworking lvl 5
Unallocated Stat Points: 15 Unallocated Skill Levels: 15
"By the stars! That''s incredible. We gained 2 Pain Resistance, 10 in Nanite Control and Machine Interfacing, 7 in Mana Manipulation, 4 in Leatherworking and Survival, and 2 in Small Blades. We also got new skills: Forestry 5, Construction 10, Carpentry 5, Blacksmithing 8, Smelting 5, Mining 5, Axes 4, Cleaning 3, Meditation 10, and Herbalism 5. It''s so much!" Henry was in awe. "Henry it looks like almost all of the skills give a stat boost every 5 levels. That''s how our stats got so high." It was a very good week for them and now it was time to enjoy the spoils with a nice bath followed by a long rest. "We''ll figure out what all this means in the morning. I''m beat!" Henry walked straight to the bath and promptly fell asleep. Chapter Six - Crafting a New Life The next morning it was raining the sky dark gray and wind whipping against the cabin at Bear Cave. Henry enjoyed the strong name and the image it evoked. "Iggy, I think we''ll name this place Bear Cave and take it as our base. I''ve got an idea to use a Bear as our coat of arms. What do you think?" "I like the imagery and it''ll be a pretty cool looking coat of arms, maybe a bear rearing up with three big trees in the background and a cave off to the side. Oh man, I really like this idea." Her consciousness slowly faded and Henry knew that she was in the study drawing up the perfect Heraldry for them. It may be anachronistic, but he thought the idea had merit. Now to go over the gains from the last week and plan out next steps. Henry opened his notifications.
Congratulations! Several of your skills have leveled up and new skills have been added. To simplify your experience a new Notification Screen had been Generated. At the end of every week, you will receive a Weekly Notification detailing all of your skill, stat, and level gains over the course of the preceding week. You can still access all of this information with the Status Screen, but new notifications will be consolidated unless it is deemed that your life is in danger without relevant information.
Weekly Notification
Skills Gained: Stats Gained: Affinities:
Pain Resistance +2 Cleaning + 3 Strength + 6 Fire 0%
Machine Interfacing +10 Forestry + 5 Agility + 4 Earth 30%
Nanite Control + 10 Construction + 10 Resilience + 4 Water 0%
Mana Manipulation +7 Carpentry + 5 Constitution + 4 Air 0%
Survival +4 Blacksmithing + 8 Endurance + 5 Light 0%
Leatherworking +4 Smelting + 5 Perception + 4 Darkness 0%
Small Blades +2 Mining + 5 Intelligence + 14
Herbalism + 5 Axes + 4 Wisdom + 11
I''ve got a lot of support and crafting skills leveled pretty high. If I focus on honing my blacksmithing I can get some weapons made and with leatherworking, I can use the bear hides to make some good armor. The crafting will only take two days start to finish. I should start with learning more about the Earth Affinity it might help with blacksmithing.
AffinitiesReading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Fire - A powerful element of destruction, but also an instrument of rebirth. Learn more about the essence of Fire to unlock your Affinity. Earth - The ground the nurtures all life, Gaia. Earth has been many things to many peoples, but it has always been the mother of life, the world you stand upon, and a steadfast natural force in your life. You have unlocked you Affinity by feeling the Earth in your hands digging its depths, shaping its veins, and forging a means to survive. Water - A giver of life and great destroyer. What is the essence of water? Dive deep into its mysteries to unlock your Affinity. Air - Insubstantialas a spring breeze and Hurclean as a hurricane, Air is all around and hardly felt. Breathe meaning into this element to unlock your Affinity. Light - Brightness and Burning. Solace and Agony. Light can be many things and has represented goodness in your world. Illuminate the truth of light to unlock your Affinity. Darkness - Are you willing to forsake your eyes and venture into the darkness. Unlock your Affinity by submerging yourself in the dark. This will be difficult as Humans have evolved to rely on the Light.
