《Riftworlds》 Chapter one - birthday Cheaper 1 - birthday In a small corner of the world you will find the human kingdom of Promena. In Promena humans live happily, but for one man it''s a special day. ¡°Happy birthday!¡± David is groggily waking up by his family shouting. He hasn''t had much sleep since the anticipation kept him up all night. It''s his 20th birthday and it marks the start of a new chapter in his life. Today he will get his first level and unlock the classes he has worked on for the last eight years. ¡°Did you level up while you were asleep?¡± Asked Sara, his little sister. ¡°Nope not yet, but I guess you would''ve noticed if I had¡± answered David yawning ¡°it''s not a subtle thing to level up, I mean, there''s a loud Ding and you''re enveloped by a pillar of golden light¡± ¡°Ooh I''m so looking forward to seeing it! None of my friends has seen it yet, so I''m going to be very popular when I can tell them about it!¡± ¡°Sure you can, but first your big brother needs to get dressed so we can eat breakfast. We¡¯ve got a lot to do today so we better get started¡± their mother broke into the conversation. Few minutes later David sat down at the table ready to eat. For breakfast they had oatmeal mixed with nuts and fresh fruits. It was a kinda normal, but today they got orange juice mixed with sparkling wine. David had tasted the mix once before when his friend Emilian had his 20 year birthday a few weeks ago. A loud Ding resounded and a pillar of light shot down from the sky and hit David, bathing him and his family in a golden light which gave an invigorating feeling to all of them. ¡°Congratulations¡± his father said, ¡°you''re now an adult, and can now choose for yourself which way you wish to progress. Lets see what the world has awarded you for your work so far first though. Honey, do you mind bringing the Mirror of the Mind?¡± He turned to his wife and asked A Mirror of the Mind is a magic tool that allows humans to view their status, and all families in Promena owned at least one each. Mirrors like that is mostly used for people who has just had their first level, as learning the spell to watch your own status is considered quite basic. David was shaking with nervous anticipation. He knew he had worked hard, but it was not always people got the classes and skills they hoped for at the first level. For the past eight years David had worked hard maintaining a strict schedule of studying and doing exercises enhancing his connection with the primal plane of magic. He had opted out of weapons training since he couldn''t find any weapons he were comfortable with. Now at the age of twenty, he would receive a number of classes and skills based on the knowledge and experience he had accumulated, but sometimes a random skill would show up. David really hoped he wouldn''t get any random skills since they rarely worked well together with what the owner had worked for. ¡°Here you are, David, let''s see what you got¡± his mother handed the Mirror to David and looked with anticipation at her son. David placed the Mirror in front of him at a slight angle so that he could see the top of his head. Slowly the Mirror clouded over as if it was hit with steam. When it was no longer discernible what the Mirror was showing words started to appear. >> Level 1, Human << >> Classes << > Mage > Scholar > Riftwalker strength 12 Dexterity 15 Vertality 13 Willpower 21 Intelligence 19 Affinity 22 >> skills << > basic elemental magic < > speed reading < > basic cleaning < > basic pattern recognition < The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.David was ecstatic, not only did he get the mage class he had hoped for, he also got the Riftwalker class which increased affinity for energies from other planes, one of which is mana, the energy from the plane of magic. Deep down David had hoped he would get an advanced version of the Mage class, like Flame Magistrate or another of the elemental improvements. He knew it had been unlikely but he was still a little disappointed that he only got one caster class and that it was the basic one too. ¡°Congratulations son, you''ve worked hard and it seems the Paragons have chosen to award you with the class you''ve hoped for, and even give you the Riftwalker too.¡± His father smiled at him ¡°let''s all go down to Charles¡¯ and get you your first staff¡± David''s eyes lit up ¡°sure, I really hope he has one that fits me¡± Of cause David had been to Charles¡¯ place lot the last few months looking and trying out different staffs in case he got the classes he hoped for. ¡°Before we go, I would like you to open a gift we¡¯ve got you.¡± His mother said ¡°it''s something which will make us less anxious when you leave home¡± His mother went into storeroom and came back with a large rectangular gift wrapped in white linen. David wondered what it could be while he unwrapped the gift. He knew it couldn''t be a leather armor since it was customary for young people to earn their first armor themselves. He was quite surprised when he opened the gift and found a large kite shield made of wood with metal reinforcements near the edges. ¡°Thanks mom, dad, I don''t know what to say¡± he had mixed feelings ¡°I really don''t know how to use a shield..