《A Road To New Discoveries by Glitch》 A Road To New Discoveries - Prologue Prologue Kristen Morisen sat lazily in her seat with her cheek mushed into her left palm. She was positioned directly in the center of a lecture hall filled with students, and listening to a professor drone on and on about history. ¡°In the aftermath of World War I, a man by the name of Mustafa Kamal Ataturk led a revolution that would establish-¡° Kristen¡¯s thoughts cut off the professor before he could finish. Not that she cared much about what he was saying anyway. ¡°Why am I still learning about history? I thought I wouldn¡¯t see it again after high school?¡± she said to herself. ¡°I guess this is something all freshmen have to deal with so I shouldn¡¯t complain.¡± She let out an audible sigh and let her vibrant green eyes trail off into space. A flash back to the time she had visited the college as a high school senior appeared and she remembered what the guide had told her then ¡°We offer a very unique curriculum here where you get to take classes pertaining to your major starting in your freshman year!¡± Hah! What a load of bull! ¡°They really got me good.¡± She mused ¡°little did I know that there are still prerequisites for all the classes I actually wanted to take.¡± Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a zipper. Kristen shot a glance at the person to her right and saw a guy trying to fill his backpack with notebooks and papers. He looked up quickly and met her viridian gaze. He gave a quick chuckle as if to break the awkwardness, and pointed over his shoulder toward the clock on the wall. It read 12:15PM. ¡°Finally!¡± she thought ¡°I can get out of here.¡± It seems the only other person that hadn¡¯t noticed that class had ended was the professor. ¡°And so that is why-ah- it¡¯s time already? Ok then for next week study chapter 7 in the book and do the review questions on page 136.¡± Kristen quickly jotted down the homework before gathering her things and dashing out of the classroom. Normally she wouldn¡¯t be very happy about getting out of class because that means she would have to go to work. However, fortunately for her, today was her day off. Being in a happy mood Kristen merrily made her way to the center courtyard on campus in hopes of making it on time to meet her friend. ¡°Krissy!~¡± a petite girl with short blonde hair was waving vigorously from one of the many park benches as Kristen entered the area. ¡°Over here!¡± she called out. Spotting this spectacle, Kristen briskly made her way over before replying ¡°Hey Jen!¡± Jen gave a hearty smile and quickly shot up to give Kristen a hug. Before she could build momentum, Kristen¡¯s palm was firmly placed onto Jen¡¯s forehead. In an irritated tone she said ¡°Jen, why do you always have to be so clingy? You¡¯re acting like you didn¡¯t just see me this morning.¡± Jen continued to push her head into Kristen¡¯s palm and wave her arms frantically in the hope that it might give way. ¡°Eh~¡± Jen finally took a step back and began pouting. ¡°That doesn¡¯t count; we hardly get to hang out nowadays because you¡¯re always busy with work or your writing!¡± she then proceeded to stomp back over to the bench, plop down, and cross her arms and legs. ¡°Hmph¡± ¡°Hey, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Unlike some people, I have to work to make sure I have a place to live.¡± Kristen retorted. ¡°Whoa, wait a second here, wasn¡¯t that your choice? That last remark was a little uncalled for.¡± Kristen did feel a little guilty for what she just said, and what Jen had said was true. She had made the decision to live on her own even though she had the option to commute from home. This was mostly to avoid dealing with her crazy family, mainly her 4 younger brothers, but also because the alternative was to double her school tuition with the additional payments of dorm housing. ¡°Ok ok, I get it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jen paused for a second as if to take in the apology before jumping up and latching on to Kristen with a suffocating hug, much to Kristen¡¯s chagrin. ¡°Yay!~¡± exclaimed Jen while rubbing her cheek against Kristen¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s head to Jazzman¡¯s now, I¡¯m starving.¡± After finally managing to pry Jen off of her, Kristen was forced to wipe the globs of make-up left over from the exchange. Kristen often wondered how she came to be acquainted with such an energetic and outgoing person. It could be said that they were exact opposites. Jen had short blonde hair that stopped just above her jawline and a petite build at 5¡¯2¡±. She must have barely weighed over 100lbs, if at all. She also had a cute baby face that would often make the guys swoon over her. ¡°Must be nice¡± Thought Kristen to herself. In comparison Kristen was on the tall side at 5¡¯8¡± and had long dark brown hair that made its way to the middle of her back. She had a masculine jawline that was accentuated by her glasses, which she often avoided using in public for that very reason. ¡°I blame my parents for bad genes!¡± she often yelled in frustration. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. They were even opposite in their interests. While Jen always had to have the latest designer items, clothes, and accessories; Kristen would rather spend her money on books or writing utensils. She had never taken an interest in clothes and makeup in high school because she was always too busy playing sports of some kind. If it wasn¡¯t Soccer in the summer and fall, it was track in the spring. That being said, her only athletic merit was how fast she could run. Living and working on her own was rather tough and because she was always so busy Kristen had missed out on most of the orientation events where people met. Even despite that, she was able to make a great friend like Jen because of how easy it is to get along with her. Not to mention they lived in the same neighborhood so it was easy to meet outside of class. Unlike Kristen though, Jen lived at home with her parents. Kristen had moved in to the apartment building down the street because it was the cheapest she could find, which means the two often commuted to school together. After getting seated at one of the tables on the outdoor patio at Jazzman¡¯s Caf¨¦, a place they frequented, the two ordered some food and began chatting away about various topics. During a lull in their conversation, they caught a snippet of the conversation going on at the adjacent table. ¡°Hey did you end up checking out that dungeon the other day?¡± said a lanky dark haired boy to his friend sitting opposite him. The boy who responded was about average build with brown bangs that hovered just above his eyes. ¡°No way, turns out it¡¯s a dungeon for epic level players. A friend of mine who¡¯s high level went in there with a team of like level 250¡¯s and he said they all died within 10 minutes.¡± The dark haired boy couldn¡¯t hide his surprise ¡°What!? No way! I thought for sure we¡¯d be able to do it with some help, I guess that double experience will go to waste now.¡± As if catching Kristen¡¯s attention on the topic being discussed, Jen started to say ¡°Hey, speaking of-¡° But Kristen quickly cut her off before she could even finish. ¡°No.¡± Jen Furrowed her brow a little and said ¡°Oh come on, you don¡¯t even know what I was going to say.¡± ¡°Yes I do, it¡¯s what you¡¯ve said every time the topic has been brought up for the past 2 months.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± said Jen in a sarcastic tone, playing with the straw in her drink. ¡°You say ¡®why don¡¯t you play Royal Road it¡¯s really fun and I¡¯m sure you¡¯d love it¡¯¡± Kristen responded in a voice mocking Jen¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t talk like that!¡± complained Jen. ¡°It¡¯s close enough.¡± said Kristen as she calmly sipped the straw from the ice tea placed in front of her. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so stubborn about this; it¡¯s not like money is that big of an issue. You said you already had enough to buy a computer right? At this rate you¡¯ll be the only person left alive who doesn¡¯t play.¡± Hearing these words made Kristen reel a little bit. Truthfully, she had no reason not to play. It¡¯s true that pretty much everyone she could think of played the game. She often felt isolated not being able to talk to people about it. It¡¯s not like she had no experience with games either. Her brothers would often torment her by hiding her books until she beat them in whatever games they wanted to play. But at this point she was denying her interest simply due to her own stubbornness. ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t really have the luxury to play games with how busy I am.¡± ¡°Just think of it like a social networking site where you do things with friends. You only have to hunt if you want to and there are many things to do besides hunting. You seem like you might be better suited for a crafting class anyway. On top of that, it¡¯s pretty easy once you get the hang of things, take me as an example, I play it pretty casually and I¡¯m still level 135.¡± Jen gave a self-satisfying grin and puffed out her chest, not that there was much to puff. Heheh I guess that¡¯s one area I can say I¡¯m the clear winner in. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll think about it.¡± said Kristen, redirecting her thoughts to the topic at hand. ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time!¡± said Jen, turning her grin into a pouting face once again. ¡°This time I¡¯m serious. I¡¯ll really think about it, I promise.¡± She really did mean it this time. ¡°You have to, I¡¯ll be sad if you don¡¯t.¡± Jen grabbed Kristen¡¯s hand and gave the saddest puppy dog eyes possible. ¡°You know I¡¯m not a guy so that doesn¡¯t really work on me right?¡± said Kristen with a rather disgusted look on her face. ¡°Pwetty pwease¡± said Jen, obviously attempting to well up some tears from her hazel eyes for sympathy. ¡°OK! I get it! Just stop that you¡¯re creeping me out!¡± ¡°Good!¡± exclaimed Jen, now satisfied with the answer. As if on cue the waiter came with their food at that moment and the two quickly ended their conversation in favor of filling their hungry stomachs. A Road To New Discoveries - Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The light faded on another spring day as a lone girl trudged her way up the metal stairs of a particularly crumby looking apartment building. With each step forward she cursed her inability to find another place to live. ¡°Why did the third story have to be the cheapest? They could at least put in an elevator, the cheapskates.¡± Finally making it to the top of the staircase she adjusted her bag and started making her way to apartment number 307. Of course it had to be the farthest one away from her current position. ¡°This might not be so bad if I hadn¡¯t tried to keep up with Jen all day.