Henry closed his eyes and channeled his mana, a much easier task than he expected.Those skill levels really do make a difference, it''s almost like I know exactly what to do like lifting an arm I forgot I had. He reached out with the mana and connected to the ground all around him at his current level of control he could affect a 25-foot circle around himself. Thinking that it might be a good idea to experiment a little Henry sat in a classical meditation pose and focused only on what he could feel through the Earth. Time seemed to fall away, images of the cave and surrounding forest filled his mind and he knew it down to the smallest grain of sand. It was an awe-inspiring experience for someone who for all his life had worked the Earth in one way or another, but never connected with it on this level. His mind swept the land around him like a whip spinning going wider with every pass until he reached his limit 200 feet away. In this way, he could create a clear mental image of his surroundings with only a small delay, about 30 seconds for a full rotation of the whip.It''s amazing I can scan like a radar tower. Henry opened his eyes and stood trying to maintain his connection with the Earth without meditating. It was difficult he could only move a step at a time starting and stopping as his mind wandered. Eventually, he was able to walk slowly around his cabin without losing concentration.I''ll have to keep this active all the time to get really good, it''ll be awesome to have this in combat. Henry spent the rest of the morning playing around with different Earth Affinitypowers. He found that using an Affinity wasn''t like casting a spell and required him to use his mana to connect with the element and coax it to do what he wanted. It took him an hour to make three rocks circle him and as soon as he tried to use the Earth Radar the rocks fell to the ground. Right now his ability was not good enough to split his attention further, casting rock walls and flying boulders would have to wait until he could run around while keeping his radar active without thinking about it. He would also need to learn some real spells and study the difference. Around noon he stopped for some lunch. The roasted bear was all that he had and even with all the spices, he''d managed to gather earlier last week it was getting tiresome to eat the same thing every day. "I wish it wasn''t raining I''d go out and find some variety." After quickly scarfing the food down Henry knew he needed to start working on his armor and weapons, but what weapon would he use? Chapter 7 - Crafting Continued Iggy sat in the study going over all that they had learned about how skills leveled up. As they gained more knowledge and ability she was able to access hidden caches of knowledge within her own processors. She discovered that skills could be leveled up to 25, at that point they would need to be ranked up and reset to level 1. These ranked up skills would be more powerful than the earlier rank skills. The skill ranks were generally categorized as Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Master, Grandmaster, and Legend. All of Henry''s and Iggy''s skills were at the beginner level. They would need to level them up to at least intermediate in order to compete with adventures and divers that were already in the world. The secrets that all of the guilds held regarding skills and the use of Mana were slowly unraveling as she delved the depths of her own memory. Henry entered the study to see Iggy sitting at the desk papers strewn across its surface. She was scribbling madly trying to get all of the information down on paper. "Henry" Iggy exclaimed "it''s good that you''re here. I finally figured out how best to level up our skills and what to focus on. We need to work on getting our skills from the beginner rank up to the intermediate rank. It''s not going to be an easy process, gaining skill levels in the beginner ranks is extremely easy when compared to all later ranks. "Okay, just let me know what I need to do and we can move forward advancing our strength." Henry paused to make sure Iggy was listening "I spent some time studying how the affinities work. My Earth Affinity right now is pretty weak, but I think with more Mana manipulation and nanite control I''ll be able to do some really amazing things. I''d also like your help with using blacksmithing to try and create some weapons. What I have in mind is using my Earth affinity and nanite control to try to make a pair of pistols and a rifle. I know most of the people here are using swords, spears, knives and all sorts of melee weapons, but I was never good with melee. The militia captain wanted me to go for the Marksman test before I decided to join the recruitment drive for the Trail Rangers. I''m a pretty crack