《The Polymathic Warrior》 Chapter One: The Primary Focus Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac0yrxR0k90&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS Matthew had run into some trouble in the summer before starting college. One: He had no money. Two: He didn''t have a job. Three: He didn''t have a car. These three problems upset Matthew greatly, however, the third problem wasn''t necessarily bad. He liked hoofing it. However, he, at some points had wished he hadn''t purchased a capsule, and a 2-year subscription to Royal Road, which he hasn''t even started playing yet. Matthew decided that before he went off to college, he would play to his heart''s content. He just wished he had someone to play with, since none of his friends was interested in playing Royal Road. He started up the capsule on the first of the new month, and hopped in, after the diagnosis test came through with pleasing green lights. As soon as he closed it, the lights flickered, and he heard a small, electric sound, like a shortage. However, this only lasted a second, and the whirring hum of the capsule came on, with the message:
Connect to Royal Road? Yes|No
Of course he chose "Yes", and then he felt his body became weightless, as his conscious mind entered the game.
The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?
¡°Yes."
Select the name of your Avatar.
With this, he went with his favorite gaming name, knowing for sure no one else had this name. "Mathgar."
Select gender. Male, Female, or neuter.
"Male, of course." Every MMO has been like this with this expository jargon. It was time-consuming, but he guessed it was important.
Royal Road has 50 total races. You may select your race from the primary 32 races that are currently available.
Wait, Matthew thought, he was positive there were only 49 races in Royal Road. There must be a bug in his capsule, he concluded to himself. Nevertheless, he still searched through the available races. "View Selection." He was unimpressed by most of the races, which were typical vanilla races, like the elf, dwarf, gnome, human, etc. But, he saw in the list a race which he had NEVER SEEN before, even on the RR forums. "View Initial Stats." Then, the window appeared.
Humanus Prime Status Window
Health 50Mana 50
Strength 7Agility 7
Wisdom 7Intellect 7
Vitality 7Luck 0
Leadership 0Flow 10
Attack 2Defense 0
Humanus Prime, a race long since thought exterminated. Their connection to the universe is unmatched. Strong with any style of specialty. Starts weakened, due to no previous connection to the world, beforehand.
Matthew liked the sound of this race, even though the starting stats were frighteningly low. He could be killed very quickly at any time. He also hadn''t seen a Flow stat anywhere before, either. "Humanus Prime."
You may alter your appearance using the index.
Matthew viewed his character''s base features. His character looked exactly like him, except, something seemed different, but he couldn''t place it. He just decided to keep the looks the same.
Your account has been created. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road.
Select a city and a kingdom you would to start in.
He hadn''t thought of a place to start, but he didn''t feel like leaving the pod just to look for a easy place to start. A name popped into his head. "Khurt, in the Kallamore Kingdom."
Welcome to Royal Road, Mathgar.
The light that came from nowhere blinded him, and in response, he shielded his eyes with his hands. When his vision returned, he was standing in a field of scorched earth, surrounded by stone statues. "Well, this is a new way to start a game." Mathgar said to himself, but his voice seemed to resonate slightly, which reminded him of some sort of great, powerful being. He went over to one of the statues and punched it, to test the pain mechanics of RR. He felt a hard thud. "Yep, it is running fine," Mathgar told himself, while rubbing his knuckles in pain. A man in a dark cloak walked up to him, and said, "I see that you are new to this world. Would you like some help finding your path of destiny?"
*Ding*
The Path to Destiny This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.A mysterious man has offered you the ability to start your destiny. Difficulty: ??? Requirement: None Reward: ???
Mathgar was unsure of this stranger, but he was the only other person in this garden of solemn stone. "Yes, I would like guidance."
Quest Accepted!
"Wonderful. Let''s get started. Hit that statue, any way that feels comfortable, but hit it as hard as you can, for as long as you can." How odd. This menial task was going to help his quest? Well, it was better than nothing. He punched the nearest statue as hard as he could, half expecting to break his hand. But, a blue aura surrounded his arm mid-swing, and he destroyed the statue......or so he thought.
*Ding*
Strength rises by 1. (+1 STR) Flow rises by 1. (+1 FLW) Fame rises by 15. (+15 FAME)
A stat point, for punching a statue? That was truly strange. After the stone shell fell apart, a man, who looked like an innkeeper, fell to his knees in a thud. He raised he head, and spoke. "You have saved me from the Curse of Ghal. I thank you!" He seemed like he was truly grateful, Mathgar thought to himself, and he had an idea. He knelt down next to the man, and asked, "Do all these other statues hold people inside?" "Yes, they are all the residents of this village. We didn''t even have time to escape from Ghal''s horde of death....." he receded into a sobbing ball. This looked bad. But, he didn''t want to stand by and watch these people suffer for an eternity. "I will free these people, for you. I wish you to be reunited with your people." Mathgar echoed. He went off the free the others, before he could hear the quiet "thank-you" from the innkeeper. Breaking the statues took at least 6 hours in game time. He was so glad he didn''t use too much time. He wanted to keep looking at the world that was Royal Road. After he had freed the town, he looked back at his messages.
Strength rises by 25. (+25 STR) Vitality rises by 10. (+10 VIT) Agility rises by 6. (+6 AGI) Flow rises by 39. (+39 FLW) Fame rises by 350. (+350 FAME) Life rises by 250. (+250 HP) Mana rises by 50. (+50 MP)
You have gained the Perseverance stat. You cannot allocate points into this stat. Actions that are done that pertain to this stat will give points to this stat accordingly.
Perseverance rises by 30. (+30 PER)
New Skill: You have learned Unarmed Mastery.
New Skill: You have learned Strength from Stone.
New Skill: You have learned Critical Hit.
Cool, he didn''t know that he got so many skills and bonuses from freeing the townspeople. He still didn''t quite know what some of his skills and stats did. "Status and Skill Window."
Status Window
Avatar Name: MathgarAlignment: True Neutral
Race: Humanus PrimeTitle: None
Level: 1Class: None
Fame: 365
Health: 300Mana: 100
Strength: 33+5Agility: 13
Wisdom: 7Intellect: 7
Vitality: 17Flow: 50
Perseverance: 30Luck: 0
Leadership: 0
Attack: 2Defense: 2
Magic Resistances
Earth: 10
Unarmed Mastery Beginner Level: 2 [86%] Passive Your skill with your fists and kicks has increased their combat ability. Unarmed ATK Speed: +6% Unarmed ATK Damage: +2%
Strength From Stone Beginner Level: 1 [96%] Passive Your resolve to destroy stone with your bare hands has increased your physical capability. Bonus STR: +5 Bonus Defense: +2 Earth Resistance: +10
Critical Hit Beginner Level: 1 [63%] Passive Your ability to find vital points in targets is uncanny. Critical Hit Chance: +1%
Mathgar chuckled. He is going to have a wonderful time playing this game. The Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4085 Chapter Two: Weird Loot, and Shouting Blacksmiths Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qZWUNI854s&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=2 Mathgar had just realized that his Health and Stamina were pretty low, which didn''t really surprise him. He just finished beating the crap out of rocks for the last few hours. He needed to find some way to restore himself to full health (since he didn''t exactly have potions at level 1). In the middle of his thought, the innkeeper tapped him on the shoulder, in an attempt to get his attention. "We still have not rewarded you for saving our town of Khurt. How can we repay your great kindness?"
*Ding*
Choose a reward: Weapon Armor Gold Fame
Hmm, this is a tough choice, thought Mathgar. He hasn''t really been playing RR for long, and he has already completed a "quest", if it was even one. He thought it might be good for later if he got fame now. "Fame. I wish to be known across Versailles." Mathgar resounded. His voice still sounded really ethereal. He liked it, and wondered if he could reciprocate it in real life.
Fame rises by 30. (+30 FAME)
Side Quest: Free the People of Khurt-COMPLETED
He had played enough games to know that side quests do not offer a huge reward, but Mathgar enjoyed the fame. It might bring him cheaper prices in the area, more quests, so on. He turned around to see the town that he "saved" (because for some reason, he didn''t notice that there was a town beyond the field of statues), and the clouds broke, and revealed a bright, colorful little village. He needed to have a look around, before doing anything else. But, something came to mind. He turned to the cloaked figure. "Was this my purpose? To free this village?" The man in the cloak replied, mysteriously, "All will be revealed in time, but for now, well done. I will keep an eye on you, and guide you to your destiny." He then disappeared behind the message window.
Quest Complete: The Path of Destiny The Man of Shadows has gauged your abilities, and has helped you on your way to your destiny. Level Up! Level Up! Items received: Book of Khon''dar, Sword of Xall, Cloak of Hinderen
"The weirdest things to start with." Mathgar checked these new items out.
Book of Khon''dar Durability: ??/?? Spellbook of the very ancient, and powerful Magus, Khon''dar. His works are intricate, and only the most gifted of mana-users are able to read these pages. Level Requirement: 100 Intellect: 250 Wisdom: 215
Sword of Xall Durability: ??/?? The weapon companion to the fierce soldier of fortune, Xall. His blade is of perfect balance, but to only those who can wield its awesome might. Damage: ??-?? Level Requirement: 100 Strength: 200 Agility: 150 Vitality: 150 ??? ???
Cloak of Hinderen Durability: ??/?? If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.The cloak of the master theif and assassin, Hinderen. His cloak can give its user enlightenment to the art of stealth and accuracy. Level Requirement: 100 Agility: 200 Wisdom: 175 Luck: 130 ??? ??? ???
Wow, Mathgar thought. I just got high-tier loot, but, man, does it have a tall order for the requirements... He decided to put his stats into INT and WIS for now, seeing as how the spellbook has such a huge requirement for that, bringing them both to 12. Monster stats, here I come, he chuckled to himself. Now, back to the task at hand. He needed to find a job in town to get some cash. He went to the blacksmith first, since, in real life, Matthew was extremely interested in getting a part-time job over the summer as a blacksmith''s apprentice at the renaissance fair. He saw the stocky, bearded man at the forge, hammering away at what looked like an axe. "Excuse me, are you taking any apprentices?" Mathgar asked politely. His hammer slammed down as his looked up at Mathgar. "OH, YA''RE THE MAN WHO FREED US! OF COURSE YA CAN BE ME APPRENTICE!" the smith roared. Mathgar had to cover his ears. The smith saw this. "Oh, sorry, still testing out the ol'' vocal chords. Still working like a champ. HAHA!!" He calmed down after this. "Sorry, I haven''t introduced meself. I am the blacksmith, Yvondurth, THE MIGHTY!! If ya want, I can take ya on as me apprentice."
*Ding*
The Apprentice: Blacksmith The blacksmith, Yvondurth has decided to take you on as his apprentice. He will teach you blacksmithing, and the ways of the forge. Difficulty: D Requirement: Be on good terms with Yvondurth. Time Limit: None Reward: Blacksmithing skill, Smithing hammer, 15 Iron bars, Smithing apron, 5 gold
"Yes, I accept!" Mathgar cheered, his voice carrying farther than he wanted. "GREAT! ENTHUSIASM, I LOVE IT! LET''S GET STARTED, SHALL WE?" Yvondurth bellowed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The two worked for hours on end, heating, hammering, cooling, hammering, and so on. He learned a lot about how the heating element has big importance on the metal, such as if it is heated in coals, wood, so on. Yvondurth explained that the slag can be reduced by using a medium, such as sand. Mathgar''s ears were ringing constantly, from the metal hammering, and Yvondurth''s "inside" voice. After 2 hours of instructions, he got a message:
New Skill: You have learned Blacksmithing.
Blacksmithing Beginner Level 1 [0%] Your skill with a forge and anvil is increased. Depending on the skill level, the requirements on weapons and armor go down by 2% or more. If you have mastered the skill of a blacksmith to master level, you can wear the items of other professions despite class limitations. Health will increase by 100 for every level of Beginner level acquired.