¡± he smiled awkwardly ¡°but I''m sure I''ll learn to wield both shield and magic!¡± He hastily said when he saw his mother''s face drop at his comment. ¡°Really, thanks a lot¡± ¡°You know your mother and I only wish the best for you¡± his father said ¡°it makes us a lot more comfortable knowing you at least has something to protect your life until you earn you first armor. And don''t think I don''t know how Mages tend to not use real armor! You better not join that trend just because it seems cool!¡± His father said sternly. David mumbled some confirmation, it was not the first time his dad had lectured him on the importance of good armor. ¡°Let''s get to Charles¡¯, I can hardly wait to find a staff¡± David changed the subject back ¡°we also got to go to the Fountain of Sealing so I can pick up my starter quest¡± Charles¡¯ was the go to shop for low price equipment, which meant that most low level people went there, both to buy and sell. The available arms and armor changed often so Davi really hoped the Staff of minor Alacrity was still there. He had found it in the shop last week but couldn''t buy it since he hadn''t had his birthday at that point and no one would sell real equipment for youngsters under twenty - after all, you newer knew which shills they would get. Kim hailed David and his family when they entered the shop. She was the current owner of the shop and a friend of David, in fact she was a friend of almost all youngs and low leveled. She had a certain charm which made people instantly like her. That and her friendly prices were the main reasons her reputation was so good. Rumors said she used to be an adventurer when she was younger. Everyone used to be adventurers so it was highly likely she also had had that occupation at some point. David smiled at Kim ¡°I got the Mage class, and guess what?¡± He called triumphantly ¡°What? Did you get an upgraded or specialized class too?¡± ¡°I got the Riftwalker class¡± he answered proudly ¡°Congrats, that''s a strong class to earn as a starter¡± she smiled back st him and reached under the counter ¡°I guess you''re still interested in the Staff of minor Alacrity?¡± She pulled up a brown, plain looking staff about one and a half meters long. ¡°Yeah that''s the one I hoped I could get¡± he looked at his dad ¡°Can I inspect it?¡± Is mom asked ¡°Sure¡± ¡°Looks like an okay beginner staff, not too unwieldy and no unnecessary enchantments or ornaments. Have a good balance too if you have to use it as a weapon¡± she mumbled, loud enough for the rest to hear. ¡°Please don''t use it as a club¡± Kim said ¡°it might break, and the enchantments might explode destroying your hand if you do¡± ¡°Oh it should be plenty strong for a beginner to use as a makeshift club, it''s not like he''ll do that regularly anyway, right?¡± His mom asked ¡°No I would most definitely not go melee if I can avoid it¡± David answered ¡°Pass it over here please, I want to have a look too¡± his dad stretched his arm towards the staff. After a brief inspection he nodded in agreement ¡°yeah it does seem like a weapon that will fit the way you''ve trained, David. Increasing your casting speed can save your life if you''re in a bad situation¡± ¡°Thanks mom and dad¡± David said with a smile ¡°we''ll take it¡± he said to Kim ¡°how much is it?¡± ¡°It''ll be 285, 250 since it''s your first¡± David handed her the money ¡°thanks, hope I''ll soon be back for a nice set of armor, we''re off to the Fountain, see you around¡± Leaving the shop David felt like he could take on the world. New shield and new staff, what more could wish for? There were a lot of young people near the Fountain of Sealing, all people who were there to either pick up or turn in the mandatory quest of Powering the Plane. The quest was quite simple, get to level five and come back to deliver the accumulated power. It would cost you your hard earned levels, but you would be awarded with some attribute points across the board which was nice. It was also this quest that powered the demiplane humanity lived on, so it was quite important to do it. It was customary to do the quest once per class you had, which meant whenever someone got a new class they would come back and do the quest once more. David approached the Fountain and placed his hand on the side >>quest<< Powering the Plane Reach level five and turn in the accumulated power. Do you wish to accept? David selected yes. Chapter two - on the run Chapter two - on the run Khalifia ran. Her lungs hurt but she kept going. Thorns grappled the last remaining scraps she could''ve called leggings. She plowed through ripping her silken pants even further, if she had the time to think about it, she would''ve been amazed at the absurdity of how the thorns could manage to hit the scraps and not her legs. It was probably some enchantment that kept her from being scratched, but it would not last for much longer. Khalifia had been on the run for three weeks now. Ever since the fateful day when her younger brother murdered their older brother, the crown prince, she had been running and