《I Bought Some Guy's Soul On eBay》 Chapter 1: Here We Go Greetings, and welcome to the first chapter of I Bought Some Guy''s Soul on eBay. Before I start writing (and you start reading) I''d like to thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to read my work. I''m not a great writer, but I read these stories all the time and thought I''d try my hand. This is actually based on some real stuff that happened, people actually tried to sell their souls on eBay. I thought it would make an interesting writing prompt, so let''s see where this goes. Thanks again! Enjoy!
I was riding my bike to the cafe down the street from my cozy little apartment, just like I would any Tuesday, when I died. Death, to me, was something very far away. Very, very far in the future. I guess that I imagined when it happened, it would be in some special way. Something like being ninety-eight and surrounded by loving family members as I gently closed my eyes for the last time, my last breath leaving me along with the last sparks of life. Saving a child from getting hit by a bus, but not being able to move out of the way in time. Something, I suppose, that would make people remember me. Now, standing beside God himself, watching the replay of my death (watching it is mandatory, by the way, if you die too early), I would never have imagined that such a ridiculous coincidence would cause me to move on to the afterlife. I watched the events leading up to it. I got up, brushed my teeth, did all the general morning stuff. After a quick, crappy breakfast of a cheese sandwich, I sat down at my computer and began to browse eBay, looking for something interesting to buy. It was fall, and so my main source of acquiring stuff to sell (garage sales) was out of season. Minerva was way too cold in fall for people to sit outside and sell a bunch of things that people didn''t want to come out of their cars to buy. All that aside, it was a day like any other. I made a decent living off of selling antiques and the like, and so I didn''t get out much, and I guess that was why I didn''t have a boyfriend. That''s what I told myself, anyway. I usually only left home to buy stuff, ship packages at the post office, and visit family on the holidays. When I wasn''t browsing eBay, I would usually play video games, read, or just look at stupid stuff on the internet. Yeah, I know. My life seems just so exciting. I like being alone, though. I''ve never been much of a people person, and I''m terribly awkward. So I spent a lot of time at home, sheltered from the real world. That day was almost no different. I had made a strange purchase that day, for the sake of a joke when someone visited my apartment. Some guy decided to sell his soul on eBay, saying he didn''t believe the soul existed anyway. When I saw it, the highest bidder was in at $0.02. I couldn''t help but feel bad for the guy, and the bid ended in thirty minutes, so I bumped it up to five dollars. I planned on framing the certificate as a little keepsake, something I bought just to say I had. So yeah, I ended up getting it. Then I decided I needed a little pick-me-up, since I felt especially shitty, and rode my bike to the local cafe. And it was on my way there, that it happened. In the middle of the road, I tried to scratch my face, and accidentally smacked my glasses off of my face. Thankfully there were no cars nearby, so I had time to pick them up, but without them, I fumbled them a couple of times. When I got back on my bike, and looked to the side, there was a truck coming at me at full speed. I had about one second to think ''Oh shit'' before it smacked into me, and sent me flying into another oncoming truck. All of my ribs were broken, as well as an arm and a leg. When I landed, my spine suffered some damage as well. The pain, even though I only felt it for a few seconds, was absolutely indescribable. Nothing could compare to the pain of what happened to me there. But it wasn''t my crippling injuries that finally ended me, though. No, sir.. This is where the ''coincidence'' part comes in. Watching this on heavenly replay allowed me to understand exactly what happened and why, including the thoughts and emotions of those involved. The two drivers didn''t stop, because they were playing a game on their phones. The game consisted of two sides building armies and sending said armies at the opposing side''s towers, of which there were three. Whoever destroyed the furthest-back tower or had destroyed the most at the end of two minutes was declared the winner. It happened that they were actually opponents in this game. The losing driver had, in his rage, punched the inside of his car, accidentally steering the truck a bit to the right with his huge belly when he turned. They were in the same lane then, and the two trucks collided, launching me into the air. I ended up landing right next to the place where their cargo was beginning to spill. It happened that one of the trucks was carrying bleach, and the other a bunch of glass cleaner. This combination of chemicals produced two substances when they mixed. One was a very toxic gas, the other was a very explosive gas. If not for this, I might have survived. But three stories up, in an apartment right next to the scene, an old man who happened to be going deaf and heard nothing below, decided he was too lazy to put his cigar where it was supposed to go and simply threw it out the window. And boy, did he hear the explosion. That was the last straw for my poor body. I died, and my extra-crispy corpse was smashed against a nearby wall from the blast. Normally, I think I would be very disturbed watching this, but no matter how much I tried to think otherwise, all I could get my brain to feel was serenity and acceptance. I really must be dead. The floating screen shut off and flew off into the distance. God himself turned his gaze back to me. It seemed that every time I looked away from him, he changed appearance. When he got here, he was a kindly-looking old man. Then, he took on the form of a loving father. Now, he looked like kind of a jerk, if I was going to be honest. He was dressed nicely, in a perfectly-done tuxedo. His now-tall frame stood a good six inches above my own. God''s hair had turned blonde, and his eyes were a piercing blue. His handsome face wore a devilish smirk, as if he knew something I could never begin to understand. Which he probably did, considering he was God and all. He began to speak in an accent that sounded British. "Now, Miss Green. Do you have any idea why I, God, would take time out of my precious eternity to talk to a silly girl like you in particular?" He cocked his head slightly. I was starting to not like this guy. I couldn''t exactly mouth off to him, though. "N-no, God, sir. I kind of figured you did this with everyone." He laughed. "Well, yes, everyone who dies sooner than they should have gets to watch an instant replay of how they died. They, however, do not get greeted personally by me. Why," he started, leaning in. "would I take the time to personally address you?" His voice came to almost a whisper. "I-I said I don''t know! If it was something bad, I''m really sorry..." God sighed. "Allow me to spell it out for you, then." He cleared his throat, and spread his arms to either side. "You, Miss Green, are the first person to take legal ownership of a human soul. Normally, I wouldn''t take any sort of action against this, because we''ve had people try to steal others'' souls before, but the idiot who sold it actually wanted to give it away. So, I have to address it, because you now effectively have two souls." He shook a finger. "And that''s not exactly okay." He paused, but continued when he saw the look on my face. "Therefore, I will offer you a choice." I nodded. "Thank you." Somehow, the feelings of serenity still hung over me. I felt confused, but still eerily at ease. He grinned. "Your first option will not seem appealing, but I must offer it to you nonetheless. For committing the crime of obtaining another''s soul, you may spend all of eternity here in Purgatory. Nothing good will ever happen, nor will anything bad. You will relive a day in your life where nothing exciting, enjoyable, annoying, or depressing happened. For a couch dweller like you, it might not be such a bad thing." He paused, letting it sink in. "Now, for the second choice. I will allow you to be reborn." He stated. "You-you will?" I blinked. I hadn''t expected such an option. "Yes." he said, nodding. "But, not on Earth. It''s on a planet named Vis, many light-years away from yours. It''s quite a nice place to watch, actually. More lively than Earth is, at least. It has a technology level similar to what Earth''s was in the Middle Ages. There''s magic, too. Pretty interesting place, right? I''ll even make sure you go there with a high affinity for magic." I wasn''t gonna lie, that sounded awesome. Some of my favorite video games took place in such a setting. I couldn''t help but be skeptical, though. "So, then, what''s the catch?" I asked. God chuckled. "Perceptive, are you? I was getting to that part." He narrowed his eyes at me. "If you go, I''m gonna have you do me a little favor. A big favor, actually. There is a great disturbance in the balance of forces among nations. Unlike on Earth, I intend to keep that place relatively balanced. But the damned Spider Queen is having her forces run amok. Three countries have already fallen under the might of her forces. She leads legions upon legions made up of spiders, and Arachnasites." He smiled a little. "Those are parasitic creatures who have taken over the mind of a member of a sentient race. They are quite intelligent, for monsters whose only intentions are to eat and destroy." He sat down, and a throne of cloud appeared under him. Extending a hand, he continued. "That''s where you come in, Miss Green. Your mission will be to kill the Queen. You will not be given everything, though. In fact, beyond buffing some of your individual abilities, I cannot help you at all. You will have to rely on yourself for this. If you choose to accept my offer, it is not because you are special, simply because you are lucky. The only reason you''re being sent is because you have a second soul. Those with only one can only be brought to life once." He outstretched each of his hands. "So, what''ll it be? Oh, by the way, if you fail my quest, you''re going straight to Hell. But, if you do fulfill it, let''s just say I owe you one" God gave me another devilish smile. Ironic. It didn''t take long for me to decide. An empty life of laziness or a chance at adventure? Even to a couch potato like me, it was obvious. I cleared my throat before speaking. "I kind of just want to live peacefully... Please keep me in Purgatory." I said shyly, looking down.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. For once, when I looked up, the smirk was not on the man''s face. He wore a look of utter disbelief. Seeing that look on his face made me think that he looked like a more handsome Gordon Ramsay. With less of a temper. "How lazy can you be?" He asked, softly. The expression he wore quickly changed back to its usual smug self. "Unfortunately for you, it was never a request. I think you need an attitude adjuster, anyway. You know what they say, defeating a race of evil spiders builds character. Good luck, Miss Green! If you ever need any help, just fold your hands and pray to me. I promise to answer all of your prayers." He chuckled and waved a hand, as a swirl of purple wind began to climb up my body, as I started to disappear from the feet up. "I''ll say no to most of them, though. Ta-ta for now." He turned, and began to walk away, towards the endless expanse of blue sky and cloud. The purple cyclone continued to climb, and I found myself unable to move as it swallowed me up. The last thing I saw of God was his sassy gait as he daintily strolled away. Then, the wind swallowed me up and everything went black. Goodbye, Earth.
