《The Scholar of Hulea》 Chapter 1: Immersion Kira stepped out of the magnetically hovering limousine and casually walked through the security doors. The guards looked at the display confirming her DNA match and authorization to enter the building after hours. ¡°Good evening, Miss Lexon.¡± The Delta Force looking guard with a well trimmed beard smiled graciously at her. She walked by smiling back tipping her specially designed glasses. ¡°Thanks you, Wallen. I¡¯ll be in my suite all night. If Helena drops by please let her up.¡± ¡°You can count on it Ma¡¯am.¡± Kira¡¯s high heels tapped along the marble floor as she made her way through the lobby and into the spacious elevator. She breathed happily as she gets a headstart on the testing of the Polaris Engine. ¡°Top floor.¡± The elevator console accepted her voice command quickly sending her up. The major conglomerate corporation known as Immersion currently holds fifty-two percent of the world¡¯s wealth at its disposal. Kira made it possible due to advancements in pharmaceuticals and innovative inventions led by her and a handful of co-workers. Kira was the first woman to hold the highest position in society as a scientist and multi trillionaire. She was highly admired for her outstanding beauty and charisma, not to mention her voluptuous body. Upon stepping out of the elevator she entered the open living area. Her living room and open kitchen concept was lavishly decorated with smoothly finished wood flooring, plush blue spidersilk furniture. The glass railed staircase lined with gold filament led upstairs to multiple bedrooms. A separate staircase gave access to her personal laboratory below. She quickly went downstairs passed the sliding glass doors and stood before the Polaris Engine. Touching a control panel, the tomb like metallic capsule was opened. The aim for the machine was to focus on mental instabilities which physical remedies couldn¡¯t fix. In addition Kira¡¯s hope was that the system utilized the part of the brain that creates dreams, allowing a user to enter a virtual reality world. She rechecked the control panel and without hesitation got in the machine. The machine started humming as the lid closed down on top of her. The internal lights allowed her to view an interior display counting down as she fell asleep. The Polaris Engine sent Kira into a safe spot within her dream world. Upon waking up, the first word that came to her mind was ¡°breathtaking¡±. Kira was surrounded by lush grasslands with beautiful flowers she''s never before seen. Stunned for a moment, she realized her reading glasses were gone while her other physical belongings were still intact. She thought about why her glasses disappeared and not her clothing; verifying the difference between the material of the clothing and glasses. The glasses she wore were made of metal and glass, while the clothes were one hundred percent cotton with natural dye based colors. She wore a white shirt revealing slight cleavage with a stylish open sweatshirt and the latest fashionable pull on jeans, both dyed in black. As for the shoes she decided to wear something comfortable and had on a pair of leather gladiators; thus her complete outfit allowed freedom of movement. The overall distinction she reached was that it¡¯s possible, only biophysical matter or materials that once used to be living can enter the dream world. Discarding this as a small error in the prototype, Kira adjusted to the environment by moving around. She felt a sudden tremor coming from a massive forest in the distance. Appearing from within the depths of the forest was a pack of wild antelope creatures about double the size of Earth¡¯s giant eland counterpart. While viewing what seemed to be an attempt of running for their lives it happened... "GGGRRRRUUAAAAAA!!!" Her heart abruptly froze in fear as her body stiffened. The next few moments can only be described as one out of a National Geographic television show, where predators catch prey in the most horrific and graphic fashion. A monster well over the size of a full grown T-Rex appeared, looking as if it belonged to the scorpion family. It instantly impaled an antelope with its stinger, catching three others with its pincers. Kira almost vomited as the pincers forcibly dismembered the bodies at the points of pressure. The monster without pause, placed its stinger into its mouth to eat the impaled one. Looking closer, she realized the monster was shaded dark green and brown as if for natural camouflage within the forest and had in front, unlike a scorpion, the head of a flattened stretched out bull without horns. ''This can''t be real¡­ Wait¡­. calm down, this is just a dream, remember...'' However, contrary to those thoughts, she unknowingly tried to take cover and hide herself. The mix breed scorpion monster looked up as if it sensed other prey, looking directly toward her path. ¡®AAAAIIIIIEEEEE,¡¯ Kira bolted in the opposite direction as a means for survival. After running long enough to break out drenched in sweat, she halted; glancing backward for the hundredth time hoping for her heart to stop pounding. ¡®Am I safe? What kind of crazy monster was that...What did I just witness?¡¯ A continuous barrage of questions kept filling her head, but the truth was simple. The monster deemed it not worthwhile to engage in chase as the distance was too far for such small game. Kira suddenly feeling slightly relieved, started to view her surroundings once again. By using the sun to get a general feel for directions, she noted the direction she came from was west. The south contained nothing but grasslands as far as one could see. Her only hope for reaching some semblance of civilization dwelled in either the north or east. Not long after engrossed observations of the land, she spotted some smoke arising in the north. ''Aha...There must be people in that direction.'' Kira then trudged along in that direction after a short break. Finally in view of a fairly small village, Kira felt her anxiety leaving her and realized she was famished. On that thought she heard a sudden shout. "Who goes there!.. State your business." Two guards approached with spears drawn and shields at the ready. The guards lowered their weapons once they realized the outsider was a defenseless women. "Uh, Hello I''m lost and looking for food..." Hearing such a straightforward reply one of the guards almost started to laugh. "You''re an outsider; what''s with those clothes I''ve never seen anything like them before." "You don¡¯t have any supplies¡­ Why would you go traveling in such conditions?" Upon hearing all the questions she started to reply. "I came from the east and these clothes are...." *Phooomff* "Miss! Hey are you alright.....Hey!" ¡®That¡¯s the last thing I remember, except...¡¯ Kira thought as she awoke in a room with vanilla white curtains around her. ¡®Looks like a nurse¡¯s office or hospital room. Did something go wrong?....Am I back in the real world?'' ''All I remember is....pain....dirt....then darkness...'' ''Hmm that''s strange I''m still inside then...'' "So you''re awake, Ah don¡¯t worry you''re fine now. I''m the doctor in this village my name is Ted." A nurse entered with a tray covered by a wooden dome top. "Here''s some food; you seemed to have passed out due to exhaustion." Kira greedily accepted the meal. Forgetting all about table manners, Kira thanked and introduced herself with a mouth full of food. "No worries, also to apologize for the previous behavior of the guards. We''re just not accustomed to outsiders around here." ¡®Huh, why is he apologizing to me.¡¯ ¡®Did the guards drop me while they brought me here?... I don¡¯t feel any extra bumps anywhere...¡¯ Pausing for a moment, Kira inspected the man in his mid-thirties holding a hint of laughter with a smile on his face. "Where exactly is here if you mind me asking?" "Ah, Yes, This little village is named Ilnor and currently contains roughly one-hundred fifty citizens." "You''re welcome to stay for as long as you need¡­ However some information about your previous whereabouts will have to be known." ''Will it be alright to say I''m here due to the Polaris Engine and that this is only the effects of the machine utilizing my mind to create a dream world?'' Second guessing herself Kira decided to lie and go with a more reasonable approach, as if this were some sort of role playing game. "Of course, I''m an inventor in search of knowledge hence my travels¡­ However I ran into somewhat of an ordeal before coming here. Running for my life I mistakenly left behind my supplies and wandered here in hopes of finding food and shelter." [Intentionally leaving out the scorpion monster to not raise any more questions and leaving it to Ted, to guess what from.] "Ah yes that''s understandable, although I''m quite surprised you were able to get here unscathed without any help or directions¡­ Oh you also said you''re an inventor, is that something similar to craftsmanship?" Kira pondered the time period she was in and agreed, thus leading to the invitation to visit the head craftsman of Ilnor. "If you don''t mind since you''re heading there, could you do me a favor and give this to the man named Ralph inside the store?" Ted took the opportunity to free up his to-do-list by having it pushed onto Kira. Ted displayed an ornamental piece that could easily represent a rare artifact. The raindrop shaped object had a massive green gem the size of a baseball encased in the center, with a silver-like exterior frame. Obtaining what ought to be a small fortune she stared at Ted with bewildered eyes ready to ask about it, when he replied with a. ¡°I trust you... However I''m not able to be your guide at this moment being stuck here, so you''ll have to do with some directions. Just ask for Ralph and say it''s on behalf of Ted. He¡¯ll be sure to welcome you with open arms. " "Oh if you say so, ...Yes that''s perfectly fine with me.¡± Kira extended both hands to receive the artifact. Kira frustratingly roamed around outside observing the close-knit community. ''All these buildings look the same, you¡¯d think they would at least put up a single sign or clue as to what¡¯s what, jeez.'' In every direction she observed the repetition of brown wooden houses and the only difference being one or two floors... ''If only these directions were correct, I''ve been wandering in circles for a while now.'' Kira looked down at the paper with the hand written instructions on how to reach the craftsmanship center. - Go left when you exit from here. - Walk until you see Aunt Bell¡¯s store then go left. - When you pass the fountain you¡¯re almost there. - It''s the brown building to your right. Kira was about to start screaming at the top of her lungs while pulling her hair out because of this never before felt frustration. ¡®Come on now, you''re a person with the highest IQ in the world, a simple sheet of directions should be no issues even if you have to view it as a complex word puzzle.¡¯ Off to the side, a man watched this woman act as a dog trying to catch their tail, while occasionally looking down at a small sheet of paper. ¡®This is too painful to watch anymore.¡¯ ¡°Miss, Hello, may you require assistance of some sorts?¡± Currently in deep thought trying to apply several mathematical formulas to find the answer; mumbling under her breathe, Kira completely ignored the offered help. ¡°Umm...Miss¡­¡± The man said as he gave a small nudge on her shoulder. ¡°EEEIIPP!!¡± Kira shouted and jumped slightly from the abrupt scare as the man backed away. ¡°You scared me half to death...Is there something you need Sir?¡± ¡°No, well I thought you might need some help seeing as you''re a chicken with it¡¯s hea...Ahem¡­¡± Clearing his throat, a sudden pain struck his chest. A breathtaking vision of your one and only true love appearing in front of you. ''A pure beauty!'' "Are you ok? Earth to Mr. Stranger." Seeing his wide opened mouth in front of Kira, the man gathered what little composure he could muster up. "Huh, oh I thought you needed some help so I came over¡­ For introductions sake my name is Kellan... and what might thou beauty before me be called." ''This guy named Kellan seems really weird¡­ however he¡¯s really nice looking almost like a reincarnation of a Ken doll without the sparkly teeth.'' "My name is Kira." "What a splendid name! Well, is the thing you needed help with this so called Earth?" ¡°Not quite it¡¯s the place I came from. I¡¯m a traveler, but since you brought that up what might this planet be called?¡± ¡°Hah uuh?...¡± After a slight pause, Kellan decided to answer the question no matter how absurd it may be, just to be able to talk to his dream girl for a second longer. "We are currently on Hulea." ''I can definitely take advantage of this guy.'' Kira thought as she inwardly snickered. Kira ran up to his side and held onto his arm, visually portraying them as a couple on a date, then handed him the directions from Ted. "If you don''t mind, would you lead me to the craftsmanship building where Ralph resides?¡± Kira asked with a seductive smile. Kellan barely able to focus, took a glance at the paper and erupted with laughter. "What''s with-haha-these directions--phew... Ah one second please let me catch my breath." ''So it''s finally happened Ted eh.. To be given the seal proves it.'' Kira separated her arm and stepped back a bit. ''I knew it that doctor made me go on a goose chase, just wait til I see him again.'' Before being able to contemplate a worthy enough revenge, Kellan continued with a bright expression and urged her to follow him. ''Wait we¡¯re back at the clinic center...'' "You see if we follow the instructions from here the first thing to do is to turn left as you exit. We walk along the side of the clinics building towards the back and then this building behind it is Aunt Bell''s store. Then you turn right at the fountain and it''s the brown building." "Um, so why did we stop in front of Aunt Bell¡¯s store then?" Looking over at Kellan she saw him pointing at a small bird¡¯s perch fountain. A small post for birds to clean themselves with, and then moving his hand and head to look at the brown building, right across Aunt Bell¡¯s store.... "Are you kidding me..." ''Death¡­ I''m killing him next time I see him, that is the proper amount of revenge.'' "So yea, here you are Kira. Would you like me to show you in?" Kira still in a fit of rage asked "Will I get lost if I enter? If so then maybe yes." "No you will not I guarantee that but just to be on the safe side I''ll assist with the introductions and finding the right Ralph." "Wait, What?.. The right Ralph? What are there three Ralphs or something??" "Actually five to be precise but good guess." "I give up." Kellan walked over to Kira who stood in a defeated stance and put his arm around her shoulders, as if he finally found a companion or partner in crime towards the injustices of the so called Ted! " ''It''s ok'' I understand.¡± Kept being repeated as they slowly entered the building. <> "So you see we all took the same names as a family tradition of being craftsmen, The saying "Ralph fixes all." Is actually literal¡­¡± ''I''m actually speechless for once in my life, this guy is as big as Santa Claus. He has the beard and everything except for the color being light brown instead.'' "I''m quite interested in the trade of a craftsmen myself so I thought it wise to visit, as well as by request of Ted to hand over this ummm raindrop artifact?" Ralph responded quickly after noticing a slight cringe from the mention of Ted¡¯s name by Kira, as he stared at both Kira and the seal then to Kellan. "Oh, yes thank you very much this artifact is a very special heirloom in our village." After receiving the seal he turned to Kellan and gave it to him. Kellan accepted the seal and looked slightly away to avoid eye contact with Kira. Ralph continued as if nothing happened. "So you want to learn our trade; very well. Let''s see what you got!" Pushing Kira further along into his workshop, only quaint protests could be heard "But, but.... really...." Kellan can only continue thinking ''My comrade...also quite a stunning beauty''. The next few days can be considered Ralph''s boot camp for how craftsman do what they do, ranging anywhere from simple repairs of armor and weapons, to designing blueprints for future creations. Kira easily picked up on these skills due to her former knowledge as a lead scientist and inventor, which allowed her to reproduce and repair anything Ralph handed in her direction. "Wow, you¡¯re a natural Kira, maybe even better than me! Aw heck, you need a challenge more worthy of your aptitude." Ralph Senior stated. On her face a small blush appeared. ''For some reason it feels as if my dear departed father is giving me the praise.¡¯ "Next up is what I would call a magical artifact. You can just call it a magical device...." Ralph mischievously declared. "Is there even a difference in what you just said and did I hear magic?!" Ignoring the first part, Ralph stated the fact that magic exists. ¡°What rock did you crawl out from under?¡± "Hahaha...Of course there''s magic I thought you meant internet." "You say some strange things dear, it''s as if you''re from some other world.... hah-." With continuous laughter and pats on her back. Ralph turned his attention to the mirror-like device the shape of an oval, no more than two hands width across. About to seriously start interrogating Ralph, Kira''s attention got thrown to the magical device. The next thing she saw was the mug of the infamous Ted. "That Bas- , I mean why is Ted being shown..." "Ssshh, Watch, watch this." Through the mirror without any audio was Ted enjoying an afternoon meal alone at a high table and getting up to grab a cup of water to drink, then moving back to his chair about to sit. Chanting could be heard followed by Ralph''s next words, "Chair heed thy command, slide." At that notion Kira¡¯s directed attention was completely absorbed by watching the chair move as Ted sat down. This scene can only be viewed, as a successful prank something kids would think up at school. ''That''s what you get Ted!'' Ralph and Kira both looked at each other realizing they thought the same thing and started bursting into laughter. A few seconds later, Kira looked at the mirror again and was suddenly spooked by Ted seeming to be staring right at them through the mirror. "Ummm. Ralph, Hey!" "Oh crap!-" With no sense of hitting an off switch, the mirror instantly turned off as it turned back into its mirror-like state. "Wow that was incredible. How did you do that?" Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Mulling over a response that Ralph could give he was able to reach a solution. ¡°I have created this nifty device here, it allows me to see and affect what is shown through the mirror to a certain extent. There are certain powers and abilities people are able to obtain and with hard work. Eventually you will also be able to do what I did and most likely at an even greater scale¡­ So would you like to learn?¡± ¡°Why wouldn''t I!, That¡¯s so amazing.¡± ¡®I still can''t believe magic exists in this dream I can¡¯t wait to use it!¡¯ ¡°Hoho, ambitious one aren¡¯t you,... Alright get ready I''ll teach you everything I know!" <> In the training grounds located directly outside the village a small group of guards were being taught through sparring. ¡°Stop!...That¡¯s all wrong, instead of dodging here you should push forward with your sword and take to the offensive.¡± With constant interruptions and side comments, Kellan was instructing the guards of Ilnor on the basics of combat. While not complaining as much as he used to, Kellan proudly watched over his so called disciples that had gradually been improving. ¡°Ok everyone, let us end it here for today. Keep it up and remember, power is achieved through hard work and vigilance. Dismissed!¡± Kellan immediately departed without the chance to hear any questions and headed towards a certain building. ¡®Finally I get to see my beloved!¡¯ With an expression bordering perversion he entered Ralph¡¯s shop. Upon entering the door a sudden flash of light was seen. *Booom!* Kellan was sent flying, back out the door and onto the dirt ground a few meters back, by a ball of energy that struck him right above his stomach. On the ground laying flat on his back, Kellan oozed in and out of conscious. With a hazed sight, he could only describe what he saw as an angel coming down to retrieve and lead his soul into the afterlife. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Kira frantically checked and asked, ¡°Are you alright, Kellan?!¡± Muttering was heard with attempts of Kellan trying to speak. ¡°O¡¯ beautiful angel with deep purple eyes¡­ Why do you have long black¡­ silky hair?... I expected a shade of blonde or white.¡± ¡°Huh, what nonsense are you spouting. Here get up.¡± Kira offered her hand. Kellan got up with a ¡°Whoa¡± sound and recuperated. ¡°Was that some kind of welcome trap I mistakenly walked into?¡± ¡°You know I can tell Ralph to ease up on you, if you just ask me to.¡± Kellan said with a wry smile. ¡°What, no I was currently working on a new device when the energy being gathered got out of hand and forcefully erupted during transfer.¡± ¡°Device...Energy?...What has Ralph got you making now, geez.¡± Kira only sighed and continued further explanation. ¡°I am currently on my own in making devices. After a few successful creations with Ralph¡¯s supervision he gave me a look of disdain while mumbling something about many decades and instant success then left me on my own after that.¡± ¡®Old man you really let yourself get jealous haha-.¡¯... ¡°So you seem to have a gift for craftsmanship, what is it you were attempting to create?¡± ¡°Ah, yes well the thing is prior to arriving at this village I lost my pair of reading glasses. So... I¡¯ve been trying to recreate a pair through what Ralph has taught me.¡± ¡°As for the magical power to imbue the object with, Ralph has lent me several magical stones since I don¡¯t understand how magic works.¡± ¡°If you were successful on the other creations without any mishaps why did this suddenly occur.¡± Kira shuddered at his retort, giving the explanation with a hand gesture. Pointing at the raindrop artifact she said, ¡°Well, I sort of ran out of magical stones and couldn''t find any of the Ralph¡¯s so¡­ I then saw this thing laying around¡­¡± It wouldn''t be too much to say that her scientific curiosity won her over in the heat of the moment. Kellan abruptly grabbed both her shoulders as if in fright and almost began to speak. With a brief moment of silence he let go. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with him did I do something wrong?... Well I know the artifact is technically not mine and I shouldn¡¯t of tried to use it...¡¯ After realizing her error and momentarily thinking about it Kira responded to what just occurred with ¡°I¡¯m sorry I shouldn¡¯t have used the artifact without permission.¡± ¡°Hmm, no it''s okay I am the one that left it here.¡± ¡°Since it came to this I might as well let you know what that artifact really is¡­ There¡¯s an ancient legend that long ago, as far as stories can be told, there was a great war. Now this war wasn¡¯t the typical type between humans, but was one between Dragons and elite powerful beings armed with abilities to combat the dragons. We don¡¯t know where they came from, but we call them Destroyers. They fought against the tyranny of the dragons in an attempt to save human civilization. During this all out war a certain power sealed all of them, both the Dragons and Destroyers into a time stasis that froze them. And here we come to this little object which is to be known as one of the few seals used to contain that power. If and I emphasize the ¡°IF¡± part, these seals happen to be released the past will revert and what happened then will be brought here to the present time.¡± Curtly finishing the story as if giving a one minute sermon he stared at Kira with his hand holding the seal and placed it into hers. ¡°And now this belongs to you. Take good care of it and if you do decide to use the power within just beware of what I said and try not to completely consume it in its entirety.¡± ¡°Wait, Why would you give such a precious object to me then. Wouldn¡¯t you want to make sure it¡¯s kept hidden and not just laying around on some dusty desktop?¡± Kira replied as if given a huge burden. Kellan turned his head towards the window and acted similar to watchdogs that sensed something. Kira while being ignored yelled ¡°Hey I¡¯m talking to you, don¡¯t just brush me off like that!¡± ¡°Stay here!¡± Kellan replied. ¡°I¡¯m not finished talking¡­ Hey, answer my questions!¡± Having the door slammed shut on her, Kira gave off an ¡®unbelievable¡¯ stance and waited inside for a moment. Reaching the middle of the dirt street outside, Kellan stared directly at one of the entrances of the village near the end of the road and inhaled deeply, then with all his might let out a ferocious yell¡­ ¡°At arms everyone! Gather all the guards¡­ Prepare for BATTLE!