hiding. She had been away from the capital when suddenly her company of ¡®loyal¡¯ guards had attacked her. If not for one truly loyal maid she would''ve died to their assassination attempt. Her maid had gotten word from the palace and had warned Khalifia that her life was in danger moments before her guard attacked her. Their attempt would most certainly have been successful if their surprise attack had hit the princess, but with the failure to do so, the fight was much more even. She managed to kill most of the attackers, but a few managed to escape. At that point she had been exhausted but still, she fled. Three weeks later, she was both mentally and physically exhausted. Her pursuers found her two weeks ago, and since then she haven''t had much time to either sleep, eat or simply rest for a minute. The last two days she had been attacked four times, and she suspected the mercenaries her brother had hired would continue to poke at her whenever she tried to rest, until she at some point collapsed and they could collect her head with less risk of their lives. At least she killed a few every time they ¡¯poked¡¯ her. She smiled despite her exhaustion. Next time they would attack, she would try to cut off the legs of one of them, hopefully it would slow them down more if they had to take care of an injured comrade. They would attack soon, she was sure of it. They always attacked whenever she got close to a stream where she could get water, never allowing her the luxury of drinking. She usually managed to siphon a bit when she passed other streams and rivers, but never enough to satiate her thirst. Her thirst was still only a minor problem, more pressing was the matter of food. She hadn''t eaten anything since her escape began. Elves had a strong constitution, and especially so of those with royal blood. They had to, otherwise they would die at a very young age. Khalifia readied an Ethereal Lance, she wagered her last bits of power against the mercenaries methodical work patterns. She was right, when she came within five meters of the stream, four elves appeared. They all had their trademark grey clothes with the white mark on the chest, signifying their neutrality and position as mercenaries. Three of them were armed with scimitars, and the last had an intricate looking staff with a carved wolf''s head. She fired her Ethereal Lance at the caster in an attempt to take out their magical support, but the Mage had readied some kind of barrier which took the brunt of the damage. The lance only managed to knock the caster a few meters back. The three swordsmen attacked right away, not giving her the time to prepare another Ethereal Lance. Khalifia quickly drew her sword, a Mithril long sword gifted to her when she had been promoted to captain a few years ago. Back when both her older brothers had been alive, back when their family at least had pretended to like each other, back when life had been good. With a quick slash, much faster than you would expect she cut at the closest mercenary. The sound of Mithril hitting steel could be heard, then a scream of pain followed. The mercenary fell to the ground, body twitching from the electrical shock Khalifia had channeled through her sword, toasting her opponent.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Her gaze locked onto the next mercenary. With a quick step to the side, she evaded a thrust. With a quick pirouette she delivered a left hook, breaking the jaw and knocked her enemy down. Before she could do more she had to retreat as a pillar of fire erupted from where she was moments earlier. ¡°How can this be worth it for you? How many lives will you throw at me before you give up¡± she yelled, hoping they would give up for once ¡°you won''t kill me now, and you won''t kill me the next time either, nor after that¡± she yelled angrily. ¡°Oh but we will kill you now, and even if we fail, our glorious Familia will kill you! We will collect the reward and cast away the shame tied to our name!¡± The caster yelled back ¡°ALL GLORY TO THE VAPING FAMILIA!¡± he yelled before breaking into a manic laughter. A quick Firebolt shot up his laughter, his defenses were down, so Khalifia exploited the weakness he had shown, there''s no honor in a deathmatch, anything goes if you get out alive! With only one swordsman left she made a feint, showing an opportunity before sweeping low cutting off the legs of the unfortunate mercenary. Just before she left she remembered the knocked out swordsman. Two quick cuts left the man with two feet and a hand fewer. The screams of pain could be heard as she continued her run north west. When she jumped over the stream, she used a spell that siphoned a bit of water from the stream, effectively letting her drink a bit without slowing down. Her stomach growled, she could feel her power failing her. The accumulated fatigue from the fights showed its ugly face when she tripped over a root, something she never did. She caught herself but swore as thorns pierced her hands, it had been a bramble she instinctively had grappled to stop her fall. She looked up, ahead of her the forest cleared up, she hoped it was the edge