¡± After having lunch with Jen earlier in the day, the two of them decided to go shopping at the local mall. A terrible decision in retrospect, as trying to keep up with Jen while shopping was like trying to catch a fly with chopsticks. Not the movie scene where a martial arts master does it in a single try. More like the 10 year old kid who thinks it¡¯s possible and spends hours darting around the house chasing the damn thing before collapsing from exhaustion. ¡°Well it was tiring, but fun nonetheless.¡± A smile spread across Kristen¡¯s face as she rummaged through her bag to look for her keys. Once found, she slid the key into the lock and twisted until she heard a click. She then proceeded to swing the door open. After entering she closed the door behind her and took off her shoes, placing them in the doorway. Her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness but she did get a waft of stale ramen containers and books--Home. Even though she could barely see in front of her, she knew the layout by heart. Not that there was much to remember. There was one big room that was divided down the middle by a wall, on the right a hallway leading to her bedroom and the bathroom. On the left, the kitchen, and the big open space directly in front of the door acted as a living/dining/whatever-else-It¡¯s-needed-for room. Feeling too lazy to deal with the crappy design flaw of having the light switch on the other side of the room, Kristen dragged her feet toward the armrest of the sofa she knew to be in front of her. As her knees hit the sofa and her momentum spilled her forward, her eyes had just adjusted enough to the light to notice the faint outline of a person sleeping. At the last moment Kristen twisted her body a full 360 degrees while falling to avoid landing on the couch. While doing so, her hand whipped around and slammed onto the coffee table positioned in front of the sofa with what felt like the force of a semi-truck. ¡°GAAHH!!¡± Kristen instantly clutched her left hand and tried to suppress the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. While she lay whimpering between the two pieces of furniture, the person who was sleeping now jolted awake. ¡°Wha-huh? ¡­Oh Krissy it¡¯s just you..haha¡­what the hell happened?¡± Recovering a bit from the throbbing pain in her left hand she took her one good hand and began throwing punches in the general direction of the sofa. ¡°Ow!... Ow! ..ow¡­.Hey ¡­STOP IT!¡± and with that he grabbed her hand and took advantage of the difference in strength. He used this opportunity to get up from the sofa and began walking to the other side of the room. ¡°Hang on a sec, lemme get the lights.¡± With the bright flash that came, both of them were forced to squint their eyes in adjustment. ¡°What the hell are you doing here Kevin?¡± asked Kristen cursing under her breath and shaking her hand in an attempt to stop the throbbing. ¡°Explain why you started hitting me without warning first?... Actually are you all right? You look hurt.¡± Kristen positioned herself on the end of the sofa as her brother made his way back and sat on the other end. ¡°You probably deserved it¡­ anyway I¡¯m fine so answer my question.¡± And with that she stuck her thumb in her mouth and waited for an answer. Kevin let out a sigh and answered. ¡°Didn¡¯t mom tell you already? She called last week and told you about me visiting your college today, don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Yeah she did, but what does that have to do with you being in my apartment? How¡¯d you even get in anyway?¡± ¡°I just told the landlord I was your brother and he let me in.¡± Tch I shouldn¡¯t have told that bastard I had siblings. ¡°Also, our parents figured it would be a good opportunity to check up on you.¡± ¡°I should have expected as much, mom sounded a bit suspicious over the phone.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, you know how they are¡± Kevin brushed his hair out of his eyes and gave a little chuckle. This was the first time since Christmas break she had seen her brother. Kevin was the easiest of her brothers to get along with. Maybe it was because he was the closest to her in age, but more likely it was because of his laid back attitude. At home he was influenced by her father and other brothers¡¯ stupidity, but on his own he was easy to deal with. Kevin had long hair for a guy as the dark strands brushed the top of his shoulders. His goatee emphasized the strong jawline that seemed to be such a popular trait in the family. He had long limbs which gave him a very slim figure and he was very tall, topping out at exactly 6 feet. ¡°Hah~ yeah I know¡­..anyway, how was the tour?¡± she asked, interested in his opinion. ¡°Alright I guess, they tried to give me the same bullshit line that reeled you in heheh¡±. He smirked at the opportunity to send a jab at his sister. ¡°It¡¯s not all a lie, you just have to wait an extra year until that curriculum kicks in, I planned on going here regardless of what pitch they used so it didn¡¯t make that big of a difference in the end.¡± ¡°Well unlike you I¡¯m not reckless enough to only apply to one school, so I have some options.¡± Kevin leaned back into his seat and brought his middle and ring finger up to trace his eyebrow, a habit of his that Kristen had noticed over the years. Kristen leaned forward, the pain finally subsiding from her hand. ¡°You mean you¡¯re not awesome enough to do something like that. It must be tough always being in the shadow of such an amazing sister.¡± Kristen placed her hands on her hips, trying to play up the act. ¡°Yea I¡¯m not awesome enough to stay single throughout all of high school like you.