¡± Upon hearing this the village like clockwork got into action and flocked around Kellan. First to arrive were a few of the guardsmen, then the Ralph brothers along with several other villagers in the near vicinity. ¡°Holy...Owww¡± Kira stumbled from the sheer magnitude of the voice. ¡®To be even separated by a door it¡¯s as if he was at whisper length¡­ What in the world is going on outside?¡¯ To her curiosity and agitation, she headed outside not heeding Kellan¡¯s words one bit. When she got outside, Kira saw villagers gathered around Kellan in a type of battle formation with the guardsmen in the front to protect everyone else, some armed with spears and others with swords drawn. Looking at the other villagers, in their hands were a large variety of weapons ranging from bows to staffs and even some with large two-handed wielding war weapons. She ran over to Kellan to find out what was going on, who in the formation was positioned slightly in front of the middle. With a growing fear steadily rising on her face she was spotted by Kellan who saw her attempt to reach him. ¡°Don¡¯t come near or better yet go back into the house, it¡¯s not safe - ¡± were the words that Kellan was trying to convey until his attention was grabbed to the front, where two large shadows the shape of hellhounds approximately four meters long and three meters tall, started running full speed into his group. In the back was another shadow but with a different figure, one of a sorcerer holding a large staff. ¡°Brace yourselves!¡± Kellan commanded the archers and magicians to open fire. With the approaching imminent threat a barrage of magic projectiles and arrows were fired at the shadow hellhounds. An assortment of lightning bolts, fireballs, frost beams along with magical and non-imbued iron arrows were en route. Kira in profound amazement stared at this display of power which compared to a firework show, except with deadly arrows mixed in. Watching this amazing volley and expecting anything on the other side be turned to dust shocked Kira greatly. ¡®Why is everything going through them...Uh-oh it isn¡¯t working!¡¯ At a closer look the hellhounds were simply phasing through, or in a sense letting the barrage pass through them as if they were never there. From Kellan¡¯s perspective he noticed that they were simply avoiding certain shots by dispersing and reforming themselves while not bothering for others. ¡®I see it''s the lightning and certain arrows they are avoiding...as well as favoring the fireballs for some reason.¡¯ Kellan figured out the shadows had certain weaknesses a moment too late. *CLANK* A loud clash into iron hardened shields occurred. The hellhounds rammed right into the front line and the guards met them with their shields, however three out of the current twenty in the front line were forcibly thrown back. The hellhounds spewed out a breath of fire on the remaining guards. ¡°Ahhh, Help!¡± with slight variations could be heard from many of the guards. To make matters worse the lone shadow sorcerer in the back had already finished incantations and out from his staff created a firestorm directed at the villagers. Readying for the impact by literally hoping for the best, Ted appeared from the side and shouted. ¡°Ralph stop dilly dallying and get the forcefields up.¡± Knowing the brothers were in position he started incantations. ¡°Healing spirits heed thy call grant ¡®Mass Revitalization¡¯!¡± Occurring at the same time, Ted¡¯s wide spread healing magic helped the injured guardsmen and a force field was erected around the whole group. ¡°Psssh Psssh Pssh¡± Sounds of the firestorm were heard colliding with the barrier. The force field was maintained by five stakes that were planted in the ground around the perimeter of the group, by the Ralph brothers. However at the front, the firestorm was currently striking the hellhounds. The fire merged with the hellhounds and increased their size to that of a bodybuilder on steroids. ¡°Everyone back into formation! Focus only on using lightning and magic arrows. Also, do not use fire magic at all costs!¡± Kellan helped the previously injured guards up and took point in front of everyone, stating the hellhounds weaknesses, whereas Ted found his way over to Kira who was in the middle. Kira met Ted half way and as if knowing what she was about to say said, "I apologize for not telling you earlier, but I knew everything about you all along..." Kira questioned him as Ted shouted, "Ralph! Take care of her, I need to tend to the injured." "Don''t just interrupt me like always. I want answers this time. How can I believe you?" Thinking it''s only proper to give an answer he said two words that left Kira speechless, "Polaris Engine". Ralph grabbed the side of Kira''s arm and pulled her behind him while leaning in to talk. "Listen here, I know this is a lot to take in but you''re going to have to trust us, as well as the reason for giving you the seal. We believe you will be able to find an answer as for what to do with the seals, and that it would be safest with you." "Just remember to trust no one when it comes to the seal. To protect it, and to not completely use all the power that dwells within it." Ralph used a magical device, typically known as an item box and pulled out a mysterious cube the size of one¡¯s palm, small enough to hold in his grasp and showed Kira. "Also as an instructor-student parting gift, I hand to you an unknown magical device that even with my current abilities, have not been able to understand." Kira stared at the current items, in her right hand was the seal and left, the cube given by Ralph. ''This is all happening to fast...something must have went wrong with the machine...a simple error I need to fix later...Yes, of course!'' Factoring this all as an error that created a surreal nightmare she decided to avoid the current predicament. The powered up hellhounds aimed at the guards with a leap, one of them jumped on a guard crushing him instantly, while the other swiped its claws, creating a bloodbath out of two other guards and aimed to charge at another with a death bite. Kellan saw this and intervened the charge, by blocking the attack with his sword finding its way lodged between the beasts only physical part at the time, it''s sharp fangs. Knowing its coming ahead of time, Kellan immediately shifted his weight to push back the beast and avoided the fire breath. With one of the hellhounds being distracted by Kellan, the other was freely causing chaos throughout the formation with two near instant deaths and twelve injured, by either dismembered limbs or burns. It wasn¡¯t that the support was slow, but that the hellhounds were extremely fast especially after the buff. Finally the free hellhound was showered down by lightning magic and magic arrows as instructed by Kellan. Under constant barrage the monster attempted to dodge to the side, only to be forced back into the center, by the Ralph brothers minus the one with Kira. They held onto devices that looked like iron wands and created barriers to impede the hellhounds movements. As if noticing one final blow would destroy the beast, Ted casted the only offensive spell he knew... "Holy Destruction, Incinerate all evil!" What could be viewed as a top tier holy magic, worked like a charm against the shadow beasts, dealing the necessary final blow that eliminated one of them. At the same time Kellan was holding his own in combat and activated a set of sword skills equaling into a combination attack. "Full strike, Devastating blow, Quintuple slash, Energy blast!" The last part Energy blast exploded on impact by emitting large quantities of magic onto the focal point of his blade, allowing it to hit the hellhound with terrifying strength. The two shadow hellhounds almost simultaneously disappeared as if they were candles that fizzled out. The shadow sorcerer watched as the hellhounds were defeated and automatically retreated, similar to dispersing as smoke from a thrown smoke bomb. Without catching a breath, Ted knowing it''s not safe anymore, signaled for a group to lead Kira to safety, while the rest of the villagers run and seek a safe haven. At a moment''s notice Ralph ran into his shop with Kira in tow. He gathered the essentials as Kira questioned, "Why are we running, didn''t we win?" Multi-tasking, Ralph replied, ¡°If Ted says to leave then we must go no ifs ands or buts.¡± Retrieving all that''s necessary Ralph headed for the door and looked back at Kira expecting her to be right behind him only to be disappointed, by the look of a stubborn child not wanting to move from their spot. "Look, we must go. Ted must have deemed this area already compromised and not-..." "PSHBOOOOSSHMMM--" A sudden sound like a nuke went off, created a shockwave powerful enough to collapse the entire building. Kira miraculously survived between two beams, that prevented her from being crushed, to get away with only minor cuts and bruises. Getting up Kira frantically searched for Ralph. "Ralph!... Ralph can you hear me!?" A few more seconds with no response she spotted a bloody corpse crushed from the waist down resembling Ralph. In the next brief moments, she veered off course to the so called outside of a half washed away building. What she saw and comprehended reached her neck breaking limit. Out in the open, in the center of the village the ground was depressed by a large amount as if a miniature crater was formed. As far as the village outskirts, collapsed and burning buildings gave off a nauseating stench of dead flesh. From the center of the crater, there stood a two story sized fire elemental. With a frame of a warlord accustomed to mass murder, it wielded a large two-handed magical axe in one hand and wore a metal breastplate giving it humanistic shape. Surrounded by a sea of bodies, there remained a few survivors; two of the Ralph brothers, Ted, several magicians, and archers mainly due to the force fields in place. The entirety of the guardsmen and front line were obliterated however with the sacrifice of the other two Ralph brothers. Kellan who was separated from the others was able to survive with a last second force field. Staring up at this undeniable force, it suddenly lifted the magical axe as a yell could be heard, "Watch out!" Without realizing what just occurred the magical battle axe was thrown and during flight, expanded enough to cut every remaining member left standing in half. Kellan stood off to the side trembling in fear and watched, as the axe continued past his friends slicing several buildings along with them in half, then instantly a new axe was formed within the elementals grip. Kira screamed in terror at this nightmare scene brought forth from the depths of hell. ''Oh my god, everyone¡¯s dead in an instant! This can¡¯t be real! It must be a serious, serious malfunction.'' Kira cried herself into a nervous breakdown. The possibility of retreat disappeared after the sight of Kira''s helplessness. Kellan approached the fire elemental grabbing its attention. ''No, no don''t¡­ get away!'' Attempting to say this out loud the words escaped her. Kira focused on the scene as if to engrave it into her mind¡­ Kellan throughout all his fear activated his skill [Final Slash] by accumulating all his energy into one strike, as a last attempt to survive. His sword turned into a bright blue immense shade of aura and with a lunge propelled the energy beam directly at the evil monstrosity. "Pwisswwst" The sound of rushing water extinguishing flames were heard, when Kira only saw smoke arising from the elemental eventually encircling Kellan. ''Did he do it...did he win?'' In an upheaval of emotions she almost released an expression of relief, until through the smoke Kellan was seen with his chest impaled by a makeshift spike, with the free hand of the fire elemental. With the newly formed axe a similar scene unfolds and the axe is thrown towards Kira "AAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEHHHHH!"... Awoken drenched in sweat, still inside the machine, constant whimpers were heard as Kira was safe and sound back in the real world. Author''s Note: Okay, just edited this chapter some. If you find any errors please let me know because i did not proofread it. Feedback of any kind is very welcomed. Thanks all for reading enjoy. Chapter 2: Winners Circle On their way to Vivi University they carpooled to save on travel expenses. They were Kai Arzeil, Marc Rigel, and Tessa Silas. Kai at a height just one inch under six feet his attire was all black, as if attending a no dress code funeral. Sporting a natural near flat top shave, his hair was pitch black with gray eyes adding to the gloomy, yet elegant fashion sense. The three of them were lifetime childhood friends and currently one term away from graduating with Bachelor''s degrees. Weather modulators maintained a forced seventy degree temperature with scheduled rain showers. Traffic was light that morning before rush hour, however with automated traffic systems, rush hour was an antiquated expression for many fast moving cars. ¡°Hey Marc, was it really necessary to stop by every single bakery store on the way to school?¡± Kai asked with a worn out expression. ¡°Yes, you know I didn¡¯t eat any breakfast this morning, blame Tessa.¡± Marc responded running his fingers through his short brown bowl cut. ¡°I understand that part... but we visited at least seven stores, five of which I never knew existed.¡± Hearing the exchange, Tessa with the figure of a petite schoolgirl and curly light brown hair touching her shoulders, bent over and popped her head to the front of the midsized sedan. Tessa glimpsed back and forth between the two with her jade colored eyes and continued with, ¡°You guys we¡¯re going to be late!¡± Kai turned his head, seeing Tessa with an upbeat expression similar to accustomed ¡®morning people¡¯ and thought ¡®We left three hours early, how are we going to be late?¡¯ Marc ignored the two and continued driving, while fawning over the piece of bread in his lap. ¡°Look this pizza bread, because of its popularity. Most stores sell out instantly. Due to this, we were forced to search all the stores, which was inevitable. In the end we found a store with it in stock and - now I¡¯m happy.¡± Trailing on, Tessa tagged along and finished Marc''s statement ¡°and - now you''re officially picky.¡± ¡°No..., I just want what I decide upon from the start. Besides the point, we¡¯re still good on time so stop complaining.¡± Marc rolled his dark brown eyes. With a "hmph," Tessa fell back onto her seat. Kai stared forward at the passing scenery of bio-engineered white grass, marking the entrance into the university grounds as he questioned Marc''s logic. ¡®That¡¯s completely unreasonable. What''s the point of getting that pizza bread, if you''re only going to half demolish it by removing toppings you don¡¯t like...¡¯ Kai turned his head and asked, ¡°Tessa, Why did you rush us? We still have two hours before any of our classes.¡± Tessa with a rattled stance replied, ¡°Umm...I, I mean we, are going somewhere before class!¡± ¡°No we¡¯re not. I¡¯m the one driving and my destination is the student faculties.¡±, Marc responded with a stern voice. *PAAAT*... ¡°Owww, What the hell, why''d you hit me?!¡± ¡°Because, Marc is driving, it''s dangerous if I hit him¡­ Also~¡±, Tessa whispered in Marc¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯ve got Kai hostage what will you do now!¡± At a slight shiver Marc replied, ¡°So what, You''re on your own bro¡­¡± Completely giving Kai the cold shoulder, Kai looked back to see Tessa readying another assault. ¡®Wait stop, hit him not me, what the hell!¡¯ Seeing the look in his eyes Tessa paused giving off a threatening glare. ¡®So, do I take that as a sign to convince Marc otherwise?¡¯ As if communicating via telepathy Kai turned to Marc. ¡°Listen man, let''s just go where Tessa wants to, we still have a little more than an hour before we need to be parking near our classrooms. ¡°No, what I decided is final, however regrettable that we will have to wait a while before classes start.¡± Upon sensing the darkening aura from behind, Kai urgently gave persuasion attempt number two a go. ¡°If you don¡¯t listen to Tessa I will make for certain that every bakery in a fifty mile radius of you will not have your pizza bread. As well as when you''re around, I will start to pull them out of my backpack and either burn, or personally step on them in front of you.¡± *Gugk* Marc reacted by visualizing eating stepped on bread, but the burnt bread not so much. ¡®Yes, damage dealt, now I''m safe from the wrath of Tessa!¡¯ A response from Marc could be heard as if he had been mentally half wounded. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± Staring at Kai giving off no sense of guilt or remorse, who would willingly cut off an injured dog''s life-support without inquiring the emotions of the owner, he caved in. ¡°... Fine, you and your poker face! Okay, Tess where is it that you want to go?¡± At that response Tessa unknowingly hugged Kai from behind his chair while cheering. ¡°Yea yea, you''re welcome¡­¡± Contrary to his thoughts ¡®Evil witch, how dare you use me in your scheme to achieve your goal, don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll get you back!¡¯ Tessa unbeknownst to these thoughts, pointed and said ¡°Go right at that light and past two lights you''ll see a sports bar called Winner''s Circle on the left side.¡± ¡°OI, we¡¯re not gonna go drinking right before classes, what¡¯s wrong with that head of yours?¡± After the bewildered response from Marc he glanced at Kai, as if saying you deal with her. Due to him driving and not being able to completely look back at Tessa, however, a back and forth between Tessa and Marc began. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to get drunk!¡± ¡°Then, I thought you didn¡¯t like sports, why are you so interested all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I could of just recently gotten into it; you never know geez, let me finish... Along with that we''re also going to meet a few friends I met a while back.¡± Ignoring the latter half Marc intriguingly asked, ¡°Oh ho, so you like sports now do you¡­ What do you like in particular?¡± ¡°... The one with the group of guys in helmets running around¡­ you know where they try to tackle the guy before the weird looking ball is thrown at them.¡± ¡°...¡± After a brief moment of silence she looked around at both of them with a clueless atmosphere finishing her gaze on Kai who sighed. ¡°What, am I wrong?¡± Both giving her the cold shoulder, Tessa continued bugging them until Kai said, ¡°We¡¯re here¡­ Thank the Lord.¡± ¡°Amen,¡± Marc finished as the guys exited the vehicle with Tessa following behind them. ¡°What is it? Hey answer me!, You guys are leaving me out, no fair!¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The lively scene at the newly renovated sports bar had the latest model high definition screens positioned all around giving every angle of the layout a perfect view to watch your favorite teams. At the counter a crowd of people were currently ordering drinks. The current game going on was the one described or attempt to; by Tessa, a college league football game. Cheers could be heard of a touchdown that occurred as Marc found his way over to one of the bartenders. Kai extensively examined the layout. ¡®Wow, look at all these high end TVs and furniture¡­ The amount of money that must of went into this place is insane¡­ And what¡¯s with that crowd, it¡¯s abnormal they¡¯re all gathering around a single bartender.¡¯ ¡®The bartender looks to be in his mid twenties, however not a student it seems. Hmm, It feels like the people are buying drinks due to the appearance of the bartender...¡¯ ¡®With dark blue eyes, and blonde hair parted to a side, the shade of a Labrador retriever reaching the end of his neck. He has a complexion of if he steps outside, he¡¯ll get instant sunburn. A complete chick magnet, no wonder the majority of customers ordering drinks are girls.¡¯ About to turn to Tessa that was behind him or so he thought, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Without being able to finish his sentence Tessa darted to the crowd like ants to sugar. ¡®Uh¡­ that makes it not obvious¡­¡¯ Kai sarcastically thought while looking at the bartender¡¯s shirt with the sports bar logo, ¡°Winner¡¯s Circle. Kai followed suit and reached his friends. He saw Marc already talking with the bartender, who had stepped to the side away from the crowd. Marc stood at six foot two with an impressive bodybuilder''s physique next to Sedric who was slim and better toned. Marc and Sedric looked like two giants compared to everyone else. Seeing this opportunity Tessa pushed her way farther in and cut into the conversation. ¡°Marc, I didn¡¯t know you knew the bartender, you should introduce us.¡± Marc looked down at Tessa whose stature was roughly three inches above five feet, only to almost brush her aside before feeling a strange vibe nearing discomfort and decided against it. ¡°Yes O~of course these are my two closest friends Tessa and Kai.¡± With hand gestures Marc introduced them. ¡°Nice to meet you guys, my name is Sedric and I¡¯m glad to meet friends of Marc¡¯s. He¡¯s been a huge help with the changes around here, giving feedback and opinions on the layout.¡± ¡°Waah¡±, with a short pause Tessa continued ¡°I didn¡¯t take you as an interior design type of person Marc, I thought your major was Physical Therapy.¡± Expecting the response Sedric cut in and explained, ¡°No, no my approach to him was for his athletic nature, and that it would be a good idea to get an opinion from someone who enjoys sports in general.¡± ¡®Hmm, thats weird this guy avoided the fact of revealing his last name. It would of been fine if he didn¡¯t mention it, but the slight pause and body language said otherwise.¡¯, Noticing these factors Kai curiously asked ¡°You said your last name was?¡± Intentionally stating his question as if it was said and he simply forgot or never heard it, the attention was thrown to Sedric. ¡°Oh, hmm¡± looking back and forth between Kai, Marc, and Tessa who with an intense submersion of wanting to know, he cracked and told them. ¡°My name is Sedric Lexon¡­¡± After an awkward silence. ¡°No way!, you''re related to ¡®The Kira¡¯?!¡±, with yells from both Tessa and Marc. ¡®This guy¡­ No wonder this place is so ramped up.¡¯ While thinking this Sedric looked over at Kai as if hearing his thoughts. ¡°Yea, that¡¯s also a reason as to why I¡¯m hesitant about giving out my full name, but seeing as you¡¯re friends of Marc, I think I can come to trust you guys. I¡¯m not only the bartender but the manager of this sports bar.¡± At that mention Kai blatantly without any tact said, ¡°Why not just name the bar after your last name, I¡¯m sure you would get a ton more customers.¡± ¡°Kai! What''s with you, that¡¯s uncalled for!¡± Angrily glaring at Kai, Tessa was about to cause a public beat down. Stopping her was the voice of Sedric, ¡°No, he¡¯s right about the name part; however, I decided that I would work to achieve what it currently looks like now. Through hard work I was able to obtain an identity in the least, apart from having to rely on others, technically speaking of my cousin Kira.¡± ¡°Wow, thats so admirable!¡± Tessa replied while stomping on Kai¡¯s foot. Letting the yell fade off as if background noise of the bar, Tessa started talking up a storm with the newly introduced Sedric leaving Marc and Kai out. ¡°Kai, that wasn¡¯t cool, you don¡¯t normally act this way¡­ Did someone eat your favorite food you had stashed away?¡± Listening to Marc and instead of replying, Kai moved in closer to Tessa and Sedric. ¡°I apologize for my behavior, and am actually impressed you were able to achieve something with your own resources.¡± Giving off a slight laugh, Sedric responded ¡°No worries, I take pride in that achievement due to being raised by Kira when I was a kid.¡± Cutting any possible response from Kai off Tessa stated, ¡°Whoa, so you two must be really close then.¡± ¡°Yeah, we talk often¡­ Oh that reminds me, the other day she told me to invite some trusted friends and acquaintances down to her laboratory. Her current project is in its final stages and requires some guinea pigs so to ~.¡± ¡°Hell yes!, We will all go.¡± Tessa without minding her language, holding an eager face, clasped both Sedric¡¯s hands with hers and started to blush. ¡°Oh, uh... Alright I¡¯ll let Marc know the details as to when and where, since I already have his contact information.¡± All of them, as well as Kai were ecstatic before he realized something. ¡°Tess! Marc! We need to go now or else we''ll be seriously late for our afternoon classes!