of the forest, not just another clearing as it always had been. She was headed to the northern mountains where there supposedly were a Riftgate, an artifact leftover from the human infestation a thousand years ago. To get there, she had to cross The Sea of Grass, a huge savanna that stretched from the great forest of Gerona, to the rolling hills of Trask. Trask would then slowly change into the mountain range known as Sleeping Mountains, named after a folklore about giants settling to sleep on top of a sleeping dragon. Khalifia hurried onwards the afternoon light getting brighter the closer she got to the edge of the forest. It really was the Edge, not just a clearing but the border of the eleven, her rightful empire, but that didn''t matter, what mattered was her pursuers would not be able to hide, nor would they be able to circle around her like they had done so earlier. Out on the plains, they would all be at a disadvantage. Hopefully she would be less hindered since she was alone. They didn''t attack the first day, nor the second. They were always visible a few kilometers behind her. Khalifia was almost ready to drop dead, she was sure they would attack if she slowed down or made any other indication that she was exhausted. She looked over her shoulder, yup they were still there, keeping pace with her. How could they still keep up with her? She a royal heir, groomed for power and buffed with long lasting enhancements? Though the enhancements were all but gone, and her wast power were running on fumes and willpower. Khalifia considered slowing down and force a confrontation. She had thought about it many times, but she still believed she would have better odds trying to outrun her pursuers rather than face them in combat. They too must be getting tired. At some point they would either have to give up, or increase their speed so they could catch up with her. She really wished it would be the first option rather than the latter. She looked back, watched the men followed her, wait, isn''t there missing four people? She was certain that there had been seventeen pursuers last time she checked, but now she could only see thirteen. Maybe they simply couldn''t keep up? Khalifia could almost make herself believe it, almost. While counting the pursuers she spotted one collapsing, hope started to fill her body with renewed energy. Maybe they would soon give up. She turned to continue her trek, it had been a few days since she stopped running and started walking instead. The sun were draining her energy fast than when she were running under the foliage in the great forest. Ahead of her four shadows were starting to form. Khalifia stared at them, her brain trying to figure out what it could be. Tiredly she unsheathed her sword, she didn''t believe anything good would happen to her before she had a chance to rest. She considered changing course to avoid the shadows, but chose to continue straight ahead. She figured if it was indeed an enemy, she might as well face them before her pursuers could catch up. If it turned out to be friendly creatures she would have more time to yconvince them to help her. All in all she convinced herself that it would be best if she reached the shadows sooner rather than later. Chapter three - travels Chapter three - travels Olgra watched the stars. Ever changing. If you knew what to look for, they could guide you to great riches, but could just as well lead you to your death if you read them wrong. Olgra was not following their lead, not this time. No, for now he was simply enjoying their spectacular dance. He loved to watch it, and would often stay awake all night just so he could see it from start till end. Every night were unique, almost as if they told a new story every time. He yawned ¡°I guess I''ll go to sleep soon old friend, we''ve a long day ahead of us.¡± He leaned his back against his traveling companion, a large catlike creature with matted yellowish fur, one ear partly missing and it''s left fang broken in half. Years ago he had found Lika as a small kitten, abandoned by her mother. He had since taken to raising the big cat, and she had stayed with him ever since. He knew it wasn''t normal for a cat like her to stay with anyone but he liked her company. She was getting old though, and he knew he would eventually have to part ways with her, just like anyone else. He sighed, sometimes he wished he hadn''t been cursed into immortality. He reminded himself that he could always just find his death somewhere, but it just didn''t feel right to seek out his own end, and suicide was completely out of the picture. No way he would disgrace himself like that. No when his end came, it should be unexpected and hopefully dramatic too. He uncorked his bottle of whiskey, he grimaced. The bottle was almost empty. He would have to find civilization sooner rather than later. It wasn''t like he really needed the alcohol, he simply liked the taste of fine spirits. Especially expensive spirits. Olgra looked at the bottle, there were probably enough for four or five more drinks. He looked at the stars again. Maybe he should try following them again, it could be they would