The health bonus was the best part, at the moment. He was maybe at 145 HP right now, since he burned through a lot of it earlier, punching statues. Hopefully, finding somewhere to restore his health wouldn''t be a problem. Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4095 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4074 Chapter Three: Windows......The Windows...... Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRsdf4FflXw&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=3 Mathgar stayed a little longer with the blacksmith until he got the message:
*Ding*
Quest Complete: The Apprentice-Blacksmith Yvondurth has taken a liking to your speed of picking up blacksmithing. Level Up! Level Up! Items Received: Blacksmithing Skill (learned), Smithing Hammer, 15 Iron Bars, Smithing Apron, 5 gold
He thanked the smith, and went off to go find a temple to restore his health. While walking through the town, he saw no other players nearby. He thought that was odd, but then he checked the map. He was in the western-most kingdom, in the western-most village, just a few miles from the coast. Well, he thought, do I know how to pick a secluded place, or what? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He had found the temple, but it was in pretty bad shape. Some of the stone tiles on the ceiling were missing, and the walls were cracked. It looked like the church was still standing by sheer willpower alone. He found a decrepit priest tending to a modest garden in front of the church, and Mathgar approached him. "Can I be healed? I am low on health right now." Wow. Mathgar had no sense of tact today. "Sure thing, kiddo." The crinkly old man said, as he stood up, slowly. "It will cost you 3 gold. Or unless, you would rather give me a hand with something." Mathgar pondered on this question, and considered being nice to this man would be shown as a good deed, in the eyes of his deity. "Sure, I can give you a hand, what do you need help with?"
*Ding*
Quest Accepted
The Apprentice-Acolyte You have decided to help the priest, Marvin, and to complete the tasks that he gives you, in exchange for healing. Difficulty: D Requirement: Hammer, No Infamy Time Limit: None Reward: Health Restored, ???, ???
"It''s a deal, sirrah." Mathgar said, shaking his hand.
Quest Accepted
Marvin handed him some nails, and wood, and said, "Board...up the windows, until we get some glass, please." He pointed to the arches towards the top of the structure. The window panes were shattered, and some glass was still hanging in the windows. That is really dangerous, Mathgar thought to himself. He headed inside, and saw the church altar, which seemed to resemble an angel, but one hand had a sword, a balance in the other, and the angel was blindfolded.
*Ding*
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
You have gained the blessing of Nemesis, the goddess of balance. Increased Health Regeneration Increased Mana Regeneration Increased Stamina Regeneration Increased Attack and Defense Increased Magic Damage and Defense Blessing lasts 2 minutes.
Holy cow, he thought. Whoever this Nemesis chick was, she must have been awesome. He continued up the staircase with the tools in hand, and reached the top of the temple, where the windows were. One problem arose: Mathgar didn''t have a ladder to reach the windows. He grumbled to himself, "I wish I knew how to make a ladder, so this wouldn''t be a problem. Oh well, looks like i just have to climb." He set the supplies down, just to see if he could scale up the wall. He thought he did a good job, but his body exhausted fast, then he looked down. He only made it 2 feet off the ground! This made him angry, because he had, what looked like, 15 more feet to get to the closest ledge. Aw, I''m out of intelligent options, he thought. Might as well try something dumb. He put all his energy into his legs, and jumped.
*Ding*
New Skill: You have learned Jump
And, at the worst time. The sudden window popping up in mid-jump caused him to lose his balance midair, and fell to the ground.
You have taken 20 damage.
His shoulder ached, and was surprised he didn''t take more. He rested for a moment , to benefit from the Nemesis buff, and looked at this new window.
Jump Beginning Level 1 [3%] Your leg strength has provided you with a heightened jump. Extra jump height: 1 ft per level Reduced damage from falls: -5 per level Consumes 1 Mana per jump
"Well, that will come in handy right about now." Mathgar continued trying to jump up to the ledge, which was still far away. After a few hours of jumping, and resting in between, he grasped the ledge. Now, to pull myself up, he thought. He reached forward with a hand farther on the ledge, and:
You have taken 15 damage. Bleeding for 1 HP for 6 seconds.
Ouch. That glass hurts. He jumped back down, and took the glass out of his hand, and waited for his hand to stop bleeding, since he did not have any bandages on him. "Yeah, I think I''m done for today. Besides, I have all the time in the world to finish this quest." And with that he logged off. And as the capsule opened, Matthew saw his dad above him through his foggy glasses, almost glowing red with anger. "WHERE WERE YOU FOR THE LAST TEN HOURS!!!" Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4097 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4085 Chapter Four: The Divide Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6whzBVs-qY&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=4 Matthew had lived with his dad since his parents had split up a few years ago, even though they are still not technically divorced yet. With the final court date looming, and his dad''s bills and anger rising......his house was not a fun place to be most days. He was still surprised that his dad let him have the capsule, at all. His dad wasn''t too fond of his gaming habits, but Matthew was in the top of his class, so he was more lenient. His dad said one day, a few weeks back, "Since you will graduate in a few weeks, you will be your own man. I don''t mind what you do here, as long as you keep clean what is yours, and help me around the house. Of these two things, he did both, and beyond. He made sure the dishes were clean, the floors were swept and mopped, and the bathroom, more-or-less, clean. He even made sure to take out the trash, and do the laundry. Matthew didn''t really want to make his dad more frustrated than he already was. He understood that maintaining a house on a retiree''s income was tough. Matthew''s dad had served in the military for 23 years, working as an Electronics Technician. He was in the service before Matthew was even born. He was really good at his job. However, he did retire from his job, and without the large sum they received from his active service paycheck, he was forced to get a normal job. For some reason, his mom did not want to get a job. Fast-forwarding to now, Matthew''s dad had let his physical shape fail him, but not entirely. He wasn''t a tall guy, but he had arms the size of pistons, and a large barrel chest. His close cut hair and goatee was a fashion that he maintained since his days in the Guard. But, his gut was starting to be a health problem, and Matthew was sad that their current situation was tearing his psyche apart. He became more and more unreasonable everyday, due to his compound stress. And the laziness of Matthew''s older brother, Alex, probably didn''t help his state, either. Frequently, Matthew would escape into his games, so he wouldn''t have to hear his dad scream at his brother for every reason under the sun. Now, his dad had misplaced anger towards him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST 10 HOURS!!" "I said I was going to try out Royal Road. I specifically remember telling you, because you said it was okay, as long as I had the chores done for the day. If you check, the dishes, clothes, and floors are done. My part of the house maintenance is finished." Matthew said calmly. He was used to his dad yelling at him, but he knew how to calm him, and anyone else in his family, down. "Alex told me that he said he was doing your jobs today, so that means you haven''t done anything, and you are rewarding yourself without a fair amount of work." His dad fumed. This ticked Matthew off. Alex would always find some way to take the easy way out of doing things, and often found useful shortcuts, for himself. Now, he is taking the brunt of his "shortcut". Since Alex had already graduated the year before. He had been more used to doing a lot less at his college (which he came back home from for the summer, since he was practically kicked out because he was staying there too long), so he didn''t want to burden himself with the menial labor most days. So, this meant that Matthew was, in all intents and purposes, the "butler" of the house. Luckily, the scenario has played out before for Matthew. And his dad believed his word, in most situations. "Dad, I never said that Alex could take my jobs. They were mine for a reason. To solve any confusion, I will do the other chores right now, to fix the problem. Is that okay?" Matthew concluded. His dad seemed to think for a moment before leaving the room with a thumbs up, and a smile. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. A second later, he heard his dad''s voice roar in the next room. "YOU THINK THAT YOUR LAZINESS WILL GO UNREWARDED?!?!?!" Matthew went to the garbage can, and took out the full liner with a grin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next morning, Matthew was eating a set of chocolate toaster pastries, when Alex, with a massive bedhead and baggy eyes, sat down across him. "You think that was funny?" Alex said with a scowl after a moment. Matthew couldn''t help but smirk a little. "Yeah, it was, a little. It was your fault you didn''t do your chores, and slept instead. You really need to find something to do during the day, otherwise you will gain weight, with the way you are eating." He pointed to the massive plate of eggs and bacon he had half-consumed since he sat down. Alex growled. Alex, on the other hand from Matthew''s dad, didn''t have any military experience (nor should he, he only just got back from his first year at college). He was really big, though. His natural size, which included no athletic exercise, made him almost another head taller than Matthew. His body was in proportion to his size. He was a monster of a teenager. He was surprised he quit football in high school, to be honest. But, with that big size, came an even bigger temper. Anytime someone mentioned his larger-than-average head, or his size, he got impressively angry. Luckily, it never lasted long. His anger only came in small bursts, compared to their dad. "So, how was that game, Matt?" Alex said, after eating most of the food on his plate. He couldn''t stay mad at Matthew for long. Matthew was the only one that Alex truly cared about. "It was fine. I think I started off in the wrong place, or something." Matthew said. "Really? Just delete your guy then, if you don''t like it." Alex has seen an equal share of games as Matthew has, but has not seemed interested in Royal Road until now. "My friend Aaron said that he just soloed a dungeon with only his fists. I bet you aren''t nearly as cool as him." "I might be cooler than him, you never know. And I want to keep my guy, he is special." "Whatever, I would be playing RR with you, if it weren''t for the fact that i spent my money on school, and some gaming cards. I am close to getting one, though." Matthew really was surprised that Alex showed such interest, considering Alex didn''t like playing games with him very much anymore. Alex saw this, and intervened. "Yeah, I bet my character would be even better than yours, give me a week to get the money, and then I can show you up." Matthew also was reminded that Alex was EXTREMELY competitive, often. Matthew sighed. "Well, the good news is, since I did your chores as well yesterday, Dad is allowing me to play right now, while you can''t play, due to irresponsibility, or something. I overheard part of the ''lecture''." He got up from the table, and walked away, leaving Alex with his usual scowl of defeat. This isn''t over, Matthew, Alex thought. He WOULD show him that he was better than him, in real life, and in Royal Road. Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4126 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4095 Chapter Five: What Flows Into Me Follow along with the audio recording! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ugXamK7aI&index=5&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS After Matthew slipped back into his capsule (for the laziness of his vocabulary, he will now call it "pod"), he felt a twinge of regret for leaving his brother on a mean note, but his apology would come after today''s session, he thought. He let his consciousness slip into the datastream..... And Mathgar reappeared on the top floor of the church, where he logged out from the previous day. Good, Mathgar checked, the return point seems to work fine. He got back to his work with Marvin, and boarding the windows. The problem he had with boarding was that he had to stand on the outside of the windows, and risk falling off of the ledge. However, this was not an issue, because Mathgar had raised his Jump skill enough, so even if he did fall, the fall damage is reduced. He hammered into the walls of the church, so the boards would stay. After he completed one window, he went on to the next one, and after he nearly fell, he set in the last nail on the second window when
*Ding*
New Skill: You have learned Repair.
"Wonderful! This task will go by much faster, now!" Mathgar exclaimed. "Only 30 or so windows left...." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After 70 windows, Mathgar plopped down on one of the ledges, in exhaustion. Phew, that took longer than I thought, he reminisced to himself. He checked his new skill.
Repair Beginner Level 7 Your speed in repairing objects and items has increased.
"Too bad it doesn''t show how much faster it repairs, but I did raise that skill up fast!" Mathgar decided to not risk his life, and climbed back down. In hindsight, Mathgar thought, this probably wasn''t a good idea, but he thought, what the heck, why not? He inched his way down like a caterpillar, until his feet were graced with the horizontal plane of the ground, which was followed up with a quick kiss to the ground by Mathgar. He stood back up to see he received another skill.