¡± Kai grabbed both of them and ran towards the exit, while Marc complied with Sedric through a head nod and Tessa being forcefully pulled along kept waving erratically at Sedric to say goodbye. Sedric looked down at the palm of his hand which held a half written telephone number from Tessa. A nearby bartender moved over to Sedric¡¯s location and asked ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Um¡­, I think it''s an area code¡­¡± Sedric replied with a puzzled expression ¡°Looks like we will be having extra company, more than expected when we visit my cousin.¡± -------------------------------------------------------------------- Approximately two weeks after the traumatic nightmare within the Polaris Engine, Kira was sitting in a chair with her hands around her knees still slightly disturbed. She was surrounded by the latest and most expensive pieces of equipment. But her greatest asset was still human input. After a long talk with her cousin Sedric and assistant Helena Vivian, she had recovered for the most part. Finally able to think about what occurred within the machine up until exiting it with a reasonable state of mind. Although avoiding all the bad parts and focusing from an aspect of improving the machine, she covered the main points out loud; recording her thoughts to a scientific journal. "First off, the sensors need to be adjusted so that an event like that won¡¯t occur again... The interface system will allow the user to gather information directly connected to the subconscious, combined with the machine¡¯s massive database." "The information will be in a form the mind is accustomed to, similar to RPGs. Hopefully purging negative thoughts maintaining a healthy dream world." ¡°Secondly, I adjusted the time ratio so that one hour in the real world equates to five days in the dream world.¡± ¡°Lastly, Helena and I will improve and solve the issue of post side effects and sustain the life of the subject within the machine, allowing long-term usage. After the first test, this was a major issue to the point upon exiting the machine where I felt disastrously sore, similar to phantom wounds.¡± Kira gathered her thoughts as the automatic glass door into the room opened. From the other side of the door, Helena walked in. A genius at an early age of twenty two, acquiring a Doctorate¡¯s degree in medical bioengineering, while publishing several theses and two dissertations pertaining to the human mind and accelerated healing. A low soothing voice was heard while Kira sat in her chair. ¡°Are you feeling better?... We can always postpone the maintenance.¡± ¡°Ah, Helena¡­ No, the topics at hand will require large amounts of time and work to complete." ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± Immediately afterwards they began the challenging work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Phew, I think that just about settles it. We covered every issue by improving the systems, along with adding an unique interface that will allow each person to view personal information.¡± Kira stated while handing Helena some yogurt milk to drink. Helena sat in a daze staring at the nine newly built Polaris Engine¡¯s and the original machine they used as a master template. She turned her gaze and reached out for the drink. ¡°So, is this where your smarts come from?¡± With a light scoff from Kira to dismiss that question Helena continued, ¡°I still can¡¯t believe we were able to have a finished version of the Polaris Engine and nine others in less than two years, since the prototype. You''re a genius.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done it without your help, and please you''re eight years younger than me. If anyone is worthy of that title it¡¯s you. After your adjustments to the life sustaining system, you practically built an all-in-one instant regeneration device, that even ensures the proper nutrient intake. That alone could make you overwhelmingly rich and famous, yet you follow me around.¡± Kira humbly replied. Receiving praise from her lifelong idol a minor blush formed on Helena. ¡°Ah, my birthday was June 28, I¡¯m twenty four now, so only seven years younger than you!¡± ¡°What! Why didn¡¯t you remind me last week?¡± Kira surprisingly asked almost spilling her yogurt. ¡°Well..., we were so close to completing that I didn¡¯t want to bother you and at the same time I also wanted to finish the Engines.¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.¡°Enough with this yogurt! We need to celebrate your birthday and I know just the place. Let me make a quick call beforehand.¡± ¡°Yay¡­, I hope you don¡¯t regret that, I¡¯m no lightweight!¡± Helena excitedly replied, tossing her lab coat across the room while getting ready to go out.¡± Kira picked up the tossed coat and called Sedric. ¡°Hello?... Kira?¡± ¡°Yes, it''s me. Just letting you know that I¡¯m stopping by with a co-worker since we just finished here, you guys are still open at four in the morning right?¡± ¡°Oh, Helena?... Alright it will be just me and another bartender here however, since we don¡¯t open until eight.¡± ¡°Hey, you call that a bar?! Anyways that''s fine¡­ just prepare lots of liquor and a cake!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a sports bar, not a bakery! But no worries we got it covered, we¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Shortly afterwards, arriving at the ¡°Winner¡¯s Circle¡±, Sedric greeted them outside the entrance before they entered with a boxed up cake in hand. After greeting Helena and showing her the way in, Kira stopped Sedric while looking at what was in his grasp. ¡°You were seriously able to find a cake? Where did you even find one¡­ No, wait please don¡¯t answer that.¡± ¡°You asked for a cake so I got a cake; isn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Sedric replied with a hint of innocence in his eyes. Upon opening the box and inspecting the cake further, Kira shuddered. ¡°What! How dare you buy that!¡± angered, Kira demandingly waited for a reply. ¡°Well..., you never said what kind and again have you seen the time?¡± ¡°Demolish that this instant!" Not taking another look at the cake Kira brushed past Sedric and entered the building. Sedric with the cake in hand looked down and slightly smirked due to the cake being modeled after a pair of large jiggling breasts, with small print, ¡°You¡¯ll miss these after marriage.¡± Taking a finger¡¯s full taste, Sedric walked over to the garbage and tossed the cake in, then caught up with the others. At the bar counter, stood a bartender not in uniform with a skinny body that barely contained any visible muscle. The most notable features being his teal eyes and natural short dark gray hair. ¡°May I get your drinks, honored guests?¡± Kira a tad bewildered looked over at Sedric. ¡°I guess since you guys are suppose to be closed it would seem that way, but this is for the completion of our project and Helena¡¯s birthday. So let''s get rid of the formalities and celebrate!¡± Ignoring Kira as she talked, Helena rose up onto a chair at the counter and pointed her finger towards several bottles. ¡°I want those five.¡± ¡°Right away miss.¡± He started to mix drinks. ¡°No, I think you heard me wrong I want all of those on this counter now¡­ Also, you''re gonna be joining us.¡± Helena stated as she tapped onto the chair besides her inviting the bartender to join her. With a quick glance at Sedric, he grabbed all the drinks she requested and cozied into the seat next to her. Preparing the drinks while acting as a distraction for Helena, he handed her the first shot glass. Immediately downing it, she asked the man about how he got around to working with Sedric especially at this time of night. Making her a mixed drink this time, he answered while handing it to her and filling his own shot glass. ¡°I¡¯m here returning a debt to Sedric, as well as to earn a living, my name is Relanis Crain. My situation is kind of personal so¡­¡± Helena abruptly cut him off by pouring him another shot. ¡°Not something more drinks won¡¯t fix!¡± Pausing for a moment to reexamine Helena¡¯s appearance before he gets wasted, he was utterly impressed. Helena with a mind blowing figure of an up and coming super model, had a chest that can¡¯t compare to Kira¡¯s, but ample enough to fit into any t-shirt perfectly. At a height just barely below his, she was quite tall at five ten. She had flowing golden blonde hair curling at the ends reaching to her mid back. Matching her seductive light yellow eyes. Before he started to drool. He picked up the shot glass immediately finishing it and prepared mixed drinks for everyone. ¡°Are they going to be alright? That¡¯s their second shot and coming to a third mixed drink in less than five minutes...¡± Sedric said with a grim expression standing out of hearing distance with Kira. ¡°Of course! They¡¯re the perfect match it seems and she deserves a long overdue break. Now come lets grab our drinks, I have much to talk about.¡± After explaining the success back at Immersion laboratories a congratulatory cheer could be heard accompanied with an unnumbered shot. Kira asked Sedric if he was able to find any potential test subjects. ¡°It started with just Relanis and I; however through sheer coincidence... remember that guy Marc I told you about?¡± ¡°Hmmm, oh that person that helped you with the renovations?... Did you happen to invite him?¡± ¡°Well yes, but not quite. At the beginning I thought he was alone until I met two of his best friends here about four months ago. Which works out well, because they just finished their studies and will probably be jobless for a while. The first impressions of one of them was really bad however, they continued to come by often especially the girl Tessa... Anyways they seem trustworthy enough, if they were able to be best friends for so long.¡± ¡°Oh, so you like this Tessa girl do you?¡± Kira teased him while giving him a nudge on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore. Will you stop that please, and I don¡¯t want to talk about it¡­¡± Sedric countered with a sad expression. ¡°Your twenty four now... It¡¯s been five years.¡± Kira replied trying not to ask any questions that would open up past wounds. Sedric ignored the statement and stared at Relanis and Helena. They weren¡¯t speaking as loud now, almost whispering to each other. Helena moved her seat closer to Relanis enough to wrap her arm around his shoulder. She teased his ear by switching between softly breathing into it and light nibbles. Relanis seemed not to mind and was explaining his past in a serious tone as much as one could be while completely wasted. ¡°Because of duh bullies, *hic* in the past. I always fight when peeps gang up on little guy... And sooo... That''s how I met Sedric. Do you understandsh why I have trussh issues?" Slightly hunched over, Relanis waited for a response. "Mhmm, I''ll definitely make you mine..." Helena seductively gave a one-sided response. Staring directly at Helena with curiosity, Relanis aligned his sights forward again. *BAAAAAM* His face and the counter became one. Helena caught herself by standing up. "Damn I think that hurt...". As if expecting it, Sedric ran over and caught Helena before she face planted into the ground. "Nice catch!" Kira shouted, in the meantime Sedric placed her on one of the couches along the wall. "I think we should call it a night, or I guess morning." "Not quite yet, I want to start testing tonight after we''re all rested, so I need you to let everyone know." "With such short notice what do you want me to tell them?" Kira thought for a bit and came up with an answer. ¡°I will pay them what I pay my housekeeper, so that would make it $40,000 a day for each person.¡± ¡®What the hell, what does your housekeeper clean, the outside of the mansion and Immersion building too?¡¯ Sedric thought. ¡°So does this mean I will get 40K as well?¡± Sedric asked eagerly awaiting for a yes. "Yeah, uh sure, why not." ¡®I pay my housekeeper $10,000 a month. So that comes out to four months within the dream world and one day here. I was planning on paying Sedric more since he gathered everyone but if he thinks it''s ok, no need to argue.¡¯ "Let me help you get Helena home after I get Relanis onto a couch." Sedric energetically replied. "I''ll call over a company car. We can''t have either of us driving and I''ll just take her to Immersion, it''s practically her second home." Several minutes later, in agreement they both carried Helena into a fancy black limousine. After Kira and Helena left, Sedric pondered the best time to contact Marc and the others. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Later that night at Immersion laboratories, Kira prepared the necessary data for all the Engines. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re all set!¡± Kira stated, as if she was watching several of her kids graduating from kindergarten. Disrupting her trance like sense of accomplishment, a voice came from the built in speaker on the desk. [Miss Kira. There is a group of people in the lobby saying they personally know you. What would you like me to do with them?] Kira went to her desk to view the monitor showing her cousin Sedric and his friends. ¡°Show them the way up, they''re my guests.¡± [Very well miss...] Sedric entered first followed by Tessa, Marc, Relanis, then Kai. ¡°I don¡¯t see Helena. Did we get here too early?¡± Sedric asked, while at that mention Relanis shivered. ¡°Helena woke up not too long ago and went to find her best friend, so she might be awhile.¡± Sedric took the time to introduce everyone to his cousin. ¡°As you all may know, This is my cousin Kira.¡± Kira halted them with a hand gesture, not letting them add to Sedric¡¯s introduction. ¡°Let me see¡­, You must be~¡± Pointing at everyone and correctly naming each of them, she directed them to their own personal Polaris Engine. ¡®Seems like she¡¯s done her homework.¡¯ Kai thought. Kira set everyone beside their own machine. ¡°Sorry about the invasion of privacy. It was necessary to get background data on everyone to implement into each Polaris Engine and the database system.¡± ¡°Oh, well for $40,000 a day I have no privacy.¡± Kai stated. ¡°Kai!¡± Tessa shouted as if reprimanding a bad child. ¡°What? I¡¯m just making sure. That amount of money doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± Both Kai and Sedric turned to Kira curiously awaiting a response. ¡°Yes, That''s correct. I figured the amount was proper for four months work that will equate to one day here; however, there is a catch. In order to gather the necessary data from this test, we will require everyone to stay within the machine for one month.¡± Kira answered without feeling the need for further explanation. ¡°Wow! We will become millionaires at the end of the month.¡± Kai interjected. ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t quite understand, how does one day¡¯s work amount to four months?¡± Marc countered. ¡°The Polaris Engines create a dream world that I have now linked to the first Engine. In this dream world the time spent will be different compared to real life. One day here will equal to approximately four months while in the machine.¡± ¡°Wow, that''s amazing! So it¡¯s like how a typical dream works?¡± Tessa widened her eyes. ''We''re going to be in a dream for ten years?!'' Kai contemplated various aspects of being an immortal millionaire. ¡°Yes, that was the ideal I was trying to reach¡­ However I must warn you guys beforehand. Since this is the second testing of the Polaris Engine, there lies numerous amounts of risk that could occur.¡± ¡®Like what kind of risks...¡¯ Kai doesn¡¯t get the opportunity to ask as all his attention shifted to the entrance of the laboratory. At the same time Tessa and Marc agreed. ¡°Well, for 40,000 dollars a day. I think that will more than enough cover any risk factors.¡± Marc replied with a wry smile ¡°But won¡¯t we starve to death in the machine, if we¡¯re in there dreaming for a month?¡± Relanis questioned in concern. ¡°Well, Helena is the one who created the biophysical system which has healing properties, feeding our bodies with nutrients and neutralizing the need for waste disposal. And speaking of angels.¡± Raising his hand to the bruise on his forehead, Relanis remembered the last words said before passing out, and hid behind his machine. Helena was leading her friend as they entered the lab. Tessa noticing Kai gawking went up to him and whispered into his ear, ¡°They¡¯re out of your league. So don''t try anything stupid.¡± Off in his thoughts Kai ignored Tessa. ¡®So beautiful, no that doesn¡¯t even begin to describe her.¡¯ ¡®That lusciously flowing, long white hair with a slight shade of gray down to the lower part of her waist.¡¯ ¡®The small nose, perfect blush lips and dark red eyes.¡¯ ¡®In that perfectly shaped body, she could embody a warrior goddess in the right clothing.¡¯ Kai went on and on, as Helena started introductions. ¡°Hi, all. I¡¯m Helena, I worked alongside Kira to complete the Polaris Engines and this is my best friend Sylvia Faye.¡± Spotting Relanis behind the machine, Helena ran at him with a slight jump and hug. Relanis turned around to avoid the hug, but only to have Helena jump onto his back, hugging him with her body pressed against his. ¡°I missed you!¡± Helena shouted while grasping onto his body tighter. ¡°Ah, Help! It hasn¡¯t even been a full day yet. Get off of me will you.¡± Relanis shouted, trying to maintain his balance as to not fall over. Averting her eyes from the two, Kira labeled Relanis as a lost cause and greeted Sylvia. ¡°Nice to meet you, Sylvia. I¡¯ll show you to your machine later, but for now get to know everyone here.¡± Kira graciously said. ¡°Hi Kira, I have heard many things through Helena about you. To the point I feel like we can get along together pretty well.¡± ¡°I sure hope she didn¡¯t say anything bad.¡± Kira smiled. ¡°No, nothing too bad, just that she¡¯s jealous of a certain area and that yogurt milk is your secret for both that and your brains.¡± Sylvia naturally gazed down at the yogurt''s potency. ¡°Hmm¡­, I¡¯ll need to have a talk with that girl.¡± Kira walked over to Helena and tore her from Relanis to help get everyone set up in their machines. Tessa swooped in and started interrogating Sylvia on behalf of Kai. ¡°Wow, your hair is so pretty, is that natural? It¡¯s amazing. By the way, how old are you?¡± without even giving her a chance to answer the first question Tessa prodded. ¡°My hair is naturally this color and I¡¯m twenty one years old.¡± Sylvia gracefully responded. ¡°Then around the same age as us. I thought you were older, because you look a lot more refined and mature when compared to Kai over there, who¡¯s the same age.¡± As if receiving a mixed review, Sylvia shifted her gaze over to Kai. *Ba-Bump* ¡®Crap, she''s looking at me. I need to think of something!¡¯ Kai¡¯s heart raced; clearing his throat and readying to talk, he unintentionally avoided eye contact for a second. ¡°My grandma would love to have your hair.¡± Kai said without realizing that he not only messed up any chance he could of had, but partially insulted a better than perfect vision of his dream girl. ¡°Uhm¡­, Excuse me?¡± Sylvia replied with an irritated expression. ¡°I meant that in a good way, because my grandmother doesn¡¯t have any hair.¡± ¡°Whoa, Kai has very bad first impressions please don¡¯t mind him¡­¡± Sedric stepped in front of Kai saving him from any further humiliation. Kai face palmed himself as sweat dripped, wishing his life would just end. ¡°Now that we have everyone here. We will need to replace your clothing and shoes. As well as secure any personal possessions that are not naturally created. Such as watches, jewelry or things containing metal like belt buckles. They will not go with you into the dream world. For this reason I have prepared separate rooms filled with men''s and women''s attire.¡± Kira explained. Exiting from the changing rooms, everyone was dressed in expensive custom made clothing from head to toe, extremely satisfied with their newly attained wardrobe. Kai appreciated the interruption and was able to find an all black outfit. ¡°Everyone gather around your own machine. Remember this is your last chance to back out.¡± Kira waited for a response and surprisingly got an unanimous answer. ¡°Count me in.¡± ¡°No way, a once in a lifetime chance.¡± Continuous affirmative responses were heard, while two remained speechless. Kai was staring at the floor in a dejected pose and Relanis was avoiding eye contact with Helena. ¡°Alright then, Helena and I will go around and get you guys set up. Shortly afterwards you will arrive in the dream world. Then, Helena and I will appear a moment after you guys¡­ Enjoy!¡± Kira and Helena made the final calibrations powering up the machines. Underneath the Immersion skyscraper two nuclear fusion reactors prevented the entire eastern seaboard from blacking out. Chapter 3: The Scholar ¡°Wow! This is amazing it feels so real, almost lifelike.¡± After the amazed comment by Tessa; Marc slapped Kai on the back. ¡°Owww, what the hell was that for?¡± Kai¡¯s angered expression, nearing payback, was interrupted by Marc¡¯s reply. ¡°Sorry man, I just wanted to know if this was real ha-ha¡­¡± ¡°Both of you are acting like kids. You''re making a fool of yourselves in front of all the others.¡± Tessa stated, while looking over at Sedric but then suddenly blushes and diverted her gaze. ¡°No need to worry we¡¯re all friends here. I''m sure everyone would like to give Kai a nice old slap too.¡± Sedric laughed. ¡®Um, what?¡¯ Kai''s back tensed. Everyone stared at Sedric thinking practically the same thought as Kai, however that comment completely blew past Tessa. Finally after a couple of minutes of chatting and amazement, Kira appeared with backpacks filled to the brim containing survival supplies and rations. She then welcomed them to the world she calls, ¡°Hulea¡±, the name given to her from the deceased Kellan. Before any bad memories returned she diverts everyone''s attention. Kira placed the backpacks around her and brought one for everyone. ¡°Now if you will please come up and grab a bag, each of you will manage your own supplies and food. Also, if you haven¡¯t noticed, there''s an implemented interface system. All you have to do is focus on wanting to see a panel and one will appear before you. No one else will be able to see what you see personally. The information will be different for each individual. The general template will however be the same. As time goes on the system may develop accordingly and additional prompts will become available. For now only one prompt is displayed, that being your personal status window.¡± Kai focused on his status window along with everyone else after retrieving their backpacks.
Kai ArzeilTitle: None
Class: ScholarLevel: 1EXP: 0%
HP: 69 / 70Mana: 100 / 100Defense: 12
Strength: 8Stamina: 10Luck: 5
Agility: 9Intellect: 23Wisdom: 11
Crit Mod: x 1Magic Crit Mod: x 1
Resistance: 10% Mental-Based Attacks
Skills: Critical Thinking(Passive); Reality Comprehension
¡®Whoa! What is all this, it¡¯s incredible.¡¯ ¡®Hmm Scholar, I guess that makes sense. I did just graduate with a Bachelor¡¯s in Psychology.¡¯ ¡®Wait¡­, Why am I hurt? Did Marcs slap seriously reduce my health...¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s see skills? I wonder what those are about?¡¯ Focusing on the skills an additional prompt appeared with the details listed. - Critical Thinking(Passive)[Lvl:1]: Allows the ability to concentrate during tense moments and grants minor resistance to mental based attacks. - Reality Comprehension[Lvl:1]: By focusing on objects or materials, additional information will be displayed via prompts. Consumes one mana per use. In amazement Kai tested his newly acquired skill by focusing on Sylvia. - Currently hostile towards you, beware. Sulking and before using [Reality Comprehension] on anything else, Tessa along with the rest of the group minus Kira, shout out in surprise. ¡°Wow, it say¡¯s I¡¯m a Cleric!¡± Tessa stated and at the mere utterance, baffled Kai. ¡®A healer class!? She¡¯s more suited for inflicting pain or a brawler class then one that heals others.¡¯ Continuing from Tessa everyone stated their classes out loud. Sedric and Sylvia being Specialist¡¯s gained a mixture of fighting and magic. Relanis and Helena both got the Magician class with unique magic. Relanis being able to reduce minor damage dealt by creating a magic shield in front of him. While Helena got the skill Empathy, which allows her to feel certain emotions from anyone she focuses on. As Marc states his class is Fighter, Kira interjected ¡°That¡¯s great! Currently you seem to be the strongest with Sedric not too far behind. It must be due to your innate athletic nature. The Polaris Engine will boost the user''s ability enough to cope with the dream world, so generally everyone will start out with high stats. Since we will need someone to take the front; would you mind telling us your stats and skills?¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± Marc replied enthusiastically. Reading off his status window, everyone can only be somewhat amazed.