When I woke, all was silent. The drape of calmness I''d felt while having my little chat with God was completely gone, replaced by a horrible, throbbing headache. I was on my back on top of what felt like a stone floor. I groaned, holding my head as I sat up. I then took the opportunity to look around. Or I would have, except it was pitch-black. I started to feel around and crawl my way up the stone floor in what seemed to be a slope. I continued this way for what had to be ten minutes until something jumped in front of my face that made me jump what must have been a foot in the air. A bright blue screen had appeared right in front of my face with no warning whatsoever.
Welcome to Vis! You may chant ''Status'' to view your stats and skills. New Human Female registered: Your level has been increased to 1. You have 4 available attribute points to distribute. Your Night Vision has improved. Skill level increased to 1. You have not yet chosen a class! Please visit your Status to do so.
Finally, I could see a bit better. Now, the walls of the cave were actually visible. Turns out I could have been walking this whole time. I sighed, and stood up, leaning against the stone wall of the cave. It seemed like my clothes had changed, but I couldn''t see exactly to what. I was obviously wearing a sleeveless, scratchy shirt and long, tough pants. "Status." I said, quietly. Before me popped up another window.
General Information: Present Info: Stats: (4) Passive Skills: Skill Level
Name: Emma Green HP: 40/40 (1.1/min) STR: 5 Night Vision 1
Sex: Female MP: 90/90 (0.5/sec) DEX: 2
Race: Human Level: 1, 0% CON: 2
Age: 21 years Title: None INT: 21
Faction: N/A WIS: 42
LUC: 1
I grimaced a bit. My physical stats were all extremely low. And what the hell was up with that one point of luck? Whenever I played games, I tended to play the bulky tank-type characters. This time... Well, I guess it''d be a good idea to stop thinking of this as a game. This is my life now, after all. If I die, I''m seriously done for.
Due to an unusually wise decision, your WIS has increased by 1. Congratulations! You are now a little wiser, smarty-pants!
Funny. I didn''t feel wiser. Now I just feel kind of dumb, I thought as I made my way up the slope in the cave. I dismissed the windows, including another notification that I needed to pick a class. I''d save that for when I knew I was safe. I wanted out of the cave as soon as possible. Hopefully nothing in here wants to kill me, I thought as I started to slow down. If something does, it would be better that it doesn''t notice me. I continued as quietly as possible up the slope and began to approach the top. Was that... No, it couldn''t be. Was that light I just saw? I crouched down once I got to the top, peering over. That was light I saw, alright. However, it was not the kind I was hoping for. Rather than the sweet daylight I craved, the flickering light of a campfire greeted me when I looked over at the source of the light. What''s worse was the little green figures roasting chunks of meat over it. They licked their fat green lips as the smell of meat being cooker filled the air of the cave. I felt my mouth start to water, too. I could go for some meat right about now, I thought. My stomach growled quietly. Looking back up, I narrowed my eyes. I could eat whatever I want once I got away from these little goblin dudes. I examined the room they were cooking the food in. It seemed that there were three hallways connected to this central room, me being in one of them. To the left was a wider entrance that seemed to have a lot of... something in the entrance while the right was a completely empty hallway. However, the goblins were much closer to the left than the right. So, although common sense told me that since that was probably the animal''s furry corpse over there, the goblins probably caught it from outside, and skinned it on their way back in, it would be more dangerous to go the way closer to the little green men.. I figured that I could safely assume that left was the way out. The only problem now was actually getting past the goblins. Then again, I didn''t see any weapons... maybe I could just make a break for it? Their legs looked awfully stubby. My only other options were to stay here and hope they leave, or to try to fight. I still had the option of choosing a class, and four unspent points to distribute. Those goblins were starting to look a hell of a lot scarier now that they were tearing into those pieces of meat. They were fierce, ripping it off the sticks they roasted it on with their jaws and making growling noises as they devoured their meal. How easily could they do that to the flesh on my body? I shuddered. I took a few moments to carefully consider. Whether I was fighting, running, hiding, or sneaking, dexterity would certainly come in handy. I whispered ''Status'' and put all four points into DEX, bringing it up to six. Damn, I thought. This really was like an RPG. I made my decision, terror settling like a clump in my throat. I would try to sneak past them while they were still eating. They were very distracted at the moment, but I could use these few precious moments to slip out. I could feel myself starting to shake as I slowly got to my feet, my knees bent. My mind was in overdrive. If I failed here, I would probably get torn limb from limb. If I died to a measly goblin, how would I ever hope to defeat the Spider Queen? As if hearing my thoughts, the goblins started to laugh really hard at something, making me tense up. I looked over to the fire to see one of them start to choke on what was most likely a huge chunk of meat. I went. The noise would help mask my footsteps. I crept as fast as I dared. Sneaking along the side of the cave, my heart was beating so hard, I''m surprised the goblins couldn''t hear it through all the laughter. One, two, three, four. I made little jump-steps, then stopped. I would make myself small, so as not to be seen, then wait until there was noise to continue on. The goblin had just stopped choking when one of his friends hit him over in the head with a rock. Charming. Now I had to wait here, shaking with fear, while I waited for these idiots to do something stupid to make noise. Come on, come on... I pleaded with them in my mind. I started to hesitantly take steps anyway, as quietly as I could. One. They didn''t seem to notice. I lifted my back foot and continued. Two. Still no noise. Great, I can do this, I thought. My shaking started to calm down a little bit. You can do this, Emma. Keep going. Seven or so more steps and you''ll be at the doorway. Three. I was still in the clear. Back at the fire, another uproar came from the goblin who had finished his meat. It seemed like he had forgotten that he''d eaten it, and was now yelling at another of his friends as if it were their fault his meat was now gone. I took the opportunity to take six more steps. I was almost at the door. I took one more step, very hesitantly, then slipped into the doorway. The yelling had suddenly ceased. Had they heard me? I started to rush, walking at a much faster pace now. Where the hell was the exit? As I walked, I saw the corpse they had been eating from before coming up in front of me. I looked back, and the coast was clear. I was actually rather interested in seeing what type of animal it was. Bringing my head back down to look at it, I bent down a little bit. My Night Vision was helping, but not a whole lot. I squinted, and made out the animal''s face. It was not an animal at all. It was a short old man, his eyes still wide open in terror. His arms were gone, I quickly realized, and his chest had been torn into. I nearly threw up on the spot. I would never forget the look on his face, his mouth open in a permanent silent scream, as if he was feeling pain all the way up until he finally died. And the smell. The fucking smell. I ran down the hallway as fast as I could. I needed to get the hell out of this god-damned cave. Now. My bare feet started to hurt as the raw stone floor cut and peeled at the skin. If I made it out of this alive, I was going to eat some nice warm food... A burger would hit the spot right about now. That made me think about how I had salivated over the smell of the old man''s meat being cooked over the fire, so I quickly dismissed the thought and kept running. I was seriously starting to get tired. Where was the exit? It took another few minutes of running for me to reach it. I could finally see the beautiful sunlight on the light grey stone outside of the cave. I slowed down and started to walk toward the exit, relieved. I was hungry and thirsty, and the aftermath of all the adrenaline pumping through me when I was in the cave made me feel absolutely exhausted. As I approached the cave''s exit, I had to squint. The sunlight was just way too bright. After a few seconds, though, my eyes had adjusted, and I could see the landscape surrounding the cave. Or, I could, if there weren''t trees everywhere. I left the cave ar long last and started through the forest. After a few more minutes of walking, my bare feet really started aching, and extreme drowsiness had replaced my headache. It was like someone had attached a weight to my eyelids. I trudged on,, hoping for any sign of food, water, shelter, or civilization in general. It didn''t take long for the exhaustion to take me. I saw myself to the ground, but I didn''t feel the impact. I just felt tired. I saw the grassy ground fade from my sight as I fell unconscious. A little blue box popped up as I drifted off, but I didn''t really notice, as sleep finally claimed me.