lead him to a lost stash of Klopian Wine. He could still remember last time he tried Klopian Wine, it was a summer night, almost like this one. The stars didn''t move in that realm though. He took a sip of whiskey, he really shouldn''t have left that world. There''s a lot of things he shouldn''t have done. Things tend to pile up when you live for too long. Nestling himself against Lika he closed his eyes. It was raining, it always was. It was raining ash and blood. In the horizon the orange light from a fire spreading across the fields could be seen. He started running, they were attacking his village . He had heard rumors that the elves had started to invade the south, but there had been no warnings that they were anywhere close to his village. He ran, but the village didn''t get any closer. He could hear the screams from his family and friends being pulled to the well in the middle of the village, he knew they were being slaughtered there. He was upon them like a storm, destroying the legions, killing elves by the thousands. He stumbled, a skeleton hand clasped around his ankle. He was on a mountain of skulls, the heavens crying blood. He was slowly sinking beneath the bones. The rotten corpse of his sister grabbed his legs ¡°where were you?¡± Her accusing voice sounded from all the skulls ¡°you could have saved us¡± He looked around, he was standing in a forest, elves dead all around. A mother crying ¡°why did you have to kill my only son? He was -¡± Her voice cut short as a spear penetrated her neck. Olgra could feel his manic grim frozen in place since he had started attacking the elves. He woke with a start, Lika growling her displeasure from the rough movement. ¡°Sorry old girl, had a bad dream.¡± He stretched. The stars were still up. He looked at the campfire, about five hours had passed. ¡°Let''s follow the stars for once. Might lead somewhere nice, I''ve got a good feeling about them tonight¡± he rose.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Packing his sparse belongings didn''t take long, and after putting out the campfire they started walking, following the stars. Following the stars was a tricky maneuver, one had to almost constantly check the ever changing sky to realign the course. Olgra walked with one hand resting on Lika, guiding the direction while she watched out for any rough terrain. They walked for two hours like that before the sun started to rise, and the stars dimmed so much he could no longer follow them. ¡°Guess we''ll make camp here, do you wish to go hunting, or should I rather do it alone?¡± He asked. Most often Lika would join him when he hunted, but it was getting more common for her to decline his offer these past few years. She was getting old, even for a beast like her. Her race was known as the Suntouched, and were believed to be immortal in her homeworld. With a turn of her head, Lika signaled her decline. Olgra sighed ¡°you''re getting old, aren''t you?¡± He scratched her behind her ear ¡°thanks for keeping me company for so long¡± She had been with him for almost three hundred years, and he hoped she would indeed turn out to be immortal. He hated how everyone he knew died. That was the curse of immortality. Night came and he started following the stars again. He didn''t know for how long he would have to follow them, but he felt like they would lead him to something big this time. Something important and most importantly, not something lethal. The stars led him on a merry chase for the next five days. Their directions shifted from night to night, sometimes circling back to where he had been earlier, but their general direction was to the west. On the fifth night, when the southern horizon were starting to brighten, a sizzling started somewhere to his right. Olgra turned with expectation toward the sound. He knew that it was most likely what they had been chasing that made the sound. The sizzling intensified and soon green sparks ignited the air some twenty meters in front of him. Carefully he approached the energy fluctuations, ready to guard against explosions or other harmful spells it could spontaneously generate. The sizzling had grown to a roar, shaking the ground making his steps unsteady ¡°stay back old friend, wouldn''t want you to get hurt just because I followed the stars.¡± The anormallity grew, ripping the earth underneath it apart, sending chunks of rocks and grass flying into the night. With a deafening roar, the energy started to expand, pulling apart the very fabric of the realm. ¡°So that''s what it was¡± Olgra laughed ¡°ready for a new adventure Lika? I''m sure a change oh atmosphere would do us well¡± He waited for the Rift to stabilize enough that it would be safe for them to venture through it. It didn''t take long before the energy that spawned the Rift started to calm down ¡°algright let''s go¡± they both knew that rifts didn''t last long and as soon as the energy stopped destroying everything in the vicinity, the Rift would soon after collapse in on itself leaving no other trace than the crater its formation had left. Traveling through a Rift was a perculiar experience. Olgra felt like he was connected to