*Ding*
New Skill: You have learned Climb.
Yah, he got it finally, he grimaced........after he finished the job that could have used it. He went over to the priest, and spoke in his echo-y voice, "Your task has been completed, sirrah. Is there anything else you would like done?" Marvin looked up at the sweaty foreigner, and chuckled. "Young man, you look tired. I will heal you now, but I do have more tasks for you to complete." As he said this, he placed his right hand on Mathgar''s forehead, a bright light enveloped Mathgar''s senses. He could feel new life flow through his veins, like a river.
You have been healed for 1000 Health.
I NEED to learn that healing spell, Mathgar said, because that healed more than his 700 HP.
*Ding*
Are you serious? He thought.
New Flow Skill: You have learned Healing Spring.
Flow rises by 10. (+10 FLW)
Healing Spring Beginner Level 1 [0%] Using the energy from the universe, you can transfer a portion of its limitless knowledge into healing, restoring missing HP. Healing Amount: Flow stat/3 per second. Mana Cost: Flow stat/10 per second.
I need to stop learning skills, Mathgar grinned, like a kid in a candy store. And this Flow stat will be great later on. "Now that......you are healed, are you ready for my next task?" Marvin chimed. Mathgar nodded. "Alrighty, let''s.....get started..." Marvin then coughed. "Sorry, kiddo, it''s just me gettin'' old. Don''t mind me."
Quest Updated
The Apprentice-Acolyte Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. You have decided to help the priest, Marvin, and to complete the tasks that he gives you. Difficulty: D Requirement: No Infamy Time Limit: None Reward: ???, ???
It makes sense, thought Mathgar, since he doesn''t need the hammer, nor the healing, he can heal himself now. He followed him back into the church, where Marvin slipped into a closet, and came back out with a bucket, a shallow rectangular pan, and a metal tool, which looked like a metal triangle with a handle. "The plaster is in this closet, and you can get water from the well behind the church. I''m sure you know how to fix walls, yes?" He wanted him to fix the ENTIRE church? Marvin must be insane! Or, at least senile; that seemed more viable. But, he was honor-bound to finish his task. "Yes, I will do what I can, sirrah." This was going to be a long day. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After 6, or 7 hours, Mathgar lost count, he finished the re-plastering of the inside, AND outside of the building. He was able to raise the climb skill to Beginner Level 6 (since he free climbed the walls), the Jump skill to Beginner level 8, and the Repair skill to Intermediate Level 3. Once he reached Intermediate, the task became so much faster, because the walls would fix themselves, and the materials would disappear. Then he reorganized the rows of pews, polished them, and buffed the statue of Nemesis with some wax he found in the closet. After this, his body ached everywhere. He assumed his health was low, so he tried using the Healing Spring skill. He tried to re-imagine the flowing stream of life coming from the priest''s hand, that flowed into him. Now, before him in his mind''s eye, he saw a setting of a sphere of glowing green energy. As he willed it to come toward him, tendrils leaked from the sphere, flowing into Mathgar. Eventually, the tendrils died away, but the healing remained.
You have healed for 320 Health.
Nice, he could get used to this, but his mana pool was less than half full after just a few seconds. He was so glad he put those stats points into Wisdom and Int after the blacksmith''s quest, which gave him more Mana. In the middle of his thought, Marvin hobbled over to Mathgar, hand outstretched. "You have done me, and this town a great service. The church will once again be a place of pride. Thank you.....for your help." Mathgar shook his hand.
Quest Complete: The Apprentice-Acolyte Marvin the priest has seen your hard work and diligence in fixing the church of Nemesis to its rightful glory. He can now reopen the church to the public, and it is all thanks to you. Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!
"Also, I wish to give you these. The sword was owned by the paladin, Greifer, who fought and died, protecting us from the Curse of Ghal, and the robes are for acolytes of Nemesis, who have finished their cloister trials. I feel that, with your work here today......you are an acolyte, in every right."
Item Received: Greifer''s Favorite Sword
Item Received: Acolyte Robes of Nemesis
"Thank you so much, I appreciate it." At that, Marvin left the church, letting Mathgar know to lock the doors after he left. With that, he quickly added ten more stat points each to Wisdom and Int, and five to Strength, to help with the sword(s). He then turned to the statue, and to the rest of the room, admiring his thorough work in cleaning the church. A voice from all around Mathgar startled him. "You have served me well, foreigner." He searched for the source of the voice, until his eyes came upon the statue, which now had a glowing aura surrounding it. "No way...." Mathgar''s words failed him. Is he talking to a GOD? "I know your time here in this village is short, but I require your assistance, Mathgar. There is an evil that is going to raze this town to the ground, and only you can stand against them." Nemesis resounded. Now it was Mathgar''s turn to experience someone else''s echoing voice. He also felt the need to be on one knee, you know, for respectful reasons, and such. "What do need of me, my lady Nemesis?" Mathgar confidently spoke. He had mixed feelings about this. He didn''t really want to do another quest that would take forever, but he also wanted more levels. "I want you to become my champion, of justice." Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4130 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4097 Chapter Six: Justice Has An Older Brother Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DtlUHAlpUk&index=6&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS
The Champion of Justice The goddess, Nemesis, has seen your talent, and your volition to restore the town of Khurt. She wishes for you to be her champion, and protect her worshipers, and her shrine, from the incoming forces of evil. Difficulty: B Requirement: Be an acolyte of Nemesis Time Limit: Before the town of Khurt is razed Reward: ???, ???, ???, ???
No question, this quest was going to be great. "When do I start?"
Quest Accepted
Nemesis spoke, softer this time. "The invasion will not happen for another week, so you have time to train, and prepare. I will give the priest a vision, and he will alert the townsfolk of the impending danger. Meanwhile, you have the option to train, with me." "What?" Mathgar was dumbfounded. Five minutes into dialogue with a god, and he can train with them? He was definitely glad he stayed in Khurt, isolated as it was. It was almost like a single-player VR game, but it was still cool. "Can I start tomorrow?" He asked, kindly. "You may, but you must not tell a soul of what you have heard tonight. Now go for now, and return tomorrow, and be ready for the training." Nemesis''s glow slowly ebbed back into the statue, and the ominous presence disappeared. Mathgar felt an unknown pressure release in his chest. It must have been the sheer power of the god, he assumed.
You have gained the Faith stat. You cannot allocate points into this stat. Actions that are done that pertain to this stat will give points to this stat accordingly.
Faith rises by 30. (+30 FAITH)
"Welp, I''m done for today." Mathgar clasps his hands together. "I have to tell Kody about this. He is going to flip out! But, first things first..." He left the church, and locked the doors behind him, like he had promised Marvin. Then, he checked his current skills.
Unarmed Mastery Beginner Level: 2 [86%] Passive Your skill with your fists and kicks has increased their combat ability. Unarmed ATK Speed: +6% Unarmed ATK Damage: +2%
Strength From Stone Beginner Level: 1 [96%] Passive Your resolve to destroy stone with your bare hands has increased your physical capability. Bonus STR: +5 Bonus Defense: +2 Earth Resistance: +10
Critical Hit Beginner Level: 1 [63%] Passive Your ability to find vital points in targets is uncanny. Critical Hit Chance: +1%
Blacksmithing Beginner Level: 3 [4%] Your skill with a forge and anvil is increased. Depending on the skill level, the requirements on weapons and armor go down by 2% or more. If you have mastered the skill of a blacksmith to master level, you can wear the items of other professions despite class limitations. Health will increase by 100 for every level of Beginner level acquired.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Jump Beginning Level: 8 [16%] Your leg strength has provided you with a heightened jump. Extra jump height: 1 ft per level Reduced damage from falls: -5 per level
Repair Intermediate Level: 3 [22%] Your speed in repairing objects and items has increased.
Climb Beginner Level: 6 [71%] Makes climbing less difficult Fall damage reduced: -5 per level
Healing Spring Beginner Level: 1 [25%] Using the energy from the universe, you can transfer a portion of its limitless knowledge into healing, restoring missing HP. Healing Amount: Flow stat/3 per second. Mana Cost: Flow stat/10 per second.
Wow, he said in his mind. He has just pulled a "Karate Kid". No way that he did this much work in two days. Now that he thought about it, he would become even stronger in the next few days, offensively, with Nemesis''s "training". He was ecstatic. He logged off with a huge smile, knowing that the next few days were going to be VERY rewarding. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew jumped out of the pod, and reached for the phone, to call his best friend, Kody, who also played RR, but Matthew never got around to telling him that he started. Kody answered after a few seconds. "Yeah, what''s up, Matthew?" Kody said, with a bit of a grumble. Matthew probably woke him up. He forgot that he was still traveling around the world. "I forgot to mention this, but I joined RR two day ago, and I just got some really cool stuff to talk to you about!" Matthew was so eager to tell him everything, that he could throw up. Not really, but close. And then, the cracked door to Matthew''s room closed, and Alex ran off to his room, a devilish grin on his face. "I''m going to beat you, and your "cool" character..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alex had asked for a loan from his friend, who ran a small computer business. Being the skilled "moocher" that he was, he was able to borrow enough money to buy a capsule, and put it into his room, after using his truck to transport it from the manufacturer to their house. He had to carry it in himself, since his dad was busy in the garage, and Matthew was already in his capsule for the day. Man, this is heavy, Alex complained to himself. I thought this was lighter, Matthew carried his own in, and he didn''t even break a sweat. Geez. After the angle turns, and the awkward transition through his door, he set up the capsule next to his bed. He called the Unicorn Company, and set up his account in less than 5 minutes. After that, Alex angrily sped through all of the chores for the day, like a raging whirlwind, then sat down next to his pod. He smirked. "I will have the better character, just you wait, Matthew." And with that, he entered the pod.