Congratulations! Your Sneak skill has gained a level. Increased to level 1. Your Cool-Headed skill has gained a level. Increased to level 1. Your stealthy sneakiness has fooled the goblins! Nice one! +1 DEX
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If you have any suggestions relating to format or the story itself, let me know! I definitely still have a few grammar mistakes lying about. Thank you so much for reading. I will try to get another chapter out this week, where Emma really begins God''s quest in the world of Vis! And finally, I''ll get to put other characters in! The Spider Queen kind of replaces a Demon King as it would be in most LitRPGs that have a summoned hero sort of thing. The arachnasites idea came from Webber from Don''t Starve, where a child who was eaten by a spider retains his humanity but is now a monster of sorts. These arachnasites, though, have a human''s intelligence and a monster''s overpowering instinct to hunt and kill. I cannot wait to write the next chapter. Thanks and be sure to check in soon for an action-packed update! Chapter 2: Again I awoke to the sharp smell of alcohol in the air. Who the hell was drinking in my house...? I rolled over in the bed, and pulled the blankets closer. Suddenly, it all came back. Dying. God''s deal. The goblins. And after that... I couldn''t quite remember. I could recall walking through a forest, but beyond that, not much else. This was probably not, in fact, my house. I opened my eyes, rubbing them a bit, and forced myself to sit up. I was starving, and my throat was drier than a Tinder conversation. For the first time, I noticed the clothing I was wearing. I wore a sleeveless, tan shirt that was still rather rough and scratchy. I wouldn''t exactly call it uncomfortable, though. My pants were long and brown, seeming to be made of some sort of low-quality leather. I was in a very compact room. Small enough that the bed took up more than half of its space. There were no windows, and the walls, ceilings, and floor were all made out of the same reddish-brown wood. Beside my bed was a little end table with half a loaf of bread, a big chunk of cheese, and a large mug of water. I wolfed it down, faster than I thought myself ever capable of doing. Also in the room was a small dresser. ''Small'' meaning it only came up to about three-quarters of the way up my leg.What kind of person is so short that they need a two-and-a-half foot tall dresser? I held my head, which ached significantly less than it had back in the cave. Oh, right. I''d just remembered to check on something. "Status." I said aloud, and the blue screen popped up in front of me.
General Information: Present Info: Stats: (0) Passive Skills: Skill Level
Name: Emma Green HP: 40/40 (1.1/min) STR: 5 Night Vision 1
Sex: Female MP: 90/90 (0.55/sec) DEX: 7 Cool-Headed 1
Race: Human Level: 1, 0% CON: 2 Sneak 1
Age: 21 years Title: None INT: 21
Faction: N/A Class: None (Choose one! Chant ''Class''!) WIS: 43
LUC: 1
It seemed that my terrifying encounter with the goblins had yielded no EXP. I was still at zero percent. I continued to study the changes. I now had a new skill, Cool-Headed. I supposed it was pretty straightforward as for its effects. I decided to check the actual effects of the skill by saying the name of the skill out loud. "Cool-Headed."
Cool-Headed: You have proven yourself able to keep a cool head in times of intense peril. This skill reduces risk of panic by 20% per level, and attempts to quell unreasonable fears.
I supposed that I could believe that last sentence, at least. In general, my mind just felt clearer and overall, I felt braver. For example, normally I''d be terrified waking up in a stranger''s house. Now, though, I was actually standing up to go find the owner of this house. It seemed like I''d been rescued, rather than imprisoned. Turning the doorknob, which was annoyingly low to the ground, I crouched through the doorway and into what seemed to be a kitchen. It was tough to tell, though, considering how incredibly messy the room was. It kind of reminded me of my own apartment, but this was far more unkempt, as far as messes go. Wooden dishes were left all over, some of which still had food on them that was obviously more than a week old. Even I, who barely left the house, was able to keep my dishes in line far better than this. What kind of person lived here? That alcohol smell was seriously getting bad. As if on cue, I heard the perpetrator of the smell speak from behind me. "So what? Ye get rescued, then ye have the guts to start makin'' funny eyes at me dishes? Humans. Never know when to show their gratitude." I turned around to see a very short woman crossing her arms and rolling her big brown eyes at me. She held an empty glass mug in one hand. and fidgeted with her long blonde hair with the other. The woman must have noticed me staring, because she spoke up. "What are ye lookin at? Ain''tche ever seen a dwarf before, human?" She spoke with an accent that I could only place as ''kind of Scottish''. I looked away. "No, sorry, I didn''t mean to be rude. I''m, er, actually kind of new to this place. You mentioned rescuing me? What exactly happened?" She eyed me curiously. "Ye don''t remember? When I found ye, it seemed ye were having a proper nap right in the middle of the bloody forest. Yer feet got all sliced up, too. Lucky thing I got to ye before the bears did." She beamed proudly. I realized that my feet were all bandaged. "I really can''t remember anything..." I started. "But, either way, thank you. Thank you so much. I woke up in a cave, and I had to sneak past these goblin-looking things, and-" I was cut off as she grabbed my collar with one very meaty arm. I saw her go up to her tippy toes in order to reach. Weren''t short people usually supposed to be cuter than this? "Did you say goblins?" She almost growled. "Where? Where did you see the little fucks?" There was visible anger in her eyes, and I started to feel myself caving. Tears started to well up in my eyes, even with the Cool-Headed skill. I had almost never been yelled at like that before, and I had to say, it was really scary. Just another thing to add to the things I was afraid of- people yelling in my face. "I-I honestly don''t know! All I can say about the location is that it''s a cave! Please, I swear I''m telling the truth!" I pleaded with her. Something seemed to shift in her eyes, or maybe it was just her facial expression, as if she''d realized what she was doing. She released her hand and let me down. I fell to my knees, breathing hard. After a few seconds, I looked back up at the dwarven woman, expecting her to still be angry, but she was looking away, unable to make eye contact. "I''m sorry." she said. "I didn''t mean to lash out at ye like that. It''s just..." Her face contorted into the most miserable expression I''d seen on a person''s face. She looked down and her deep voice started to quiver. "The goblins... my husband and son..." Now, it was her turn to have tears well up in her eyes. "Right in front of me eyes, they ate Aldur, and my son Beryl." Tears streamed down her face. "I-I can''t sleep at night. I can''t get the smell out of me head. They cooked them on a fire, and all I could do was watch... Their screams were so desperate, and the humans... the fucking humans... dragged me away, and didn''t try." She slammed her fist on the wooden table next to her. I think I heard it crack. "They didn''t even try to save me son. I had to listen to his screams..." She was full-on sobbing, covering her eyes She furiously wiped at her tears, and before I knew what I was doing, I embraced her. I was surprised at how lean and muscular her body was, in addition to the tough clothing she wore. I was still on my knees, but she hugged me back just the same, resting her head on my shoulder. Dwarves were supposed to always be tough and hardy, as I''d learned from video games, but here, they were real, and people just the same. Looking at her grieving face, and feeling her arms, thick like tree trunks, wrap tightly around me, I couldn''t help but think about how useless I was. Wasn''t I supposed to be some sort of hero? The one who vanquished the Spider Queen that was creating all the world''s problems, bringing world peace to Vis? In this situation, I should be all "Don''t worry, I have this special resurrection juice that brings people back from the dead!" But, no. Instead, all I could do was silently hug this poor, grief-stricken woman. Some hero I was. I guess that God did tell me that I wasn''t special in any way. What a bastard, for sending me here. The hug lasted a good five minutes before her arms left me. The dwarf sniffled, then spoke, still not looking at me. "Get out." My eyes shot open. "W-what?" She glared at me. "I said, get out! Out of my house!" She waved her hand. "There''s no place for humans in my home." The woman said, scowling. She hung her head. "I made some shoes that fit on your feet. Take them and go." She spoke quietly. I didn''t know what to say, so I just stood there for a few seconds. "But, you-" The short woman cut me off. "OUT! NOW! BEFORE I FUCKING SNAP YER LITTLE ARMS OFF!" She yelled, then continued crying in a mess on the floor. Fuck. I lowered my head. I didn''t want to anger her any more, and I certainly didn''t want my arms snapped off. "Thank you... for everything." I said, and quickly went towards the door on the other side of the kitchen. I still never got her name. I felt guilty with every cell in my body for not knowing how to make it all better. Maybe if I were a real hero, I could convince her to be my ally, defeat enemy after enemy with her, and that would somehow solve all of her problems. Yeah, right. I made my way towards the door, put on the beautifully made animal-hide shoes she''d made me, and walked out of her house, my head spinning. I really was a shitty person, wasn''t I? I trudged down the dirt road alone, with no food and no water. I didn''t know where this road led, but I was definitely going there. As long as it wasn''t here. --- Three hours later, my feet hurt, so I decided to take a rest. I had zoned out throughout my entire walk so far, wandering in a daze. There were no signs indicating where I was going. I hoped to run into a town or something soon, as I would need to eat eventually. I had nothing to hunt with. That was okay though, because I had no idea how to hunt in the first place. On my way there, though, I would need some sort of self-defense. The walking stick I''d picked up probably wouldn''t cut it. That meant picking a class since as I was now, there was no way I''d be able to defeat something that wanted me dead. That''s how I ended up chanting "Class!" like it had said to on the status screen. Before my eyes popped up a big blue screen.
Welcome to Class Selection! Before you pick a specific class, which of the following would you like your class to be? >Combat< >Crafting< >Social<
I figured that the Spider Queen wasn''t going to drink any poisons I made or allow herself to be talked into dying. So, I picked Combat. "Combat," I answered. Another blue screen took its place, listing the different classes available.
An excellent choice, for those wishing to survive and overcome the threats posed by this harsh world. Which of the following class types would you like to specialize in? You may go back by chanting ''Back!'' >Physical< >Magical< >Other<
I was curious as to what lay in the ''Other'' category. As if reading my thoughts, descriptions for each of the categories popped up.
Physical: Uses physical weapons to take out their opponents, whether it be with bow, sword, or throwing knife. Physical classes tend to have higher STR, DEX, and/or CON stat values.