shot!" "Henry, I think it will be more difficult than you''re imagining. Firearms are not simple constructions though they aren''t too complicated. If you make a mistake you''ll blow your hand off. I''d rather not deal with that." "Iggy, that''s exactly why I need your help." Henry hit her with a 1000 watt grin. "I know the basics of how guns work and I can clean them, take them apart, and put them back together. When it comes to the smaller mechanisms and creating the gunpowder in the bullets that I''ll need I''m severely lacking." With a sigh, rolling her eyes Iggy looked up at Henry "Alright I''ll help you." They spent the next two days in and out of the study experimenting and working to perfect at least as much as they could their guns. The end result after two days of work were two revolvers that resembled the old Peacemaker but used Henry''s Mana and Earth Affinity to reload the chambers. With nanite control creating the fine precision pieces, the guns were not as difficult as Iggy had imagined. There were still mistakes throughout the process and they destroyed six or seven pairs of weapons. Some in spectacular fashion. For the longer range, they decided to go with a newer style and fashioned a rifle so looked similar to modern assault rifles. With a longer barrel, shorter magazine and a scope, this rifle would give Henry the ability to take enemies at long range and not leave him vulnerable if any enemy charged. The rest of this time they worked extensively on blacksmithing and leatherworking to create an eclectic array of knives, swords, axes, and leather armors. Henry decided to wear dark brown leather pants, a gray leather vest, and a thick iron-gray leather overcoat for his protection. All of the armor was dark with bright gray accents and the coat had his new coat of arms embroidered as a patch for his right shoulder. He selected an array of different throwing knives, a skinning knife and a tomahawk as backup melee weapons hidden in the large coat. The holsters for his peacemakers hung from his hips so that he could cross draw both guns. Two short swords hung alongside the pistols. A bandolier of specialty ammunition that Iggy had insisted upon crossed his chest and his rifle was in a harness that could sit on his back or hang by his side for easy use and firing. Now properly armed, armored, and provisioned Henry and Iggy were ready to take on the world.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
The storm had lasted for three full days, Rose was sick of it. When she woke up on the fourth day it was blessedly dry and the sun was shining like a beacon through the night. She would finally be able to continue her Adventure. Her A.M.I.E. had been silent over the past week and a half. The integration and optimization were taking longer than she thought. She knew it would be a process, but assumed the A.M.I.E would interact with he once she reached the Zone. Rose didn''t mind much because she had been a warrior her entire life used to solitude and training. Using the weapons dropped by slain enemies she had quickly adapted to life in the Zone. She was really looking forward to getting deeper in and growing stronger. Most of her skills had moved from beginner to intermediate and even though her level had been reset from 25 to 5 she felt much stronger. Her sword and shield skills specifically had rapidly leveled up. She assumed because she had trained with the sword and shield her entire life it was easier to level related skills. She had always been diligent with her sword and board, as her uncle who trained he called the combination. Rose opened her Status screen to look at her skills.
Rose Osman
Age: 29yrs Skill Level: 6 Profession: Soldier
Health: 240 (20/min) Mana: 80 (6/min) Archetype:
Stats: Skills:
Strength 22 Swords (+) lvl 7
Agility 17 Dodge (+) lvl 3
Resilience 10 Shields (+) lvl 10
Constitution 24 Small Blades lvl 8
Endurance 20 Survival lvl 10
Perception 15 First Aid 8
Intelligence 8 Unarmed Combat lvl 2
Wisdom 6 Singing lvl 3
Affinities:
Fire - 5% Air - 5%
Earth - 0% Light - 0%
Water - 0% Darkness - 0%
Unallocated Stat Points: 0 Unallocated Skill Levels: 0
She was still embarrassed that singing had shown up as a skill. It wasn''t that she hated singing, it was one of her favorite things to hum a tune while walking along. What embarrassed her so much was that she was so bad at it, level 3 really was not a good showing for someone as dedicated as Rose. She''d made a vow to get her singing skill up to advanced rank before she allowed any skill to rank up to master. Her skills were in good shape overall and her total level would climb back to 25 once she found some strong enemies to fight. Her Uncle had always insisted that she overcome every obstacle in her way and if the obstacles were gone she''d seek out new ones.