[tr]
Marc RigelTitle: None
Class: FighterLevel: 1EXP: 0%
HP: 250 / 250Mana: 210 / 210Defense: 18
Strength: 26Stamina: 32Luck: 10
Agility: 25Intellect: 7Wisdom: 10
[tr]
Crit Mod: x 2Magic Crit Mod: x 1
Resistance: 10% Physical-Based Attacks
Skills: Toughness(Passive); Initiative(Passive); Devastating Blow; Counter Defense; Willpower
¡®No way, that''s not fair at all¡­, even in a dream, life is still cruel!¡¯ ¡®Why does he get such a hack sheet while I¡¯m left with the wimpy student role.¡¯ ¡°Oh my, even better than I imagined. Even though I¡¯ve been here before, my class is Craftsman and I have accumulated experience boosting my skills and stats, however I guess it can¡¯t compare to a Fighter class. If you don¡¯t mind would you want to take the lead during combat and monster encounters?¡± ¡°Yes, I-¡± ¡°There are monsters here? I believe you forgot to mention that to us.¡± Kai said, interrupting Marc. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure if there are. However, if this is anything like the first experience I had then, we will be in trouble unless we prepare. Just to make sure, I would like to head to a certain area first.¡± Kira stated, realizing the area they started at feels very familiar. Having never said his class, Kai was forgotten about, by everyone¡¯s own amazement. On their way to Kira¡¯s destination, Kai used [Reality Comprehension] on random objects varying from trees, rocks, and birds passing overhead. - Dying and will wither away in a few years. (Tree) - Abundant energy will live for a long time. Taking all the nutrients from surrounding trees. (Tree two) - Migrating to the south for warmer weather. From it¡¯s view everything looks calm in the vicinity. (Bird) ¡®This ability is so humiliatingly useless, all it does is spit out random information, ugh...¡¯ ¡®Since I got it I¡¯ll at least test various instances.¡¯ Reaching down and picking up a fist sized rock, he activates his skill in succession. - Very old gray rock. - Has survived through weathering and animal crossings. - Minerals unknown at present. - Leftover residue of feces still attached. ¡®Ewww¡¯ Kai tosses the rock instantly and noticed several points. ¡®Information gets more detailed after continuous usage of the skill on the same object. The detail also seems to correlate to the skills current level. As for the last piece of information, it¡¯s almost as if the skill has a temper or mood. I wonder if it¡¯s just using my own mind against me?¡¯ After using his skill on many random objects until it returned without further information, Kai gained a skill level up. - Reality Comprehension [Lvl:2]: Increased detail in the objects focused on. In addition to the level up a new skill appeared in a prompt. - Self-Reality Alter [Lvl:1]: Able to alter how others perceive you by editing your own description prompt. Restricted to small objects. Disabled if you touch the affected opponents or the illusion is destroyed. Duration 1 minute, consumes 20 mana points. ¡®Wow, I wonder how that works. I¡¯ll be sure to test it later, but for now I¡¯ll focus on my first skill some more.¡¯ Kai turned his sights towards the group. He decided to view everyone with his newly leveled skill excluding Sylvia. The order at which he decided to look was Marc, Tessa, Sedric, Relanis, Helena, and Kira. - Dangerous up and coming new warrior. - Worrying about when or if he will ever see pizza bread again. (Marc) - Head over heels for Sedric. - Debating whether or not to continue viewing his backside or to talk to him. (Tessa) - Notices Tessa, deciding whether to continue ignoring or start chatting. - Interested about Kira¡¯s location of interest. (Sedric) - Status affected by minor hangover. - Relaxed since Helena has paused her continuous advances. (Relanis) - Currently feeling down and avoiding Relanis. - Activating her new skill has shown things in a new light. (Helena) - Steady increase in heart rate, tightly grasping onto the two objects within her hands. (Kira) ¡®What¡¯s got her in a fright? I wonder what those objects in her hands are.¡¯ Now curious and worried, Kai tried to activate his skill again until a prompt window appeared. - Mana:0/100 Skill cannot be used. Mana recovery rate plus one every 10 minutes, faster when resting or standing still. ¡®Crap! I forgot about my mana...¡¯ In deep thought about what to do, on whether to confront Kira or to ask the group for a short break, Tessa appeared at Kai¡¯s side. ¡°Hey, Kai you never told us what your class was.¡± Forcefully interrupted mid way with a hand over her mouth. ¡°Shh, keep it down¡­¡± Pushing his hand aside they trailed towards the back of the group. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t tell anyone or laugh¡­ Do you Promise?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yeah, tell me.¡± ¡°M-My class is Scholar¡­¡± Kai awkwardly stated. *Pftt* "That''s so like you." "You just laughed didn''t you..." "Of course, should I give you some homework for the weekend as well?" "Thanks..., I''m glad I told you." Kai sarcastically replied. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m sorry. Perhaps the title of the class is the only thing that¡¯s bad. How are your stats and skills?¡± ¡°The thing is my stats are dirt poor compared to everyone else¡¯s. All my skills are completely random and basically useless.¡± Before waiting for an obvious response to ask what they do Kai explained. ¡°The first one I got is a passive skill that lets me stay focused in a tense environment plus giving me minor resistance to mental attacks. As for [Reality Comprehension], after testing a few things. It gives random information about what I focus on, displayed in a prompt window. After using it for a while I got a new skill. I haven¡¯t used it yet, but the title seems like it will allow me to alter the perception of how I¡¯m viewed, into any small object I choose.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Tessa stared at Kai oddly for a moment before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s quite strange it¡¯s almost as if you got what you wanted.¡± ¡°What do you mean, I didn¡¯t want to be a weakling especially in a dream¡­¡± ¡°If you look at it compared to the real world. The reason you majored in Psychology was for the reason to be able to figure anyone or any situation out by your surroundings. So, in a sense, you got what you wished for.¡± ¡°Yea, but-¡± Kai hesitatingly responds before getting stopped. ¡°Look! Whatever¡¯s done is done. You can¡¯t change it, so quit acting like a baby and focus on what you have¡­ Now, I¡¯m guessing since you used your skill enough to gain a new skill and when I approached you, you weren¡¯t looking around as much as before. You ran out of mana didn¡¯t you?¡± Tessa suspected while looking at Kai wide eyed. ¡°Uh Yeah, I was about to ask for a break, so I could recover some mana points faster.¡± ¡°There''s no need, I have just the thing! You see my class is cleric and along with a healing skill, I¡¯m also able to grant increased mana regeneration. Right now it''s only four mana points per second but it should help you out. Want me to use it on you?¡± ¡°Only!? Yes, definitely that would help.¡± After thanking Tessa, he remembered the last prompt from Kira. Kai looked in her direction and noticed a pair of glowing lights through a bush beyond her. Focusing on the light Kai inadvertently activated Reality Comprehension. - Wild Animal: Currently stalking prey and awaiting for the right time to strike. Danger! After reading the prompt Kai shouted, ¡°Watch out, Kira! There''s something in the bushes ahead of you!¡± Having heard this Kira with a puzzled expression looked over at Kai. Turning her back on the bushes, a figure of a large snake with fangs overextending from within its original jaw structure lunged for a death strike. *DAAAT* Striking the oversized alien looking snake was a rock thrown by Marc. A direct hit to the side of the face. Falling back from the impact the snake hisses and scurried away after losing its opportune first strike. ¡°Are you alright Kira?¡± Sedric said. ¡°Yeah, nice reaction time Marc.¡± ¡°Anytime, it was thanks to my new passive skill [Initiative]. It allows me to react fast to combat related instances. However, if Kai didn¡¯t shout it out I would have never known.¡± Marc stated as he and everyone else turned to Kai. ¡®Damn it, I attracted their attention. Should I lie about my class?¡¯ ¡°So, how far is it till this place you want to visit Kira? Also don¡¯t you think we should take a short break to prepare some type of self-defense? Also is anyone else getting a bit hungry or is that just me?¡± Kai attempted to divert the question from himself and successfully grabbed their attention with the self-defense and food part. For self-defense Marc walked over to several trees and broke off branches the size of large walking sticks. He handed one to everyone for them to use. After everyone received their first weapon, they all thanked Marc. For the next question they all turned to Kira. ¡°I thought this was a dream, so why are we getting hungry. I thought the Polaris Engine would heal and give us nutrients so we would be maintained within this world for a long amount of time.¡± Relanis asked with a worried expression. ¡°Yes, well this has to relate with our minds that are accustomed with eating, so even in a dream we will feel hunger. Although, you are correct and the Polaris Engine will prevent any issues. However, it will be best to eat and satisfy your hunger, else it will hinder your overall performance just like in real life. I have prepared for this in advance and within your backpacks are rations that will last for several weeks depending on how you use them. After that we will need to be able to get our own food.¡± Allowing everyone to take a break and eat Kira settled down on a rock to focus on the seal. Marc grabbed his food out of the pack and starts eating while going over to Tessa and Kai. ¡°This isn¡¯t half bad she actually prepared a pizza flavored meal. It can¡¯t compare with my favorite pizza bread, but not bad.¡± ¡®Is that due to you not having the pleasure of taking off half the toppings?¡¯ ¡°You just thought something bad didn¡¯t you¡­¡± Marc replied as if knowing a tell that states whether Kai is harboring evil thoughts. ¡°Maybe, but don¡¯t you think it''s weird that the first thing we do once we get here is head to a destination, instead of figuring out exactly who else may be within this dream. Seeing as there''s monsters lurking, wouldn¡¯t that point to other beings. Maybe even other humans and things we can¡¯t even begin to imagine existing as well?¡± ¡°In short you want information on this world. I understand what you mean, but if Kira wants to go somewhere first, it''s not like any of us would object.¡± Marc reluctantly answered. ¡°Anyways stop trying to divert the attention away from yourself. What¡¯s the deal, how were you able to know that there was a snake in the bushes?¡± Before Kai could answer, Tessa not able to stand staying quiet anymore told Marc everything about his class and skills before giving Kai a chance to. ¡°A scholar? That¡¯s a joke right? What are you going to do, read to them until they get bored and leave? Ah, wait you don¡¯t have a book so recited from memory?¡± Marc responded similar to kicking a man while he¡¯s already down. ¡°Tess! This is why I told you not to tell anyone, such a pain. This humiliation is unbearable¡­¡± Already gone from the scene to avoid Kai¡¯s anger, Tessa is seen eating her food and joining up with Sedric into a conversation. Knowing he went too far, Marc attempted to console his friend. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal man, if you look at the class from another perspective since you got such a crappy class, maybe you will gain stat points and skills faster than others. Also you were the one who allowed us to prevent the danger. If it wasn¡¯t for you who knows, Kira might of been woken up from this dream and back in the real world for dying. Haha-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think thats something to laugh about and crappy¡­, Well you may be right, after just using my first skill a few times I already got a new skill and leveled up the other one.¡± ¡°See!... Well, I¡¯m going to sharpen this branch so it¡¯ll be more useful in combat. Don¡¯t let it get you too down.¡± Marc replied while leaving to find an object to sharpen his branch with. ¡®Ah! That reminds me I found out something weird with Kira and was going to look further into it until that snake appeared.¡¯ Focused on Kira, Kai saw her with the seal in hand and then some sort of magic manipulation occurred. Kai decided to use Reality Comprehension to figure out what¡¯s going on. - Creation magic currently activated, something is being formed. ¡®Huh, that doesn¡¯t make any sense, let¡¯s try it again.¡¯ Focusing specifically on the seal Kai activated his skill again. Instead of viewing a typical prompt, Kai is overwhelmed with massive amounts of data streaming through his mind that seemed to be never-ending. After seizing for a moment Kai went unconscious and hit the ground. ¡°Kai!¡± shouts from Marc and Tessa can be heard first followed by others gathering around. "Hey, he''s waking up!" Helena said. ¡°Argh, What happened?¡± Kai said as he put his hand to his face, rubbing as if to rid a headache. ¡°You tell us. One moment you''re fine, then the next you''re eating the floor.¡± Marc replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened¡­¡± Remembering what occurred Kai looked for Kira who was nowhere near him. ¡°Ok well, just take it easy we can stay here for a while if you need.¡± Helena stated with concern. ¡°No, I¡¯ll be ready in a few minutes. We should get going before it gets too late.¡± ¡®Damn, what was that? I remember focusing on the object within Kira¡¯s grasp and then¡­ Where did the thing go, did she put it away? Hmm, Where did she get those glasses from?¡¯ Kai walked up to Kira and asked ¡°Where did those come from? I thought you couldn¡¯t bring non-biophysical matter from the real world here.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Well, with my class and previous experience I made these through creation magic by using and manipulating the energy within an object.¡± Kira replied without bringing the object out of her backpack. Just before Kai could ask about the object Tessa interjects and added. ¡°Isn¡¯t that amazing, she did that during the ten minutes your were passed out.¡± ¡°Wow, so if it¡¯s made from magic, does it have any extra uses compared to a normal set of reading glasses?¡± Kai asked full of curiosity. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you caught on. Yes, in fact it allows me to view information on objects and items that can be used for crafting. Another weird thing I noticed aside from that, is it also points in a direction as if a tracker of something. I¡¯m not quite sure what it¡¯s pointing at however.¡± Kira responded in an informative manner. ¡®Just like my skill but with a higher level and limited to crafting materials only.¡¯ ¡°You gave everyone quite a scare. Is everything alright? If you think it¡¯s a side effect of entering the dream world let me know right away, ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. I don¡¯t think its related.¡± Kai ended his questioning there and didn¡¯t ask in more detail about the seal. To avoid explanation of his class and skills, Kai decided against it. Continuing on to Kira¡¯s destination they arrived at the place during mid day, after two more hours of walking. During the trip Kai ended up raising his skills with the help of Tessa¡¯s mana regeneration skill. [Reality Comprehension] rose to level four, granting increased detail of information and now displayed monster levels. Coincidentally his passive skill [Critical Thinking] raised to level two and boosted his mental resistance to twenty percent. Kai also tested his new skill [Self-Reality Alter] bringing it to level three. The skill lasts for five minutes and now he is able to change the description of his appearance into a medium sized object, one by one meter big. The ability worked by effecting a single target he changed his perspective for and not everyone viewing him. The mana cost also decreased from twenty to twelve. ¡°This is where you wanted to go?¡± Sedric asked. Viewing the area is what seemed to have existed over a decade ago, some type of human settlement. Ruins of burnt wood and large vegetation was grown over everything in excess. Walking further in, the group reached a large crater smothered with residue ash. With the seal in hand Kira started to feel very faint, remembering what happened here last time. Going up to it, Marc touched the surface of the crater. ¡°Ow!... Damn it¡¯s still hot. What''s going on?¡± While Marc backed away, Kai focused on the crater. - Trap activated, seal detected teleportal beacon activated. Target set: seal and the object with it, all else will be ignored. Instead of shouting to back away Kai acted first and believed the so called seal is the object Kira was currently holding and what made him pass out. Running up to Kira as fast as possible and snatching the seal from her grasp Kai pushed her back. The surrounding ash collected and formed into a dark blob the size of a beach ball. The darkness instantly beamed into Kai and forcefully knocked him back into the grasps of Sylvia. Upon hitting them the shadow enshrouded both their bodies. Accompanied with yells of fear, a large flash of light occurred leaving only pieces of backpack, along with their walking stick¡¯s torn to shreds. Chapter 4: Rabbit Hunting In another dimension both Sylvia and Kai were enshrouded in darkness. Around them in every direction is viewed as passing scenery at very high speeds. Instead of instantaneous teleportation the power is actually high speed movement in an alternate phase of existence. Catching Kai out of reflex Sylvia ended up being teleported as well. Able to move around as the darkness acted like a bodysuit, Kai focused on it and activated [Reality Comprehension]. - Teleportation active, requirements seal. It may be possible to disrupt the teleportation mid use. Without second questioning the latter part of the prompt. Kai tried the only possible course of action he could think of, while Sylvia seemed to be in a daze from the initial impact. Using the skill [Self-Reality Alter], he changed the description of how the shadow bodysuit perceived him. Turning himself into a boulder one meter wide and tall, Kai hoped to disrupt the spell. Soon after, the shadow bodysuit gradually broke off, first from Sylvia then from Kai¡¯s frame due to the requirements not being met and deactivated the teleportation mid jump. *SPLASH* Exiting the alternate plane of existence Kai plunged from the air directly into a lake. ¡°Fwuaa!¡± Frantically rising up to the surface to catch his breath Kai coughed up water. In the attempt to avoid from drowning he slowly made his way to land. Kai noticed that luckily since the skill worked, it hadn¡¯t encompassed Sylvia and due to that she was thrown out first. Going for the shortest distance to land he spotted an area with no signs of life, hoping Sylvia chose the same side of the lake as him. Moving along the shallow muddy waters. Kai found himself still currently in a forest. Observing the surroundings to be quite different from before Kai deemed his area to be far from his friends. Taking the time to relax and gather his thoughts. Kai believed Sylvia would be able to take care of herself and didn¡¯t rush to locate her. Kai started to strip and set aside his wet clothes and shoes to dry. Upon inspection of his backpack Kai noticed the original two compartments underwent an alteration. Now existed a new lightweight version at the expense of storage capacity. The second outer compartment was completely sliced off leaving only the first part. Thanks to the quality of material Kira used in the backpack, none of the items within were affected by the plunge into the lake. The assessment of the contents within the backpack contained several days worth of food supplies and fresh water, with the addition of a first aid kit. However, it seemed that the important camping and survival kit were gone with the other half of the backpack. Kai placed the seal within his hand into the backpack for safe keeping. ''First off, I need to find Sylvia then to find some shelter, as well as gather more food.'' The issue of water was taken care of by the lake he knew was safe, when he unintentionally swallowed water in the process of trying not to drown. Despair never appeared as if survival instincts had kicked in, Kai pushed the thoughts of reuniting with Marc and Tessa aside. Affirming the situation at hand was more important. Kai opened his status window. Instantly his expression took a plunge, followed by a long felt sigh. ¡°Ugh, as expected I got hurt from that fall.¡± As any lonely person would Kai spoke aloud to himself. Having registered the amount of damage to be a tad over half his current health. Kai¡¯s remaining health was 32 out of 70. While fidgeting about in frustration a noise from the trees grabbed his full attention. ¡®Huh, Sylvia should be coming from that direction¡­ Oh, crap I¡¯m butt-naked!¡¯ Noticing too late and opposite of what he envisioned, a magical creature similar to a large black bear with hide of stone emerged. Kai activated his [Self-Reality Alter] in an attempt to hide. Changing his appearance to that of a wide tree stump. ¡®Ah crap, it saw me didn¡¯t it!¡¯ Scared for his life at the thought of meeting eye contact with the beast and second guessing the possibilities of failure. Kai activated [Reality Comprehension] as the bear approached. - Stone Bear: [Lvl:25] - Common lower level predator seeking resting grounds with drinking water. Current status: Bewildered With the cautiously approaching Stone Bear, Kai¡¯s first thought was directed at the level. Thinking of ways to beat the Stone Bear and how long it would take to accomplish. Imagining this world as a game with more than advanced graphics. He thought about the grind necessary to compete against these creatures on equal footing. However, with a halt to his imagination, due to the rising fear of being found out. Kai started to question the details revolving [Self-Reality Alter]. ¡®Won¡¯t he be able to smell me? I¡¯ve yet to try it on anything living.¡¯ Trying to stay as still as his appearance to not give himself away. The Stone Bear appeared right in front of the face, of the crouched down Kai. Able to feel the breathe of the beast, Kai¡¯s fear meter rose uncontrollably. ¡®It¡¯s going to eat me!¡¯ There¡¯s no way that the Stone Bear did not sense Kai. With all the shaking and high level of fear by no means was his imitation of a tree stump accurate. Although to the wild beast all it saw was a tree stump on the edge of a lake, in an odd location no less. ¡®Huh, it¡¯s turning around. Yes! I¡¯m safe...¡¯ The Stone Bear turned and tension started to relieve from Kai. ¡®Wait! What the hell is it doing? Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯ To Kai¡¯s amazement the bear ended up marking his territory by pissing all over him. ¡®Ahh! For crying out loud. Are you serious...¡¯ Complaint after complaint the Stone Bear eventually left down the side of the lake opposite from the direction Sylvia was known to be at. Without noticing, the first thing Kai wanted to do was jump into the lake. But with a pause he considered the benefits of being doused in piss. As he thought, he activated [Reality Comprehension] on his pee covered naked body. - A fool covered in Stone Bear urine. Side effects: Unpleasant odor, reduced threat from most small to medium sized creatures. ¡°Ah ha! Just as I thought, reduced threat. Now I only have to decide¡­¡± Debating on whether or not to leave the urine on. Kai decided that it would be better to withstand the smell for reduced encounters with monsters. He would also run out of mana in no time using his [Self-Reality Alter] too frequently. The cause being the fact that the monsters in the area were immensely stronger. Kai recognized that the lake is a frequented hot spot that many creatures would travel to. To avoid confrontations he quickly dressed up, drank water from the lake and ate food on the way towards Sylvia¡¯s direction. Kai recovered twenty-six health points making his current health 58 out of 70. Along with his health a slight mana recovery occurred, which brought his mana to 80 of 100. Kai¡¯s thoughts were focused on the details of how [Self-Reality Alter] worked. The skill affected all five senses of the targeted opponent. Not only changing the sense of smell it worked for sound. Through the encounter with the Stone Bear, Kai found out that the skill would work regardless of location. Meaning the ability to move, after the skill was activated is possible. That the skill technically places an illusion at the dedicated activation spot. As for the last sense of taste, it had yet to be tested, but Kai determined that as well would be altered and successful. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°I took the piss head on¡­ I could¡¯ve moved!¡± Failing to notice this factor beforehand dealt a sharp blow to his ego. After regretting the prior event, Kai noticed he had been safe thus far and accepted it at face value. It was all thanks to the Stone Bears urine¡­ ¡®I wonder if Sylvia¡¯s alright.¡¯ If Kai had a choice of who to be stuck with, he couldn¡¯t have chose any better. The perfectly figured Sylvia with white hair shaded gray, flowing elegantly down to her buttocks was the first image that entered into Kai¡¯s thoughts. Now starting to worry whether or not she encountered a monster as well, Kai¡¯s mind was put somewhat at ease when he remembered what her class and stats were when everyone said theirs aloud. Sylvia being a specialist class along with Sedric, made her overall stats for everything rather high. The side effect of allowing her to do generally anything, made all her stats dramatically high. Kai wondered about what she did in real life, figuring if the stats were like his own and proportionally related to what one has done in real life. Then she must know a lot, at the very least self-defense to protect herself. This relaxed his mind, nevertheless Kai ended up increasing his pace ignoring his logical conclusion. To his surroundings all Kai could see that allowed him to use as a weapon, were numerous rocks and small twigs. Everything else numbered from large logs to boulders. ¡®Heh useless, just gonna have to wait till we enter the forest to grab another stick.¡¯ As Kai walked along the muddy shore his mind fell back into the gutters, filled with visions of being alone with Sylvia. Retracting him from his thoughts the sounds of a fight entered his ears while approaching a bend of rocks. Kai ran around the boulders and used [Reality Comprehension] on the monster currently engaged with Sylvia. - Young Ballisk: [Lvl:12] - Considered a child, however still dangerous. Evolved form of a snake gaining stronger scales and can easily grow past 3 meters long. Avoid the acid spitting if possible. The ballisk was roughly one meter long as it slithered onto land in pursuit. Sylvia continued to further back away from the water, accompanied with a bleeding arm that was partially melted from acid. Sylvia stopped to stand her ground when Kai came up and threw a rock at the ballisk. The monster easily dodged the rock and immediately headed in Kai¡¯s direction. Kai activated [Self-Reality Alter] to scare away the creature in hopes to also impress Sylvia. Changing his appearance from the monster¡¯s viewpoint, all it saw standing there was a smaller version of the Stone Bear, Kai had encountered. Kai hoped for the monster to fear the Stone Bear¡¯s presence and took a chance with a smaller version, enough to not be recognized as an adult. To the ballisk all it saw was a Stone Bear ferociously roaring at enemies in their territory. The ballisk slithered away in fear. The Stone Bear''s were known to be natural enemies with hides of stone that prevented all acid attacks making confrontations dangerously pointless. ¡°How did you do that!¡± Sylvia questioned while moving closer to Kai, who stared at her and the exposed flesh of her bleeding arm. ¡°Oh this, it¡¯s no big deal.¡± Sylvia activated her skill [Healing Essence]. The next moment her arm was the enactment of a video player¡¯s rewind feature. At a steady pace the blood on her arm flowed back into the closing wound just like new, repairing the melted flesh and purging the acid. ¡°See?-... Eww, What in the world is that horrible smell?!¡± Sylvia covered her nose as she asked with an appalled voice. ¡®Why does this always happen! Can I never have a normal conversation with her?!¡¯ Kai thought as he sought an explanation or excuse that the smell didn¡¯t come from him. ¡°Ah¡­ This is urine of a bear I encountered before coming here. I ended up playing dead and it pissed on me¡­ I decided to keep it on for the possibility of deterring monsters. And look it worked! That ballisk ran away in fear.¡± Kai said as he told half truths and started laughing to mask his humiliation. ¡°That¡¯s disgusting, please don¡¯t come near me.¡± ¡°...We should head into the forest, it¡¯s probably safer than staying near the water.¡± As Kai replied, Sylvia stared at him with an expression that said she wouldn¡¯t go anywhere together with him. ¡°Fine, I get it. I¡¯ll go clean it off¡­¡± Kai sighed as he striped to his boxers in front of Sylvia and went into the lake to wash the urine off. After the wash Kai walked out of the lake and was confronted by Sylvia who gave him a towel to dry off with. ¡°Huh, thanks. Where did you get that?¡± Kai accepted the secondhand wet towel and started patting himself dry. ¡°From my backpack. I saw that yours was cut in half. You¡¯re missing important supplies, so we have to share for now.¡± ¡®Oh, she''s quite reasonable maybe it wasn¡¯t such a good idea to lie to her.¡¯ While attempting not to show his enjoyment of Sylvia¡¯s scent, Kai drained the towel as much as possible then handed it back to Sylvia. ¡°Do you see those mountains beyond the forest? I think it''s best, to head in that direction to figure out where we are, by looking down from a high vantage point.