Magical: Utilizes spells to harm or disable opponents, or to heal and buff teammates. Magical classes usually have high INT and WIS.
Other: Contains classes that mix the two, and those that are only available to certain individuals.
"Other," I said. I figured that being sent here by God himself would give me some special ''Hero'' class that let me kill anything that dared to defy me with little more than a nasty look. When the screen was brought up, I was able to see whether that was the case or not.
Class Name: Class Stat Benefits: Description:
Paladin: +5 STR, +5 INT, +5 CON Paladins are holy knights, delivering God''s will by smiting their foes with holy light or a justice-filled hammer blow. Must be a devout member of a Vis religion.
Trickster: +15 INT, +20 LUC Tricksters boast little attack power, but can easily disarm and confuse their foes with illusions and low-cost mobility spells. They also tend to be quite lucky.
Spellsword: +5 STR,+5 CON,+5 WIS,+5 INT Spellswords can be called a jack of all trades. They can learn a wide range of spells, as well as a plethora of skills for any one weapon. However, a jack of all trades tends to be a master of none.
Goblin Slayer (Individual, Experience-Based): +30 STR For those who have seen firsthand the threat that Goblins pose to the world. Gain a 50% damage bonus against Goblins and a 50% resistance to blunt-type weapons.
Magician (Individual, Talent-Based): +20 INT, +20 WIS, +5 LUC Magicians, an incredibly rare combat class, have the capability to learn spells from any school of magic, and have the most raw mana of any magic class. However, they are generally regarded as an ineffective combat class because they are sworn to pacifism; they cannot directly harm humanoid creatures with offensive spells.
Avenger (Individual): N/A Avengers are a very rare class. Their main ability is a skill called Back At You, which allows them to use their foes'' magical attacks against them with double the power. However, they are weak against physical attacks.
There were so many options, I had to read some over more than once. Unfortunately, there were no insta-kill Hero classes, but there were some that were quite obviouslypowerful. The Avenger, for example, could easily defeat any magic-using class. Except, come to think of it, the Magician, because it couldn''t directly deal damage to them, and therefore, couldn''t have it reflected back. I wasn''t interested in joining a religion to become a Paladin. I had met God, and he was an ass. The Trickster seemed powerful, but bad against a group of enemies. The Spellsword wasn''t specialized enough. The Goblin Slayer was too specialized. The Magician wasn''t able to hurt enemies. And the Avenger was useless against physical classes. I had to reread each one many more times. Which one should I choose? Which would be most fitting for me? Which would make me the most powerful, and capable of defeating the Spider Queen? I can always check out the regular Magical classes, I thought. I was about to do just that when I noticed the wording in the description of the Magician class. It read ''they cannot directly harm humanoid creatures with offensive spells''. So, in other words, if I were to drop a giant rock on someone''s head, it probably wouldn''t count as ''directly'' harming them. Or if, say, they happened to be mind-controlled into jumping out of a window, that might not technically be offensive magic. Not to mention, spiders usually weren''t humanoids, which meant that I could probably just wipe them away. And on top of that, it said I couldn''t directly harm them, not that I couldn''t target them. So if I were in a party, I could use crowd-control spells and act as a supporting class. A loophole is always a pleasant thing to find, I thought, smiling. Just in case, I decided to check the other magical classes. Magic seemed like a great way to destroy my enemies without actually having to get up and move. I pictured myself laying on top of a floating broom, doing my nails while nonchalantly saying ''Fireball'' and burning a bunch of spiders to a crisp. Seems easy enough, I thought, as the screen for the other classes came up. We had Warlock, Mage, Priest, Cleric, Enchanter, Illusionist, Fire Mage, Water Mage... The list went on. One thing I noticed is that the stat gains were pitiful compared to those given by much of the ''Other'' classes. I think the highest gain I saw was +4 INT. I believed that despite its lack of direct damage, the Magician class was still the best for the scenario. Its firepower and versatility would be perfect for taking out a troublesome foe like the Spider Queen, who, I assumed, was nothing more than a big old spider (and spiders don''t tend to be humanoids). The massive stat gains were simply an added bonus. "Class: Magician" I said to the screen. Yet another box popped up.
Congratulations, you are now a Magician! +20 INT, +20 WIS, +5 LUC New Chant unlocked: Spellbook- Allows you to see a full list of your learned spells. Skill Gained: Elemental Mastery I Skill Gained: Mana Efficiency I Skill Gained: Magic Pacifism Fire Spell Gained: Weak FireballThis text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Earth Spell Gained: Sandstorm Water Spell Gained: Drizzle Wind Spell Gained: Gust Illusion Spell Gained: Menace Spatial Spell Gained: Switch
That was a lot of spells. I expected one or two, but ended up with, what was that, six? I got four elemental skills, an illusion, and... what was this last one? Spatial? I opened up the Spellbook to check Switch''s description.
Switch (100 MP): When used, this spell instantaneously switches your location with a target''s and vice versa. Mana cost increases with the weight of the target.
How lucky was I to get such an awesome skill? It was a bit mana-intensive, but I could probably escape bad situations very easily. I felt excited that I was now so much more powerful... but at the same time, my excitement felt kind of empty. I couldn''t quite shake the overpowering feeling of homesickness that had just started to hang over me, I wanted to go back home. I wanted to lay in my nice warm bed, not sit on the ground in some medieval-age place where there were man-eating goblins. I sprawled out on the grass, laying down and staring at the sky. The puffy white clouds that slowly drifted by without a care in the world reminded me of Earth. I wondered if I''d ever be able to go back. God had told me that my reward would be ''him owing me one'', so maybe he would grant me three wishes or something like that. I sighed, playing with my walking stick in my right hand as I lay. I''d come back to life, as a person who was supposed to save this planet, yet I was just as useless of a person as I was back on Earth. I couldn''t help but think about the dwarven woman who had been so kind to me, yet I somehow drove her to the point of kicking me out of her house. If only I- My thoughts were interrupted by a deep, well-spoken voice. "Are you okay, young miss?" Startled, I sat up to look at the source of the voice. Somehow I had missed the sound of a horse-drawn wagon approaching. In the front sat a small, skinny elderly man with a concerned expression on his bearded face. The wagon part was filled with hay. Was everyone around here this hospitable? "I''m alright. Sorry to worry you, I just stopped to rest for a bit. My feet are killing me." I said, smiling sheepishly. He smiled, waving a hand. "Oh, it''s no problem. If you need a ride, I''d be glad to take you into town. So long as you don''t mind smelling like hay." He gestured to the back of the wagon with one thin arm. "Well, what town are we headed to?" I asked. He cocked his head. "You really don''t know? Where did you think this road was taking you?" The old man seemed somewhat suspicious. "I woke up out in the woods, and, well... I just followed the road." I lied, dropping my gaze. He seemed unconvinced. "I... see. Well, I''m due to deliver this hay to the capital. You''re still quite welcome to come along." He seemed really nice to me. I liked him, even if it seemed like he might now think I was some sort of criminal, fleeing from prison. I didn''t look that sketchy, right? A quick glance down made me realize that my clothes were probably similar to those worn by prisoners. Well, shit, I thought as I climbed into the back of the cart. Hay, as I learned, was kind of nice to lay on if you could get past the feeling of it against your skin. The back of my neck did not appreciate the prickling and poking. Not to mention, its dank mustiness gave you the sort of impression that there were probably bugs buried in with the hay. A ride was a ride though, so I gratefully took it. "Thank you so much," I said, smiling at the man. "Don''t mention it. Anything for a lovely young lady." Turning around, he returned the smile, and I couldn''t help but blush a little bit and scratch the back of my neck nervously. I didn''t get complimented much. For a couple of hours, we were both silent. Eventually, I started asking the kindly old man questions. I introduced myself, and in turn learned his name was Jor, and that he was a retired adventurer. Then I inquired about how long the trip would take. He told me that at our current rate, it would take roughly eight more hours. It was around midday, so we would arrive at night time. I figured I could do a quick job and make enough money to stay at an inn for the night once we got there. Hopefully, anyway. I also asked Jor about the capital. What was it like, had he been there before, and so on. He gave me that suspicious look once more before replying. "Can you tell me the capital''s name, girl?" he asked, looking back at me with wary eyes. Surprised, I tensed up for a moment, caught off guard. "U-um... I''m from a really far away place, so... I don''t really know much about the area." I said. I wasn''t lying, right? He nodded. "I see, I suppose that would explain it. Well, if you don''t mind me boring you for a bit, I''ll tell you a little bit about the capital." He still didn''t look entirely convinced. Jor told me that the nation''s capital, Redfall, was built inside a massive cave in the shape of a crater that had a huge, gushing waterfall spilling over it. From his description, I pictured it being as large as Earth''s Niagara Falls. According to him, the city was designed in such a way that some of the water flowed through the city in canals, coming in from the waterfall and flowing out on the opposite side of the cave. The entire mouth of the cave was, of course, very well-guarded, as was the entire river that leads up to the waterfall. The water that didn''t go to canals, after all, was sent to be purified into drinking water. Most of the city was built from stone, and the capital was a beautifully shining palace in the very center of the cave. It was a central trade hub for the country, as dwarven miners had hollowed out massive tunnels into the walls of the cave, allowing many traders to enter and exit. These tunnels had had enormous, heavy gates built into them. Redfallwas also a major hub for adventurers and bounty hunters, as the city attracts many types of people. The city was almost entirely self-sufficient in terms of food and water, as there were many underground farms that produced a higher quantity and quantity of food than normal farms would. It was extremely defendable, as the walls of the cave extend up to make large hills, upon which large stone walls and towers were built. The city got its name from a battle in which over 20,000 enemy soldiers were killed by less than 4,000 defending soldiers. "It''s said that the waterfall ran red with blood that day, earning the city a new name," Jor said solemnly. "A truly glorious day for our country of Ilvan. Since that time 300 years ago, there has not been a single large-scale attack on our city." He sounded proud. "Anyway, you''ll understand a lot more about the city once we get there." I nodded, and for a long time, the wagon was silent. In the back of the wagon, I decided to check my now-upgraded Status.