Connect to Royal Road? Yes|No
Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4158 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4126 Chapter Seven: Breaking Silences, and Arms Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtM4FxS_Hlk&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=7 Mathgar''s "training" with Nemesis basically consisted of him being put through torture. For one, the training area had an increased gravity, so he had a hard time standing, or even breathing. Second, it had an even smaller time speed than RR. He could spend a week in the training room, and it would be 7 hours in RR, and less than 2 hours in real life! Nemesis wasn''t there in person to train him, just another statue. She had summoned a strong dummy that resembled a knight, and had it beat Mathgar senseless, repeatedly. Anytime Mathgar would get low on health, the knight would stop, and allow Mathgar the heal, then continued with the pummeling. Over the course of the first week in the training, Mathgar gained an additional 30 points to STR, 40 to VIT, and 25 to Perseverance, respectively. His AGI, strangely enough, increased by 15 points as well. Well, Mathgar assumed, at least this is a good way to boost his natural stats. He even managed to get some solid hits on the dummy (through dumb luck, which increased his luck by 5), as well, raising his Strength from Stone, Critical Hit, and Unarmed Mastery levels by 2. He must have done quite a bit of damage, to get that much experience. Matthew got out of his pod, stretching wide. He could still feel the bruises the knight dummy gave him, and rubbed his shoulder unconsciously. He went to take a shower, and change his clothes before he jumped back in. But, Alex approached him with a grin, too big for even his face. "Matthew, guess what?" "What? Are you going to say that I should go to the gym with you more often? I already said my personal training keeps me fit. I''m fine." As Matthew turned to leave, Alex grabbed his hurt shoulder. Matthew spun around and glared at him, reacting to the flare of pain. "This better be good, then." He used his gloating, "uppity" voice, "I also have started playing Royal Road, and I am level 15. And I did it in my first day! I grinded the training hall in Morata, in the Arpen Kingdom, and the training master gave me a greatsword! I already know that I am better than you. Ha!" "Really? Do you have a class yet?" Matthew retorted, condescendingly. "You know you can''t leave the city, yet. You haven''t been playing for a week in game time." Matthew knew that Alex would have tried, and failed to leave the city. "Oh, but I have left the city. I started playing the day after you did. I just played when Dad went to sleep." Matthew looked at Alex in query. When did he get the money to get the pod, and WHEN did he get that huge thing into his room? He hadn''t been in his room, recently, so he wouldn''t know, but he should have at least heard the movement of it, since it was so huge. "I''m going to ask again, did you get a class?" "Oh yeah. The intelligence guild told me, since I prioritize STR, AGI, and VIT, and that I fight like a demon, they gave me the Berserker class." Alex concluded, as if it was nothing. Matthew''s jaw dropped in awe. The Berserker class was one of the rarest classes that he knew of. His brother was one of the three that he knew of. His brother''s luck was boundless, it seemed. Alex took advantage of his awe. "So, you know that my class is hyper-rare? BE AMAZED BY YOUR OLDER BRO!" He raised his arms to shoulder-height, and stood "magnificently". "Cool." Matthew maintained his composure now. "What is your name? Conan? Rogbane?" "No, but Rogbane sounds good, I''m sad now, since I didn''t pick that. My character''s name is Jorkama." "Oh, so your typical moniker as well? I used Mathgar." Matthew finished. "Pssh. You always use that, Matt. Think of something different." Alex waved his hand in front of Matthew''s face, mockingly. "Now that''s calling the kettle black, Alex." Matthew chimed. "Anyways, I want to friend you, when I get back on here in a minute. You said you are in Morata? That is really far from Kallamore..." "Why are you in an area with no major towns? I didn''t even see one on the main map. Where the heck are you in Kallamore?" Alex remarked. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "In a town called Khurt. It is really boring there, trust me. All right, I''m getting on now. See you on the other side!" Matthew waved at Alex. He was still jealous of Alex''s cool class. Matthew didn''t even have one yet. But, he slipped into the pod again, and started RR back up. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You want me to attack this dummy, with all of my might, and as fast as I can?" Mathgar inquired. The aspect of Nemesis nodded. Great, Mathgar thought. It was hard enough getting hit, but now he had to hit that insanely fast dummy, in this gravity altering room? This was going to be a tough, maybe even impossible, task. But, he was feeling really "carpe diem" right about now. He swung his fist as fast as he could, the gravity increasing his punch speed. He was surprised that he even got close, but not surprised that the knight just blocked his arm, and used the current force that he attained to accelerate him into the wall.
You have taken 360 damage. Your right arm is now unusable.
Once again, still taking punishment, but this was definitely worse. Even using Healing Spring just restored the health, and not the usability of the arm. He now carried dead weight. He went in full throttle with the other arm, and, by some strange coincidence, the SAME THING happened. Now, Mathgar was just over 50% HP, and he hasn''t even landed a single attack. He decided since his arms were useless, using his legs was the answer. He rushed forward, arms dangling behind him, and somersaulted, connected a hammer kick to the top of the dummy''s head, sending it flying into the ground. The head of the dummy shattered, and the dummy disappeared with it.
Critical Hit!
Critical Hit: Level Up!
Unarmed Mastery: Level Up!
Strength rises by 2. (+2 STR) Luck rises by 4. (+4 LCK) Level Up! Level Up!
"Good. You have completed the first phase of the training. You may rest for now, and I will restore your arms." White light enveloped his arms, a jolt of pain surged through arms, and he could use them fully again. "I will also grant you a spell, to aid in your next phase of training."
New Skill: You have learned Blade of Justice.
Blade of Justice Beginner Level: 1 [0%] The power of the goddess, Nemesis, flows through your veins. With this skill, you can manifest the desire to serve justice into energy that surrounds your arms, creating blades made of righteous light. Can be channeled into weapons at higher levels. Duration of skill increases with level. Damage: Flow/4 damage increase to attacks Mana Cost: Flow /2 Duration: 15 seconds
Wow. "Let us continue, my champion. To the next phase, a battalion. GO!" The knight that had just been destroyed......had 15 friends........ Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4187 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4130 Chapter Eight: Earth-Shattering News Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZodnItl229U&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=8 Dodging was the first part of the plan, then Mathgar would try to single out each knight, systematically eliminating the threat. After that, he would rest. But, there was a flaw in this plan. The knights wouldn''t let him dodge their attacks. Their flanks consisted of a five-way squeeze play, preventing escape in any direction, except upward, and Mathgar didn''t trust his Jump to evade this group. He managed to weave through three, but the last two pancaked him with a shield bash from the front and back side. Mathgar swore his nose broke. After they reorganized their ranks, Mathgar decided to try a new tactic: using his new skill, Blade of Justice. He called forth that shocking pain into his arms, creating energy spikes that surrounded his forearms, but extending to a sharp point about 10 inches past his hands. "Well then," Mathgar marveled the new toys. He charged into the advancing flank, arms poised to strike. The battle seemed to go on forever, since his mana burnt out after decimating 4 of them. The knights thought that their previous strategy wasn''t effective enough. So, they decided to charge him all together, removing any chance to evade their advance. Mathgar had a silly idea. He jumped straight up, after the knights came to be in a close ring. As he returned to earth, he raised his arms, and slammed them into the ground, while the Blade of Justice skill was on (he managed to store enough mana for one more strike). The result, was earth-shattering; he created fissures in every direction, releasing energy from the cracks, in the form of dazzling white lightning. When Mathgar''s vision returned to him, he saw the skill window come into focus.
New Skill: You have learned Shockwave.
Shockwave Beginner Level: 1 [86%] The force of gravity cannot be held in place from your powerful ground strike. Causes fissures in a 15 foot radius circle away from the user. Power can increase based on the spell channeled through Shockwave. Mana cost will increase based on spell channeled through Shockwave. Mana Cost: Flow Stat
Flow rises by 45. (+45 FLW) Strength rises by 30. (+30 STR) Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!
Mathgar rolled his shoulders forward, popped his back, then dusted his hands off. "All in a day''s work. That was easier than I expected." He spent this down time also using Healing Spring, which now healed for much, much more. Using it again showed him that he leveled this skill past Beginner Level 8 (he used this skill often in the training). "Good deal." "Once again, you have exceeded my expectations, Mathgar. But, your training is not yet complete. It will take time to prepare your final phase of trials, so you may spend time in town, as you so wish, or you can come back here, to practice on this dummy." The aspect of Nemesis conjured a dummy, that looked like a ironclad goliath. "No need to fear, he will not attack you. You can train your physical prowess whenever you wish. Don''t worry, you won''t destroy this one." The aspect assured Mathgar. With a great sigh, Mathgar fell to the ground, his virtual body, exhausted. He decided to put his stat points equally into AGI, VIT, WIS, and INT, to keep his natural stats balanced (slightly). When the stats were allocated, he felt his speed and health increase, and his mind became clearer. He stood back up, and healed himself with Healing Spring, and stopped when he felt satisfied. He then realized that he was famished; he wasn''t quite sure if he was hungry in-game, in real life, or both. He decided to take his first delve into his beginner''s pack. He found ten stale pieces of bread, water, and a simple cloak. He put a few pieces of bread into his dry mouth, drank some water, and put the cloak on, after putting the bag back in his inventory. He looked back at the Nemesis statue. "I will return, but I have something I need to do in Khurt." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "This is fine. If you wish to return here, just merely ask." Mathgar swore he saw the statue twitch with a smile, but quickly dismissed this notion. He was transported back to the front doors of the church, where he opened them, revealing the whole town inside, in the middle of a sermon. He slid in, and listened to the hymns and the words of Marvin, who sounded much more regal when it pertained to Nemesis. He learned that Nemesis''s blindness also allowed her to "see" the truth, and is able to judge without bias, or prejudice. As he sat through the service, he noticed that his Faith stat slowly rose. He was confused, he was in the presence of the aspect of the god, and he wondered why he didn''t get Faith points, then. But, regardless, he hasn''t been able to reap the benefits of this stat, so it didn''t matter anyway. After the service, he whispered to his brother, Jorkama. "Hey, how are you doing right now?" "I just got done completing a dungeon. I didn''t even lose any health, it was so easy!" This made Mathgar slightly irritated. Mathgar has lost most of his health time and time again, and he hasn''t even truly killed anything yet. "Cool, I''m going to fight a horde of evil in a few days, wish me luck!" "K." Okay, that...this ticked Mathgar off. He hated short responses like that. Too big for his britches, eh? He thought to himself. He will see who has more impressive feats. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mathgar scoured the town, doing odd jobs for villagers, like saving a cat from a tree, or cleaning the gutters of the inn. He accumulated roughly 600 Fame, and got two more levels, which he put the points into VIT and AGI. He spent about six hours helping the town, when the librarian, his name was Frederick, he thought, approached him. "Excuse me, Mathgar. Could I have a moment of your time? I need some help with my research." Frederick pushed the rim of his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. "Sure thing, what is it that you need of me?" Mathgar was curious about Frederick. Since he had freed him from the stone curse, he hadn''t seen very much of him. He wanted to know more. "I had been researching the effects of mana crystallization and its application to alchemy, as well as enchanting. But, when Ghal''s forces invaded the town, my research was lost. Could you help me find my research?" "I will do what I can, Frederick. Your work will be back to you in no time at all!"
Quest Accepted
The Apprentice- Scribe You have decided to help Frederick, the librarian, find his research. Difficulty: C Requirement: None TIme Limit: Before the town of Khurt is razed Reward: Class, Simple Spellbook, Alchemy Research Notes, Scroll Container
"A class! Finally!" Mathgar practically shouted in excitement. Now he had something he could tell his brother, to rub it in. He was also getting close to the level 25 mark. He felt like this was important, somehow. "Alright, I think that in the sacking of the town before the Curse was finished, the forces went to the caves nearby. You can start your search there. Be careful, and good luck!" Frederick straightened his tan robe, adjusted his papers, and strode off, back to the library. Mathgar traveled to the caves, which were several hundred meters outside of the town. The mouth of the cave held the stale stench of solitude, with smoke leaking from the gaping orifice. This made him tense, this would be the first time he has set foot into a dungeon in RR. His held his breath, then tiptoed into the lingering abyss.... Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4292 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4158 Chapter Nine: The Howling Caves If you guys didn''t see at the top, the companion audio reading is at this url! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=romdPpg7lvA&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=9
You are the first to discover the Howling Caves. You will gain 200% experience, and 50% better drops for the next week. Monsters seen and fought here will be remembered in your Universum, for use later.
Mathgar found this as a wonderful, yet strange thing. He didn''t quite understand that last part about the "Universum", but it probably meant something about his race, or something. He stepped lightly, since he didn''t have any form of danger sense, or trap-finding. He was not lucky is some cases. When he was inching across a ledge, to avoid falling into a chasm, he rubbed his hand against an fire trap, burning his hands. Good thing I have this Healing Spring skill, Mathgar thought, as he activated the skill. His missing health quickly restored, while his mana quickly disappeared inversely. He seemed to take forever to advance, with all of the traps, but he did not see a single monster, which was odd. The thought was dashed aside, of course, when he was tackled by a large orcish creature, just after skating across a thin layer of ice over poisonous water. He managed to shake it off, and went in for a quick punch. The creature dodged, with incredible speed. But, Mathgar was used to faster speed now. His follow-up attack connected, and he activated his Blade of Justice skill. The white energy blade pierced the creature''s torso, and its eyes rolled back into its head, fell over, and died.