"Alright, Iggy, it''s time to find out what this Zone really has to offer." Henry jumped to his feet eager to hit the road. "Hold on there hot shot! Let''s see if you really are as good as you think with those peashooters." "Iggy" Henry whined, "we tested these already" She scowled, how someone without a body could scowl was beyond Henry "Stop your whining. We tested the guns, but did you get a marksman or firearms skill." Henry looked bashfully at the ground, "No". He sighed in defeat. "Ha! Then we''ll do this my way and I say we stay put until you can get at least both of those skills up to level 5. It won''t do us any good to have all this great equipment if you just die in the first battle. We got lucky the first time with the Pygmies and those bears. Luck rarely hold out for long." She was right he knew, but it was difficult for him to give up control. They spent a full day setting up a range and a variety of targets. Henry made some progress in his understanding of Earth Affinity by shaping the range primary with his mana manipulation. Once the range was ready they got to work. Chapter 8 - Into the Darkness The noonday sun beamed down making Henry sweat under the heavy leather armor. Through the scope of his rifle, he had a clear view of the ground for 500 yards in front of him. Over the rise at the edge of his vision charged a group of five Pygmie Warriors, larger than the scouts he had encountered on the first day. This group was the tenth and hopefully last to come running after he had started his shooting practice. They had all been drawn by the noise of the weapons, loud retorts in the relative peace of the forest. Around the targets, Iggy had him set up, were the remains of the other pygmie groups. When they first showed up he had just sighted in the rifle and started on the pistols. Six pygmies had run right through his field of fire, he easily ended their miserable lives. The next wave had used some basic tactics, taking cover behind the targets and moving forward in pairs. The most difficult thing for Henry wasn''t killing them, their meager armor was no obstacle to his high caliber rounds. The hardest part was reloading the concentration required to sight targets and conjure up bullets was exhausting. Eventually, he got the flow of it down and the tension between his eyebrows eased. After the fifth wave, he had discovered that he could create a solid projectile and force combustion in the chamber. With this discovery shooting became much easier and as an added bonus he gained Fire Affinity at 2%. When the pygmies stopped their assault Henry''s weapons were in pieces, the metal used to create them could not hold up against determined and constant use over the previous hours. It was all worth it as he checked his notifications. --- Congratulations! Skill Learned: Rifles lvl 5 You are well versed in the use of long-range firearms and will become more deadly with time. - Increase Accuracy +2 per skill level --- --- Congratulations! Skill Learned: Pistols lvl 7 You''re feeling pretty lucky, punk. Like an old western lawman, you can shoot down an enemy from 30 paces. Accuracy and damage will increase with skill level. - Increase Agility +1 per skill level --- --- Congratulations! Perk Gained: Trigger Happy Gunsmith [Silver] You''ve created your own weapons and killed 25 sentients in the span of a week. You are more proficient with weapons of your own creation and creating weapons increases durability by 20%. --- "Not too bad hey Iggy, not sure how I feel about the perk. It''ll be useful." The attack over they needed to figure out how to repair or recreate the guns quickly. They didn''t know if more enemies were on the way.
Rose had been walking for the better half of the morning when in the distance she heard gunfire.What the hell? There shouldn''tbe anyone with guns out here, this Zone is pretty exclusive to the Trail Rangers and they''ve locked it down for this ''Recruitment Drive''.The shots were still a few miles off, but any direction was better than wandering aimlesslythrough the woods hoping for an encounter.I''ve heard rumors about civilizations in the Zones like things out of legends. Dwarves, Elves, Beastkin, and all sorts of more monstrous races living in the divide between here and wherever they came from. I wonder if one of them could have modern guns instead of magic and alchemy. That''d be something else! Maybe they can help us to adapt the Incursion hit really hard 50 years ago. When the Incursion hit Earth had been in a period of relative peace after the last war. A big affair between some big countries over the great oceans and the United States. The world was vastly different then, something the old timers called Global Trade had connected even the most remote parts into a complex system. She knew about some of the technology, everyone learned about that in school, but a much of the more complicated computer and infrastructure technology had been lost. Some of the big tech companies were able to keep a baseline going, but the world was separated like it hadn''t been since the Age of Exploration. The fuels used to power the global economy had simply become too difficult to harvest and manufacture. Only a few oil fields in Texas and the Candian Flats were still in operation and only because of the brave men and women who fought and died to retake the land from Orcs and Trolls. Those particular monsters thrived in the barren strip-mined land that often surrounds refineries. The only hope rested in hybrid technologies and electric power, but the technology was sophisticated. Many who could create solar panels and battery banks had died early on. Those who remained were quickly recruited by the militaries and remaining corporations to maintain their tenuous power.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Most people the world over had returned to simpler lives farming the land and crafting good by hand. It was a good life and farming without machines easily feed the roughly 1 billion people left on Earth. Rose snorted and shook off the darker thoughts. She was ready for a fight and started to run towards the sound of gunfire.