¡± The sarcasm in his words oozed out as he curled up expecting punches to be thrown. ¡°Hey! Whose fault do you think that is!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± He said while a smile creeped across his face and his defense tightened. Getting riled up at her brothers feigned ignorance Kristen said ¡°Really? You don¡¯t know what I mean? So you don¡¯t remember what happened with Tony?¡± ¡°What about Tony?¡± ¡°I brought him home and the five of you decided to act like gangsters, asking if he wanted to be ¡®indoctrinated into the family¡¯, that¡¯s what! What could possibly possess you to do such a thing?¡± ¡°We had a good reason for it!¡± Kevin said, trying to muster a defense. ¡°Ok, what was it then?¡± ¡°James said he had a tattoo.¡± He said frankly. Kristen couldn¡¯t hide her irritation any longer. ¡°You do realize his tattoo was a small butterfly on his ankle right?¡± ¡°Well now I do, but how were we supposed to know that?...besides you have to admit, it was pretty funny to see his reaction when he saw us.¡± Kristen buried her face in her hands before gathering herself and asking a question. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Alright well anyway, how long are you staying¡­cause I have work tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°Kicking me out already huh? Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m just staying for tonight; I¡¯ll probably be gone by the time you wake up tomorrow.¡± Kristen let out a sigh and rocked herself forward so she could stand up. ¡°OK well I¡¯m just gonna take a shower and go to bed, I¡¯m beat no thanks to Jen.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? You went out and did something other than work? ¡­haha how¡¯d that go?¡± he said tracing his eyebrow once again. ¡°It was fun.¡± She said, too tired to engage in his banter. ¡°Oh Kev, before I forget¡­.you do know there are pillows and blankets in the closet in my room right? You should grab some.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s where they were? I was wondering where you hid them.¡± With that Kristen got a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom. The warm water slowly eased the tension in her muscles and when she finally exited the shower she was fully relaxed. After getting dressed in her usual pajamas, she opened the door while still drying her hair to see her brother sound asleep on the couch. I¡¯ll never understand how he falls asleep so quickly. She made her way to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Once again she was reminded how small her place was by the fact that there was barely enough room for her to fit between the dresser on the left wall and her bed in the middle of the room. On the far wall was her desk with papers strewn about everywhere and books piled on top of each other. This was where she headed. Kristen sat down at her desk and opened up her laptop. Even though she was sure she would fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow, there was still one thing to be done. Yes, it was time to fulfill the 6 month long mission she had been on. Tonight was the night she would buy Royal Road. Honestly the money she was about to spend wasn¡¯t originally intended for this. She had been saving up to buy a computer until her parents surprised her by buying a nice laptop for her at Christmas. She had saved up quite a bit of money at the time but it still wasn¡¯t enough to buy a capsule. So for the last 6 months she had worked her ass off, opting to work overtime and even take on part-time jobs, to save up the remaining money needed to buy it. All this work, simply because she didn¡¯t want to be ¡°The weird girl at school who doesn¡¯t play Royal Road.¡± She had lied to Jen when she found out about the extra money because she wanted an opportunity to close the gap between their levels. If there was one personality trait of Kristen¡¯s that stood out, it was her competitiveness. It wasn¡¯t something that showed itself much after high school where she didn¡¯t play any sports, but it didn¡¯t just disappear. As she entered the url for the Royal Road website, flashing lights and cinematics danced across her screen. ¡°hmm¡­while I¡¯m here I might as well do a bit of research.¡± She clicked the link to the forums and began browsing the comments to see what people were talking about. To her surprise everyone was talking about the same thing, some video with a battle between Orcs and Dark Elves. One of the comments posted a link to the video but Kristen was instantly put off when she saw the length. ¡°What the hell!? Isn¡¯t this video like 20 hours long? Who the hell has time for that?¡± I better just focus on my original task before I forget. Kristen entered in all her billing information before finally clicking the ¡°Purchase¡± button. Her heart rate sped up as she was waiting for the confirmation e-mail to find its way into her inbox. When it finally appeared she read it to make sure everything went through smoothly. ¡°Thank you for purchasing Royal Road. Capsule delivery will take 3-4 business days and will require a signature at the time you receive the delivery. We hope you enjoy your stay on the Continent of Versailles.¡± I guess all that¡¯s left to do is wait. With that, Kristen hurriedly shut her laptop and squeezed under her covers for some much needed shut-eye. **4 DAYS LATER** Kristen was hurriedly running back to her apartment after getting out of class, the reason? They must be coming to deliver the capsule today. ¡°Nobody came yesterday and today will be 4 days so it must be today.