all the realms, all magic in the universe felt within reach. If he just reached out his arm he could graph a continent, if he let his mind connect he would be the sovereign of the worlds. But he didn''t. Not because it would be hard to do, no it would be frightening easy to just go with the flow, but he knew better. Everyone knew better than to try and tame the universe. Of cause people still tried from time to time, but they all were obliterated in an instant, ripped apart by energies far too powerful for them to handle. Exiting the Rift he was met with a sight similar to what he had left behind, wast grassland streached for as long as his eyes could see, a sun baking from above indicating it was the middle of the day. A fireball slammed into his side sending him tumbling through the grass. He stood up with a roar, finding a bunch of elves staring at him wide eyed. He must¡¯ exited the Rift just in front of a fireball. He looked around, clearly there had been battle here. Around him in the grass their fallen comrades were dead or dying. Behind him, judging by the direction of the fireball and the lack of uniform were their enemy. A young unconscious elf. Olgra looked back at the uniformed elves ¡°looks like there have been more deaths than needed here. Take your wounded at save as many lives as you can!¡± He imposed his will onto the exhausted and wary elves ¡°come Lika, let''s find some shade. This sun way too hot¡± He turned around picking up the unconscious elf. When he turned around the elves were still standing in a daze not moving at all. Olgra sighed ¡°Spirits hear my prayer and know I wish for peace, lead these poor souls back safely and let them mend their wounds¡± he invoked his magic, healing and strengthened the elves. He had realized they would not make it back to their trees if he didn''t help them. Turning to leave he spotted Lika, already far ahead zof him ¡°she still acts like a young energetic kitten whenever we enter a new world¡± he muttered to himself He started walking north, following the lead of Lika. Wondering why the stars lead him to this young elf, for he was sure it was her they had lead him to. Chapter four - mishaps Chapter four - mishaps David groaned. The feeling of power leaving your body wasn''t a pleasant feeling. It was the third time he had handed in the quest Powering the Plane, and even though his stats had increased a lot, he was glad he didn''t have to do it again. At least not until he activated a new class. The quest became available every time you chose a new class, and it was frowned upon to not come back and complete the quest as soon as possible. Of cause circumstances could prevent the individual from returning which is why it wasn''t a crime. David sighed, now he only needed to gain level five, the maximum level obtainable in the human demiplane, one last time. At level five he would be allowed to participate in the Sending, a monthly event sending every ready young men and women out into the realms. There they were meant to acquire levels and materials not obtainable in their own demiplane. The next sending were in two weeks, but David wasn''t worried about meeting the deadline. The first completion of Powering the Plane had taken quite some time, almost a month in fact. For his second go at the quest, he had grouped up with a few others. Together they formed a standard five man team consisting of two vanguard to occupy the attention of the monsters, one ranged attacker, David fulfilled that role, a controller to hinder the capabilities of the monsters, and a magic supporter buffing and healing the team members. The first week had been a bit awkward since they had to get used to each other, but after that they leveled like crazy. Even though they had to split the power the monsters leaked on death in five, they could take on larger groups of monsters and slaughter them more than five times their individual speed. For David this was especially true as he had no active combat skills. He had to use the chant and magic formula every time he wished to cast a spell, not something easily done if you also had to avoid getting hit by the monsters you were fighting. ¡°You guys think we could meet up when we hit the Realms? I like working together with you guys a lot¡± David said, he had been thinking about suggesting it, and seeing how this was the last leveling session before the Sending he thought it would be a good time to ask. ¡°Sure you''ll be able to keep up? It doesn''t matter much here, but out there I think you need some abilities other than simply chanting spells¡± asked Jess. Her name was actually Jessica, but in combat it was faster to just say Jess. She was one of the vanguards and the team leader. ¡°Of cause I''m up for it!¡± He hissed back, even if it was genuine concern it still hurt a bit being when she asked like that. It didn''t help that he had developed a crush on her. It was not his fault! She had a perfectly athletic build, probably from all the training she must¡¯ done to get her classes. She even had a nice personality to boot. At least most of the time. ¡°I like his idea, even if his spells are a bit slow they''re still strong enough and he keeps up well enough. Just look at the team Jonathan is in, they literally have to wait for their mage whenever they have to run somewhere.