¡± Kai said ¡°That¡¯s fine, this doesn¡¯t look like the same forest that we were in with Helena and the others.¡± Shortly after, Kai and Sylvia headed towards the mountains still slightly wet. The size of the trees increased into miniature skyscrapers the further they went in, making the forest seem endlessly vast. With the abundance of wood, Kai found a suitable stick laying around with ease. A stick worthy of being called a shepherds cane, reaching just over the 5¡¯11¡± Kai. ¡°I think you should get a stick also-¡± Before Kai could finish his sentence in Sylvia¡¯s hand was a dagger made out of petrified wood with sharp jagged edges. The dagger was two feet long including the hilt. With it in hand Sylvia was sharpening a large stick into a spear. Staring at her with his mouth wide open and a face full of jealousy, Kai turned around dejectedly with his hopes to help Sylvia find a weapon crushed. ¡°Huh, did you say something?¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s a nice weapon you got there but couldn¡¯t you just use the dagger?¡± ¡°It''s better to save it as a last resort. This dagger isn¡¯t metal and is the only sharp object we have.¡± Sylvia replied brimming with self-reliance. ¡°Seems like you`re used to this kind of thing.¡± ¡°You could say that¡­¡± Sylvia curtly replied. ¡®Ok¡­, Guess she won¡¯t open up to me that easily.¡¯ Kai thought when he decided to activate [Reality Comprehension] several times on Sylvia. - Sylvia Faye: [Lvl:2] - Focused on making a shelter worrying about night time. - Skill in weapon crafting has risen. - Able to easily read your intentions and knows your hiding the truth. Lying is bad. - More likely to survive here than you. ¡®Wait, what she''s already level two!? Eh?... Am I that easy to read?¡¯ Kai stubbornly stuck to his methods and would continue to hide the truth unless forced otherwise. Unable to ask about how she rose in level, Kai guessed it must of occurred right before he met up with her, proving his first thought that she could handle things alone. As if reading her mind Kai suggested finding shelter before nightfall. ¡°There must be something we can use for shelter or perhaps make.¡± One step ahead of him, Sylvia laid out a canvas for the ground and aside from it a tent missing the support. Both the items were made out of high quality silk threads, spider¡¯s silk known to be ten times stronger than Kevlar. ¡°Oh, nice that solves a lot. Now we just need to find sticks to hold up the tent.¡± Kai said as he looked around for possible supports. ¡°You mean, all I need to do is find support for my tent¡­ I¡¯m giving you the canvas, you¡¯re on your own from there.¡± Sylvia stated emphasizing on the "my" part and went to fix her tent. ¡®Huh, you can¡¯t be serious.¡¯ Kai continued staring at Sylvia with an irritated expression. Then following suite he took the folded canvas and went off to find his own shelter as animosity started growing, and his dreams of sleeping next to Sylvia crumbled. Looking around for a place to setup camp after being shunned away. Kai spotted a large hollow tree, big enough to contain a fully sprawled out body. Instead of using the canvas for the ground, Kai set it up as a curtain held up by rocks and sticks from the inside. As for the ground he would lie on large leaves that were placed for cushioning. The distance ended up being a two minute walk at a slow pace from Sylvia¡¯s location. Having finished setting up his shelter rather quickly Kai went to check up on Sylvia. In view of Sylvia¡¯s domain was a grand tent as if built by a professional. Along with her tent she had ropes made out of the same material used for the main support. The ropes were tied in between two trees giving the tent its height. Using her dagger to create wooden stakes she used them to make the tent secured along with large sticks for extra support. Like Kai, she applied the finishing touches of bedding with finer quality leaves. ¡®Well, this obviously isn¡¯t her first time camping...¡¯ At the same time he thought that, Kai unconsciously said ¡°Is that for sale, how much you want?¡± Kai found that the comment went unheard and moved in closer to Sylvia for discussion of today¡¯s game plan, before it turned dark. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this would relate to you since you can self heal, but I believe it¡¯s best to search for our own food and save what we already have for emergency situations. Using the rations as a means to heal, we have to go hunting for food to curb our hunger. Now for, the decision of what to hunt. I saw some rabbits, squirrels, and rats along the way that would be easy enough I think. I¡¯m also gonna take a guess, and cross off rats, because you didn¡¯t like the bear piss so I doubt you¡¯d wanna eat rat.¡± Waiting for her reply, all Kai noticed were minor changes in facial expressions, which made his guess one hundred percent correct. ¡°We can hunt the rabbits, but it¡¯s not as easy as you think. The squirrels would be too difficult, since they¡¯ll eventually climb up trees.¡± Sylvia completely ignored the part about rats. They stealthily wandered around for roughly five minutes, until they spotted a rabbit in the distance. Instead of verbally giving visual confirmation, Kai used several hand gestures from pointing at the rabbit to various other hand movements that made out a plan for capture. Tilting her head, Sylvia quietly said ¡°You expect me to understand that?¡± Staring at her for a moment as if she came from another world, Kai realized he also didn¡¯t know what he was implying. ¡°Umm¡­ You go distract the rabbit and lure it to me, and I¡¯ll grab it.¡± Without questioning Kai¡¯s overly unimpressive plan, Sylvia followed his directions knowing the outcome would end up in complete failure, giving her a proper chance to gain leadership of future decisions. Sylvia made her roundabout way as to not prematurely arouse the rabbit. Getting into position the signal from Kai to commence the operation was given. Kai activated [Self-Reality Alter] changing his presence into a maximum sized boulder against a tree hoping to limit the rabbit¡¯s escape routes. Kai watched as Sylvia corralled the rabbit as best she could to him. ¡®Wow, she''s actually pretty good, that thing is coming right at me. I didn¡¯t think this plan would work. The actual method that I knew, which was somewhat plausible, was if I turned myself into food the rabbit loved to eat. That would however risk revealing my skills.¡¯ Kai thought this as he figured out which path the rabbit would take and readied his staff, with his stance that looked like a golfer but aiming slightly higher. ¡®Now, all I need to do is wait patiently for the right time to swing.¡¯ The rabbit in its attempt to quickly flee, easily gained distance from Sylvia and the initial tension from the chase disappeared. By doing so, the rabbit eased off the speed and didn¡¯t take evasive maneuvers. While passing a boulder the rabbit suddenly ceased all cognitive functions. *DAAAT!* Flying into the distance straight into a tree, the impact created a loud thump after the sound from the initial first hit. Walking up to the deceased rabbit with an extra oomph in his steps, signified Kai¡¯s mood to be a joyous one. Kai held up the four foot long rabbit from its hind legs as Sylvia approached. ¡°How¡¯d you do that!¡± Puzzled beyond belief, Sylvia watched as blood dripped from the mouth of the rabbit, whose joints were completely dislocated turning it into a complete wreck. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Hmm? You saw what happened right? I killed it with my stick, while getting rid of an extra step in the cooking process and made it pre-tenderized.¡± "Yea, but..." Sylvia gave a glare that meant he took it too far on the poor rabbit. "Huh? What''s the problem now... Were we suppose to have it squirm in our bellies when we ate it alive? Look, you kill the next one if that makes you happy." They agreed on switching positions when they spotted another unsuspecting victim that entered their area. Kai moved around attempting his best at mirroring Sylvia''s past movements. In doing so, Kai had a brief moment filled with ill-harbored thoughts of creating a prank. By using his skill, just to make a stone bear appear and scare the defenseless rabbit would force it into taking evasive actions. Knowing it best not to waste his precious mana pool for personal animosity or enjoyment, he ran after the rabbit leading it into the trap. Sylvia in place popped out from hiding alerting the rabbit several meters away. As the rabbit turned to alter its course, Sylvia with her spear in hand took proper stance and activated [Unique Onslaught] a special buff type magic. In her eyes mere seconds turned into vividly slow motion of the rabbit. Sylvia with the heightened abilities of all senses threw the spear in hand. Released from her grasp the spear found its way lodged into the ground just after skewering the rabbit. Going up to grab her spear, Sylvia also reduced a necessary step from the cooking process by making it ready-to-be grilled. ''Whoa, that was sort of scary... She''s even worse than me!'' Kai prodded the impaled rabbit with his stick. Before he could make a sarcastic joke the face of a girl harboring many emotions entered his sight. Sylvia filled with mixed emotions of pain, anger, and sadness looked like she wanted to cry. "Hey! What''s wrong? It has to be killed to eat, don''t let it get to you..." Kai said in a soft tone as he thought she might be sad from killing a cute furry forest critter. Not responding with her body mostly turned from Kai, a hand touched her shoulder. "Are you ok?" Kai was enamored into a one sided perspective of reasoning, ready to take back all his jokes and sarcastic replies, all to never see Sylvia''s face filled with despair ever again. In what looked to be a single action Sylvia turned, at the same time launching a palm strike to Kai''s chest. Kai fell down from the force of the hit and slid into a bush which cushioned his impact from receiving any fatal damage. Kai coughed out saliva, as he held the point of contact gasping for air. Not being able to breathe for roughly ten seconds, all he could do was sit and wait until he recovered. Sitting upright as if a limp corpse, the only available option Kai had was to use [Reality Comprehension] on Sylvia. - Sylvia Faye: [Lvl:3] - Status affected by [Unique Onslaught]. Mind is unstable best not to approach. Will return to normal state shortly. - The usage of [Unique Onslaught] requires a stable mind. The possibility of the user losing their sense of reality and control are very likely. - Unaccustomed to this new sensation, however unusually calm likely to adapt quickly. General situation of activating this skill lead to uncontrolled bloodlust. Using his skill any further returned error and empty prompts, thus ending his investigations. Kai opened up his status prompt to view the full extent of damage as he left Sylvia alone to stand in place. - HP: 35 / 70 - Caution nearing critical levels. ¡®Holy..., I lost thirty HP to one strike.¡¯ The surprise sank in rather quickly after already accepting the fact he was considered a squishy scholar and not meant to endure pain. Kai remained seated on the bush and got comfortable by setting aside his backpack that also reduced a majority of the impact. To recover his health Kai pulled out his smushed food and began to eat, creating a scene similar to watching movies in a theater. Kai recovered a good portion of his health and was back up to 52 of 70, then thought of ways to help Sylvia. Of his many thoughts the one that stood out the most was to tell the truth allowing her to open up to him. ¡®The first step of patients against counseling, requires simulating a connection through means of mirroring behaviors or talking about similar interests. However, in her case she¡¯s apart from the norm, meaning the best option is to scare her with the truth. This would bring her to the reality of the situation and allow her to accept my help. The possibility of failure would leave her traumatized in similar future cases, but that would depend on how she thought of me.¡¯ Kai initiated his plan before the effects of [Unique Onslaught] wore off. ¡°Ugh, my head hurts. What happened?¡± Sylvia held her head while looking for Kai expecting a bitter response. It then hit her like flood gates bursting open, a sea of past memories swarmed in. Sylvia fell to her knees, all at once remembering what occurred her eyes stuck completely focused to the front. Kai was positioned on a bush profusely bleeding from his mouth; the proof of a shattered rib cage was apparent, by the caved in chest and time of death near instant. On her knees no form of speech escaped her mouth, only the thought of murdering an innocent person entered her consciousness. Off to her side after moving his position, Kai watched as someone he barely knew shed tears for him. ''I may have gone too far...'' Kai thought as he reached out his hand, before abruptly coming to a halt. Almost reenacting the past mistake, Kai extended his hand into her field of vision to help her up and deactivated [Self-Reality Alter]. "Maybe you¡¯ll be a bit nicer to me now?¡± In shock, Sylvia turned her sight from the empty bush and stared at Kai eventually accepting his hand. Kai lifted her off the ground and suddenly felt the first real implications of viewing Sylvia as a girl other than her beauty. Along with noticing her lightness from lifting her up off the ground, he also saw a side of Sylvia that would normally never be seen. The child like face covered in tears stayed silent suddenly aware of her appearance. Kai unsure whether or not the plan succeeded had hoped to wait until she replied before explaining everything. He knew that it would be one or the other, either she hated him and things between them got even worse or through succeeding they could finally talk without any barriers or lies. ¡°[Unique Onslaught] is dangerous you need to never use it in situations unless as a last resort. My class allows me to know information on anything I focus on with the addition of the skill I just showed you. We need to get back to our shelter, we don¡¯t know how the nights are in this forest yet.¡± Kai knew he would have to give the short version instead of saying he would explain everything back at camp. ¡°Nnn-¡­¡± Sylvia responded in an exhausted manner Arriving back at Sylvia¡¯s tent, Kai dragged the rabbits by their hind legs with one in each hand and set them on top of several leaves. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a grill set or fire ability would you?¡± Kai said as he examined Sylvia¡¯s backpack that tripled in size to his own from the extra compartment. Not expecting a reply Kai turned to observe the surroundings. In front of him the forest continued until only darkness could be seen. His will for starting a fire increased the moment he realized night was approaching. Kai looked back at the pile of firewood collected earlier during the day, then watched as Sylvia got up to move in the direction of a large tree. "Hide yourself and get away." The amount of calmness from her tone made Kai nervous to the point of wondering if Sylvia had a severe case of mood swings. ''Where''s she going?'' Sylvia strolled to the nearest tree passing by Kai and disappeared from his sight. Sensing the unnatural vibe starting to grow he activated [Reality Comprehension] in every direction he could. Behind a bush and hidden in other dark areas prompts of being watched appeared. - Scout squad of marauders have spotted your camp. Currently unalarmed and moving in for capture. There''s an arrow pointed at your leg for extra measure although confident in their tactics and hiding skills. Off to his side another prompt arose. - Flanking capture target, readied with net. Kai knew it was a matter of seconds before everything turned into chaos. The choice of action he deemed correct was to slowly move in closer to the archer as he kept tabs on the location of the netter. Now several meters away from the archer, any closer he thought it too risky. With everyone in place just as planned [Self-Reality Alter] was activated on the archer. Hoping that this would work, he could think of no better plan of action since the skill only affected a single target. Rushing past the scenery Sylvia was speeding as fast as possible out of the camp after the nonchalant warning given to Kai. After reaching a decent thirty second dash her field of vision switched back towards the camp. Sylvia circled around and hid herself within the dense forest of trees and bushes. Preparing for the run Sylvia made sure to hide the petrified dagger contained within its sheath along her backside tucked away under her shirt. On the ground near her right arm lay the makeshift spear created for hunting. Sylvia left camp having made sure to bring along weapons, leaving behind her large backpack. The sudden swaying of leaves and blurred movements started moving in closer to her vicinity. Sylvia headed for the first signs of activity maintaining a low posture and keeping her spear close to the ground instead of waiting in stealth. The disadvantage of being surrounded was fatal after noticing more than one target. Sylvia ran full speed around a tree nearing the suspected hiding spot as the sight of an arrow flew out from within the bushes. The moment the arrow appeared it sliced past her leg leaving a minor cut. However, in the same moment Sylvia arched her body and got off a spear throw directly back from the arrow''s point of origin. Shifting out of the bushes a moment too late the spear pierced into the stomach of the marauder. The sheer size of the marauder startled Sylvia, with beast like attributes and fur. The head in the form of a wild dog typically known as Gnoll''s. The hind horse-like legs pushed the marauder in one leap to the side. Before the beast realized Sylvia was on the same side with dagger in hand. Readying for the follow up attack the beast pulled out the spear and tossed it aside across the ground. In doing so Sylvia released a set of dagger slashes at vital points, aiming at both neck and arteries. Avoiding every slash with a single step and leap back Sylvia backed off while throwing the dagger pointed at the marauders left eye. Heading for the tossed away spear not looking at the outcome of the throw an emergency prompt appeared. - Poisoned: Further mana and health regeneration ceased. Paralysis taking effect, performance deteriorating. Cause, poisoned arrow tip. Upon picking up the spear with no time to spare through instincts to survive [Unique Onslaught] was activated. Acting as a neutralizing agent against the poison, all of her senses were heightened and processing events faster. The first thing she noticed was the marauder''s wound healing from the previous spear hit. The closing of the skin and regeneration of flesh. Then the thrown dagger on the ground from having bounced off the thick fur being blocked in mid air with an arm movement. Only to add to her troubles Sylvia finally spotted the second marauder approaching swiftly with a net. Sylvia withheld more control than the first activation time and her only focus was a way to eliminate the first threat. At two meters distance the marauder prepared a second arrow into the bow. She aimed for the shoulder this time faster than the marauder''s reload causing him to miss his shot. The spear struck deep but not enough to pierce completely through the back layer of fur. Dropping the bow the marauder tried to pull the spear out before noticing Sylvia directly in front of him. Surprised, the marauder instead reached out to grab and subdue Sylvia only to have the exact opposite happen. Avoiding the hand Sylvia stepped closing in with her back to his, while taking hold of the outstretched arm. Forcing an unbalanced weight distribution a perfect judo throw occurred. Not stopping there in continuation of her combo like move, during the fall she grabbed an arrow from the marauders quiver. On impact a solid grunt was heard from the marauder as he hit the hard forest terrain. Looking down at him grasping the arrow with both hands Sylvia mercilessly stabbed it into the left eye, the only known soft part of the marauders body. Intense howls of pain erupted as the paralysis poison started acting quickly on the marauder''s body. Reaching for the bow in a mocked attempt to shoot an arrow at the approaching netter whose distance was still roughly fifteen meters away failed horribly by striking a tree off to the side. Before Sylvia could reach for another arrow, an unexpected arrow was shot into her thigh from behind. Sylvia fell to the ground onto her hands and knees feeling a small pain as adrenaline surged through her veins. Followed by the deactivation of [Unique Onslaught] and the poison coursing through her bloodstream Sylvia collapsed unconscious on the ground. "Sylvia where are you?" Kai called out while hunched forward leaning over with his hands on his legs as if trying to catch his breath from a long run. As if signaling the marauder to open fire an arrow flew directly into his leg. Still not falling down another arrow found its way lodged into his shoulder. The arrow not being physically connected to the target and as a projectile allowed the illusion to be maintained. The illusion of Kai looking for Sylvia. Kai stared as he saw both the illusion set in place and the reality behind what truly unfolded. Flying past the illusion the first arrow entered the calf of the netter approaching from behind. The next razor sharp arrow shot directly into the heart of the marauder and served as a fatal wound. The marauder dropped to the ground as life left him and became nothing but a corpse. ''That could of been me!'' Kai''s ideal of pacifism was utterly destroyed leaving his next action one with absolute full force. Already next to the archer and positioned in baseball batting form, the time for rethinking his strategy was over. Kai swung his staff directly at the marauders head creating a loud crackling noise. A crack formed along the center of the staff but held together as to not entirely break apart. The marauder without any warning signs accepted the blow to his head completely unaware. He released the bow from his grasp and unsheathed a small dagger attached to his waist. Having the staff hit face first, wood particles entered into the eyes and along with the force of the blow temporarily blinded him. ''You can''t be serious!'' Expecting the head to fly off with brain matter in several directions the vivid imagination was nowhere near. Kai astonishingly watched as the marauder took a step back and swung his dagger veering directly on course to cutting his face. Kai raised the staff up with both arms in an attempt to avoid the instinctive slash. The dagger clashed with the staff and hammered it into his face. The staff hanged broken in half as the blade continued its course slicing the backside of his left forearm down to the bone. Kai felt the throbbing pain from the blow to his face more than the wide gash on his arm. He dropped the broken staff and retreated realizing he carried out the wrong choice of action. Kai stumbled into a cover of bushes. He glanced back to see the pissed off marauder fully recovered and loading an arrow. Kai fearfully activated [Self-Reality Alter], knowing his illusion wouldn''t stop an arrow but still his best chance of escape. The illusion was placed and he scrambled to get out of the way. To his horror the arrowhead pierced a four inch vine and continued into his upper right back. Kai felt the strong impact forcing him face flat on the ground from all fours. Kai grunted noticing the arrow had gone directly through his backpack, keeping it from penetrating far into his shoulder blade. Not able to use his left hand he pulled the backpack off with his other in one big jerk along with the arrow. The marauder slowly approached with another drawn arrow but lowered it seeing Kai''s dead body with an arrow in his chest. With his arrow and bow to the side he withdrew a dagger and started to make his way through the bush to confirm the kill. Kai in desperation pulled the arrow through the backpack and waited next to the illusion, ready to stab the marauder if he noticed the illusion to be fake. A frightening howl halted the marauder in his tracks while automatically sheathing his dagger and sprinting towards the cry of pain. Kai needed immediate medical attention and sought to bandage his left arm. He opened the first aid kit overflowing with frustration as it was necessary to use his hands to open the two latches. Inside the kit, a roll of bandages made out of the same material as the canvas, tent, and backpack was found. As he tied off his forearm an emergency prompt emerged indicating his slow death. - HP: 18 / 70 - Poison in effect, prevents hp and mana regeneration. Losing 1 HP every minute. - Mana: 16 / 100 - Currently being sapped from poison. -2 mana per minute, once fully depleted paralysis will take effect. Kai ignored the prompt and chose his top priority to flee the area, away from the beastly marauders. The only known possible safe haven was his little tree shelter. The distance and location being somewhat opposite of the howling was all he could afford to reach. Kai fastened his backpack on tightly enough to soak up the blood dripping from his back. All to avoid leaving behind a blood trail and headed to his shelter. On the painful walk a million questions plunged into deep chaos within his mind. Ranging from who and why the marauders attacked. The reason for the howling of pain and if Sylvia was okay. In his shelter, Kai dropped his backpack in front of him as he sat down. Hastily looking for food and after finding a ration, started to eat. A prompt came up just as he expected but with a startling revelation. - Poison interference: Health and Mana points cannot regenerate. "No way!" Kai said out loud baffled at the minor complication of poison that would cause his imminent death. ''There must be something in here!'' Kai frantically searched the contents of the backpack after pouring everything out. Kai continued his frantic movements of shuffling items around to find his miracle cure. Kai cursed at himself having not noticed the antidote inside the first aid kit earlier. There was a biodegradable antidote vial at the bottom of the first aid kit. Rushing down his throat, Kai almost vomited the horrible concoction. - Antidote ineffective against unknown poison. Increased heart rate has accelerated the spread of poison. Roughly thirty seconds until paralysis. Continuous prompts every minute created a countdown until the paralysis came into effect and eventually a single prompt took over. Kai took the seal in hand accepting his defeat with a matter of seconds left. ''Might as well look rich while I die. It''s all this stupid seal''s fault, everything started because of it!'' Kai laid frozen, grasping the seal, forsaking his fate as his thoughts wandered to Sylvia. ''What happened to her? I''m sure they attacked her when she ran out. Will she be back in the lab when I wake up? What if they captured her and didn''t kill her, no one else knows what happened to us? Someone needs to save her!'' Dimming into darkness, Kai''s final thoughts revolved around Sylvia. Chapter 5: Princess Vera The radiating heat from the mid sunny day beat down on Kira¡¯s group. Circumstances led them in the direction of a kingdom, which was previously located on a map Kira chanced upon seeing during her stay in the forgotten town of Ilnor. Light began to seep through as the forest shade lessened over nearly two weeks of traveling limited only to small creature encounters. The creatures were easily handled with between the three most active of the group, Tessa, Marc, and Sedric. Experience and a chance to easily practice their skills was granted. Some might even consider it one sided slaughtering and that large monsters may actually have been welcomed to appear if only to serve as distractions in place of the disappearance of Sylvia and Kai. "Kira are you sure this is the right way?" Marc asked as if being the only able to gather enough courage to do so. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure of it. It shouldn''t be much farther now, hopefully we can reach the town before dinner time.¡± Kira looked up at Marc towering over her and who was currently lost in thought. ¡°Hey!¡± Tessa nudged Marc from behind passing by him. ¡°Want to make a guess at what Kai is doing back in real life?¡± Without giving much of a pause for Marc to consider a reply, Tessa engaged into a deadly mental attack. ¡°Around this time Kai should have rounded up all the pizza bread from all the surrounding stores and is lying in wait until your return. Just to obtain his payback. It might of been his plan from the start!¡± "Kai loves virtual reality. To give this dream up for some petty revenge. No way.¡± Marc snapped. ¡°That¡¯s quite the faith you have in Kai, then why is your hand clasping tighter at the thought?¡± Tessa pointed at the staff crunching within his grasp. The crackling noise of the staff shattering from the tense grip grabbed everyone''s attention. ¡°Hey what¡¯s wrong?¡± Sedric questioned out of concern. ¡°Oh uh.., I was just wondering what Kai and Sylvia might be up to back home.¡± Releasing his grip on the staff. Marc wandered over to a cliff in the direction they were heading. ¡°Like I said before, they are without a doubt spending the $40,000 that has already been deposited into their bank account. According to my estimations we should already be in the kingdom. Civilization of some sort shouldn¡¯t be much further. Marc stumbled a bit after the mention of spending money and approached closer to the cliff which provided an excellent survey of ahead. After the speech given by Kira, Tessa joined up with Marc. ¡°Helena seems to still be sad over losing Sylvia, she must of been a very good friend for her to still be worrying this long.¡± Tessa nearing the cliff alongside Marc, momentarily paused to view the scenery then shouted out in joy. ¡°Everyone, I can see a city!