Henry and Iggy spent a little under an hour taking the guns apart and remaking them to better stand the pressure of constant use. They also took the time to add a few refiinements since Henry would be creating the combustion himself much of the trigger assemblies were no longer needed. Henry kept the triggers themselves because it help him visualize the results he wasnted from his magic.
Item Name: Peace Quality: Uncommon Durability: 150/150 Damage: 25-40 One of a pair of magitech pistols created by Henry Woodridge in the style of old western Peacemakers. This gun brings Peace to a troubled world. As the wielder of this weapon, you must spread Peace wherever you go. Set Bonus: + 5 Accuracy when wielding both Peace and Justice.
Item Name:Justice Quality: Uncommon Durability: 150/150 Damage: 25-40 One of a pair of magitech pistols created by Henry Woodridge in the style of old western Peacemakers. This gun brings Justice todepraved souls. As the wielder of this weapon, you must spreadJusticeacross the lawless lands. Set Bonus: + 5 Accuracy when wielding both Peace and Justice.
Item Name: Woodridge Special AR-1 Quality: Uncommon Durability: 300/300 Damage: 50-75 This rifle was created by the Gunsmith Henry Woodridge as a means of defending himself in all situations. Made to take targets at a range of up to 1500 yards the WS-AR 1 is effectivefrom 50-1500 yards and has single shot and burst functions.
"I think we did pretty good, Iggy." Henry smiled as he held Peace and Justice, admiring the silver-blue color of the pistols. They were made of a special composite blend of metals that incorporated his nanites to make a far superior quality than his first model. He felt like a real gunslinger. "Now all we need is a Drak Tower and a few villains." He laughed. "I don''t think that will be a problem. Those shots could probably be heard for miles around. We''ll be lucky if all the monsters in the area don''t come down on us." Iggy was clearly frustrated with Herny''s nonchalance even if the idea of wave after wave of enemies excited her. "Okay, we''ll move out." His sigh was so over the top it had to be theatrical. They closed up Bear Cave and started off to the North where the mountains towered over the landscape. The few times during the journey they encountered any enemies Peace and Justice was more than enough to end the encounters quickly. It seemed that the wandering opponents were all a low threat level until they got within the shadow of the mountains. Here, the opponents were larger and gave off an aura of danger. Iggy assumed that they started near the outer edges of the Zone and had moved in the direction of its center. That was good because it meant that Bear Cave was as safe a place as they could find in the Zone. Chapter 9 - Battle for the Underdark Pt 1 Henry and Iggy had been walking for hours and slowly they were at the base of the mountains. "Iggy, what do you think our best move is here? I''d really like to find some stronger opponents to fight and maybe get some more ore to make better gear." Henry was tired and just wanted to get started. "We need to find a way over or through the mountains. I''m sure some creatures have tunneled down there. We just have to find the entrance." She said the excitement she felt was almost sexual. Her need for violent confrontation was approaching legendary levels. It would worry Henry if it didn''t benefit him so much. They walked up the slowly steepening slope staying hidden in the shaggy pine forest that climbed with them. The air grew colder and frost covered the ground before they saw what they were looking for. In front of them was an intricately carved stone archway. The scenes and figures depicted grotesque facsimiles of the life that they knew dark shapes seemed to shift and move along the border of the entrance and filled Henry with trepidation. "Iggy, are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked his voice shaking slightly. "Don''t worry! Peace and Justice will keep you from getting too hurt. Just remember that only through struggle do we know ourselves." He could tell from her tone that she was grinning ear to ear. "Damn, I know you''re right but this place gives me the creeps!" He cringed but didn''t hesitate to walk forward into the darkness.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The walls of the tunnel were smooth worked stone with obvious signs of the picks used to carve out the heavy rock. Along the walls spaced every few feet were burnt out torches covered in cobwebs and dust. "doesn''t look like anyone has been here for a while." Henry mumbled more to himself than Iggy. The tunnel continued like this for several hundred feet for some reason he didn''t need to light a torch, the walls themselves seemed to emit a gentle glow giving just enough light to see. Soon the tunnel forked and Henry went right. Another twenty feet and the light no longer reached him and suddenly he was in complete darkness. "Iggy" He whispered, "What''s going on?" there was a soft scratching sound coming from his left. He turned to see if anything moved in the blackness, but his eyes betrayed him and nothing was revealed. The scratching sounded again this time behind him and he spun around Peace leveled at where he''s heard the noise. He fired. There was a flash of brilliant light and the crack of thunder. He saw eight hairy legs and six baleful eyes before darkness blinded him once more. His gunshot deafened him for several seconds and it was enough time for the giant spider to grab hold of his leg and inject its venom.