General Information: Present Info: Stats: (0) Passive Skills: Skill Level
Name: Emma Green HP: 40/40 (1.1/min) STR: 5 Night Vision 1
Sex: Female MP: 320/320 (2.2/sec) DEX: 7 Cool-Headed 1
Race: Human Level: 1, 0% CON: 2 Sneak 1
Age: 21 years Title: None INT: 41 Mana Efficiency 1
Faction: N/A Class:Magician WIS: 63 Elemental Mastery 1
LUC: 6 Magic Pacifism N/A
My stats really had jumped. And hot damn, my mana pool had almost quadrupled since choosing the class. It seemed that I had also gained three new skills. Mana Efficiency decreased mana cost for spells by 10% per level, and Elemental Mastery made fire, water, air, and earth spells do 5% more damage and cost 5% less. I did find it curious that Magic Pacifism was a skill, which brought a question to my mind. Could skills be removed? Maybe ''un-learned'' would be a better word for it, I considered it and decided to bring the question to Jor at some point, For now, I was content to simply lay back and relax. The hay still itched and prickled like crazy, though, and it was a bit of a bumpy ride. In a car, I was sure this wouldn''t take more than a half hour to drive there. That thought made me even more homesick, so I tried not to think about it. I lay there like that for a long time, looking through my spells to see what each one did. Weak Fireball did exactly what you''d expect, shot a little ball of fire at a target that would spill flame all over whatever it came into contact with. Drizzle made it rain gently in a localized area, which could be increased at the cost of more mana. Sandstorm created a bunch of sand and sprayed it at the target. Gust sent a blast of wind forth to push the target backward. And Menace was an illusion spell that would scare away lower-level monsters. The higher an individual''s INT stat, the better chance they had of seeing through it. I also had Switch, which cost way more than the other spells I''d gained. I really wanted a chance to try out my spells. Maybe I could activate a low-cost one, like Gust, without Jor really noticing. It was only, what, ten mana? That was nothing. I decided to give it a go. I held my right hand up, my palm flat, and realized I actually had no clue how to cast it. I tried concentrating on it really hard, thinking ''I want to cast Gust'' with all of my brainpower, but nothing happened. I tried something else. "Gust," I said aloud, trying to focus on blasting wind from my hand. Still, nothing happened. What was the point of having spells if they didn''t work? I thought, frustrated. "Did you say something, miss Emma?" Jor asked, turning around to see me feebly trying to cast a Gust. He frowned. "Just what do you think you''re doing?" "I, um," I started, blushing. "I was trying to practice a spell, but I don''t know how to cast it..." I said, embarrassed. "A spell, huh? What spell are you trying to cast?" The elderly man asked. "Gust, sir." "That''s an easy one. To cast advanced spells, you usually need the Spellcasting skill." said Jor. "But if you don''t have it, you can learn it through casting basic spells. I''m a bit rusty, since I haven''t cast Gust since my adventuring days," "You were a spellcaster?" I asked, excitedly. "What class were you? And can you really teach me?" "Come now, not so many questions at once." He chuckled. "To answer them, yes. I am an Elementalist. I can help you learn the Spellcasting skill, but beyond that, there is much you need to learn on your own," said Jor in a sagely tone. "If you''re a magic user, how come you''re stuck driving hay from place to place? Don''t most old wizards get really powerful and slay dragons and stuff?" I asked. He frowned. "Hey, now. Who are you calling old?" said Jor in mock offense. "I quit the adventuring life... without my teammates, I have no more reason to continue. We''ve all gone our separate ways." He sounded genuinely regretful. "I''m... sorry," I said. I didn''t want another situation like earlier. He nodded, and it was quiet again. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat. "Well, anyway, in order to cast a basic spell like that-," He turned back towards the road. "-sorry, I should be watching the road. As I was saying, you first need to feel the flow of mana within you. Think of it as a bucket of water. When you cast a spell, you must spill some of the water, but it will start to slowly fill back up. In order to grasp how to move the water, you must first learn how to tip the bucket." he said. I didn''t understand. "Um, is there anything else I should know? I don''t feel any different than I normally do." He scratched his chin. "Well, when I cast my first spell, Tinder, for the first time, I had to focus on the word ''Tinder'' in my mind as hard as possible. I had to envision the mana moving through my body. It''s kind of like a heavy sled in snow; it''s tough to move at first, but once you push it down a hill, it really gets going," I closed my eyes and focused as hard as I could on ''Gust''. I was a bit distracted, though. Why the hell did the Magician class not start me with the Spellcasting skill? Do Swordsmen not start with a Sword-Swinging skill or something? I sighed and tried to empty my mind of all thought. Gust, Gust, GUST!! My eyes were closed shut, and I tried to picture the mana in my body as a very viscous liquid that wouldn''t move unless I gave it a very big push. My efforts did not bear fruit, though. Still, I sat like that for what had to be at least ten minutes. It was just as I was about to give up, that I felt something. As though something had given the mana inside me the tiniest nudge, it felt like something moved. I tried again, focusing even harder. Gust! Gust! Nothing seemed to be happening, until, suddenly, I felt something in my body undergo a major shift. My ears filled with the sound of whooshing wind. I opened my eyes to see the leaves and thinner branches on each of the nearby trees being pushed backward. Some were even ripped off. It was as if a powerful thunderstorm had just blown through, without all the rain.
Congratulations! You''ve gained a new skill: Spellcasting! Skill Gained: Mana Manipulation That wasn''t so hard, now was it? Here''s a little gift for all your hard work. (: +1 LUC Love, God~
"Only ten," I said, feeling pleased with myself. Jor turned around, surprised. "Incredible. You picked that up very quickly. How much mana did you use on that?" A quick look at my Status told me that Ihad put only ten into the spell. "Amazing. What class did you say you were, miss?" "Magician," I told him. He was turning back towards the road, but stopped when he heard my response. "You... you didn''t say... Magician, did you?" I nodded. "Yeah. My class is Magician." I repeated. He was silent for a few seconds, then began to laugh. It wasn''t just a tiny little chuckle, either. He was full-on guffawing, as if he''d just heard the funniest joke in the world. It took a few minutes before he was able to calm down. I didn''t get the joke, so I just sat back and awkwardly waited for him to finish. Once Jor had calmed down, he wiped tears from his eyes, and spoke. "You aren''t planning on becoming an adventurer, are you?" "I''m only level 1 now, but... if it''ll help me become stronger, then of course I''ll at least try my hand." I answered earnestly. He was silent for a few seconds, then spoke. "You do realize that Magician is, well..." He trailed off. "It''s a very rare class, and not many are offered the opportunity to choose it, but the general consensus is that as a class, it''s... as good as trash." He spoke with little restraint. It did hurt quite a bit to hear such scalding words from the man who''d been so kind to me thus far. I wasn''t used to taking criticism from people. "Why do they think that?" I asked, still kind of hurt. "As you know, your spells cannot hurt humanoids, and the majority of foes you will face as an adventurer tend to be humanoids. Therefore, it is useless as a damage-dealing class. It''s also incapable of using holy spells, since those technically are not a school of magic. It can''t be used as a support class, either. In short, most parties will not accept you as a member because of your class." He lowered his head. "What I said to you may have been harsh, but it is nothing compared to what you will likely hear in the city if you try to join an adventuring party. Your class will naturally advance at level 25, but until then, you may have trouble leveling up." So my class was viewed as useless. Maybe it wasn''t great for being an adventurer, but if I was going to defeat the Spider Queen, the firepower would more than make up for the fact that I couldn''t hit the arachna-whatsits. I''d find party members who would take care of those for mesince they were probably considered humanoid. Adventuring in the city was, I figured, probably going to be little more than a way to get stronger. Hell, if I leveled up a bit and learned more spells. I could probably easily take care of most quests by myself. I smiled at Jor. "People can say what they want. My goal isn''t to become the strongest adventurer or anything. If I can''t find party members, I''ll just take quests by myself," I told him. He gave me a wry smile. "Well, miss Emma, I wish you the best of luck. It will by no means be easy, so take this." He extended his hand to me. In his wrinkled palm was four silver coins. I had no idea of what they were worth, but he obviously didn''t make much. "I... I can''t take this. You''ve already done so much for me, I just..." He kept his hand where it was. "Nonsense. Who knows, maybe you''ll make something of yourself someday and remember old Jor. You can pay me back then." he said, smiling. "I''ll be honest, I really don''t think a Magician can do quite enough to make ripples in the world of adventuring. But you are a nice young lady, and I can tell you have not a single coin to your name." Jor made a gesture with the hand holding the coins. What a stubborn guy. I couldn''t help but return his smile. "Thank you so much," I told him. "I promise I''ll pay you back." --- We arrived at the gates of Redfall at night-time, just as predicted. Jor and I said our goodbyes, and he gave me the name of a good, cheap place to stay overnight, as well as the name of a mage guild where I could practice magic. According to him, if they recognized your talent, you could learn many spells and lessons alike from the old masters. He really was a wealth of knowledge when it came to the city. I was sad to see him go. We hadn''t spoken much, but he showed me kindness that I''d never forget. Just like the woman from this morning, who had hand-made the shoes I wore on my feet. Jor also gave me exact directions to the place he recommended on a little sheet of paper. Funny, I thought that paper was only for those with lots