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, our rations weren¡¯t going to last much longer.¡± Sedric responded to Tessa. "Wait, do you guys see that? That carriage is under attack!" Marc loudly alerted everybody. "Don''t rush up ahead." Helena advised, however the only remaining on the cliff were Kira and Tessa. The scenery of the cliff showed a large carriage driven by several horses on the side of a dirt back trail that forked into a much larger main road. A surprise bandit attack was occurring approximately 200 yards away. They were tying up people as Marc in the front followed by Sedric and Relanis passed the halfway mark closing in swiftly. ¡°We need to help them!¡± Tessa stated. ¡°Yes, but be sure to keep an eye out. There could be others hidden around the area.¡± Kira replied as they headed in the same direction not to far behind the others. Marc ran at full speed rushing through the dense forest. As he caught sight of the large carriage he noticed several people running in his direction and took the time to place his backpack on the ground. A figure hidden in an elegant blue cloak that ended mid-waist equipped with a dagger grabbed his full attention. The distressed person ran from the pursuers and lost balance from a tree branch that caught onto the hood of the cloak. The hood dropped back along with a delicate light-blonde haired elf who was brought to her knees from the swift tug on the hood. The pointy ears, immaculate face, green eyes, and hair down to her waist would make most men fall for her, however Marc¡¯s only thought was how Kai would kill to see a beautiful elf only available in fantasy. Both parties abruptly stopped with the distance between one another roughly five meters at most. In a matter of seconds Sedric caught up to his side and also set aside his backpack, whereas Relanis lagged behind only to arrive at a puzzling situation. ¡°Watch out, my lady!¡± The elf¡¯s personal bodyguard with a longsword drawn shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of these bandits, flee while you can!¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not bandits. We are here to help.¡± Marc held the staff out to his side in a neutral stance. The guard was about to lower his weapon until he heard approaching bandits from behind him, but kept his eyes on Marc and Sedric also wielding a staff. The princess quickly stood up and stayed her ground instead of fleeing with dagger in hand. ¡°Get down!¡± Marc lunged forward with his leading foot and launched his staff, straight like a spear towards the bodyguard. The staff wobbled from the sheer velocity of the throw. Buzzing a few inches by the bodyguard the staff firmly hit the unsuspecting bandit directly in the chest behind him. The bandit wore a type of rough hide as body protection, preventing severe damage. Due to the force of impact the staff cleanly brushed him off his feet and back first into the rough forest terrain. The second bandit stood in a daze from seeing his fellow bandit fly by him, whereas Marc would never waste a perfect opportunity to strike. The moment Marc threw his staff he charged at full speed running past the semi-crouched bodyguard with his sword held diagonally to protect his head. The second bandit looked up only to frantically attempt to draw his sword. To slow on the draw Marc overwhelmingly football tackled the bandit crashing him into disarray and unable to wield his sword. Forcefully flattened onto the ground the bandit without a pause of pain gave an elbow blow aimed down on Marc¡¯s head. Expecting to take the blow, Marc fully braced himself for impact but automatically remembered his counter defense skill. This skill allows for a guaranteed counter after being hit. The elbow blow itself was hardly felt due to his high physical damage resistance and defense stat. At the same time a near automatic left hook was brought down on the bandit¡¯s face followed by a sequential palm strike. Marc activated his other skill called devastating blow with the strike positioned to hit dead center of the bandit¡¯s face. Accompanied by a shriek of pain and a broken nose, Marc almost instantaneously disabled both of the pursuers. The first bandit regained his composure and tried to strike at Marc off to his side. Drawing his sword the bandit swung horizontally but missed when Marc quickly rolled away to dodge the attack. Marc picked up the sword off the bandit laying on the ground and drew it as he got into a battle stance. Marc focused all his strength into a single swing waiting for the moment the bandit struck. *CLANG* The bandit¡¯s longsword found itself embedded into a tree near him. The first move from the bandit was an attempt to recover his sword. Marc allowed the bandit to do so, however Sedric had other plans. A sudden noise of a high pitched whistle was heard, followed by a terrified yell. ¡°AAAAHHHHH!¡± The bandit screamed in agony as the wooden dagger from Sedric¡¯s backpack found its way into his forearm. In an attempt to immediately run away after hearing the retreat whistle, the bandit¡¯s sudden movement caused the dagger to plunge deep into the arm with excruciating pain. Sedric¡¯s endeavor to slightly graze the man failed. ¡°What, why are you running! Come back here!¡± Marc shouted at the fleeing bandits¡¯ back. ¡°Yeah, come back here! Cowards!¡­¡± Relanis panted. Looking back and forth during the fight the personal bodyguard thought these two people were completely crazy. On the other hand, the elf princess stood in a trance over Marc¡¯s bravery and brute strength. ¡°My lady, it is still not safe here, we must go.¡± Urging the princess to take his hand to continue their escape the bodyguard noticed the princess¡¯s gaze focused directly on Marc. ¡°Princess Vera!¡± ¡°Yes?... Maybe these strangers can help, since they already protected us. I think we can trust them.¡± Vera sought the help of the new strangers. Marc, Sedric, and Relanis gathered closer to the elf princess to understand the situation better. Princess Vera explained that over a dozen bandits attacked their carriage, and her men were critically injured if not killed. The situation grew unsettling for the bodyguard as he noticed everyone staring at the princess weirdly; however, his importance for her safety halted any questions regarding who or where these strangers came from. ¡°There were more than twenty; we need to get you to safety, my lady.¡± ¡°We will continue to help you. There is no need to worry anymore.¡± Marc started moving to exit the forest from where the bandits came from after reassuring the princess. Leaving behind their backpacks in a pile Marc held on to the sword he pilfered from earlier. Relanis tried to retrieve the sword stuck in the tree only to have Sedric come along and hand him the sword off the first bandit who fell unconscious from the impact of the spear throw. As if knowing ahead of time he would go for the sword in the tree Relanis shrugged with a thanks and accepted the sword. Sedric in one sleek motion struck the palm on the handle with his and grabbed hold of the sword pulling it out with ease. ¡°How¡¯d you do that!¡± Relanis gawked at this performance act. ¡°It¡¯s a simple trick really, all you need to do is push it in further to pull it out..¡± Sedric casually replied. ¡°My Lady we cannot trust these strangers.¡± ¡°They saved us. The least we can do is allow them the benefit of the doubt, Krel. Please treat them kindly." Vera''s sight remained focused on Marc. ¡°As you wish, my Lady.¡± Krel followed besides princess Vera sneering at Marc with newfound displeasure. Off to the right of the forest exit sat guards and other hostages tied up with rope equaling up to nine people. There were several casualties lying around dead from the bandit attack. Arrows scattered among the area and any lucky enough not to get hit ended up with stab wounds. But no bandit was in sight. ¡°Seems like you scared them off. Strange that they would retreat so easily?¡± Sedric said. ¡°This is horrible, I can¡¯t believe it, this looks so realistic.¡± Marc averted his eye catching the sight of Relanis at the back beginning to vomit. ¡°Let¡¯s not let the girls see this. I¡¯ll try to go and intercept them before they arrive here, you¡¯ve got it from here right?¡± Sedric received a confirmation head nod from Marc then headed back in the direction of Kira, Tessa, and Helena. Princess Vera ran out from behind Marc to the tied up people. She used the dagger from her waist and cut the ropes freeing the guards and some hostages. Her bodyguard Krel assisted in the matter by doing the same and freeing the rest. ¡°Ambassador Von are you unharmed?¡± Vera extended a hand to an overweight male human helping him up. ¡°Yes, I am safe thankfully. However I¡¯m just glad your highness is alive.¡± ¡°Why yes, these gentlemen came to my rescue and subdued the bandits that chased us. They are quite strong especially the big one.¡± ¡°Who are they, do you know?¡± Ambassador Von questioned. ¡°This is not the time nor place to start a discussion. Princess Vera has accepted their help and that is all we need to know for now. We must gather the dead onto the spare horses and head to the city immediately in case the bandits attack once again.¡± Krel declared. ¡°We will use the carriage for the dead, the rest will use the remaining horses or walk.¡± Vera objected and deemed it morally correct to give more respect to the dead. ¡°My Lady that is not safe for your well being, more so if the bandits are lurking about.¡± Krel strongly opposed the thought. ¡°He¡¯s right. It¡¯s best to be inside the carriage to avoid any possible future attacks from arrows.¡± Marc stated while moving on his own to carry the dead onto the horses. ¡°I¡¯ll agree because you say so.¡± Vera instantly replied. ¡°Hey, this guy is still alive!¡± Marc shouted. Laying face forward with two arrows stuck in his back was a member of the guard grasping on to the last moments of his life. ¡°Marc?¡± Tessa¡¯s voice was heard exiting the forest with an unconscious bandit in tow, along with Kira and Helena right behind dragging the other bandit left behind. ¡°On alert guards!¡± Krel voiced his concern for the princess¡¯s safety, meanwhile Vera called back the order with the pretense of Marc knowing them and acknowledged them as companions. ¡°Tessa come quick this guy is dying. You said you were able to heal, is it possible to save him?¡± On the verge of death Tessa held back any questions and started using her healing skill [Focus Heal]. Marc remained quiet as the usage of the healing spell seemed to take a large amount of concentration, until Tessa came to a pause. ¡°We need to remove the arrows, it¡¯s preventing my healing skill from working properly. Take them out, Marc.¡± Tessa urgently said. The arrows were swiftly pulled out and the healing process began once again. Slowly restoring the inside and closing up the wounds the spell came to an end. ¡°His breathing is back to normal now. Oh, wow it worked!¡± Tessa responded unsure from the start on the off chance that the healing spell may not have worked properly on a critically injured person. ¡°Sir Marc, Your companion is a healer?!¡± Princess Vera was astonished and shocked along with every other bystander to the scene. ¡°Uh, yes she is, why do you ask?¡± Marc replied. The princess walked next to Tessa. ¡°May I ask where your priesthood lies?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean, but I¡¯m not Catholic if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡± The strange response caused her to think rapidly as she looked around counting Marc¡¯s group. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a healer escorted with less than two dozen people, so I assume you¡¯re not in a priesthood either.¡± Vera explained. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need an escort with us, but why does that matter?¡± Marc questioned. Vera motioned Marc to come closer as she whispered to both of them. ¡°It¡¯s best you not show anyone your healing powers. All healers are controlled by the priesthood and are given a mark at birth on their back. Royal families or the king have no hold on them. They are an entirely separate power within the national structure. The reason why they have so much power is due to the rarity of healers and so they receive special privileges. Healers are protected at all times, but the priesthood dictates every step of their life until their healing powers are gone. ¡°Wait so we could just fake the lost of her healing and they would leave us alone?¡± Marc asked. ¡°The only healers I know that lost their powers died of old age or prematurely. Healing magic can not be masked.¡± Vera answered. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me I¡¯m a slave to the priesthood or allow people to die?¡± Tessa looked at the resting guard. ¡°I can¡¯t decide for you, but there are advantages with the priesthood. All living, traveling, and bonus compensation for healing services. Most healers are wealthy even though a large percentage goes back to the priesthood.¡± ¡°I wonder what they are talking about. That¡¯s so weird half these guards are elves.¡± Helena said next to Kira after turning over the unconscious captive to the guards. ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure but, it might be best to tell them about the person you spotted on the way here.¡± Kira walked towards Marc together with Helena. ¡°Hey, sorry for not being introduced but, Helena spotted one of the attackers on our way here. He¡¯s the one that blew the whistle.¡± Kira interrupted. ¡°Oh, by the way, we picked up your bags so you don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡± Kira told Marc as he looked at her item box on the side of her belt. ¡°Thanks. Oh, sorry these are my friends Kira and Helena and you already met Tessa.¡± Marc replied as everyone greeted each other. ¡°What did you sense when you spotted him?¡± Marc turned to Helena. ¡°Not much but I¡¯m feeling a lot of different things from everyone here except from Princess Vera and that overweight guy over there. And the other elves are pretty hard to read.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t care about if anyone is afraid or confused, but I want to know if this was an inside job.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t your favorite crime show, the one thing you watch besides sports.¡± Tessa retorted as they noticed Sedric quickly approaching. ¡°Hey, is there any way I can get a horse from you to scout out further and is there anyone who knows how to ride one?¡± Sedric asked as Tessa started moving away to a horse. Helena sensed Sedric¡¯s unusual suspicion, but kept quiet. ¡°I know how. Let¡¯s go!¡± Tessa smiled grabbing the reins. Tessa galloped away with Sedric hugging her from behind without waiting for a response from Princess Vera. ¡°Normally Krel¡¯s horse doesn¡¯t let anyone ride him, but I guess he doesn¡¯t mind. Vera looks perplexed at the strangers while Krel is shouting in the background. ¡°How did they take Altair and where are they going?¡± Krel demanded while running after them. ¡°They went to scout out further ahead. Isn¡¯t it time we continued to the city?¡± Vera replied. ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± Krel stopped in his tracks with frustration and intrigued by Altair¡¯s acceptance of the strangers. The Princess and Marc¡¯s group entered the carriage and resumed their travels. Sedric and Tessa circled around. ¡°What are we looking for? We¡¯ve been riding around without stopping.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s not right with that bandit attack. I scouted the area and found little to no tracks required to take on the Princess¡¯s entourage. Either there were only five bandits and the rest were ninjas or someone doesn¡¯t know how to count.¡± ¡°How is that possible with so many guards protecting the princess?¡± ¡°Stop here.¡± Sedric commanded as they came upon a turned up patch of land in the middle of shrubs. Tessa halted the war horse on a dime. Sedric jumped off and searched the dirt and debris on all fours. ¡°Are you pretending to be one with nature?¡± Tessa laughed. ¡°Nature has nothing to do with this.¡± Sedric lifted up small remains of broken nuts. Tessa eyed the fragments of nuts from the top of the horse. ¡°Squirrels?¡± Sedric lifted up a small burlap sack with his other hand. ¡°Squirrels don¡¯t carry these, and the partial footprints near the bushes tell me there were about four people waiting here for a few hours. ¡°How do you have these tracking skills, but don¡¯t know how to ride a horse?¡± ¡°Kira had me do a lot of different activities while I was a kid, but horseback riding wasn¡¯t one of them.¡± Sedric replied as he got back on the horse. ¡°So what do we tell the others?¡± ¡°We wait until we¡¯re able to talk alone with our group and decide what to do next.¡± Sedric replied as they headed back to the moving carriage. The carriage moved smoothly along the main road as Ambassador Von looked outside the shuttered window. The elven guards rode or walked majestically like the attack never happened. Their stature was much taller than the average human with a slim build. The silver lightweight chainmail covered most of their bodies slightly tarnished by uncleaned dry blood. A simple silver helmet protecting the head and partial back of the neck but exposing the ears and face. Suited with longswords hemmed on their side but better quality than the human guards. The human guards wore simple leather jerkins shaded dark brown with engravings of the city¡¯s insignia. The six horse carriage was elegant with unique cedar wood designs and light metal plating protected the occupants. The elven royal crest signified the lineage on both her father and mother¡¯s side. The two compartments inside comfortably seated six people in the first compartment and three up front designated for the maid¡¯s. Relanis walked alongside with the elven guards not wanting to be crammed inside the carriage with everyone else. ¡°What land does your group come from, Sir Marc? Krel asked while the Princess sat between him and the Ambassador. Opposite of the three Marc, Kira, and Helena sat facing them. ¡°We¡¯re all from a very far away land called New Baltimore.¡± Marc casually replied. Marc¡¯s answer caught Ambassador Von¡¯s attention. ¡°You say that you are from far away, but how have you been traveling without any means of transportation.¡± ¡°We traveled by boat, horse, and mainly by foot.¡± Marc said as Kira chimed in. ¡°We lost our equipment and horses weeks ago.¡± Ambassador Von looked at Helena with piercing blue eyes. ¡°You seem to be distraught by what your friend has just said.¡± Helena¡¯s sadness turned into temporary confusion and dizziness as she turned her downward gaze up towards the Ambassador. ¡°We lost two of our closest friends as well.¡± Kira answered while Helena continued scrutinizing Ambassador Von. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that¡­¡± Vera consoled. ¡°We didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon, but it couldn¡¯t be helped.¡± Marc said. ¡°We were heading to the city for food and shelter when we caught sight of your situation. Fortunately we were able to help and hopefully the city will provide everything we need.¡± Kira stated. ¡°Blackten City is full of commerce, traders and travelers. From observing your fighting skills I thought your group was traveling there to participate in the King¡¯s tournament.¡± Vera paused seeing Marc¡¯s interest. ¡°What¡¯s this tournament for?¡± ¡°The winner of the tournament becomes king of the city, which has been without a king for eight months hence the reason for being named the King¡¯s Tournament.¡± Krel sarcastically smiled. ¡°Since the Princess is already royal are you trying to become king?¡± Marc hoped. ¡°No, I¡¯m just here to judge and Krel¡¯s my personal bodyguard so he can not participate because it would be a conflict of interest.¡± Vera replied. ¡°We don¡¯t have much, is there a place you would recommend to stay at?¡± Kira asked. ¡°Ambassador Von would know best, however don¡¯t worry about it because I insist you be my guests during my time there. Everyone except Helena were surprised. ¡°That¡¯s very gracious. We will be glad to be in your care.¡± Kira accepted for the group. The conversation shifted to talk about Princess Vera¡¯s homeland and elven culture. Helena searched the Ambassador¡¯s emotions the entire time causing him to feel awkward and stare outside. Helena couldn¡¯t sense any emotions with her power, however his body language said otherwise. Von seemed to be on his guard when she made eye contact and eventually relaxed. A guard outside the carriage galloped by to announce they were approaching the gate. Relanis¡¯ feet slightly hurt walking the five miles to the outer city gates. The grand length and height of the walls were stunning. He had visited the Great Wall of China as a teenager, but this wall was alive, not a tourist site of old ruins. The elven guard walking next to Relanis noticed his bewildered eyes and dropped mouth. ¡°I take it you never seen a city near the Void?¡± ¡°What? You mean there are a lot of cities like this?¡± ¡°Of course, there are maybe a hundred cities bordering the Void. Without these specially built walls, everyone in the city would be helpless against monsters that find their way across the Void.¡± ¡°What is this Void you¡¯re talking about?¡± Relanis looked up at the guard¡¯s face. ¡°It is a magical rift that separates this land and the land beyond. No one really knows what is in the Void, except that very powerful magical creatures exist there.¡± Relanis looked at the wall and metal gates better, now that they were within rock throwing distance. The twenty foot tall gates opened with twenty, foot soldiers and five horsemen exiting the city. Two dozen figures along the top of the wall appeared with bows. His excitement changed to horror as the human guards¡¯ morphed into hyena hide werewolves. ¡°What the hell!¡± Relanis turned to his elven companion. ¡°What is it?¡± The guard asked. Relanis¡¯s eyes widen with shock as the guard¡¯s words were growls, and the once elven guard was now a silverback werewolf. Relanis jumped back, drawing his sword and swinging it menacingly. The werewolf roared back but stood fast, not wanting to taste Relanis¡¯s blade. Relanis turned towards the carriage where screams confirmed the gruesome fate. Helena¡¯s corpse bashed through the carriage door, along with a werewolf mutilating her to shreds. Two other wolves jumped into the action while Marc¡¯s head rolled out of the carriage. His heart jumped several beats as he saw seven wolves in and around the carriage focus on him. A black werewolf charged him from his left with his back towards the gate. Instinctively, Relanis activated [Force Expel]. The black werewolf defied the laws of motion as his body hit an invisible energy field getting repulsed backwards ten meters. The beast twirled head over heel several times before landing and sliding on all fours. It¡¯s claws dug deep into the ground as it snarled at the ready. The beast¡¯s fur spiked out and razor sharp fangs dripped blood. It prepared for another charge, but this time more cautious. Relanis ran towards the gate away from the seven werewolves only to realize he was encircled by an entire pack. As they drew closer, he activated his skill out of fear, focusing on all directions. Everything within twenty meters of Relanis was abrasively pushed away. The front two horses pulling the carriage were thrown against the center rail and four horses in the back; tipping over the carriage onto it¡¯s side. The werewolves that took the most damage were the ones on horseback, as they laid on the ground motionless. Relanis looked up along the top of the city wall as howling and drawn bows shot forth. The volley of arrows streaked through the air but hit a pocket of resistance. The arrows stood as if they entered a time freeze zone, coming to a complete halt a few feet above his head. One werewolf stepped forward with a sword drawn. It glowed bright red as an energy bolt shot out at Relanis. The bolt hit the force field with relentless fury, reducing the strength dramatically as the field gave way and dispersed. The reactive explosion caused everyone in front of Relanis to be pushed back several feet, with Relanis falling to the ground unconscious. Sedric ran to Relanis¡¯s side with arrows piled on the ground by his head. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t shoot!¡± His bloody palms extended out towards the Captain of the Guard. Tessa stood next to Altair near the location where Sedric had slid, off the road; in disbelief to the battle. ¡°Wait! He¡¯s with us, and I¡¯m sure this was all a misunderstanding!¡± Marc ran up to the two men with Krel right behind him. The Captain stared at Marc and Krel, then at Sedric¡¯s knee and hand wounds. ¡°My guards and I were attacked, as so were you. There is no misunderstanding. Arrest that man!¡± ¡°Sir Relanis is under my protection and we will find out why he attacked everyone.¡± Princess Vera walked up from behind Sedric, while Krel pulled him to the side. ¡°I apologize for the situation, but you do not have authority over the welfare of my guards or this city. We will take him into custody and investigate this matter further. As it stands he will be put on trial for attempted murder of the King¡¯s guards and yourself.¡± ¡°We were never in danger, and your attacks were meant to kill.¡± Marc rudely interrupted. ¡°I will forgive your servant¡¯s insolence only once. This matter is settled, unless your entire entourage wants to see the inside of our dungeon.¡± The Captain stared at Vera as he made the statement. Krel placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but backed off as Vera slightly turned her head towards him. ¡°These men are not my servants. They are of royal bloodline and are here to enter the King¡¯s Tournament. Should you wish to arrest them, it will delay the tournament. If that is what you wish?¡± ¡°The King¡¯s Tournament will not be delayed. But should a law be broken by any of you, I will be more than happy to accommodate you.¡± The Captain raised his hand, motioning the guards to retrieve only Relanis. Krel¡¯s teeth clenched as he turned towards Marc. ¡°The Captain should be lashed for speaking like that towards my Lady. He thinks he is going to win, but I swear that I will do everything in my power to help you beat him.¡± ¡°And I thought you didn¡¯t like me?¡± Marc whispered. ¡°I dislike him more.¡± Krel said with mutual interest. Marc and Vera walked back to the group. ¡°Thank you for not speaking out.¡± Vera whispered to the Ambassador. ¡°Your secret is safe with me Princess.¡± Von walked away into the city. ¡°Will Relanis be okay?¡± Helena asked Vera. ¡°He will be safe as long as they believe he is of royal bloodline. I¡¯m sorry for drafting your group into the King¡¯s Tournament, but that is the only way I saw to free him.¡± ¡°What do you mean, how is that going to free Relanis?¡± Kira notioned. ¡°The winner of the tournament will be able to pardon him.¡± Vera stated. "What happened with him, why did he go crazy?" Kira asked. "He had issues, but not like this. I''ve never seen him act like that before." Sedric remarked. "All I felt was desperation and fear. As if he was scared for his life." Helena added. "Let''s not discuss these matters here." Krel pointed out to all the surrounding soldiers and prying ears. Understanding the situation the rest of the group held on to further questioning. The Captain ordered his men to help stand the carriage and escorted the Princess¡¯s entourage through the city gates. Staring from within an arrow slit of the city wall stood a cloaked shadowy figure watching as they slowly made their way inside. Author''s Note: Hi everyone, hope you like the story so far. I would love any kind of feedback relating to the story or even mistakes found. This is the last chapter I''ve written up to so the updates will not be as instant as the others. I have started writing again after a break so there is a high probability of consistent updates. Thanks for reading so far. Chapter 6: Temporal Saber Chapter 6 - Temporal Saber A burst of light erupted from within the tree shelter turning the dark forest into day, blinding all wildlife within fifty meters. Critters scurried away as static electricity foamed out from within the tree. The life like energy tossed leaves and debris high into the air with gale force winds violently speeding the debris in a whirlwind around the tree. The protective bark surrounding Kai slowly ripped apart by the twister. Screams from the nearby creatures were drowned out from the roar of the wind and debris beating on the forest. A second burst of blue light instantly chilled the air and shattered the tree around Kai, adding to the debris in the vortex. The bright light in Kai¡¯s hand intensified; momentarily stopping time. The seal dulled as Kai¡¯s body flickered with life. Large branches thumped and crashed all around as the winds instantly died out. The sound of leaves, twigs, and dirt rained down upon the devastation. The cold chilling wind ran down Kai¡¯s body as he fought to open his eyelids. The taste of dirt slid along his lips. The smell of leaves and dirt almost choked him as he felt a blanket of pressure on top of his body. ¡®Did someone bury me?¡¯ Kai thought as he slowly opened his eyes. Kai sat up looking at his body completely covered in dirt and branches. The sunlight penetrated the leaves allowing him to see a huge clearing. Tightly in his grasp he felt the seal, realizing he was not back in Immersion laboratories. Kai checked his wounded back only to find out there was no pain and only a small hole on his black t-shirt. He realized new life had entered his body as he felt physically great. He jumped up on his feet patting off the dirt and noticed his backpack and equipment were nowhere near him, but realized he was at his non existent tree shelter. A prompt appeared revealing his updated status screen. He processed all the information in an instant with the help of his [Critical Thinking] skill.