You have successfully hunted: Urgrock. Urgrock saved to Universum. Flow rises by 1. (+1 FLW)
Mathgar grinned. He now knew an easy way to grind his Flow stat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mathgar was able to quickly dispatch over 30 Urgrocks, and a few flying creatures, called Xin''daren. These little nuisances just flew outside Mathgar''s range, and pecked him ceaselessly. However, when he had an opening, he grabbed the necks of the avions, and strangled them with his Blade of Justice. He saw that he was able to gain 3 more levels, which he put five more points into AGI, WIS, and INT, each. Only after the threat had been removed, Mathgar soon found out that his Blade of Justice even provided a light that guided him through the dark passages. He grinned again. There was always something cool, hidden away in every aspect of his character. He found a fork in the path ahead, and left his cloak hanging in front of the left path, and went down the right. There, he found what seemed like an abandoned study, complete with melted candles. He searched around on the tables, which were littered with papers. He managed to find three pages of Frederick''s notes.
Quest Updated
The Apprentice- Scribe Pages Found: 3/25
"Well, I''m glad that this quest isn''t too short." He said to no one in particular. "Now, let''s get to looking for those pages." He kept searching the desks within the study, and had found six more pages, as well as some good quality scrolls, which he thought might be useful as a bonus for Frederick. He shoved the scrolls into his inventory, which was always empty, mostly. He never seemed to get loot from mobs, of any kind. Mathgar thought, that is really strange. He kept looking for the other pages, since he was kind of on a time crunch. Since he could not find anything else, he returned to the fork, where he had left his cloak. But, Mathgar''s cloak now had a large stain of blood towards the center, as if something rubbed against it. He could see that the bloodstain was fresh.......and that he wasn''t alone in this cave. He hurried down the other fork, leaving the cape again as a marker. The path he was now on had hundreds of dead bodies, all Urgrocks, or bodies that were so badly burned, that they were completely unrecognizable. He shuddered at the bloodshed, and quickened his pace down the path. Abruptly, there was a door at the end of the tunnel, with light emanating from the bottom. He leaned in, and tried to listen to any sounds from behind the door. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
New Skill: You have learned Listen.
This was definitely weird, and unusual. He shouldn''t be able to learn any more than 10 skills/spells until he received a class. Before he could understand what the answer was, he could hear the voices more clearly now. "Why don''t we just kill the human?" The voice sounded gruff, probably a bigger creature. "I don''t like his smell, and he killed many of my brothers." Yep, Mathgar thought, this one was an Urgrock. It had to be an Urgrock. "No, Fenril. We will wait for him to join us." The other voice seemed too calm. "Won''t you, human?" The door swung open, and a gust picked Mathgar up, off of his feet, and was thrust into the room. Mathgar stood back up, dusted himself off, and looked around the room. Mathgar went pale. There were decapitated heads of humans on pikes surrounding the room, as if to create an area-like setting. "Oh, I see you like my ''decorations''. They were given to me by the wonderful people of Khurt. I mean, the dead people of Khurt." Mathgar then felt a fire rage inside of him, like a blaze wanting to burst forth. Mathgar finally let his eyes fall onto the monster that did this great evil. He was a tall, gaunt man with a hooded, dark, blood-red cloak, with a scepter that socketed a swirling green orb. Above his head, held the name in bold, red letters: Ghal, the Dark Master. Mathgar gave into his sudden rage, and the normally-blue aura that he possessed, billowed outward from his body, and turned bright red. The ground shook underneath his feet. A window popped up, but he ignored it. He waited to hear the monster again, so he could punch him in the teeth. "My, my, calm down, my boy, you could hurt yourself doing that." Ghal merely shrugged, obviously thinking that Mathgar posed no threat to him. "But, this is a surprise, to see a Humanus Prime, even though your kind is supposed to be extinct. I wonder.........ah, I have an idea." Mathgar could see a Cheshire smile form behind the hood. "Would you like to learn about your past, or even your race? I could show you things that anyone in their right mind would be willing to give up anything for."
*Ding*
Quest: Know the Endless Do you accept? Yes|No
Mathgar''s rage was not sated. He then resonated, his voice not sounding like his own. "I don''t know who you are, but I know that you have caused me much hardship over the last few days. I have freed the citizens of Khurt from your curse, and I have eliminated most, if not all of your remaining forces from your attack, and you are left with but a mere minion, whose soul I will squelch, after I extinguish YOUR existence from this world!!"
Quest Declined
Mathgar charged Ghal, as he said, "Oh, but I had hoped that you would join me, Mathgar. You could have been the most powerful of your kind. It''s a shame, but I will see you again, when I come with my new army of darkness, which will surely ''extinguish'' your life, as well as the people of Khurt''s lives. I hope you think you have made a wise choice, Humanus Prime." As Mathgar''s punch "connected", a whirling puff of smoke swiftly covered Ghal''s body, then dissipated, leaving no trace of Ghal. Damn, Mathgar thought, he teleported. He turned to Fenril, who had been about as angry as he was, who was now smiling, razor teeth showing inside his giant mouth. Fenril''s thick green skin stretched as he roared, "I finally get to kill the stupid human-whatever! It will be quick and painless!" He charged at Mathgar, with clawed hands that looked very sharp..... Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4317 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4187 Story Discussion and Comments! I am going to make this section for people to leave comments and discuss the storyline thus far (even as the story develops). I will not remove any posts, nor will I lock this topic. So, whatever you feel like saying, FIRE AWAY!!! Chapter Ten: Knowledge for Knowledge Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXUCtPtBpiQ&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=10
You have taken 400 damage.
Boy, Mathgar thought while clutching his bleeding side, that guy packs a wallop. As he backed up, he used Healing Spring, allowing him to recover from his wound. Now that he was full health, nothing held him back. Mathgar turned on Blade of Justice, and in tandem, used Shockwave, by slamming him foot to the floor. The familiar fissure appeared, surprising Fenril. This small chasm beneath the Urgrock''s feet released white lightning, electrocuting and dealing massive damage to the creature. This attack left Mathgar out of mana, and vulnerable. Fenril stumbled out of the fissure, and roared out, arms raised, revealing a large gash wound that looked similar to the shape of the bloodstain on his cloak. Mathgar figured that he might have been lurking while he was in the abandoned study. "NOW YOU''VE MADE ME MAD, WITH THAT CHEAP TRICK OF YOURS!" Fenril continued to roar. "I will kill all of those stupid humans once I leave here!" Mathgar steeled himself, while zapping him with a quick snark. "IF....you get out of here....which you will not. EVER!" He let the new-found rage flow back into him, and his vision was ringed with a bright red aura. He felt the pull of gravity release on him, and he decided to go for broke; he charged at him, with his strongest punch. *BOOM* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Flow Skill: You have learned Raging Fire Stance.
Raging Fire Stance Beginner Level: 2 [34%] Your inner rage is fueled by your current understanding of the universe, and your surroundings. Reduces the effects of negative effects, and increases physical capability for a short duration, while reducing mental and spiritual capability. When Activated: + up to (FLW/25)% to resistance against debuffs (depending on situation) + up to (FLW/5) to STR, VIT, and AGI (depending on situation) - (FLW/4) to WIS, INT, and Mana Duration: 30 seconds/level Mana Cost: Flow Stat/10
"This would explain why I was able to beat Fenril in one punch," Mathgar recalled. He pretty much reduced the Urgrock nuisance down to a bloody pulp on the ground. It was quite sad, actually. Now that he had the chance to skim over his abilities, he noticed that he had thirteen skills, which was WAY too many for a classless character. But, then he looked closer. He had ten skills, and three FLOW skills. He assumed, since Flow was strictly a Humanus Prime stat, that there were in a separate tree. Even so, something didn''t seem right. Mathgar picked up the loot that was dropped by the Urgrock miniboss. He had a pair of spiked gauntlets, some leather pauldrons, and the remaining pages of Frederick''s enchanting/alchemical study. He put the pages in his inventory, and equipped both of the items, and felt the weight of it all. He tested out his punch speed by shadowboxing; it was slower, and Mathgar unequipped them. He would try to sell them, or get them scaled down to where they weren''t so bulky, or he would just give them to his brother, who liked that kind of stuff. The pauldrons.....he liked. The shoulder pads almost melted into his back; he didn''t even feel them. He looked around this room, after removing the disembodied heads, and burning them with a torch that he found in a sconce. He found a misplaced brick in the wall opposite of the entry door, and decided that "carpe diem" has not failed him yet, so he punched the wall, where the askew brick was. He could see the blast, and after the smoke cleared, he saw the new window.
*Ding*
Level Up! Level Up Strength rises by 5. (+5 STR)
You have reached Level 25! When you return to a safe area, a window in response to this window will appear.
You have found a secret room!
Well, isn''t it my lucky day? Mathgar thought. He cleared the rubble from the room, and found a chest with a shining lock on it. Too easy. He put the 10 stat points into STR, and hammered away at the lock. The lock gave way, and the mechanism released with a satisfying "twing". Mathgar pulled the lid up, and saw the trove of treasure that was tucked away. He grinned. He closed the chest, and picked it up over his shoulder, after donning his cape, and strode off to finish his quest, with his special loot in hand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Frederick was spinning his quill in his hand, anxious of Mathgar''s return. He had told him that he needed his research back, but he failed to mention that there was over twenty pages of notes. He just wished that he had taken more caution in preparing those notes. He opened his desk drawer, seeing a picture that brought him to tears. He immediately closed the drawer, and looked up to the door, which swung open wide, to make room for a cloaked individual, and his large chest, which was hung over his shoulder. Frederick''s smile dried the tears that were clouding his vision. "You made....it back, Mathgar. It had been three days.......I thought you had fallen prey to the caves'' evils....." Mathgar rubbed his nose, and grinned innocently. "A small, damp cave can''t keep me down, and besides, I found all of your papers, I think there were 25 pages, or something." He handed Frederick the scrolls. Then, he set the chest on the ground with a thud. "I have something else for you." He lifted the lid, and handed him a large scroll. "It holds some form of material on enchanting: something to do with Dragon''s Emberstone, I think. As well as some minor alchemy scrolls." The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Frederick couldn''t help but jump for joy. Not only did he have his personal savior back, but he also had more research material then he could possibly ask for. "Yes, this will do wonders for my research. I won''t have to start from scratch now! Now, for your rewards, thank you again for bringing these to me."
*Ding*
Quest Completed: The Apprentice- Scribe
Items Received: Simple Spellbook, Alchemy Research Notes, Scroll Case
"And as for your bigger donation.....I will give you a class which should fit your special talents." Frederick straightened his glasses. "Choose which one best suits you." He gets to pick? "Very nice," Mathgar grinned.
Class Choices: Mage Monk Alchemist Philomath
Mathgar contemplated these choices, which all seemed good, and had decided that Mage or Monk would benefit him the most, but he wasn''t sure how the Philomath class would work. He took enough Latin (and Greek) in high school to know that Philomath was a Greek word, meaning "seeker of knowledge". He wasn''t sure of the combat power of the class. But, doing weird things hasn''t hindered him before (except when he practically broke his arms when he went free climbing in the spring last year). "I would like to become a Philomath." Mathgar said, finally. "Really?" Frederick quizzically asked. "I was sure that you would want to be a monk. But, this works even better than the other choice. I, myself, am a Philomath. I love to learn, and I love to be surrounded by knowledge. If this is your final choice, then you have a tough road ahead of you. The training for this class is difficult, and you will not had many benefits added to your physical combat ability." Mathgar brightly nodded. "I love to learn, too! I don''t think this is a bad choice, and I am used to taking the harder route. It is more rewarding in the end. Yes, I want to become a Philomath." "I love your honesty, and your determination. Alright, let''s make this official." His dusted off his hands, raised them in a tiered position near his mouth, and started chanting something he couldn''t understand. Ancient runes started to appear, floating like bubbles in the air around the two of them. A deep blue magic seal appeared around them, and spun at an impossible speed. Then, once he stopped admiring/observing the magic, he returned his gaze to Frederick, who then opened his eyes (the runes even showing up on his pupils), and spoke in English again, but with more resolve. "I grant you the wisdom and knowledge of the philosopher-kings, teachers, and wise men of history''s past. Their wealth of knowledge, as well as their desire to seek it, will become your goal, duty, and dream to achieve in life. It is my pleasure to bring new life to this young knowledge-seeker. Take the mantle of the Philomath with pride, Mathgar." He handed him a crown made of pure ethereal magic, its color shared by the magic surrounding it. Mathgar placed the crown onto his head. The world gained a shocking amount of clarity in a split second, the world in more detail than he could have ever seen. There was knowledge to be had everywhere; each individual crack of wood in the shelves of the library had its own life''s story to share, every dust speck, a tale from its youth. The sudden rush of knowledge from every direction made him ecstatic, longing for more.