of money in Middle-Ages times. How did a wagon driver have such an expensive thing? He really was a wealth of knowledge when it came to the city. I was sad to see him go. We hadn''t spoken much, but he showed me kindness that nobody else had. Turns out that he was, in fact, telling the truth about a lot of things he said about the city. Starting with the beautiful waterfall that cascaded down the mouth of the giant cave. You could hear it from the other side of the city, and it served as a perfect background for the glistening spires of the palace. Canals ran through almost every street I walked down, bridges hopping over them at almost every big intersection. There was enough space under them for a small boat to pass under. It was actually kind of weird being in such a place. Enormous walls of dirt towered over even Redfalls'' tallest buildings. The city''s streets, though, seemed to be almost completely level- to the point that I could see for a very long distance just by looking down a single street. It was like a big crater that people decided "Hey, that''s a pretty massive crater. Let''s just level out the bottom, add a drainage system for the water, and make a big old city!" I walked down the dimly-lit street on autopilot as I searched for the place he recommended I stay- the Goat''s Tail Inn. I had to say, the inn really didn''t sound like much. Hopefully, I could stay at a nicer place when I made some money. I really did like what I saw of the city, and I wouldn''t mind staying here for a while. Even though it was night-time, it still seemed lively and I could hear cheers and music coming from the taverns I walked by. As I continued towards the inn, though, the city gradually got quieter until it was almost silent besides the sound of my footsteps. It didn''t take long for me to arrive there. When I took the last turn, I learned that not only did it not sound like much, it also didn''t look like much. I sighed. The place looked run-down, but I still saw lights inside. There was a little wooden sign that read ''Open- 3 coppers/nite'', too. Well, a bed was a bed, and until I actually made some money, I had to make do with what I had. I stepped towards the inn, preparing myself to deal with some of the people that were in there. I remembered how to use Gust, and hoped I could apply it to other spells as well. Seriously, thank God for Jor. I would have no clue how to cast spells if not for him. Maybe the extra five points of luck the class had given me really did have an effect. To meet such a nice man was such a blessing. I walked into the inn in a good mood, but I was still wary of the type of crowd that might be in a place like this. I pushed the door open and entered into a very quiet but well-lit room. There were empty stools that had been pulled up to empty tables all over the central room. At the opposite side of the room from the door through which I entered, there was a large counter that seemed to also function as a bar. There were stools pulled up to the left and right of where a woman sat, reading some sort of book. When I entered, she looked up and adjusted her glasses. I made my way across the room and to where she sat. I got a better look at her once I got there. She was an attractive, slim blonde woman, dressed in a rather nice green dress that matched her eyes and clung to her ample curves like white on rice. She must have noticed me staring, because she cleared her throat, making me blush with embarrassment. "Can I help you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Um, yes, sorry. I''d like a room, please." She nodded and seemed to check some sort of chart behind the counter. "How many nights will you be staying?" "At least ten," I said. "If I need more, I''ll just pay you again then." "Alright," she said. "That''ll be fifty coppers," I didn''t know much about the currency in this city, but from that, I figured I could assume that a hundred coppers were worth a silver. Jor had given me five silvers, and if three coppers were enough to afford a night in an inn, just how rich was he? Speaking of three coppers per night, though, that fifty coppers did not add up with the sign outside. "The sign outside said..." I started. She stuck her nose in the air. "An extra fee for staring at my chest." My face must have turned beet red. "I-I''m sorry! I didn''t mean... er..." She held her hand out. "Fifty coppers." I fumbled with the coins in my pocket for a brief moment before placing one silver coin in her small hand. "You can. um, make change, right?" I asked. She nodded, handing me a handful of coins back. She only gave me five, so I assumed they were each worth ten. "Room thirteen," she told me, handing me a shiny silver key on a shiny silver ring. "Breakfast starts at five o''clock and ends at eight. It''s the only meal that comes with your payment, so don''t miss it." "Thank you," I said, feeling less embarrassed now. She nodded, still not making eye contact. I took that as an ''Oh, it''s no problem! Happy to be of service!'' and went up the stairs to the right. Each step creaked as I climbed. I found room thirteen and practically dove onto the bed. It had been a very long day, and I felt exhausted. It didn''t take long for me to drift off to sleep, even without any sort of blankets. Tomorrow, I thought to myself before sleep took me, I''ll go to the adventuring guild and make some money. So ended my first full day on the planet of Vis. Chapter 3: I Kinda Wanna Be... I think it was the shivering that woke me up. My room didn''t have a window, so I couldn''t tell if it was morning. I couldn''t fall back asleep though, it was way too cold in there. I decided that the first thing I was going to do this morning was to buy some decent clothes. My feet felt like ice, and my teeth were chattering. It wasn''t this cold yesterday when I woke up in the dwarf woman''s house, so why now? I supposed that I should get up, go brush my teeth, shower... the whole deal. Especially since I hadn''t yesterday. I felt really gross, and probably still smelled like hay. A shower would really hit the spot, I thought. Wait a moment. I had no toothbrush or toothpaste, and I had no clue where to go to shower. I had no comb or brush for my hair, and I didn''t have any makeup. I had nothing to help with hygiene or appearances whatsoever. If sighing mentally was possible, I definitely just had. Do showers even exist in a time period like this? Is it just baths? I didn''t think I was mentally prepared for a public bath. I hoped with all my heart if they were public, they had separate rooms for men and women. Still shivering, I dangled my legs over the side of the bed then slid down a bit to put my shoes on. The dwarven woman I''d met yesterday had put some sort of animal fur on the inside, and putting my feet back into its silky goodness felt like heaven. They were still cold, but I could feel them warming. I got to my feet and nervously checked my pocket. Whew. I still had all of my... one, two, three, four silver coins and five ten-copper coins. I was ready to go downstairs and greet the day. Hopefully not too many people, though. A few minutes later, I was in the lobby of the Goat''s Tail Inn, sitting at a table and waiting for my food. I''d taken the liberty of asking the blonde lady I''d spoken to last night where to go to bathe. She told me there was a cheap place a few blocks down in the Gren section of the city. I had no idea where that was, and I think she could tell, but she said nothing. I did learn, though, that her name was May. Maybe it was spelled Mei, I didn''t know, okay? I had overheard one of the kitchenboys calling for her. My stomach growled. Some nice, hot food sounded really good right about now. I usually didn''t go out for breakfast at home, I''d just eat a cheese sandwich or something easy like that. I wasn''t very picky when it came to my food, though, and I never had much of a problem with it. I patiently waited, fidgeting with a ten-copper coin in the hand I wasn''t resting my head on. It was then, as I was about to start what should have been a fairly typical day in the world of Vis, that the first of many unfortunate occurrences during my time in Vis took place. Someone walked up to my table, and I got excited for a moment, expecting it to be one of the kitchen boys coming out with my food. I turned my head just in time to watch three very muscular men pull out the other three stools from under the table I was sitting at and just sit there, practically cornering me. My seat was up against a wall, so when these three bald muscleheads sat down next to me, I really did get scared. They were all smiling, which creeped me out and made me shrink back in my seat. The first one, the one who had sat right next to me, spoke after a few seconds of the three of them just staring at me. "Hey, you," he said. "what are you doing sitting at our table?" He grinned. This was the type of situation I was least prepared for. I was terrified, but I didn''t want to just give in to them/ "I-It''s my table." I said, trying to sound confident. "You three can go sit somewhere else." I narrowed my eyes at them, still shaking slightly, this time not from the cold. The second one, whose only distinguishing feature from the other two was his barely-grown mustache, didn''t seem to like my answer. "Huh?" He asked, his face scrunching up in distaste. "Where the fuck does a poor little bitch like you get off speaking to the famous Altori Brothers like that?" I was still not used to people being outright hostile to me, and I felt a knot grow in my throat. I tried to keep it up, hoping that the inn owners would do something about it. Nobody in the room did anything, though, most who had noticed just watched with mild interest. I didn''t blame them for not confronting these three buff dudes, but I could really use some damned help. I fired back. "Where d-do you three chrome-dome b-bastards get off sitting at my table and calling it yours?" I gave my fiercest glare. The first one laughed. Let''s call him Altori #1. "Look at her! She dares to call us bastards, but she''s shaking like a wet dwarf in winter." The other two laughed with him. I clenched my fists. Should I use magic? No, that would give them an excuse to hit me. What do I do? I looked around for help, but none came. Something else did come, though. One of the kitchen boys came to stand beside our table. "Your food." I looked up at him with pleading eyes, but he just smiled like I had made a stupid joke. He handed out four bowls of what seemed to be a type of grits, or hot cereal, and a mug of some type of liquid to each of us. The three men all thanked him and he left. I was about to ignore them and start wolfing down the hot, aromatic food in front of me, when Altori #3 