¡± Thought Kristen while running up the stairs of her apartment building, jumping two at a time. She wanted to get home faster than usual today not only because she was excited about the delivery, but also because she only had 2 hours before she had to go to work. Kristen worked at a restaurant close by, it paid well and because it was a higher end place, the tips were nice. But why do I have to work today of all days. After getting into her apartment she halfway got into her work clothes before taking a moment to sit on the couch and turn on the T.V. The tension had barely left her muscles when she heard a loud clamoring outside her door. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she thought inquisitively. Just then she was startled by a sudden knocking on her door. It¡¯s here! Kristen ran up to her door and pulled it open. She was greeted by two worn out looking gentleman. One looked older with a scruffy beard and the other looked even younger than her with short black hair that was covered by a baseball cap. ¡°Are you a miss¡­..Kristen Morisen?¡± said the older man while wiping some sweat off his brow. ¡°Ah, yes, I¡¯m sorry for making you lug that thing all the way up here.¡± Said Kristen. The older man gave a booming laugh and said ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ve dealt with worse¡­just sign here please¡± and he handed Kristen an electronic clipboard. ¡°Mark here will help with setting it up once it¡¯s in place, just tell us where you want it.¡± He thumbed in the direction of the guy with the baseball cap. As Kristen handed the man back the clipboard she asked ¡°That won¡¯t cost me extra or anything will it?¡± The younger man spoke for the first time ¡°No, everything is included in the cost of the delivery.¡± ¡°Oh perfect. Just put it behind the sofa, I don¡¯t think it will fit anywhere else anyway.¡± The two men gently positioned the capsule behind the sofa. There was just enough room between the sofa and the capsule now to fit through if you turned sideways. I guess I¡¯ll have to get rid of the coffee table to make room. After 20 minutes of watching the younger guy run around the apartment with wires, plugging things in and turning things on, he turned to inform her that the installation was complete. ¡°That should be everything, enjoy.¡± With that, he handed her a thick manual entitled A Beginner¡¯s Guide to Royal Road and the two men exited the apartment. While Kristen would love to immerse herself into the manual and game right away, she no longer had safety funds to fall back on, so she steeled herself and got ready for work. Taking one last look at the capsule while putting on her shoes, Kristen stifled her disappointment at not being able to play right away and headed out the door. A Road To New Discoveries - Chapter 2 Chapter 2 It is often when you want time to go faster that it seems to slow down, mocking you. The agonizing wait for each rotation of the hands builds your irritation closer to a boiling point. This is the situation Kristen now finds herself in. Everything had been fine until she realized that she only had 20 minutes left of her shift. Now every second seemed like an hour and every minute seemed like a day. As she quietly seethed her way towards the back room, a voice called out to break her concentration. ¡°Hey Kristen, do you really want to leave that badly?¡± It was the head waiter, her boss, Steve. He was a little older than her, maybe in his late 20¡¯s and a very clean cut sort of fellow. She quickly tried to put a smile on her face as she answered. ¡°W-What do you mean haha¡­.of course not, what gives you that idea?¡± A disappointing look came across his face as he responded ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, I¡¯ve worked with you long enough to know when you¡¯re in a bad mood. It¡¯s obvious since you¡¯ve been staring at the clock for awhile now.¡± ¡°Is it really that obvious?¡± she laughed hesitantly at the embarrassment of being discovered. ¡°Geeze, if you really want to leave that badly, then just go.¡± Kristen was about to respond until she realized what he said. ¡°Wait, say that again?¡± Steve scratched his head while giving a response ¡°The truth is I was planning on letting you out early anyway because of how hard you¡¯ve been working lately.¡± Kristen was genuinely surprised. ¡°Is it really alright?¡± ¡°What, do you think I am some kind of slave driver? ¡­unless you want to stay?¡± an evil grin spread across his face. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± she quickly decided to take advantage of this rare moment of mercy from him. She gathered her things and clocked out. As she headed in the direction of her apartment, she realized that she forgot to thank him on the way. I¡¯ll have to remember to thank him the next time I see him. Walking down the sidewalk she became lost in thought. ¡°The last time I was this excited about something was when that bookstore opened near my apartment.¡± Kristen didn¡¯t consider herself an avid gamer, but thanks to her brothers she had been forced to play games more than most people. She would often practice in secret because she needed to be good enough to beat them at a moments notice. She may have even enjoyed the challenge of trying to beat them, but that¡¯s something she would never admit to their face. As she finally made her way back into her apartment and turned on the lights, her eyes slowly drew their attention to the large capsule set up behind the sofa. ¡°hmm¡­should I try it right away or read the manual?¡­.wait I should probably take a shower first.¡± After taking a shower and changing out of her work clothes she sat down on the sofa, now fully relaxed. On the table was the manual that the boy in the baseball cap had handed her. ¡°let¡¯s see what it has to say.¡± She grabbed it off the desk and began perusing through its pages. After about 10 minutes of doing so she quickly lost her patience. ¡°AGH!... there¡¯s too much terminology I don¡¯t understand, not to mention all this fantasy mumbo jumbo. I¡¯m better off just jumping right in!¡± With that, she got up and slid into the capsule behind her. She closed the lid and waited for something to happen. After a moment there was a flash and a message appeared in front of her.