Kai ArzeilTitle: None
Class: ScholarLevel: 2EXP: 24%
HP: 570 / 570Mana: 600 / 600Defense: 60
Strength: 62Stamina: 74Luck: 5
Agility: 62Intellect: 47Wisdom: 15
[tr]
Crit Mod: x 3Magic Crit Mod: x 4
Resistance: 50% Mental-Based Attacks
Skills: Critical Thinking(Passive); Survival Regeneration(Passive); Reality Comprehension; Self-Reality Alter; Phaseshift
¡°What the hell happened? This is crazy!¡± Kai looked down at the seal in disbelief and activated [Reality Comprehension]. Destroyer Phased Seal - 30% Power remaining. Attribute: Phaseshift, Energy Manipulation. Origin undetermined; Artifact grade prison. ¡®Did this thing save my life?¡¯ Kai asked himself, but the thought of Sylvia suddenly entered his mind. Kai ran back to Sylvia¡¯s tent, hoping she was there and found her backpack in the same location. It had been rummaged through with the food and first aid kit lying nearby. Kai searched his surroundings with [Reality Comprehension] and found the covered tracks of the marauders. ? Three marauders carrying an additional body. Timestamp: 1 day ago ¡®Rambo can¡¯t compare to these guys.¡¯ Kai thought as he was admiring their ability to cover tracks while burdened down. Kai gathered Sylvia¡¯s things and placed them back into the backpack, then ran off in the direction of the tracks worrying about Sylvia¡¯s wellbeing. Twenty minutes into the run, he noticed he wasn¡¯t getting tired and his breath was steady. The events that kept him thinking of Sylvia started to fade as it dawned on him why he wasn¡¯t getting tired. His physical and mental attributes were boosted, and his thoughts focused on the last skill. ¡°Is this what I think it is?¡± Kai said as a large shadow darkened his path. Kai¡¯s gaze on the ground moved up to see tree bark in his face. The tree didn¡¯t smash against him as he tried to stop. He felt light and full of energy as he saw darkness for a split second with his body tumbling several meters on the other side. His joints ached and every muscle of his body felt like taking a nap, even his tongue felt heavy. He moaned rolling onto his back noticing that the backpack was on the other side of the tree. Staring up at the tree canopies, Kai took another look at his status window again. He focused on the two new skills [Phaseshift] and [Survival Regeneration] as detailed additional prompts were provided. [Phaseshift] - Allows dematerialization of body to move through matter at level one. Extensive use and calisthenics will reduce side effects. Tessa¡¯s yoga class would have come in handy. [Survival Regeneration] - Passive healing that will quickly mend light injuries. Grants immunities and high resistance from harmful substances. Built-in feature will alarm you with a prompt when in danger. The sound of Kai¡¯s rustling reached the sensitive ears of one of the Void¡¯s most unique predators. It¡¯s eyes were icy white with gold pupils, almost luminescent. The frame was that of the endangered White Siberian tiger, except this predator was two times larger than a full grown male. The tracks were light as static electricity lingered. It raised its head looking in Kai¡¯s direction as the electrical charges underneath her distributed the shift in weight. Small lightning bolts erupted around her spiked blue fur, silver fangs and paw prints trailing behind her. The beast stared at the strange human for a moment. The electrical discharge faded away as it walked away once it realized Kai was no threat. Kai looked up questioning the silence of wildlife as he caught sight of a massive shadow passing by. ? Temporal Saber: [Lvl:90] - Adult female heading back home to the north . Luck increased by 1. ¡®Holy crap, That¡¯s powerful!¡¯ Kai thought as he questioned why he received an additional luck point. He also noticed how the direction of the marauders and Temporal Saber were one in the same. Kai went back to pick up the backpack and took the time to stretch for five minutes. He decided to follow after the Temporal Saber, but maintained enough distance to not be within sight of the beast. The beast instantly noticed the pursuer and took a veering right off the current course towards Sylvia. Kai instantly thought his luck had turned for the better and allowed him to completely avoid the creature. Kai picked up pace once again and ran at full speed after Sylvia. ¡®How far did they take her?¡¯ Kai wondered as he ran for another straight hour, but also took the time to enjoy the drastic changes to his body by joyfully plucking small leaves along the way. [Danger] - Attack from your right! Kai was freaked out from the prompt and instantly looked right, only to notice nothing there. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this prompt is it playing games with me?¡± Kai said noticing a slight shiver in the direction and activated [Reality Comprehension]. ? Temporal Saber: [Lvl:90] - Killing anyone foolish enough to follow them back home. Swaying amongst the leaves the Temporal Saber camouflaged with the surroundings almost perfectly by changing the color of it¡¯s fur. Kai began identifying parts of the beast starting with the silver fangs and gold eyes that looked to be floating in mid air. Kai activated [Self-Reality Alter] just in time, leaving his image behind to get it¡¯s head viciously ripped off along with most of his upper body. He made it off to the side as he watched his body being vividly torn to shreds in front of him. The beast walked away heading back north again, after confirming the death of her stalker. ¡°What am I not even delicious enough to eat, just going to leave me ripped to pieces like that?¡± Kai sarcastically said to avoid being overwhelmed with horror. ¡°It will most likely be best to reactivate [Self-Reality Alter] every twenty minutes to avoid the same instance repeating itself. Plus this way I can literally be right beside the super beast without her noticing.¡± Kai ran after the Saber getting a closer look at her. Kai felt not only fear but awe at the pure elegance the mighty creature withheld. The Saber suddenly came to a halt and began sniffing the ground. ¡®Huh, why did it stop all of a sudden? Wait, can she smell me?! No way that¡¯s impossible.¡¯ Kai looked at the location she was sniffing at and immediately activated [Reality Comprehension]. ? The scent of marauders masked by another strong scent specifically aimed at fooling the nose of Temporal Sabers. Electrical discharges erupted from the creature as one set of deep paw prints were left behind. The Temporal Saber took fast to a new level as her entire body looked like lightning shooting across the forest. ¡®Whoa, what¡¯s with this scent mask from the marauders. This seems like preparation for a trap and Sylvia must be nearby!¡¯ Kai took some food from the backpack and quickly ate to be in his best condition, recovering the lost mana throughout the run. Kai took shelter behind foliage and a tree south of the camp as he peered his head trying to make out what the situation was like. Treehouses intricately positioned all over with connecting wooden bridges allowed for a community high in the trees. The view would¡¯ve been spectacular for Kai, however bodies of both humans and marauders were littered among the ground and upper levels. Added to the horror over forty marauders were scattered looting and skinning Temporal Sabers. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡®This is horrible. These marauders killed an entire tribe of humans to obtain sabers as pets.¡¯ Kai spotted an array of cages holding infant sabers no larger than three feet to the shoulder. Any non infant Sabers were killed in traps and skinned of their pristine blue fur. Kai found Sylvia located next to the cages on the far end of the camp where the bulk of the marauders were currently situated. He noticed Sylvia was bound at the waist laying down on her side. [Reality Comprehension] - Sylvia[Lvl: 4] - Conscious. Mana depleted due to sedation. Formulating escape plan. Mildly dehydrated and hungry. ¡®Found her! She seems to be okay.¡¯ Kai focused on a way to rescue her while deep within his thoughts he questioned how she raised her level yet again. He looked up in front of him identifying the previous Saber on the attack, rushing forth in anger towards the marauders. Crackling bounced from tree to tree as marauder howls filled the entire area. Large indentations on the trees showed where the Saber had last stepped. Zigzagging between trees the Saber mauled several marauders in her path. Instead of eating them whole they were left behind with massive body slashes. Their internals were burnt to a crisp upon impact, keeping all bodily fluids from seeping out. The marauders gathered in front of the cages frantically attempting to setup a trap between themselves and the berserking Saber. ¡°Arm the trap!¡± One of the marauders frantically took hold of his spear placing it directly against an infant sabers neck. The marauder yelled in a mixed euro-asian dialect that Kai could not understand, but the saber seemed to understand as she paused her attack. ? Temporal Saber language translation process pending. Kai paused as well since there was no longer any distraction. ¡®Crap, I have no idea what he said.¡¯ Kai changed direction as the saber moved slowly towards the cages. The marauders scattered to surround the saber while Kai positioned himself in Sylvia¡¯s line of sight. Sylvia¡¯s cheek rubbed against the ground as she tried to see what was going on. In the corner of her eye she saw a hand wave above a bush. She looked around surprised trying see if anyone else noticed the waving hand followed by Kai¡¯s head. Kai¡¯s hand and arm signals were very confusing telling her to stay at where she was at. Kai ducked back under the bush and looked at the saber as the trap started clicking. Kai stared at a three foot tall cylinder anchored to the ground. The rapid clicking stopped and a cubed device connected to the cylinder released a pulse of air. Kai felt a very quick breeze extend swaying the leaves around him. ¡®What, it didn¡¯t do anything.¡¯ Kai thought, but the marauders sprinted towards the saber. The saber stood without reacting in a stupor as a net was cast over her. Kai viewed the net with his comprehension power. ? Energy Net: Composition of silver and nylon diverting energy to anchor points. ? Saber disoriented. ¡®I need that sabers help to free Sylvia.¡¯ Kai sped from behind the bush at the cylinder trying to grab and toss it. Pain sheared through his muscles as it didn¡¯t budge an inch. ? Cylinder imbedded 10ft into the ground. Requires 500lbs of additional force to move. Kai desperately looked around and saw the metallic iron box with several cables connecting to the cylinder. He quickly grabbed the box and with all his strength lifted it off the ground. The cables tore as the feather weight box flew over his head, making him almost lose his balance. He quickly glanced back at the marauders. The closest marauders heard Kai¡¯s movements and yelled. ¡°The trap¡¯s turned off, Kill the saber quick!¡± Kai jumped for his life dodging three flying spears and landed flat on the ground. He lifted his head seeing instead of being closer to Sylvia, he jumped in the opposite direction. He looked and two more spears were blaring in his face. In an instant he saw one spear go through his head sticking into the ground. The spear remained wobbling inside his head as he stood up in fear. Another spear flew through his ghost-like chest as Kai looked down in wonder. ? Phaseshift activated due to instinctive reflex. Kai ran away behind cover away from Sylvia not willing to find out how long his phaseshift ability would last. The roar of the saber stopped him in his tracks. The saber swung her claws along the net ripping out half of the grounded anchors. Lightning flashed around her disintegrating parts of the net and killing a dozen marauders. Grunts and yells erupted as all the marauders focused back on the saber. Kai takes this chance to double back to rescue Sylvia. Baby squeals catch his attention as three marauders start to murder the sabers. Deep anger filled his heart as the marauders stabbed their spears into the infant sabers. He picked up a spear and rushed the closest marauder impaling completely through his back. The short scream of agony alerted the closest marauder by the cage who turned and dashed at Kai with a short sword. Instead of withdrawing the spear, Kai let go of it as a novice warrior would in shock of taking another life. ¡°Kill him!¡± The two marauders immediately roared while both charged with sword in hand. Kai became scared and before he could come to his senses white lightning shot across from the side and scorched the first marauder. The Gnoll fell to the ground body totally crisp with a awful smell of burnt meat. Before Kai could look at the origin of the lightning, the head of the furthest marauder flew five meters diagonally over the cages from him. The saber¡¯s bloodied paw squished the marauder¡¯s body as it stood on top. ¡°Ah!¡± Was Kai¡¯s frightened reaction as the flying head stopped rolling with it¡¯s unaware eyes staring back. ¡°Kai!¡± Sylvia shouted managing to remove the gag from her mouth. Kai ran to Sylvia going around the saber. The saber ignored him with an empty lifeless gaze towards the cages. ¡°Sylvia are you hurt?¡± Kai untied her bound hands and feet. ¡°No, just a little dizzy. But I can manage.¡± Sylvia rubbed her bruised wrists as she got up with the help of Kai. A loud metallic clang got their attention. They looked on as the saber¡¯s form changed shape and color with its fur compacting upon itself. The figure of a woman stood standing in front of the cage, her body covered in black graphite armor. Straight black hair draped over her shoulders as she opened the latchless door. ¡°She was that big thing? That¡¯s impossible.¡± Kai approached the woman as she brought out a baby saber. Sylvia followed by his side and saw the saber with a mortal spear wound. ¡°Sylvia can you help the baby cub?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t think it will be enough.¡± Sylvia tried to cautiously approach with her hands held up. The woman turned her head towards Sylvia with her eyes glowing white and static electricity dancing around her eyelashes. ¡°If you let me, I may be able to help the cub.¡± Sylvia paused waiting for her response. ¡°If it is possible help her.¡± The woman¡¯s desperate voice carried well. Kai activated his Comprehension on Sylvia¡¯s bright yellow aura growing around her hands as she touched the cub¡¯s head. ? [Healing Essence] Lvl:2 - Allows time to rewind to heal an injury. Current level encompasses 200 seconds for self injuries and 20 seconds for others.Unsuccessful due to, too much time passing by. Sylvia backed away knowing she was not able to keep the cub from death. Only buying the cub a few more seconds of suffering. Kai looked at their faces which were depressed. The thought came back to him when he was on the verge of death. Remembering his tight grasp of the seal he ran anxiously towards the backpack hidden in the bushes. ¡°Where¡¯re you going!¡± Sylvia shouted. Kai didn¡¯t respond and quickly took hold of the backpack only to toss the contents out as soon as he arrived back besides Sylvia. ¡°Place the cub on the ground, hurry!¡± Kai held the seal in front of him activating his power. ? Destroyer Phased Seal - 30% Power remaining. Possible to transfer life force by phase shifting with the cub. Artifact grade prison. ¡°Okay here goes nothing.¡± The seal and Kai¡¯s body became transparent as his hand eased into the cub¡¯s body. The cub and Kai seemed to slightly disappear into another plane of existence. Within this existence the remaining energy created a electrical vortex of darkness. The sky darkened as energy intermixed with the phaseshift vortex. Electricity seeped out of the vortex into Sylvia and the woman¡¯s reality. Energy pulsed back and forth between Kai and the cub. The wound on the cub closed as the breathing became strong and regular. Sylvia stared in wonder as blue electricity ran in and around Kai¡¯s body, his silent screams were evident by his mouth and facial gestures. A bright glowing white light emanated from the seal engulfing Kai and the cub for several seconds. Sylvia turned away as the woman continued to stare at them. Kai back away from the cub as they both returned to reality. The seal within Kai¡¯s hand disintegrated into nothingness. Kai fell to the ground in pain from every muscle in his body feeling sore. The cub opened her eyes and looked up at her mother. The woman swiftly dropped down to embrace her as tears flowed out. Sylvia leaned over Kai making sure now to touch him as electricity still surrounded him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°It hurts.¡± Kai rolled over onto his back. ¡°Did it work?¡± Sylvia smiled at him for the first time since they met. Kai wondered if she was actually smiling or laughing at his pain. Chapter 7 Part 1: Tournament Preparations Everyone except for Relanis was gathered for dinner. At the head of the table sat Princess Vera as her maids and the villa¡¯s butlers served a large array of food. On the other end of the large table sat Ambassador Von with the others situated along the sides. ¡°Thank you for allowing Marc and his friends to stay here Ambassador Von.¡± Princess Vera said with her bodyguard standing behind her chair to her left. ¡°No, need to thank me Princess. This villa was designated for your stay during the tournament and is to be used how you see fit.¡± Ambassador Von continued to eat. ¡°Now that everyone is situated have you had some time to figure out your plan to free Relanis?¡± Vera questioned to her guests. ¡°We have decided that the best way to free Relanis is how you proposed. A few of us shall enter the tournament and sign up tomorrow morning. We are sad that Relanis has to be cooped up in a dungeon cell for three weeks. We would also like to visit him frequently to keep him well informed of what¡¯s going on, and may need your assistance for this matter.¡± Kira relayed the group¡¯s decision and concerns. ¡°Yes, Krel will send one of his men to help with the visitation arrangement to see Relanis. Who shall be the ones to enter the tournament if I may ask?¡± Vera¡¯s interest was piqued as she caught a glimpse of Marc enjoying the feast in front of him. ¡°Since some of us are not suited for combat, the ones that have agreed to enter are Tessa, Sedric, and Marc. I on the other hand have a request of the Princess.¡± Kira stated. ¡°I will be happy to fulfill any request within my power for the ones that saved our lives. What is it that you need?¡± Vera asked. ¡°My profession is that of a craftsman and I am able to make wonderful inventions and tools that will be able to help us out. I only need a workplace and supply of materials needed to start my work. Helena on the other hand has a request the Princess may not be able to help with, as it pertains to Ambassador Von.¡± Kira explained her situation while waiting for a response from the Princess and noticing Von choking on some food from the surprise. ¡°That¡¯s very interesting. I¡¯m sure we can work something out. I¡¯ll have a few of my men assist you in setting up and gathering the materials you need. It¡¯s the least we can do for you, so don¡¯t mind the expenses. And since Von himself is here I¡¯m sure he can let you know whether or not he can help.¡± Everyone including Von turned their attention to Helena, except for Marc who continued to be immersed in the feast. ¡°Ambassador Von, we have talked this over and believe you will be able to help. I have mental abilities and know that the event with Relanis was no accident, but forced upon him. We also know you have mental powers and would like for you to train me.¡± Helena asked without straying her stare from his. Ambassador Von remained quiet for a moment as he looked around the dining hall. ¡°I may be able to help you. I am only able to read surface thoughts and is another reason why Princess Vera and her bodyguard accepted my assistance. Elves in general have high resistance to mind reading and have nothing to fear. This ability is rare and has granted me the position as one of the Ambassador¡¯s under the previous king of Blackten. I¡¯m sorry for keeping it a secret from your group.¡± ¡°We knew of his mental powers, but kept his secret. Since, Von has agreed to offer his help all is settled.¡± Princess Vera wrapped up. ¡°Actually, I have something to ask as well. Once we¡¯re finished eating I would like to start my training immediately. Is there a place I can practice with a sword?¡± Marc asked finally noticing the company around him.¡± Marc¡¯s eagerness to train surprised Krel who was more than happy to help. ¡°Princess, may I assist them in their training for tonight? I shall place several guards to protect you in the meantime.¡± Krel asked as Vera looked back to give a nodding approval. Tessa and Sedric both let everyone know they will be joining the training session as well. In the courtyard stood target dummies stationed several feet apart and a large armory shed made of stone. Coming out of the opened gate were Marc, Sedric and Tessa. Krel stood waiting at the entrance allowing them to choose whatever weapon they desired. First to come out was Marc holding a sheathed two-handed bastard sword. Sedric followed with dual wielding scimitars set on his back and carrying a pouch containing a set of twelve sharp throwing knives. Krel figured Marc would choose such an audacious weapon to match his personality and could not help but to notice Sedric¡¯s peculiar set of weapons. Knowing the user must have prior skill to choose such weapons. Marc and Sedric stood waiting with Krel for Tessa to come out. Taking her time Tessa came out with a ridiculously oversized mace, one you would think was forged within depths of hell. The mace rested on her shoulder with a length of more than half the size of the five foot three Tessa. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Can you even swing that thing?¡± Marc gestured to the nearest target dummy. Tessa gripped the battle mace with both hands and held it over her head. She grunted and flung it over her head with absolute precision decapitating the dummy. The mace continued on squashing the head against the back wall, embedding itself in the marble. ¡°I did it!¡± Tessa joyfully jumped up and down. The men were speechless as their jaws hung in shock. ¡°What you thought I couldn¡¯t do it?!¡± Tessa frowned becoming upset. ¡°No, you did pretty good. But it¡¯s not a throwing weapon!¡± Marc laughed. ¡°Oh¡­ I thought it was a one shot one kill weapon.¡± Tessa countered. ¡°Okay, well for now we will teach you how to use it without throwing it.¡± Krel walked up to the mace and pulled it out handing it back to Tessa. Krel watched and gave advice where he could to help them learn how to use their weapons. He noticed that Tessa and Marc had the most to learn as they were utterly clueless regarding stances and swings. From showing both of them how they should grip their weapons and to how they should stand. All of these basics needed to be covered. Krel sighed as both of them stood no chance as of now in the tournament and continued to share all of his guidance. Sedric was a good distance away as he wanted to practice using the throwing knives. In front of him stood a practice dummy with many targets hanging from posts around him, specifically meant for projectiles. The pouch hung from his waist like a holster allowing him to easily use the knives. Sedric unsheathed one scimitar from his back and started training on the dummy. Violent slicing and thumping noises caught Krel and Tessa¡¯s attention. They watched as Sedric danced around slicing with one hand and throwing with the other. Until the last knife hit dead center of the target, did Sedric pull out his second scimitar and start dual wielding. The practice dummy before him ended up being mutilated and the only thing remaining was the bare post stuck in the ground. ¡°Oh yeah, Sedric has placed number one in several big events and tournaments back home. He¡¯s always been very good with weapons.