grabbed my bowl, tipped his head back, and downed all of the contents. I watched in shock as all of my long-awaited food disappeared down the throat of the huge man. I felt tears start to well up in my eyes, making me even angrier. Why was I so weak?"Y-you..." I started to say, my teeth clenched. Rage flared inside of me like a campfire that had been doused in gasoline. "Ohoho! She''s mad now!" Altori #2 exclaimed, almost gleefully. "You fucking bastards." I said, making a fist so tight I could barely feel it. I tried to swallow my anger as much as possible, and stood up to leave, barely supressing the urge to punch one of them. I was an adult, not a kid. I wouldn''t be goaded into physical violence. When I tried to pass Altori #1, though, one thick arm blocked my way like a fallen tree on a road. "Come on now, it was all in good fun!" the man said, still smiling like he didn''t understand what could possibly be the problem. "Take a seat! Let''s have a little talk." He leaned closer, whispering. "Sit back down, right fucking now, or we can''t guarantee your safety when you leave the inn." Terror and anger clashed in my heart. How did I get out of this? I had two non-combat spells that I could use on these guys without causing damage to the inn. Menace and Switch. Maybe Drizzle, but a rain cloud wouldn''t do me much good here. I could easily get out of this with a Switch aimed at someone else in the room. But I didn''t want to put someone else in the same situation. A Menace might not work because theirintelligence might be too high, though, looking at them, it was doubtful. What could I do? Something whispered in my ear. A male voice, deep and disgusted, in a whisper. "Just slap the fucker." The sudden noise so close to my ear made me jump, but without a single thought further, smacking him was exactly what I did. My hand stung from the impact against his tough head, but the satisfying crack! was worth the temporary pain. So was the look on his face as I hit it, and those of his brothers when they realized what I''d just done. I think I saw May cringe out of the corner of my eye. I quickly learned why, because the massive man I''d just slapped let out a bellow of rage, his face bright red with anger. His huge hands shot towards me and had picked me clean off the ground before I could even flinch. My stomach lurched as he used all of his might to throw me across the room. If you''ve ever been thrown nearly ten feet by another human being, you''ll know what I''m talking about when I say time slows down. All of a sudden, my mind just seemed to work faster. I could see all of the surprised faces of the people in the inn, as they watched this poor woman sail through the air. Meanwhile, my thought process was something like the word ''shit'' over and over. I was almost halfway through my trip through the air when I realized something. A smile crept onto my face in that split second, as I made a decision that would drastically affect not only my life, but his too. My mind went into overdrive, focusing on only one thought. Switch! I''d turned to look at the one who''d thrown me, and cast the Spatial spell, using one hundred and ninety mana in the process. I''d felt the shifting of mana within me before, but such a large amount was foreign to me. It felt as if my guts had just been sharply jolted to the right. Despite that, though, it didn''t really hurt. The Switch activated, and all of a sudden, I was standing back by the table I was supposed to eat breakfast at, beside the two Altori brothers. Just in time to see Altori #1 land head first on the hard wooden floor, his massive body shoving his skull even harder into the floor. I felt a sense of joy, of "That''s what you get!" for a moment. That was until I heard an absolutely sickening crunch come from his body, which fell limp onto the floor. I watched in horror as his falling form revealed that his neck was twisted, his head sharply tilted at an unnatural angle. I''d broken his neck.
Your target''s neck has been broken.HP -467 Congratulations! You have defeated Level 20 Human Berserker. Level up! Level increased to 2. +5 INT, +5 WIS Level up! Level increased to 3.+5 INT, +5 WIS Level up! Level increased to 4.+5 INT, +5 WIS You did not directly kill this individual, so experience is reduced by 20%. Because of the considerable gap in levels between you and your target, experience has been increased by 10%. Illusion Spell Gained: Basic Object Conjuration Spell Gained: Rope Bind Nature Spell Gained: Call Treefolk Beware! You have killed a citizen of Redfalls in a public place. The guards will be after you!
I''d just killed a man. Barely sparing a single thought about it, I''d made him fall and break his neck. He was dead because of me. No matter how many times I rephrased it in my head, I still couldn''t get it to sink in. The overwhelming fear and guilt, though, were deep-rooted by now. Multiple screams came from the inn''s guests. The two Altoris rushed to their dead brother''s side. Someone rushed out the door, presumably to call the guards. The kitchen boys poked their heads out of the doors to see what was going on. May was trying to calm everyone down. Through it all, I just stood there in a daze. I watched the two brothers, their tearful faces stricken by grief, pleading their fallen brother to wake up. The reality of the situation didn''t hit me until a few minutes later, when both of my arms were roughly grabbed by armored city guards, and I was dragged out of the Inn. Even then, though, I barely noticed until later on. My arrest was met with zero resistance. --- I''m a monster, I told myself. Was what he did to me really so bad that I had to kill him?This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. No, I retorted inside of my head.You had no idea that would happen. If you hadn''t you may have been the one with a broken neck. Did you see his brother''s faces? The way they cried? How can I justify that? I should have just sat back down and listened to what he wanted. If it was going to be that bad, I could have gone to the guards. What was I thinking? It''s only my third day here and already, I''ve...I stopped myself there. I''d been having mental debates inside my head for a while now, still trying to justify my own actions. What had I done? I buried my face in my hands. This wasn''t supposed to happen. I wasn''t supposed to go to jail for murder. They weren''t supposed to take all of my money away. I wasn''t supposed to be put on trial tomorrow, determining whether or not I''d be executed. It wasn''t supposed to be this way. Yet here I was, pitying myself all alone in a prison cell. The hunger gnawed at my stomach no longer mattered to me. I just wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere else. Even that cave with the damned goblins would be better, as long as I didn''t have to sit here and think about what I''d done. That''s right, I could just forget about what happened. Maybe I could learn a spell that would wipe it from my memory. That way, I wouldn''t have to deal with this guilt. I buried my face further into my hands. "Hey, you!" came a voice from my right. I turned to see an eye looking through a hole in the dirty, mossy prison wall. "What''s got ya so down? Someone take your birthday away?" Cackling rang out through my little cell, making my head start to ache. "Fuck off," I muttered to the person, who I assumed to be a woman. I''d really had quite the potty mouth lately, now that I thought about it. That made her cackle even louder. "I heard about what ya did. Killed big ol'' Andre Altori. But you an'' me, kid, we might get let off easy." I could practically hear the grin on her face growing. "How so?" I asked, sniffling. "Well, kid, y''see, the judge at our trials tomorrow is a bit of an oddball," she said. "I hear he''s got a soft spot for damsels in distress, like you an'' me. Especially the ones who can use magic." She cackled once again, making my head throb with pain. "How did you know I can use magic?" I asked, defensive. "What did you even do, anyway?" "Ya''re the talk of the town, sweetheart! Ya even got a bounty on your head just in case you make it out of here." She paused. "And as for what I did, well..." She snickered a little. "I used my magic to kill a buncha dwarves," she said, laughing louder. "Always hated the little buggers. One Rage spell on the one with the biggest hammer, and he kills more than twelve other ones before the rest even notice!" She was really cracking up. I was, to say the least, disgusted. This woman made my crime seem like child''s play. She was certainly no damsel in distress. She''d purposely made someone kill many of their kinsmen, just on the basis of their race. It did make me feel a little bit better, but I made a mental note to steer clear of this chick. Soon, she had finished her laughing fit. She got all quiet. "So," she whispered. "Why''d ya kill Andre? Did he do what he does with all the girls?" I felt a spike of anger rise inside of me. "What do you mean?" She snickered. "Ya don''t know? Well, I''ll let you in on a little secret." I shifted uncomfortably. I had a bad feeling about this. The woman was almost whispering. "He and his brothers find a girl they like, threaten her, then force her to come with them on an ''adventure''," she began. "They take her to some dungeon, clear out the monsters using her as bait. When it''s all clear, I hear they take turns with her while the other two keep watch, then kill her and report to the authorities that she died to monsters or some lame excuse like that." She laughed harder. "I bet I could come up with way better ones than that." I felt like throwing up. How incredibly close was that? If I had chosen to listen to him, I may have had to listen to his demands, and eventually... The iron gate to my cell slammed open. A guard stood in the doorway, spear in hand. "Your trial has been moved up, prisoner," he said gruffly. "You can go the easy way, or the hard way." I looked up at him, and for a moment thought about using Switch to trap him in the cell and try to escape. I didn''t think I could use it without feeling the guilt from last time, even if the glowing metal band around my neck didn''t prevent me from casting spells. I decided to go the easy way. I stood up and let him lead me out of the prison. As I went, I heard the woman''s voice call after me. "Good luck, kid! Tell mylate Aunt Mildred I said hey for me when you get that cute little noggin chopped off!" Her cackling followed me all the way out of the dungeon. When I arrived at the courtroom, I was surprised at how much it took after courtrooms from Earth. This one was all shiny and fancy, with pillars of marble and decorations made of gold. Besides that, though, there were stands for the