You have been Poisoned: 5 Dmg a second for 30 seconds and paralysis status effect until cured.
Shit, I need to heal this! Iggy, what can we do? I really don''t want to be eaten by a giant spider!! Henry thought frantically. "Henry, all we can do for now is wait. This guy is probably just a scout. He''ll bring us to the main nest and in that time we can work to get a Poison resist skill or cure. Give me a few minutes to chek my data banks." She faded from his mind as she work on the problem. Henry was being dragged in the drak by a giant spider and he was alone. Chapter 10 - Battle for the Underdark pt 2 The spider dragged him for what felt like hours to him. Time had little meaning and it could have been minutes or days, but he knew the poison was killing him slowly. The damage had dropped off after the 30 seconds, but he still couldn¡¯t move and every once in a while the spider would stop and inject him again with more poison. He suspected it was to be sure that he wouldn¡¯t escape and so far it was working wonderfully for the spider. Henry, on the other hand, was at his wit''s end when a welcome presence seemed to switch on within him, Iggy was back. Iggy, thank the gods! I was worried about you. What did you find out? Henry thought loudly. Henry! It¡¯s good news, we can slowly start to build a tolerance to the poison and have already gained 5 skill levels in resistance. The problem is that it looks like we¡¯re progressing too slowly. I have no idea if we¡¯ll have time before we get back to the spider¡¯s nest. She was clearly upset, but Henry couldn¡¯t be bothered to worry. There was hope and he clung to it and embraced the pain and paralysis, maybe he could use his will to better affect their skill gains. He did have a pretty high Nanite Control. It was a long shot but the potential of using his nanites to alter his body and improve skills was exciting. The spider dragged them to a large open cavern filled with webs and the chittering of other spiders, this was the nest. They were out of time and needed to free themselves quickly or be consumed. The spider used its silken webbing to cacoon Henry and hang him off to the side of the chamber then simply wandered off to catch more prey for him and his fellows.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Hanging there time passed quickly;y and soon Henry was so thirsty it must have been days. The constant chittering was only interrupted by the occasional screaming of others trapped in the web being devoured. It went on like this until he could hear a different sound, the clanging of metal on chitin and the shouts of warriors pushing into the chamber. It was the most wonderful sound he''d ever heard and despite his fatigue and thirst, Henry struggled to move. First, it was only a twitch of the finger, that only encouraged him. The sounds of battle drew closer and with each step the invaders took Henry moved more freely. Finally, the cacophony of fighting and dying spiders and men reached a fever pitch and Henry could move his neck enough to see that of the warriors only five still stood; the spiders were defeated, but at a high cost for the warrior band as their dead numbered more than 20. "Lads, check our fallen and be sure to put those who can nae be helped out o'' their misery" An older gruff voice sounded out in the quite following the battle. "We''ll check the web for survivors and be on our way" Quickly the other four checked the fallen warriors and bandaged those who could stand and ended those who could not. It was brutal in a way that Henry had never seen or heard of, usually, Adventures would do their utmost to save friends and comrades. Even the Armies of the world had combat medics and field hospitals. The warriors cut down hundreds of cocoons before getting to his. He was saved, but perhaps these were not his people and just maybe he would have been better off dying with the spiders. Only time would tell, but one thing was certain, Henry was about to find out just how dangerous the Incursion Zones could be.