¡± Marc¡¯s comment shook Krel and Tessa from their amazement. Tessa ran over when she noticed Sedric come to a stop. ¡°That was beautiful! Could you teach me how to fight please?¡± Tessa hoped. ¡°Very skilled, I know who I¡¯m placing my bets on now!¡± Krel exclaimed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that against the rules for you to bet, with your connection to the Princess and all?¡± Marc countered as Krel resented after mulling it over. Sedric wiped the bead of sweat forming from his head and couldn¡¯t help but to smile back. ¡°I¡¯m quite rusty still. I haven¡¯t practiced for almost two years now. I also have to find a way to implement my abilities for combat. This will take some time, however I will do my best to help you out Tessa.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget about helping me too!¡± Marc said as Tessa shyly looked away from Sedric¡¯s gaze. ¡°We shall continue this early in the morning after signing the three of you up for the tournament. That will be all for tonight let us wash up and get some rest." Krel ended and signaled several maids to show them to their washrooms. *** Author''s Notes: I decided to do things differently this time and will uploaded the chapter in parts as to help me not get stuck on a chapter when writing. This way I don''t get half way and end up leaving it to sit for a long time. I feel its easier like this even if it doesn''t make sense lol. Haven''t edited this yet and most likely will be changes once the whole chapter is written out. If you have enjoyed this story please let me know and leave a comment about what you think so far, Thanks. Chapter 7 Part 2: Tournament Preparations The citizens of Blackten filled the air with roars of cheering. The ground vibrated from the sheer excitement of the event taking place. Inside the colosseum style structure were spectators situated in stadium style seating. In the center the main event taking place was a matchup of man versus monster. ¡°Behold monsters from the Void! This first specimen, a ruthless marauder clan of Gnoll¡¯s!¡± The announcer filled the crowd with fiery anticipation of the deathmatch. Sitting within the musty dungeon cell, Relanis fiddled with a piece of straw as it began to levitate into the air ignoring the constant commotion outside. A barred window gave him a perfect view of the entire colosseum dirt floor and battles. After losing interest of staring at little objects and being unimpressed of the size of the colosseum compared to modern stadiums back home, he quietly sat practicing his new power. Rattling and footsteps became louder along with a familiar voice. Relanis immediately released his new power [Force Control] and looked forward out of the dungeon¡¯s barred gate. Sedric and Marc arrived along with the guard that escorted them to the cell. The guard remained to the side leaving them to have a chat. ¡°Sedric, you¡¯re still alive! Wait, how¡¯s Marc alive! I saw your head roll out of the carriage earlier! I saw everyone in the carriage die from werewolves!¡± Relanis felt extremely confused and shocked at the same time. ¡°Calm down. Everyone is perfectly fine and no one is dead. Helena suspects Ambassador Von knows the reason for what occurred to you. We will figure out what happened and promise to get you out. However, you¡¯ll most likely have to stay here for a minimum of three weeks before you can leave.¡± Sedric said with a pained expression. ¡°Three weeks! What the hell Sedric¡­ Why three weeks exactly?¡± Relanis remembered Helena¡¯s gruesome death as he replied. ¡°There¡¯s a King¡¯s Tournament happening in the colosseum two weeks from now and the winner will become king and have the ability to pardon you. Marc, Tessa and I have entered the tournament and will make sure we pardon you. This is all whether or not we can find proof of what happened to you and have you released sooner, so the bare minimum is three weeks.¡± Sedric consoled. ¡°If, I was attacked by an illusion. I find it hard to provide substantial proof, so the most reliable option is the tournament. How¡¯re you so certain the three of you can even win this tournament in the first place. What happens if you don¡¯t win!¡± Relanis countered wanting to grab hold of some form of security for his release. ¡°Have faith in us. We will not let you rot away in this cell, if worst comes true. I promise we¡¯ll do our best.¡± Sedric said as Marc nodded agreeing with his words of a prison break. ¡°Alright fine, I just have to leave it to the three of you. The food could be a little better, besides that there¡¯s not much to complain about. I¡¯ll relax and watch the tournament from here. Be careful Sedric. That illusion felt so vividly surreal and I was fooled to the point of fighting for my life. That person is still out there and that¡¯s trouble for us.¡± Relanis accepted his fate and decided the only thing he could do was wait and rely on his friends. ¡°We know and that¡¯s why Helena is attempting to train her mental powers so we can defend against future mental attacks, as well to keep a close eye on the ambassador.¡± Sedric gave his farewell after informing and reassuring Relanis that everything would be taken care of. Walking out of the dungeon¡¯s entrance Marc and Sedric met back up with Tessa and the escort. ¡°How¡¯s he holding up?¡± Tessa wondered not joining them in the visit due to a two person visitation limit. ¡°He¡¯s back to normal now and knows of our situation and his own.¡± Sedric replied to Tessa¡¯s concern. ¡°We should continue our training right away. We have several options to free Relanis, the main being us three and the other Helena. Let¡¯s do our best to guarantee his safe return.¡± Marc took the lead and started heading back to the villa to resume their training as both of them agreed and followed him. Off on her supply run Kira was escorted by two guards as they commuted to the bustling trade district. Wagon carts drawn by oxen and horses strolled along the road transporting goods either to or from the many stalls that were currently set up in the wide open spaced square. The stalls sold goods ranging from cookingware and fabrics to weapons and rare minerals. Kira looked across the entrance of the square and became enthralled by the scenery of all the people and stuff to be bought. Kira walked five stalls in and stopped in front of the middle aged woman dressed for the hot weather. A peculiar material caught her eye as she moved an object to the side revealing fragments of tungsten ore. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°How much for the gray rocks?¡± Kira feigned ignorance as she stared at it with her crafted reading glasses, providing detailed information on the ore. ¡°You have quite a good eye milady. This is a rare material extracted from the lowest depths of a cavern only I have access to. Would you like to purchase some?¡± The alchemist merchant smiled eager for business. ¡°I¡¯ll take all of it, but can I see a list of your inventory?¡± Kira wore a stylish elvenware with the hood down exposing her long black silky hair. The merchant was speechless expecting for a price war. But excited too as she sought out an inventory book from her backpack. ¡°Of course, you may see the inventory milady.¡± Kira scanned through the book extremely satisfied. ¡°This is excellent. I¡¯ll take everything. My escort will take care of the bill.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the alchemist Jasmine. May I have your name milady for this wonderful business transaction?¡± Jasmine respectfully bowed. ¡°You can call me Kira and you will be happy to hear that I will need a hundred pounds of these gray rocks delivered every week for the next three weeks until further notice. I may also include several other ores. I would like to discuss certain matters with you tomorrow over breakfast at Princess Vera¡¯s villa.¡± Kira looked at the guard. ¡°Can you make sure she¡¯s led into the villa in the morning?¡± ¡°Once the Princess approves it, yes.¡± The guard replied. Kira parted with Jasmine and continued shopping for all the materials she specifically wanted to find. Across the city on the palace grounds, Von and Helena walked through many hallways entering the ambassador''s personal library. Many books filled the circular room surrounding the focal point of Von¡¯s worktable. The area was well kept with elegantly engraved wooden shelves. Helena gazed around the room to view the contents of several of the books. She unshelved a book as she placed her golden blonde hair behind her ear to read. ¡°You told me mind reading is rare among our race. But, this book says there were thousands of mind readers. What happened to them?¡± Helena walked closer to Von, sitting in one of four chairs around the table. ¡°It¡¯s been seven hundred years since then. They were mostly slaughtered during wars and that¡¯s not just limited to mind readers.¡± Von sat in his chair with his arms crossed. ¡°I¡¯m happy to talk history with you. However, are we not here for you to improve your abilities?¡± Setting the book down she looked up at Von. ¡°You¡¯re the teacher, I¡¯ve been ready to learn.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll allow you to enter my mind. Let me know what you see or feel.¡± Von suggested. Helena stared at him with her light yellow eyes and attempted to sense his feelings. ¡°Stop, I told you to read my thoughts not my feelings.¡± ¡°You told me to let you know what I feel!¡± Helena countered. ¡°You need to stop listening to my mouth and start listening to my thoughts.¡± Helena felt aggravated and tried again only to see Von¡¯s unemotional face. ¡°I see the color blue.¡± ¡°Wrong try again¡­¡± Von snapped. Several hours passed with Helena blurting out his treasured trip to a river when he was a child. ¡°You weren¡¯t fat back then.¡± Following her success a new skill prompt appeared. [Memory Reading] Lvl:1 - Advanced form a mind reading. Allows the reading of thoughts in addition to retrieve past memories from an individual. Von stood shocked as he realized the extent of her powers. He was expecting her to describe his favorite dish of pasta that was going to be served for dinner. Von immediately blocked off their connection as he could feel Helena scouring his mind for information. ¡°Oww¡­ What happened.¡± Helena held her head as a pulsating headache caused her severe discomfort for a few seconds. ¡°You have learned how to read thoughts. The rest I¡¯m sure you''re capable of figuring out yourself. If you may I have other duties to attend to.¡± Von spoke with the same deadpan face as he escorted her out of his workplace. Helena managed to fit in a quick appreciation as she silently walked back to the villa, replaying the scene of a kid rescuing a little girl from a river and her thanking him with a kiss on the cheeks. A memory of ambassador Von¡¯s first love. *** Author''s Notes: Same as before I''m posting this right when I finished, so it has not been edited at all yet and things will most likely be added once the chapter is entirely completed. If anyone has any thoughts or idea''s as for what kind of materials Kira would be interested in please don''t be afraid to leave a comment below. Any thoughts about what has happened so far are also welcomed. Hope you continue to enjoy, Thanks for reading. Chapter 7 Part 3 End: Tournament Preparations Clanging and grunts cascaded across the villa¡¯s training grounds, catching Helena¡¯s curiosity as she just entered through the gates. Marc weaved a wooden bastard sword with one hand towards Krel like a toothpick displaying his enormous brute strength. Krel easily read his movements and dodged every slash eventually getting behind Marc. Krel swung at Marc¡¯s right leg to make him lose balance. As swiftly as his wooden sword made contact Marc fell to one knee. ¡°Even your abilities have their limits. All I have to do is get behind you and your mysterious counter attack won¡¯t work.¡± Sweat dripped from Krel¡¯s body after an hour of sparring with Marc. Krel focused on teaching Marc swordplay, increasing his non-existent combat experience. Tessa worked on her form and swings under Sedric¡¯s expert guidance. For Sedric to help Tessa to his fullest he asked for details about her powers. Tessa¡¯s current abilities were healing, mana regeneration, and draining. Sedric had her use the draining power on him, causing him considerable burden for a few seconds. ¡°Maybe you should reconsider participating in the tournament or at least change to a lighter one handed weapon with a shield to give you a better chance at defeating an opponent. ¡± Sedric firmly suggested. ¡°I choose this mace because it looked like it could really hurt someone. I¡¯ll change weapons if you think that¡¯s best, but I¡¯m not quitting the tournament.¡± ¡°Imagine yourself holding that mace and I throw these knives at you.¡± Sedric pulled out three very shiny and sharp throwing knives. ¡°With your novice weapon skills and passive healing ability you would do better off with a shield, so that one of these throwing knives don¡¯t go through your body. Worst case scenario you make them run after you as you drain their endurance.¡± Tessa paused without any comeback as Sedric continued. ¡°I¡¯m worried for your safety, Tessa. I will only train you under one condition. If I say you are not ready by the end of these two weeks, promise me you will forfeit from the tournament. Or else Marc and I will tie you to a chair on the day of the tournament.¡± Sedric calmly stated. Tessa blushed focusing on Sedric¡¯s first statement letting every word after to breeze on by unnoticed. ¡°I agree and promise to your condition.¡± Tessa¡¯s cute soft voice made Sedric unable to resist patting her light brown curly hair into a mess. ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. I¡¯ll make sure to turn you into a deadly weapon soon enough.¡± Sedric let out a rare laugh, which enticed Tessa even more due to his appealing snow white complexion and yellow blonde hair. ¡°Wow, Tessa you¡¯re amazing! That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen Sedric laugh. Did you start talking about football?¡± Marc teased overhearing their conversations while he and Krel were taking a short break. ¡°Marc¡¯s right though I¡¯ve never seen you happy in such a long time.¡± Helena added as everyone watched her tall figure approach. ¡°Helena, you¡¯re back so earlier. How did things go with ambassador Von?¡± Sedric questioned. ¡°Surprisingly well actually. I learned a new skill called [Memory Reading] which allows me to do exactly as it sounds. Von didn¡¯t expect me to have this power and was caught off guard. Nothing related to Relanis though.¡± Helena conveyed her thoughts as everyone gave her their attention. ¡°Soon we won¡¯t have to worry about any similar incidents happening to any of us with you around.¡± Sedric said. ¡°Your suspicions seem to be correct and we trust your judgement. Any new information whether it¡¯s unrelated or not please let me know later.¡± Marc¡¯s sweat slowly dripped from his short brown hair as he told Helena to keep a close watch on the ambassador. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will. Relanis is relying on us.¡± Helena replied. ------------------------------------------------------ In a large workroom all the materials Kira gathered were neatly laid out around the area. Two unlit forges lined the back end of the room. A large rectangular table was filled with many layers of blueprint designs. Kira sat on a stool as she vigorously shuffled from one blueprint to the next. ¡°Kira, I¡¯ll be leaving now to visit the ambassador again.¡± Helena left knowing she wouldn¡¯t reach Kira once she was engrossed in her projects. The hallway was filled with numerous blocks of ores that served as the extra storage of materials. Helena walked past a guard that was escorting a woman. She heard about the alchemist merchant from Kira and knew this was her. Jasmine had fluffy red hair in a ponytail, that swayed as the guard led her into the room and left. Kira didn¡¯t react as the Jasmine scanned the room, noticing all her merchandise scattered about the room. She peeked over Kira¡¯s shoulder to take a look at the blueprint currently being drawn. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen any armor like that before. I didn¡¯t take you as a warmonger.¡± Jasmine felt worried as she saw the countless blueprints for war. Kira turned around, ¡°These?... My friends are in the King¡¯s Tournament and I want to help them out. I¡¯ll make sure to increase their odds of winning. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of my folk that would love to use this equipment, but none are rich enough to buy or train with them.¡± Jasmine said. ¡°What would you do if you became queen?¡± Kira questioned as she patiently waited for an answer.¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t want that pressure nor commitment. But I would like a good king such as the last one.¡± ¡°How did the king die?¡± Kira inquired. ¡°One of the king¡¯s duties is to protect the kingdom. They said he met his end to a pack of demon dogs led by vampires. My bestfriend told me vampires have taken refuge somewhere within the mountains separating the void. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to tell me more later. Come sit. I asked you here today because I wanted to find out more about you. To see if you qualify to be my new assistant. My last one became busy for the time being. For now my normal assistant is gone and an opening is available.¡± Kira proposed as Jasmine sat on a stool. ¡°What do you have in mind? I¡¯m not a armor or weapon smith.¡± Jasmine felt cautious to accept. ¡°For the next two weeks I will only be creating these items. Like I said to help my friends. You already know the materials and I will teach you what to do. The downside is you won¡¯t get paid for the next two weeks and consider it a trial period. Anything we make after that will be our profit and I¡¯ll make sure you never worry about money ever again. ¡± Kira confidently negotiated. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Jasmine happily accepted. Jasmine went to run a few errands that afternoon. As usual Kira was enthralled in her work, not paying attention to her surroundings. Forming two ores into an alloy with her craftsman specific power [Transmutation], she readied the metal for forging. She heard footsteps from behind her and thought nothing of it, thinking Jasmine had returned. She felt hands instantly grabbing her from behind, slamming her to the table. Simultaneously a sack was pulled over her head. She tried to call for help, but felt a hand gag her mouth. Kicking and mumbling she tried to fight off her assailants. Rope bit into her flesh as they secured her hands and feet. She gasped for air hearing three different whispers as they gathered her blueprints, laying helpless on the hard ground. The assailants¡¯ voices rose as they saw their watchman drop to the ground. His upper body laying in view at the door entrance. A cloaked figure dashed into the room steadying a short sword to his side. The two nearest kidnappers rushed forth attempting to kill him with their swords. The third kidnapper closest to Kira, got her up and held her hostage. Loud yelling of the first two kidnappers echoed throughout the villa as they fell to the ground. Blood began to spread on the floor from the deep gash wounds of the fallen men. Kira became frightened as she felt the metallic sharpness of a dagger edging slowly into her neck. ¡°Stay back and drop your weapon! I¡¯ll kill her! The cloaked figure stood over the bodies and dropped his sword to the floor. ¡°Now step aside!¡± The kidnapper tightened his grip on the blade as he noticed the reluctance of the person to step aside. Blood trickled down from Kira¡¯s neck, causing her to start whimpering and motivated the rescuer to obey. ¡°Kira! What happened?!¡± Sedric, Marc and Tessa followed by Krel and several elven guards arriving shortly after. The scene they saw showed a man¡¯s figure with a hooded cloak standing beside two bloodied bodies and further in a dagger being held to Kira¡¯s neck. Sedric rapidly accessed the situation and understood to a near hundred percent of how events unfolded. The kidnapper repeated the same words he said earlier, only to notice a throwing knife being launched at incredible speeds aimed directly at his head. The knife flew out of Sedric¡¯s grasp as he aimed to kill the one who threatened his cousin¡¯s life. The kidnapper shifted Kira¡¯s head in front of the knife¡¯s path. Reaching several inches from impact the knife was engulfed by darkness. Kira felt a chill pass through her head as the dagger¡¯s tensity let up on her neck. She felt the kidnapper falling back and followed to avoid being sliced with the dagger. Half of Sedric¡¯s knife jammed back into the assailant¡¯s skull as it dinged against the stone floor. The hooded figure grabbed the assailants arm removing the danger from Kira¡¯s neck. Sitting her up he also removed the sack from Kira¡¯s head. The elven guards grabbed the hooded figure from behind as Sedric and Marc untied her bounds. Tessa stepping in to heal her neck wound and several bruises obtained from the abuse. Kira felt her broken skin slowly closing shut and bruises disappearing. ¡°It¡¯s okay Kira, we¡¯re here.¡± Sedric said as he wiped her tears. She looked up as the elven guards removed the hood of her rescuer, becoming frozen in disbelief. ¡°Kellan? Is that really you?¡± Kira sheepishly asked as the other kidnappers were being taken away by guards. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m glad to you see again. Are you okay?¡± Kellan affectionately asked. ¡°Do you know him?¡± Krel inquired. ¡°Yes, he¡¯s an old friend.¡± Kira quickly got up and introduced Kellan to everyone. As the scene settled down Jasmine returned. Marc suggested everyone go out for dinner, but Kira and Kellan declined. The two story log cabin pub was bustling with excitement. Sedric carefully looked at all the details of the pub in hopes of having a pub in virtual reality as well. The group quickly found a large table with the help of Krel¡¯s status. They enjoyed a nice conversation and half way through their meal Marc saw the captain of the guard walk in with an entourage of ten soldiers. The captain walked over with a few guards following him, stopping in front of the table. ¡°I heard some of my guards were killed, I apologize. They we¡¯re acting on their own accord.¡± ¡°I suggest you keep a tighter leash on your guards, if you want anyone protecting the city.¡± Sedric coldly replied. ¡°We accept your apology el capitan and I look forward to beating you in the tournament.¡± Marc acted drunk slurring his words. ¡°It will take a lot more than the three of you to defeat me.¡± The captain stated. ¡°You¡¯re such a douche. You can¡¯t even keep your own guard under control. We¡¯ll make sure to beat the life out of you on the arena floor.¡± Tessa cheerfully said as a bubbly fact. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to take my time carving up your soft skin during the tournament.¡± The captain glared at Tessa as Krel placed a hand on Tessa, keeping her from getting up. Marc likewise grabbed Sedric¡¯s arm. The captain¡¯s guards quickly assembled behind him. Marc rose from his chair, ¡°This is not a time for war. This is time for celebration. Cheers to King Rigel!¡± As he lifted his mug toasting, ¡°A toast to the captain of the guard who¡¯s gonna help me become king! And a round of drinks are on me!¡± The tavern cheered happily accepting the ale. Everyone in the tavern stood up. The captain looked around and gave an evil smile at Marc, ¡°Your stupidity will be your downfall.¡± Krel looked around at how easily Marc energized the crowd, ¡°Does that mean your paying for dinner too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have money... But I will in eleven days.¡± Marc grinned from ear to ear as he joined the crowd in dance and laughter. Krel admired the humans¡¯ friendship, knowing this particular group would change the world.