Do you want to Connect to Royal Road? Yes/No
¡°Yes.¡± A red light flashed into her eye making her blink a few times to regain composure. ¡°The scan on your Iris vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?¡± ¡°Yes, I would like to.¡± As she said that Kristen quietly wondered to herself if the feminine voice she was hearing was an actual person¡¯s or a synthetic one. It¡¯s so soothing. Looking around Kristen could see nothing but white space, the only one in the area seemed to be her. ¡°Select the name of your avatar.¡± This was a simple choice for Kristen. Ever since she started playing games to beat her brothers, she had used a particular name for all the characters she played. It was her lucky charm for playing games and with it she had never lost to her brothers even once. ¡°Sen¡± she said with confidence. ¡°Select your gender-¡° The second she heard the word gender she knew what to say ¡°Keep me female please.¡± ¡°Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary twenty-nine.¡± ¡°Human is fine¡± Kristen had read enough of the manual to know what the other races are but she had little knowledge about what the differences between them was. Better to just stick with what I know. ¡°You may alter your appearance if you wish. To do so now, say yes. If not, say pass.¡± Kristen¡¯s attention suddenly peaked. The thought of changing her appearance had never even crossed her mind until this point. After contemplating for a few moments she was about to decline before a realization hit her. ¡°Yes, I want to change my appearance!¡± A full detailed 3d model of Kristen appeared. It was a weird experience for Kristen as it was the first time she had seen herself like this. She quickly regained her composure and, looking at the model that had just appeared, began to laugh maniacally. ¡°This is perfect, now I can finally fix my bad genes!¡± As she laughed with these thoughts of joy, she made her way towards the model and began shaping it the way she wanted. After spending a few minutes fiddling around with the model she stepped back. She gave a self satisfying grin, crossed her arms, and nodded in approval. The model seemed exactly the same as it had been before, except for the jaw line, which seemed slightly less chiseled. ¡°Do you wish to keep these changes?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road.¡± ¡°Can we get on with this, its taking too long!¡± Kristen shouted, now becoming irritated slightly. ¡°Select a city and Kingdom to start in.¡± ¡°Uh¡­..crap, I wish I had read enough of the manual to know a city name.¡± she tried to think of what she might want in a city and suddenly an idea popped into her head. Kristen¡¯s first love had always been books; one of the things she was curious about in Royal Road was the kind of books that were available. ¡°I know! I want to go to the city with the largest library!¡± ¡°Welcome to Royal Road.¡± Suddenly a bright light flashed, forcing Sen to shield her eyes with her arms. Slowly the sounds of people filled her ears. As she moved her arms away to take in the scenery she found herself speechless at the sight before her. The first thing she noticed was the buildings. They varied in all shapes and sizes as if they had each been made by a different person. Many of them had carvings and paintings on them which made them pop with color and character. The second thing she noticed was the people. Artists of all types littered the roadsides, painting caricatures and singing songs. The rest of the people in the area seemed to be comprised mostly of beggars asking for money. Occasionally she thought she saw a warrior or wizard of some kind, but the amount of them could probably be counted on one hand. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts she turned her attention to herself, marveling at the realism of it all. She could feel the sun on her skin and smell the cooking of a nearby restaurant. She brought her hands up in front of her face and tried opening and closing her fists. ¡°This is amazing!¡± As she did this she began to hear snickering from a few people that had noticed her entrance. ¡°She must be new.¡± ¡°Is this her first time playing a virtual reality game?¡± ¡°I remember when I started.¡± Suddenly realizing the attention she was bringing to herself, her face became red with embarrassment. She quickly ducked away from those gathered and weaved her way down the busy streets. Having recovered a bit from the initial shock of things she tried to think of what to do next. ¡°I know I want to check out the library but I have no idea where to start, maybe I should ask someone?