Class Obtained: Philomath Philomaths are the strangest types of intelligent minds ever conceived. The order, founded by the now-extinct Humanus Prime, served as the breeding place for new ideas, and a forum for knowledge. Philomaths are gifted with the ability to learn any skill after seeing it even once, or reading about the skill in a book. Their knowledge seems boundless, but their physical body tends to recede, due to their ceaseless quest for strengthening the mind, and opening new mental doorways, to allow new knowledge to pour into them. You have received the Knowledge stat. Knowledge rises by 150. (+150 KNW)
The clarity soon faded, and the potent desire with it. The seal dissolved, and the runes disappeared. When everything returned to normal focus, he saw that Frederick was crying. He asked, his voice even more resonant than before, "What troubles you? Did I do something wrong?" "The ceremony was more beautiful than I remembered. I''m sorry, I am a bit of a soft-hearted man." He brought his hands to his eyes, rubbing the tears that were still flowing from his eyes. "Well, I suppose we can start learning now, but it is getting late. I will leave for tonight, and return in the morning. You have free reign of the library for the evening. Use its vast banks of knowledge to strengthen your mind, and with it, your desire to learn more. Well, good night!" Mathgar couldn''t help himself. He dove into the nearest aisle, and started reading a book on animal anatomy. Frederick closed and locked the door of the library, and chuckled. "Another Humanus Prime in the world, I am glad. I am not alone anymore, Maria. I will teach him as much as I can, and I will see you again soon. I swear it." He flipped his robe, and strode off into the night, to return to his comfortable, yet lonely bed. Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4341 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4292 Chapter Eleven: The Price of Learning Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iScjn0XT2zs&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=11 Mathgar couldn''t find an end to what he could learn. There was just so much information to cover, in such a short amount of time.
New Skill: You have learned Bookworm.
Bookworm Beginner Level: 1 [0%] Passive Your love for books has given you an enhanced reading speed. Reading Speed Increase: +5% per Beginner level
"Oh, this is going to be at master level before the night is up," Mathgar remarked with a smirk. He cracked open a book, called "Age of Aidrel", and started reading. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ He tossed the "Wizard Quirks" book onto the top of his neat tower of books. He blew through 324 books over the course of the evening, learning 15 new skills, and leveling others, just from reading the books, cover to cover. He had gained seven levels in Bookworm in that evening, making his reading speed a whopping 140%. He was really enjoying this Philomath class. He checked all of the messages that he accumulated since finishing the Howling Caves quest.
New Skill: You have learned Alchemy.
New Skill: You have learned Enchanting.
New Skill: You have learned Artificing.
New Skill: You have learned Search.
New Skill: You have learned Identify.
New Skill: You have learned Magic Missle.
New Skill: You have learned Grease.
New Skill: You have learned Mage Hand.
New Skill: You have learned Entangle.
New Skill: You have learned Mana Light.
New Skill: You have learned Appraise.
New Skill: You have learned Tailoring.
New Skill: You have learned Herb Gathering.
New Skill: You have learned Crafting.
New Skill: You have learned Mining.
Level Up: Blacksmithing Level Up: Blacksmithing Level Up: Blacksmithing Level Up: Critical Hit Level Up: Critical Hit Level Up: Critical Hit Level Up: Critical Hit Level Up: Critical Hit Level Up: Repair Level Up: Repair Level Up: Listen Level Up: Listen Level Up: Listen
Flow rises by 25. (+25 FLW) Knowledge rises by 150. (+150 KNW) Knowledge has reached 300. INT is permanently raised by 100, and WIS is permanently raised by 50.
Since you have reached Level 25, pick any single primary stat.
Wow. Mathgar was in shock, not just by the amount of reading in one evening, but also by the sudden rush of skills and level ups to various skills. He was taken aback, he only read a pamphlet about the concept of the spell, Grease, and its limited uses, but he still learned the spell. The last box confused Mathgar, but he had remembered that he received it after smashing the fake wall, to get the special treasure chest. He decided, since his INT was his third strongest stat (behind Flow, and Knowledge), he decided on his other stat he wanted to raise. "Agility." He whisked away all of the old windows, and the new window thrust into his view, causing Mathgar to step back in surprise.
You have chosen Agility. Agility will now rise passively until you reach level 50. Agility rises by 10. (+10 AGI) Flow rises by 10. (+10 FLW)
"COOL!" Mathgar exclaimed, his arms flailing above his head. He has strengthened almost every aspect of his character overnight! He settled down, then proceeded to shelve all of the books he read through. A special hidden ability of the Philomath was that while he was working in a center of learning, he had eidetic memory, so it was almost impossible to forget anything. It felt kind of like having a supercomputer hooked up to his brain, and he could call upon any kind of info, and he would immediately remember it. But, he had yet to test it outside of the library. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. As he shelved the last book into its rightful place, he heard someone jiggle the lock at the front door. He stood at the door, positioned to attack whatever walked in. He didn''t want to lose this library. Frederick unlocked the door, and opened it just to see Mathgar rushing at him, he fist flying towards his face. Frederick smiled warmly, and raised his hand, an aura surrounding his palm, and lifted Mathgar off the ground with Mage Hand. "I see that you have become possessive of my library. It is expected, this place has knowledge from almost every discipline. Just how much did you read last night?" Mathgar''s blind rage was erased from his eyes, staring at the librarian in shock."I''m so sorry, I did not mean....I thought someone else was trying to break in..." Mathgar then composed himself, and answered Frederick''s question, only after he restated it. "Only 300 or so books. I had read less than I would have hoped." Frederick laughed heartily. "You aim for a high goal. Good. But, you have read a lot of my selection for such a small time-frame. At this rate, you can finish reading all of the books in this library in..." He circumspectated to building."...maybe a week? Or two? To tell you the truth, I read all of these books in little over 5 months, so you are reading much faster than I am, so far." Mathgar''s eyes widened. "Really?" "Really, really." Frederick said. "Oh, I''m sorry, I forgot to let you down. One second." He released the spell, and the floating Humanus Prime fell on his face. Frederick knelt next to him. "Oops, sorry." He scratched the back of his head, feigning ignorance. Mathgar stood up, and dusted himself off. He looked the librarian dead in the eye, and said evenly, "I wish to continue, but there is something I must do first. It is of great importance. I will return in a week''s time, and I will work with you on the training you mentioned. Until next we meet!" Mathgar smiled at the end. Frederick returned the gesture, and Mathgar went to grab his chest. As he proceeded to the door, Frederick said, "One last thing before you go. Whenever you decide to read, be careful where you are. Sometimes, philomaths can''t stop reading." Mathgar nodded in acknowledgement, and left the library with a wave. As the doors closed, the librarian plopped into his chair, with a sigh. "Well, good to know he didn''t tear or damage my books." He saw the note that Mathgar left on his desk:
IOU "Spell Creation, and Spell Weaving" By: Froestrellick, the Inquisitive
Oh dear. Frederick rubbed his fingers through his long, wavy hair. "This boy found my personal stash of research I was working on." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew opened up his pod, sweating profusely, and sprinted to the toilet. He had never held in the desire to use the restroom for that long, but he knew he had to read as much as he could before Frederick got back. He sighed, after flushing the toilet, and he took a quick shower, grabbed some doughnuts that were on the table, and gobbled them down before heading back to his room. But, his brother, Alex, stood in the way. " ''Sup, noob." Alex stood with a pseudo-intimidating pose, with his gut sticking out slightly. "Hey scrub. How is the Berserker thing working out for you?" Matthew retorted. "Actually, really good. People have seen my skills in clearing out dungeons, and I have been asked to lead raid parties because of my dungeon-crawling ability. I have also moved to the Aidern Kingdom, and I have set up my mercenary work in Fort Odin." Alex grinned, and waited for Matthew to respond. And waited. And waited. Matthew really needed to get back to his quest for Nemesis. "Can I get into my room now? I need to finish a quest, and it is on a time limit." Alex didn''t budge. "Do you just not care that I made a huge amount of progress since last week?" "Not really. I could still beat you." Matthew was just trying to get him out of the way. He knew if he gave his brother a goal that he would want to reach, he would work tirelessly on it. "Oh really? You think your silly little character could beat my level 47 Berserker?" Alex calmed down after this statement, replacing pride with curiosity. "Wait, what is your character anyway? Is he something weak, like a monk, or something?" "Actually, no. I got a really cool class, and it is giving me a ton of benefits." "Well, what is the class called?" Alex was getting irritated. He was trying to get Matthew to fight him in RR, so he could see who was better. "Spit it out, already!" "It is called Philomath. It means "seeker of knowledge" in Greek." Alex burst out into a giant laugh, that lasted at least 30 seconds. After he wiped the tears from laughing so hard, Alex said, "So, you are a librarian? HAHAHA! I would wipe the floor with you!" "Don''t count me out, just yet. You will see the power of Mathgar. I am a much stronger character than you think. Now, I am pretty sure we both have something to do on RR, so let''s get to it!" With that, Alex moved, and retreated to his room, and Matthew could hear him turn on his pod. "Great, now I set up my own death at my brother''s hands. Well, time to do what I do best: train like a crazy person." He opened up the pod, and entered Royal Road. But, this time, it was different. When he arrived, the sky was a dark overcast, and he could smell smoke. Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4414 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4317 Chapter Twelve: Redemption Follow along with the audio file! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU1UxCYbsjM&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=12 The smoke was everywhere. Mathgar didn''t have time to think. He rushed into the thick of the fog of rolling gray clouds, not knowing what to do. He ended up at the church, and at the footsteps, Mathgar saw Marvin, lying on the ground, clutching a wound over his heart. He rushed over to him, and tried to stop the bleeding, but Marvin put his hand on his, and said in a weak voice, "No, son. It is my time to leave this world.........and my time to be judged. I will go to the other side.......with a smile. Take this, I wanted you to have it." He handed Mathgar a golden pendant, with the symbol of Nemesis engraved into it. "It is the gift that I received from my.....master........when I finished my training. I want you to have it. Now, look after the people, and...."He smiled one last time. "....be a hero............." His grip on Mathgar''s hand eased, as his soul left his body. Mathgar placed Marvin''s arm back onto his own body, and stood back up. "Ghal, I swear, this will be the last time you ever harm a soul." Mathgar said vengefully. The air around Mathgar crackled with energy, lightning arcing off his skin, like a Tesla coil. He saw a window pop up, but closed it, because he sprinted towards the sound of battle, eastward, at the center of town. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The group of Urgrocks and goblins started to systematically raze buildings, one by one. Any resistance they came across, they would eliminate, swiftly. The army decimated at least 10 guards, and their bloodlust was no where near quenched, but, it was not what Lord Ghal wished to be finished first. The evil forces were about to move to the next building, but a lightning bolt passed through the group, sending dozens of units flying in various directions, completely severed in half. It was not just a lightning bolt, but an angry Humanus Prime, with a goal to exterminate, with extreme prejudice. Mathgar spun quickly and used Shockwave, and channeled Grease through it. The fissures caused the horde to fall over, and get doused in the geysers of oil that spewed from the ground. He then used Mage Hand, grabbing a nearby torch. He chunked it into the heart of the formation. The reaction of the goblins and Urgrocks was satisfying to Mathgar, but not enough. He turned from the raging inferno that he had caused, and looked for his main target, the monster behind this attack. He was going to make sure this never happened again. He came upon the inn, which the roof was effectively on fire,, and saw Ghal , standing in front of the inn, just soaking in the unadulterated destruction. "I see that you have destroyed my forces, with a minimal loss of life, by yourself. I applaud you, and your effectiveness. But, do you think this will change things? I have already burned most of this town, it is not like you can rebuild their town alone. And even if you could, you would not be around long enough. I had given you a chance to live and learn, but you have looked the gift horse in the mouth, and now it will consume your soul!" Ghal raised his arms above his head, and a ring of fire surrounded the two of them, preventing escape. Mathgar raised his fists into his fighting stance. "Do you think you can defeat me? Single-handedly?" "Well, you did just trap me alone in this ring of flames. Or was that on accident?" Mathgar quipped. He hoped the sting of these words would change the fight, just by a fraction. "I did plan this, I assure you, young Humanus Prime. We shall test your power, and ability to save the lives of innocents." He thrust his hands forward, sending a geyser of flame directly at him. Mathgar dodged, narrowly, by jumping upward, avoiding the searing fire by mere centimeters. Mathgar did a mid-air somersault, and slammed into the ground, using Shockwave, mixed with Blade of Justice. Electricity arced around the fissures, and bolts of white lightning erupted from the ground, shocking Ghal. While Ghal remained surprised, Mathgar used his Entangle spell, wrapping the warlock tightly in a gigantic root cage. He then used his Raging Fire Stance, as well as using Blade of Justice to increase his fighting strength, and "went to town" on Ghal. He slashed and slashed until the root cage had been shredded by the energy blades. He sliced across Ghal''s chest, getting his right eye as well, before composing himself. "Do you have any final words before I end you?" Mathgar held his energy blade within two inches of his face. "I do. I wish we could chat longer, but we will meet again, and you will know my true power, and it will be your end. Min klorbareiin, threnokesh jerraal, dunkahpen mithrarin!" As Mathgar moved in to pierce his chest with his Blade of Justice, he shimmered into blackness, and faded away. "How does he escape so easily?" Mathgar asked aloud, to no one in particular. A wave of cold air swept through Khurt, extinguishing the flames all around him, as well as quenching the flames on all of the buildings. Out of the smoke, emerged Frederick, but something was different about him. He had deep blue aura surrounding him, and his hands were lightly glazed in frost. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "He is a man who sacrificed his humanity for unparalleled magical power." Frederic echoed, his voice cold, and even. "He has gained the knowledge of the warlocks from history, and their powers over the living, and the dead. He is a living lich, able to withstand the light of day, while bringing death and disharmony to the world." Mathgar was shocked. He did not know that Frederick was this powerful of a mage. He could literally see his magical prowess from the visible aura he possessed. "You are much more powerful than I thought. Wow! You have to teach me that spell!" Mathgar was excited, Frederick was holding out on him. Frederick shook the frost off his hands, and patted Mathgar''s back. "Maybe soon, Mathgar. What you did was impressive, though." Frederick''s features lightened, and he gave a smile. "You beat Ghal by yourself, nice job!" Frederick gave a thumbs up. Mathgar grinned. "It was a little hard, I had used the spells I learned while at the library. So, in a way, you helped me defeat him." "Well, I appreciate the consideration. I am going to make sure this gets cleaned up, okay?" Frederick pointed at the rubble that once was a strong stone building. Mathgar nodded. Frederick worked on moving the bricks, and Mathgar headed back to the church, to take care of something. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mathgar finished digging the grave for Marvin, and placed Marvin in the coffin that he had made, and set in into the hole. After covering the grave with packed in dirt, He punched out a shape for a grave marker, and chiseled his name into the stone. After he wiped the sweat from his brow, sunlight broke through the clouds over Marvin''s grave, and the aspect of Nemesis appeared over his grave. "You have protected this city, and its people, and I thank you for your service. You have saved many lives today, my champion." "Yeah, but at what cost? You lost the only prophet that you had in this area. What are you going to do about that?" Mathgar had grown attached to Marvin, and the town of Khurt, and now that Marvin was gone, he now felt a void in his soul. "I have a plan, but it will not concern you. I want you to continue being my champion, so I would not burden you with the role of priesthood. Speaking of which, I have yet to give you your reward for your victory today." Nemesis sais evenly. She then brought down a light onto Mathgar, and he was brought to the training room from before. There, in front of him, stood a tall woman in flowing white robes, with a bound sword in one hand, a balance in the other, and her eyes were covered with cloth. This is truly Nemesis? Mathgar asked himself. "Yes, this is my true form, mortal." Nemesis had read Mathgar''s mind, but at this point, it was hard to surprise Mathgar with anything supernatural. "I thank you again for serving me, and the people of this town, and with this, I reward you." She touched his head with her balance, and the light overpowered him, blinding him. He struggled to see what came next, but by the time his eyesight was restored, he was standing back over Marvin''s grave. The new window was big.
Quest Completed
The Champion of Justice Nemesis has recognized you as the savior of Khurt, by successfully defeating Ghal''s army.
Reward: "Savior of Khurt" Title, 3000 Fame, Shield of Faith, Ring of Lysander
Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!
"Well, I''m glad I got some cool stuff, and levels. I knew that quest was worth it." He went to equip the new title, and saw the effects.
"Savior of Khurt" Title +300 Health +150 Mana +15 to all primary stats +1% Experience gain +1% Fame gain
After inspecting this awesome title, he sprinted back to the library, where he would ask Frederick about more training, and to figure out that cool wind spell. Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4482 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4341 If you guys didn''t see at the top, the companion audio reading is at this url! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU1UxCYbsjM&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS&index=12 Chapter Thirteen: College Changes Everything Follow along with the audio chapter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMiKcUGVJP4&index=13&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS Matthew had to get out of his pod, his stomach was growling at him, craving something with bread. He opened his door, and found no resistance, which made Matthew relieved. He checked on Alex, and saw that he was in the middle of packing up his room. He forgot that Alex had to leave for college the same week as he did. He slowly closed the door, so he wouldn''t attract his attention. Matthew sat down and enjoyed his peanut butter and banana sandwich, and his glass of milk. However, this was short lived, when his phone vibrated to life, showing a notification of 16 missed calls from Kody. "How long was I in the pod?" Matthew exclaimed. "I wonder what was so important, that he needed to call me so many times?" He picked up his phone, and answered the call. "Hey gangster, how is the King Fire Mage Karth doing?" "Not bad, since you asked. You know I have been trying to reach you for the past 10 hours, right?" Kody sounded annoyed. "Well, that was how long I have been in RR.....sorry, Kody." Matthew scratched his head, trying to remove a phantom itch. "Oh, you are fine, now. I had to talk to you about meeting up with you before college." Kody seemed sad for some reason. Matthew probably knew why. "Look, Kody, I understand if you can''t meet up with me up yet. It''s cool. I am actually in the middle of learning some cool stuff from a librarian in Khurt, so I won''t be able to meet with you until later, myself." Matthew knew that he hadn''t seen him in a while, so he wanted it to seem like it was more of his own fault, instead of Kody''s. "Anyways, I will try to take some screenshots, so you can see how I''m doing, okay?" "Great! I didn''t want to seem like a burden. I had to take care of my sister recently, so I haven''t been able to get on as much. I will try to meet up with you at the Floating City of Heaven in Lavias. That should roughly be the halfway point for us, okay?" "Yep, sounds good. I am going to half to map out the quickest path there, so we can start working together, finishing quests and such. I''m going to let you go for now, but I will call you again when I get set up at my dorm. See ya!" "Byeeee...." Click. Kody always does some weird closing whenever he calls him. But, it is good to know that he has a friend that he can get to soon. Now, if only he knew where Lavias was..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew closed the window showing his college class schedule on his computer screen. Oh boy, Matthew thought. He was going to be busy in a week. He started to pack his room earlier, and stopped to sign up for his classes online as his labor break. He got back to the grind, and packed his laundry into a box, and put all of his potpourri into a separate box. It was odd, he remembered having more possessions, or felt like his things were much larger than they actually were, because it took all evening to pack his room. He had to get ready to leave tomorrow, and his dad was going to take him to college in the morning. He fell into his bed, exhausted, and fell asleep almost instantly, thinking about what more could he learn from the librarian mage. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While Matthew and their dad slept, Alex slipped into his pod, and entered the city of Thor. He went to the intelligence guild, and asked for the assistance of a mage. When the small, robed man approached him, Jorkama said, "I need some spells. Do you have ones that I can use?" "We might. Are you a warrior?" The man tried to avoid being irritated with the tall barbarian, because he didn''t want to get on his bad side. "No, I am a berserker. I will ask again; do you have any spells for me?" Jorkama was to the point where he didn''t care, but he wanted an edge on some of the other mercenaries in the city. "Oh, if you are a berserker, then we have just the thing for you!" The man seemed relieved himself, he didn''t have to lose his cool, or his head. "Give me one second." He retreated behind the nearest bookshelf, and returned with a small stack of modest books. "....And?" Jorkama was waiting on the mage to speak, because he just stood there, as if that was all he needed to do. The glaze that had percolated over the man''s eyes cleared, and was replaced with shock. "I am so sorry, I haven''t had sleep in the last few days. These are what you asked for, but they will cost you a high price-" Jorkama dropped a hefty bag of gold onto the table. "-Okay then, that should be enough. There are four spells that you can use and work with, but be careful, they are meant to protect yourself from other magic, not physical harm." Jorkama nodded. "I know. I have a reason for this. Thanks." He turned around and sped out of the guild. He did not to be there too long, he made the guildmaster mad last time, and didn''t want to have to resort to making fun of his mom again. But, he smiled. Now he had an edge on Mathgar: he wasn''t the only one that could cast spells now. Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4676 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4414 If you guys didn''t see at the top, the companion audio reading is at this url! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMiKcUGVJP4&index=13&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS Chapter Fourteen: The Fount Within Follow along with the audio chapter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTr4waGYus&index=14&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS Matthew packed the last box in the back of the car. He was finally ready to go to college! His dad rolled down the window, and said from inside the car, "Go say goodbye to your brother, you two may not see each other until Thanksgiving, at the very least. Then, we roll out to your university. It stills baffles me that you were able to get a full ride...." Matthew headed back into the house, and looked for his brother. Alex was sitting on the couch, watching a the Royal Road "Top Plays of the Week" show. He looked up at him. "You headed out?" He said bluntly. "Yeah. This is probably the last time we will see each other face to face in real life, at least until Thanksgiving. I just wanted to say goodbye." Matthew, even though Alex had his failings, Matthew still cared about his clumsy, older brother. From these words, Alex stood up, and gave Matthew a bear hug, almost crushing Matthew''s ribs from the sheer power of his grasp. "You may be an idiot, but I''m going to miss you." Alex finally let go, allowing Matthew to take a gasp for air. "Good news is, we can see each other in Royal Road, once we meet up, right? We can catch up there. I still plan on beating the crap out of you in our duel." Alex smirked, and placed his fists on his hips, taking a (sub-par) heroic stance. Matthew couldn''t help but chuckle. "What''s so funny?" His smirk disappeared, and was reintroduced as a half-scowl. "It is just that we are arguing about which character is better. It really doesn''t matter, because we are going to end up working together in the end, anyway, right?" Matthew concluded. Alex didn''t even think about that, he was dumbfounded at this logic. Did he plan on fighting Matthew each time he saw him? "Alex, remember, we can always duel each other, to determine who has the better combat strength. But, remember, it all comes down to whether that combat ability can save your party from danger. Regardless, we will see each other, we will duel, and after that..." Matthew paused, making sure Alex was on the same page as him. He continued, "...we can be the best tag-team in Royal Road, right?" "Right!" Alex got it, and realized that Matthew wasn''t irritated anymore. This was a good thing, indeed. He gave his brother a thumbs up. "All right, hero, go on and go to college now, you don''t want to keep your future waiting." Matthew took his turn to hug Alex now. "Thanks, bro. I will see you soon!" And with that, Matthew left the house, and went on to college. Alex watched as the car rolled out of the driveway, and out of sight. A tear rolled down Alex''s cheek. "I hope he loves college, ''cause I know I did, my first year." Alex turned to go back to the television, alone in a house of solitude. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Karth waltzed through the Kaine Forest Dungeon, pondering, and melting trees and creatures alike with his fire streams flowing from his palms. "I know he said he would be on once he got to college, but it has been a week now, and I haven''t heard from him yet. This is really odd. I hope he is okay...." He continued past the melting totem, that would have released a trap, if undamaged. "These dungeons really are a bore, now. Now, after this dungeon, I need to double check which direction the Floating City of Heaven is." He saw the ochu pop out of the thicket, and it grabbed his leg. "Who do you think you are, touching the King Fire Mage?" He smiled slyly, and lowered his hands to the sides of his mahogany robes. A circle of flames shot out from the ground around him, singeing the ochu''s tentacle off. The creature squealed in pain. "Good, I am glad you felt that. This will be fun." He threw his hands in front of him, lancing the ochu with a beam of fire. He then conjured a sword made of flames, and rushed at the creature with crazed laughter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matthew set the last empty box in the dumpster, wiping his hands of that burden. It took him the whole first week before school started to get unpacked, due to the fact that he could not find places to put his knick-knacks. He prioritized putting his pod next to his bed, until his was able to find some way to get rid of the bed entirely, and use the pod for sleeping, as well as Royal Road. After he grabbed some food to eat from his dorm''s front lobby, he hopped in the pod, and entered Royal Road. He returned to the library, to receive some tutelage from Frederick. He didn''t teach Mathgar that really cool ice/frost spell, but he helped him understand the importance of finding his mana within himself. He helped him train a few of his spells, by being his target practice. Apparently, there was a staircase behind one of the bookcases leading down into a fairly roomy, and empty, storage room, which they used for magic training. Mathgar was able to raise his Entangle, Magic Missile, Blade Of Justice, Healing Spring, and Shockwave spells all by at least three levels. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Impressive, Mathgar. You are becoming proficient with those very fast! Maybe we should stop for the day. We have been going for 6 hours straight, you know. Let''s take a chance to eat." Frederick projected to Mathgar. He sat down, and pulled out a small leather bag, and pulled out a sandwich, which he proceeded to eat. Mathgar decided to do the same. He pulled out what remaining bread chunks he had left, and began to nibble on them. They were tasteless, and really dry. But, it was bread, and Mathgar loved bread. "Actually-" Frederick stood up, finishing his sandwich at a remarkable speed, "-I must attend to some errands, we can be done for today. Go ahead and find something else to do to occupy your time. Remember, you are always welcome in my library. I will be back tomorrow." He smiled lightly, then went to the staircase, and out of the basement. Mathgar sat for a moment, in silence, and decided to pull out the research notes that he had copied before returning them to Frederick. Chapter One of the "Spell Weaving" section said:
"To be able to weave mana together in its finest form, you must first look within yourself, and find your own font, your source of mana. Picture, as you close your eyes, a fountain, with water spewing forth from the center, and into the pools beneath. Now, imagine these pools flow into your body, through your arms, legs, torso, and head, through channels. This water flows to the farthest points of the body, and returns through opposite channels, refueling the fountain. This is the mana channel, from which magic thrives, and is created....."
That was a good representation, similar to the chakra network for ninjas, in a manga he read once. He gave it a whirl, he sat in a meditative position, and looked inward, searching for the font. He saw the font, but something was intriguing about it; the mana stream that flow from it was high in volume. The pressure from the fountain was that of a fire hose, and was spraying everywhere, and most of the mana was not even entering the lower pools. He saw that there was a problem with the fountain: the top of the fountain was partially blocked. He willed the blockage to be removed, and the fountain returned to normal. However, he did not know what to do with the blockage. It resembled a gray cube, without a design, or anything significant on it. He thought that maybe reforming it would make the fountain more useful. He reshaped the cube into a perfect sphere, and placed it back onto the upward stream of the fountain. The sphere glowed brightly, and the mana stream intensified again with the same strength as before, but it was stable. The mana''s color pulsated to match Mathgar''s heartbeat, and flowed constantly at a ridiculous speed. This is how much mana he had within himself? Mathgar thought. He exited his inner mind, and the first thing he saw was his hands, which had an intense, royal blue aura around them. He flexed his hands, and the aura remained unwavered.
*Ding*
You have gained more knowledge of the Mana Channel. Flow rises by 15. (+15 FLW) Knowledge rises by 10. (+10 KNW)
Mathgar stood up, and tried to shake the intense aura off, and the aura slowly ebbed away into nothingness. He was astounded. "Is this what full control feels like?" Next Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3822 Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3433 If you guys didn''t see at the top, the companion audio chapter is at this url! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTr4waGYus&index=14&list=PLqDdUMMPmcNlyxfzZgSGDJvIbcZPmVUmS Chapter Fifteen: A New Suit, and A New Rival Follow along with the Audio Chapter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrClBFzEOHs&list=UUtE5r7rrdkpWqw4hBHQ9ZXw Mathgar stood up, and strutted out of the basement, and sealed the bookcase at the top of the stairs after exiting the lower level. He looked around the library, to see if Frederick was taking his sweet time leaving. He had gone to his task, which meant that he could place the original copy of the notes on Spell Weaving back. He slid it back into Frederick''s desk drawer, and smiled. Hopefully, Mathgar thought, he never noticed it missing. He slid out of the library, and over to the blacksmith, Yvondurth, to train with him until Frederick got back. Yvondurth welcomed his apprentice back with burly, open arms, and went straight to work on the metal casting. "You have gotten better at the craft, Mathgar." Yvondurth pointed out. "Here, let''s give you something more difficult: Sheersteel." He handed Mathgar a solid bar of faintly glowing steel. "This is a single bar of Sheerstone. It''s a beaut, eh?" Mathgar nodded. "This a special type of steel that only I can refine, and I will show you how to do the same." Yvondurth placed his hand on Mathgar''s shoulder, and led him over to the furnace. Mathgar gained several levels into his Blacksmithing skill to raise it into Intermediate Level 2, allowing him to gain the ability to working with stronger metals without penalties. He had learned that leaking mana into the steel while molding it into the bar, would change its composition. This would allow the metal to be a fraction more durable, and allow for easier enchanting. After crafting about 20 bars of Sheersteel, he got a message.
*Ding*
You can now craft Sheersteel freely, with proper materials.
Now, I want to try to make some armor, thought Mathgar. My cloth robes from the church will not be enough to protect myself. He slammed the hammer onto the metal until made the correct shape for the front plate, then set it aside for later. He continued to hammer through the night, and well into the next morning, bending the metal to his iron will. With the armor crafted just to his liking, his set his sights on making the leather straps for connecting the pieces. He grabbed the leather from the workbench, and used the skinning knife to section out the strips for his armor. Tying, weaving, and knotting would have taken as long as hammering out the steel, but with Yvondurth''s help, he was able to cut the time down to a small fraction. With the armor complete, he received the window with a smile.
*Ding*
You have crafted your own armor. Would you like to name it?
"Sure." Mathgar decided to name it based from his class. "The Vestaments of the Armored Philomath."
Name Updated New Item Received: The Vestaments of the Armored Philomath
Vestaments of the Armored Philomath Durability: 50/50 Defense: 35 Made entirely of Sheersteel, this suit of armor was crafted with care by an intermediate blacksmith, and skillfully put together. This armor is very durable, and easy to enchant. Bonuses: +20 STR, +50% chance to enchant, -35% Repair difficulty Requirements: Philomath class, Level 25+
He hastily put on the armor, wanting to feel its weight, and balance. It was a perfect fit, as if it melted into his skin. He still needed to make some boots, gloves, and maybe a helmet. But, a loud voice rang silently in his ears. "Mathgar," Nemesis said, "I need you to come to the front of the church, for your next task." Mathgar rolled his eyes. I thought I finished her tasks, he thought to himself. Stolen story; please report. "I''m headed out, Master Yvondurth. Thank you for teaching me again!" Mathgar shouted into the shop as he left. He was dismissed by the stout blacksmith with a bellowing, sobbing farewell. Mathgar sprinted to the church, and stood in front of the doors, expecting to be taken to that alternate plane. But, what surprised him the most, was the knife that became lodged into his back. He didn''t even sense it coming. He pulled the blade out of his back, and tossed it to the ground. He surveyed the scene around him. His eyes met with the sword-wielding man, brazenly rushing towards him, sword above his head. He caught the sword in between his hands, but the tip of the blade cut into his left shoulder, dealing 100 damage. Boy, am I glad I made this armor, Mathgar thanked himself. He dispatched the invader with a swift kick, and grabbed his sword, and snapped the blade in half. "What shoddy craftsmanship." Mathgar was unimpressed by the blade, but surprised that it did as much damage as it did. He raised his hands in front of him, and activated his Blade of Justice skill. The familiar energy surged to his hands, and the blades formed around his outstretched hands. He didn''t give his assailant pause; he took his turn to rush at him, with guns blazing. The young warrior quickly stood up, and pulled two maces out from behind his back, and clashed with Mathgar''s hands. The force that the unknown man had was great; Mathgar was knocked onto his back, and his arms pinned underneath the man''s boot. He brought the maces up to Mathgar''s face, and finally spoke. "I win, evil-doer. You will surrender this church to Nemesis once again!" Mathgar was dumbstruck. "Huh? What are you talking about? I am a follower of Nemesis!" "Lies! Only a fool would believe the words of a stranger!" The strange man maintained his posture over him, but Mathgar''s struggle proved fruitful. Mathgar threw the mace-wielder off of him, and onto the ground. He then stood up, and proceeded to activate Blade of Justice again. However, a bright light took the two combatants to the antechamber of Nemesis. She was there, in her statue aspect, and promptly increased the gravity of the area to bring the two quarrelsome fighters to their knees. "Will you stop fighting now? You are both on the same side, and you both serve me." Nemesis sounded irritated. "I did not expect for you to almost kill each other." The statue turned to Mathgar. "I didn''t give enough explanation of your task, but I had wanted to gauge this young acolyte''s strength." She then turns to the other man. "You were only to DEFEAT HIM, not try to kill him, remember?" The young acolyte said sheepishly, "Sorry, I wasn''t sure if he was evil or not. I didn''t want to take the chance." Mathgar sighed. "Well, at least I got you off when I did. I would have been in real trouble there, had I not done so." Mathgar extended his hand to the acolyte. "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot, I am Mathgar, the Philomath. It is ''nice'' to meet you." The acolyte apprehensively shook his hand. "Likewise. I am Brock, the Weapon Master."
END OF VOLUME ONE REPLACE VOLUME TWO
Next Chapter: COMING SOON! Previous Chapter: http://www.royalroadl.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=465&t=4676 If you didn''t see at the top, follow along with the Audio Chapter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrClBFzEOHs&list=UUtE5r7rrdkpWqw4hBHQ9ZXw