¡± Said Samson, their controller, he was a tall dark haired brown eyed man. He was the only one David had ever met that combined controlling spells with archery. ¡°Count me in¡± said Clara, their support. She was a bit shorter than David, but had a kind face never far from a smile. She had plain brown hair which she kept in a ponytail. ¡°Sure it''s not just because Samson liked the idea?¡± Asked their last member. James was massive, you had no doubt he could stop a charging bull with his bare hands. A reassuring feeling for anyone on his team. Clara poked her tongue at him, not really denying his hinting. They all knew it anyway. They had started dating a few weeks after the team was formed. David checked his status. He had gotten the skill to open his status without needing a Mirror of the mind. He would much rather have unlocked something like fireball, and he hoped that this time he was awarded an active offensive skill. >> Level 1, Human << >> Classes << > Mage > Scholar > Riftwalker Strength 15 Dexterity 20 Vitality 17 Willpower 27 Intelligence 27 Affinity 32 >> Skills << > Basic elemental magic, Speed reading, Basic cleaning, Basic pattern recognition, Basic foraging, Basic Rift navigation, Show status < > New skills < > Basic illusion magic < David cringed when he saw the new skill he had gained, while no skills were bad to get, he would much rather have gotten something else. Seriously though, he had only used Mirror Image once to lure in an extra group of monsters. Why did that trigger a skill when the countless fireballs he had cast didn''t? Life was unfair. Oh well, he had four level ups to do, and each had a chance to award a skill. Ten days and five levels later the group had finished their fastest leveling session since forming the team. Of cause it was to be expected, they had better stats than ever so it wasn''t that surprising. What surprised them was just how effective ambush tactics had proved to be. They had all been taught basic tactics such as choosing higher terrain if possible, or that luring charging enemies into streams and such to break their charge. Being taught something and experiencing it for themselves were two completely different things. When David had told his team the disappointing fact that he still hadn''t gotten an offensive skill, but instead got Basic illusion magic they had joked about switching positions between him and Samson. It had of cause only been a joke since neither David nor Samson had any wish to.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. It was Jess that had asked him the first time to mask their presence, so they could try to get a few hits in before the monsters could react. It had worked quite well, so they had for some time used that tactic. Much to their amusement David had unlocked the Camouflage skill, which allowed him to cast the spell easier and more effectively. At level two they started luring larger groups of monsters into ambushes. Monsters were more likely to follow a lone figure rather than a group that seemed dangerous. Camouflage worked wonders allowing the team to pull far larger groups. Larger groups meant faster levels as they were at the point where almost nothing in the human demiplane could really threaten them when they worked together. In the end they were done about three days before they had hoped to be. David¡¯s family was happy that he had a few days to just spend together with them. They knew he was looking forward to experience the realms, but they would still miss him. It could be years before he came back so they used the last three days together playing games and simply enjoying each other''s company. On the day of the Sending about a thousand young men and women gathered at the Fields of Sending, where the grand ritual would take place. David and his family had arrived the day before. His mother had used the time during the trip to lecture David about dos and don''ts, even though he told her time and time again that they had been warned about what to expect in school. ¡°... and remember that even though you''ll be traveling a lot you must take care of your personal hygiene. First impressions are hard to change and if you''re dirty and smells bad, anyone who meets you will get a bad impression!¡± His mother continued her lectures. David noted she had just finished her third repetition and he guessed she would start her fourth soon. ¡°Stay out of the woods, help the orcs, and stay clean. Got it mom, you don''t have to repeat it again¡± David tried to stop his mother before she started repeating herself again. ¡°I gotta go find my team, we want to stay close so we might end up somewhere nearby each other.¡± The Sending was pseudo-random with where it sent people. Usually people could stay close to each other and they would usually end up in the same realm relatively close to each other. ¡°Please just promise me you won''t take unnecessary risks and come back home as soon as possible.