¡± As she was walking around the plaza where she started, she noticed a large group of people looking and pointing at a Mural on the side of a building. She went closer until she could tell exactly what it was. It¡¯s a map of the city! Written in large letters above the map was the line ¡°The City of Rhodium¡± ¡°Rhodium¡­..I guess that¡¯s where I¡¯m starting.¡± All the depictions of buildings on the map were labeled with what they were supposed to be. A red dot marked the spot she was currently in. Sen began looking for anything regarding the library and quickly found it labeled on one of the largest buildings depicted. ¡°The Geihar Von Arpen library huh? ¡­looks like it¡¯s on the other side of the city.¡± With that, she started in the direction of the library. On the way she was able to take in the beauty of the city. There were paintings, carvings, and sculptures dotted everywhere. However, after a bit, she realized that many of the buildings were falling apart and in disrepair. As she rounded a corner she was stopped in her tracks with another fantastic sight. The face of a grand building now towered over her. A huge staircase led up to a massive entrance way outlined by four massive pillars. As if that didn¡¯t make it stand out enough, the building was one of the few that didn¡¯t look as if it was in dire need of reconstruction. The words ¡°Geihar Von Arpen¡± were written across the top of the structure. ¡°I-Incredible! This is a Library!?¡± she said, the excitement building in her voice. She quickly tried to run up the stairs but tripped over something before she could even make it up the first few steps. As she turned around she realized she had tripped over a particularly bright colored human figure. It seemed to her like he had been sitting on the bottom of the stairs. How did I not notice him before? ¡°Ah~ what a crappy start to my adventure..¡± said the boy now lying sprawled out on the ground. As Sen reached down to help him up she was able to get a good look at him. He seemed younger than her by a couple years, about the age of her second oldest brother John. He had bright golden hair that flowed almost as long as hers and he had sky blue eyes. He was wearing a bright yellow robe that looked like something a noble might wear; only it was made out of a cheap cloth material. As he finally got to his feet, the hair covering his ears parted, revealing them to be pointy. Kristen couldn¡¯t help but stare as she engaged in conversation. ¡°Uhh¡­.I¡¯m sorry that¡­..I¡­you know¡­tripped and...stuff¡­.¡± as Sen distractingly tried to apologize, the boy hardly paid attention, seeming to be lost in his own world. ¡°I wonder if I could create a new account?¡± he said mumbling under his breath. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Seeing how he was distracted, Sen let her curiosity get the best of her. She had never seen anything like it and wondered how real they were. She slowly brought her hands up from the boy¡¯s shoulders, and as he mumbled to himself under his breath, quickly grabbed the tips of his ears between her thumbs and forefingers. Instantly the boy let out a sharp yelp and jumped back away from Sen. ¡°W-What the h-hell are you doing to m-me!?¡± his voice was trembling and tears welled in his eyes as if he had just been violated. Sen tried to think of something to say in order to justify her action. ¡°Ah well¡­I mean, they just looked so real that I wondered what they felt like.¡± The boy was taken aback by her blatant honesty ¡°O-Of course they¡¯re real! They¡¯re sensitive too!¡± he then cupped his ears with his hands, expecting Sen¡¯s still outstretched arms to reach for them again. A sudden wave of embarrassment washed over her and she tried to quickly be rid of this situation. ¡°W-Well you seem ok, so¡­I¡¯ll just be on my way then.¡± She quickly turned around and began to make her way up the stairs but was stopped before she could get further than a few steps. ¡°Hey where do you think you¡¯re going after doing something like that?¡± he reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt. Sen looked over her shoulder at the boy and pointed to the top of the staircase ¡°I¡¯m going to the library.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a library?¡± asked the boy, like he had just realized where he was for the first time. Sen turned around and grabbed the boy¡¯s hand, not able to hide her excitement about the topic. ¡°I know! Doesn¡¯t it look amazing? Just imagine how many books they have in there!¡± ¡°huh..books? sure I guess¡­¡± the boy now seemed confused at the abrupt change in personality. Sen mistakenly took his expression as disinterest in the thing she loved ¡°Hey! What do you have against books? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t like them!?¡± ¡°What? No I don¡¯t really have a problem with books¡­.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s your issue?¡± said Sen, finally letting go of the boy¡¯s hand. ¡°it¡¯s this city, it has no money!¡± he shouted in despair. ¡°Well I understand money is important but it¡¯s not everything.¡± Sen lectured from experience. ¡°It is to a merchant!¡± ¡°Oh¡­well why don¡¯t you go to another city?¡± ¡°That takes money!...also I just started playing a week ago so I can¡¯t leave the city.¡± As he said this his voice slowly trailed off. Now Sen understood the boy¡¯s frustration, but it didn¡¯t stop questions from worming their way into her brain. ¡°Wait, new players can¡¯t leave the city? Why didn¡¯t you start somewhere else if you knew that?