jury, the witnesses, and for the plaintiff and defendant. Most importantly, there were three elevated marble desks, with the middle one holding the judge. All three seat-holders there were very old and looked at me with piercing eyes. In fact, when I was marched to the stand, everyone''s eyes were on me. I could feel my knees start to shake underneath the stand. In this case, I was the defendant, and the brothers Altori were the plaintiff. They had a good-looking, well-dressed man standing next to them at the stand beside mine, quietly explaining things to them. Did I get someone to defend me? Or... or would I have to do it myself? I shuddered at the thought. I could barely think right. I''d just been crying for the last couple of hours, and now that i''d thought about it, everyone could probably see that. Talk about embarrassing, The courtroom was filled with the general hubbub of people speaking, many of them occasionally throwing a glance my way. It was soon silenced by a mighty banging of the judge''s gavel. "Order!" he cried. "Order in the court!" Everyone quieted down, and prepared to begin the trial. The judge cleared his throat. "I am Judge Plainstein, the one in charge of this hearing, None will speak unless asked to. Understood?" He looked back and forth to see no complaints. "Excellent. Now, let us begin. The plaintiff claims Miss Green here should be executed for murder. The defendant claims...?" He looked towards me. Maybe he had nothing written down for me? "S-self defense, sir." I said, very shakily. The judge nodded. "I see. Now, I''d like to hear each f your recollections of what happened that day, starting with you, Mrs. Green." I told Judge Plainstein that I had just stayed my first night at the Goat''s Tail Inn, and explained what happened. I told him that using Switch was a measure of self defense, and that if I hadn''t, I may have been the one who died to his throw. The judge adjusted his glasses. "What you''re telling me is that you cast a Spatial spell in mid-air to switch places with your attacker." I nodded nervously. It was the truth. "Yes, sir." He gave a big, toothy smile. "Incredible! Spatial Magic is one of the hardest magic types to cast, especially if you can''t focus. You did it in mid-air and saved your own life. If you''re telling the truth, you''re a talented young lady, Miss Green." I blushed and scratched the back of my neck, looking away. "T-thank you, Your Honor," I said, almost forgetting to add the title on the end again. He nodded approvingly and turned towards the two brothers and their attorney. The latter stepped up to the stand in front of them and began to speak. He cleared his throat. "It is my belief," he began, "that what happened to Mr. Altori was no accident." The attorney pointed a finger at me. "I believe, and I have evidence to support this, that Miss Green not only used Switch, but also some form of spatial magic to snap Andre''s neck." The crowd gasped. My heartbeat accelerated. Was this guy actually making stuff up to defend a scumbag like the one I''d accidentally killed? "I have proof of this. First," he said. "I''d like to call up a witness, Mister Kor, to display a mem-view for all of us here today." A short, dark-skinned man with curly black hair walked up to the stage, and placed his hand on a large purple crystal that was attached to the judge''s stand. What the hell was a mem-view? Well, I suppose it was kind of obvious. Mr. Kor''s mouth opened wide and his head leaned back as a large puff of purple smoke came out from his mouth. It formed a big circle in the center of the room, and a first-person view of the incident came into view. Mr.Kor had been sitting near the back, enjoying his meal when all of a sudden he hears something out of the ordinary. His head turns just in time to see me slap Andre, and it pauses there. The attorney spoke again. "I have reason to believe that a delay-type spatial magic spell was applied to Andre''s neck at this time. Please continue watching." It skipped over the part where he threw me, annoyingly, and cut to where I suddenly disappeared and was replaced with Andre''s massive form. It showed what happened in slow motion. As Andre careened towards the floor, his face filled with utter shock, his head began to twist back towards the direction he''d threw me from. Back towards I was. When he landed head-first, it was this action that caused his neck to be snapped. Was this guy trying to say I forcibly snapped his neck with magic? The judge nodded. "I see. That is a reasonable accusation, considering Miss Green is a spatial magic user." He turned to me. "Can you disprove this, Emma Green?" His eyes almost seemed hopeful. I nodded. "Yes, Your Honor, I believe I can." I was feeling more confident now. I could do this. "I believe that him turning his head back towards that direction was p-probably pretty natural," I said, "considering he had j-just been teleported from there." I managed to stammer out. The attorney tried to interrupt but was quickly waved off by the judge. I continued. "And, er, this is a bit embarrassing to admit as a combat-type class, but my class is Magician. Not only do I not have any such spell, my class obtains a skill that does not allow its user to directly deal damage to humanoid creatures with magical attacks." I said, feeling proud of myself. Judge Plainstein opened his eyes wide. "A Magician, hmm? I haven''t heard of one in decades." He seemed to let it sink in for a few seconds. "If that''s true, and you really have no such spell, perhaps you would allow us to run an Analyze on you for proof?" he asked. "An Analyze?" I asked, confused. He nodded. "It allows us to see your Status, Skill List, and Spellbook. If what you say is true, and you have no other Spatial spells that would allow you to snap Mr. Aldori''s neck, the plaintiff''s claim will be disproved and all charges against you will be cleared. But if you do, or you lied about your class, there is not much I can do." He seemed apologetic. I nodded. "I guess so... You can do an Analyze on me." I knew that Switch was my only spatial spell, and I was starting to feel so much better. At this rate, I really would get cleared of all my charges! The judge nodded once more. "Scribes!" he called. "Analyze Miss Green and report to me her Class and Spellbook." A pair of white-hooded figures filed into the room, holding a large scroll. The two came up to me, one on either side, and each placed their hand on the shoulder nearest to it. They then placed their other hands on the scroll and chanted a single word. "Analyze!" they said in unison. All of a sudden, ink began to appear on the paper, drawing two boxes. One was my Status, which contained the information for my class, stats, and skills. The other was my Spellbook, which showed a complete list of my spells. I never got to see the finished scroll because it was brought up to the judge the second it was done. He scratched his chin, and said "Hmm..." then grinned very widely. "I have determined that Miss Emma Green is innocent." he said, drawing many cheers and boos alike from the crowd. I felt tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. I was saved. I wasn''t going to die today. "However," he continued, silencing the crowd. "I understand many criminal groups will now wish her harm, and at her current level, she cannot defend herself. For her own safety, and taking into account her killing of a man in self-defense, Miss Green will be confined to the city for the duration of five years." Judge Plainstein decreed. "But she will not be on the streets. As an alumnus of and a part-time professor at our city''s Arcane University, I reserve the right to send one young student of my choice to the school for five years on a full scholarship. I have seen Miss Emma''s status, and she is beyond prodigal for her level in terms of stats and ability. Therefore, once again, I call the defendant, Miss Emma Green, innocent," He slammed the gavel down, and the trial was over. My mouth dropped open. I couldn''t tell if I was happy or sad. Happy that the judge was so generous, and that I wasn''t getting executed, but sad that I had to go through five more years of school in this fantasy world, I bowed my head. "Thank you, Your Honor..." I said, impossibly grateful. He smiled at me. It seemed like everyone in this world was either very benevolent or downright evil. I looked over at the Altoris, who were glaring at me. I felt a surge of guilt rush through me and quickly looked away, back up towards the judge who had shown me such benevolence. It was right then that got me thinking. I was a magician, a class almost perfectly set up to become a powerful user of spells, and now I''d been given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend a magic university on a full scholarship. I''d decided. I would do my best this time around, and not mess around in school. I would learn magic to the best of my ability and make full use of the judge''s generosity. It was time to stop acting like a child and to get serious about completing my goal here on Vis. It was time to go to school.
I''m going to start showing Emma''s status screen at the end of a chapter. I''m going to redo the status screen so that skills show up in a different window (using a different table). Anyone else glad she finally gained some levels?
General Information: Present Info: Stats: (12)
Name: Emma Green HP: 40/40 (1.1/min) STR: 5
Sex: Female MP: 470/470 (4.1/sec) DEX: 7
Race: Human Level: 4, 23% CON: 2
Age: 21 years Title: None INT: 57
Faction: N/A Class:Magician WIS: 78
LUC: 6
Passive Skills: Skill Level: Active Skills: Skill Level:
Night Vision 1 Mana Manipulation 1
Cool-Headed 1
Sneak 1
Mana Efficiency 1
Elemental Mastery 1
Magic Pacifism N/A
Spellbook:
Spell Name: Description:
Weak Fireball (30 MP) Launches a small ball of flame, igniting the target.
Sandstorm (20 MP) Summons a large amount of sand to spray at a target.
Gust (10 MP) Summons a rather strong gust of wind.
Drizzle (30 MP) Summons a rain cloud that drops a considerable amount of water over time. Area can be increased or decreased.
Menace (40 MP) Causes you to appear as a powerful monster that would scare low-level monsters away. Does not work on those with INT at least half your own.
Switch (100+ MP) When used, this spell instantaneously switches your location with a target''s and vice versa. Mana cost increases with the weight of the target.
Rope Bind (40 MP) Conjure tough ropes that wrap tightly around your target.
Call Treefolk (90 MP) Transforms nearby trees into mighty but slow creatures that will fight to protect you.
Illusion: Basic Object (2 MP/sec) Makes it appear as though you are holding a small object. Can be applied to areas other than your hand, at an increased mana cost.