¡± His mom demanded ¡°I know you''re excited about traveling, but your father and I get worried about your safety. The world is dangerous, not like our safe demiplane. Out there elves will try to kill you on sight, monsters grow strong like you can''t imagine and if you get into trouble, there''s likely no help to get.¡± ¡°That''s why I want to go to my team. If we travel together we''ll be more safe¡± he reassured his mom ¡°We''re both just worried about you David, we know you and your team are strong. You have to remember it''s a parents job to worry¡± his father said ¡°don''t forget to enjoy your travels, but do come back home when you can. It''s not like you won''t be able to be sent again¡± ¡°I''ll be careful¡± he hugged his mother ¡°I''ll find a way home, don''t worry about it¡± he gave his father a hug ¡°maybe we''ll meet up in a few years when you''ll get sent¡± he hugged his little sister goodbye ¡°bye see you when I come home¡± he waved a goodbye while he turned to leave. He met up with the rest of the team soon after. ¡°This is it, we''re about to be sent out to face real monsters and experience the worlds. You guys ready?¡± Jess said ¡°let''s get into positions¡± They had chosen to stand in a pentagram, the shape known to have the highest success rate for teams trying to arrive together. ¡°Take care and stay safe, we love you David¡± his mom shouted. David blushed, why did they have to be so embarrassing? As he turned to wave a last goodbye the ground lot up. Chaotic energy started flooding the area and sparks ignited the air above them with green fire and in an instant he was pulled away from reality. David felt the chaotic energies pull him away from the human demiplane. It felt nauseating, like he was spinning out of control, changing direction constantly. He activated Basic Rift navigation to try and cope better in the void between worlds. The spinning slowed down and it felt like he slowly proceeded in one direction. He looked around, green lightning were cracking soundlessly all around him. He felt like he could make out the silhouette of something to the right, but he wasn''t sure what. Could it be Clara? She had been to his right in the pentagram. But he had turned around so it should be James instead. David turned and started walking in the direction of the silhouette. Walking might not be the correct term to use, but with Basic Rift navigation active he didn''t notice how odd it would be if making walking movements could actually move you somewhere while going through a Rift. As David got closer to the silhouette everything turned dark. He had somehow exited the Rift and the place he ended up was without light. He looked up, no stars were shining, nor any moon. Total darkness. He couldn''t even see his hand right before his eyes. ¡°... lighting the way, Flare!¡± He ended his chant. A large orange flare shot from his stretched arm into the air above his head. About three hundred meters up it exploded into a large shining ball of fire, giving light to his surroundings and giving his team a location to meet up at. They had chosen David as their meeting point because he could send the flare and hide with his illusions if he needed. What greeted him when he could see his surroundings made him immediately regret his decision. He was in a large cave, about half a kilometer high. The rocks looked brownish red in the orange light, and boulders were strewn about as if something had thrown them away. Behind him, David could see the cave wall about a kilometer away. In the distance he could see some pillars connecting the roof and the ground. Some seemed decorated, as if some sentient race had carved pictures into them. Considering the distance the carvings must be colossal. Other pillars seem completely natural. Maybe the artist just hadn''t come around to decorate the remaining pillars, or maybe they were the remnants of a lost civilization. David sat down, his team would likely arrive soon, his flare could be seen from quite far away, and they had agreed to send up a signal in case it would take them more than a few hours to get to Him. Five minutes later his spell ran out and he sat in darkness. He would recast it in an hour. Meanwhile was left to his own imagination. The only sound that could be heard was his heart beating its steady rhythm. He cast Camouflage just in case the cave hadn''t been as deserted as it had seemed. Was that the sound of rock crumbling? His heart started beating faster, it was a teammate closing in, it had to be. Silence. He cast another flare spell, whispering the chant in fear of something hearing him. The cave lit up once more. Hurriedly he scanned his surroundings. He found no sign of life, only brownish red rocks greeted him. Where were they? His team shouldn''t take that long to get to him. Unless he didn''t arrive in the same realm as them. David waited another hour, alone with his thoughts. Where could he be? He was pretty sure he hadn''t heard about any realm like this. Or maybe he was just in an unknown grotto under a random mountain? He hoped that was the case, but he got the feeling that it wasn''t so. Another hour later David hoisted his backpack and started walking.