¡± The information didn¡¯t phase Sen that much as she was more interested what was in the library at the moment than anything that is outside the city walls. ¡°Well I figured I¡¯d take a gamble with the starting city¡­.wait you didn¡¯t know that?¡± the boy asked with a surprised look on his face. Ignoring the question directed at her Sen continued with her lecture. ¡°Well, giving up before you try isn¡¯t good. I¡¯m sure if you think about it you can come up with an answer.¡± ¡°Really? Like what?¡± the boy now gave her a look of hope. Feeling the pressure, Sen racked her brain thinking of a solution. An idea formed as she glanced at the library behind her. ¡°The library!¡± she shouted. A look of disappointment spread across the boy¡¯s face, as if he had just been betrayed. ¡°No wait, hear me out. A library of this size might have more than just books in it. There could be something in there that can help you remedy the situation!¡± ¡°Really?¡± asked the boy, still skeptical about the whole thing. ¡°Definitely..uhh¡­.sorry what was your name again?¡± Sen asked, slightly embarrassed she hadn¡¯t thought to ask sooner. ¡°My name is Lance.¡± The boy said with a smile across his face. ¡°Are you sure I can find something in there?¡± ¡°At the very least it couldn¡¯t hurt to check out¡­ I¡¯m Sen by the way.¡± With that, she grabbed his hand and began hauling him up the staircase. As the two opened the door it became obvious that the outside wasn¡¯t the only thing grand about the building. Standing behind a reception desk, located directly in front of them, were lines of 20ft tall bookcases. The entire center of the building was open space and from where they were standing they could see the balconies of a 2nd and 3rd floor. The staircases leading up were located on either side of them. Lance turned to say something to his new companion but was met with empty space where she had just been. Looking around he found her darting between the bookcases wagging her imaginary tail. She¡¯s like a dog that just found out where the treats are hidden. Since it didn¡¯t seem like he could regain her attention any time soon he turned his focus towards the clerk behind the desk. ¡°How may I help you today sir?¡± she asked. ¡°Well, does this library have anything other than books?¡± The clerk considered for a moment then said ¡°No, we don¡¯t have any other departments if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. If there is a particular topic you are looking for I¡¯m sure we have some books on it though. You¡¯re free to browse all you like.¡± Lance couldn¡¯t hide his irritation, but was quickly able to dissipate it since he wasn¡¯t too hopeful to begin with. Since he was already in the library he decided it wouldn¡¯t hurt to at least have a look around. ¡°Do you have any books about business?¡± He asked not expecting much. ¡°Of course, follow me and I¡¯ll show you where they are located¡± pleasantly surprised, Lance followed her toward the staircase. He looked around before going up to see if he could spot Sen, but didn¡¯t see anything. She¡¯ll probably be fine. Sen was now lost in a maze of bookcases. She had become so excited at the sheer volume of books that she couldn¡¯t help but rush over to inspect them. On top of that she had gotten separated from her new companion in the process. As she was looking for a way back to the entrance, the sound of a sniffling nose resonated through the bookcases. Sen tracked the sound until it seemed incredibly close. She rounded a corner and was met with a small boy sitting on the floor crying softly. Sen, being an older sister, couldn¡¯t just sit back and do nothing. She approached the boy and offered a hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong but I¡¯m sure we can do something about it if we work together.¡± The boy was surprised at the stranger now offering to console him. Suddenly he wailed loudly and buried his face on her shoulder. After a few minutes he seemed to calm down and Sen decided to try prying for information. ¡°Now why don¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s wrong so that I can help?¡± ¡°A *sniff* book¡­¡± whimpered the boy. ¡°Book?¡± ¡°*sniff* yea¡­I was supposed to secretly hold on to an important book¡­but..but WAHHHH!!¡± the boy suddenly started crying harder. As Sen tried to comfort the boy a message popped up in front of her.
Sniffling Secret A crying boy in the library is distraught over a lost book. It seems very important to him. Perhaps another set of eyes will be able to help him in his search? Difficulty Level: F Quest Reward: Unknown
Sen was taken aback by the sudden quest. This kid is an NPC then? Since She had already planned to help the kid anyway she decided to accept the quest. Not to mention she was curious about what kind of book it was as well. ¡°I¡¯ll help you find your book.¡±
You have accepted the quest
¡°*sniff* really? Thanks miss¡­.its a big green book¡­. *sniff*and it glows a little. I¡¯ll go look this way!¡± suddenly the kid dashed off before Sen could get anything more out of him. Well at least I got a description out of him. Sen then began to make her way around the library looking for any sign of the book. Doing this allowed her to really take in the sheer size of the place. After nearly an hour of searching she had scoured the entire bottom floor. ¡°It must be on one of the upper floors-¡° her thoughts were cut off when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Located behind a small sitting area with a table and chairs was a little bookcase that came up to about Sen¡¯s waist. On the bottom shelf there was a fairly large book and even though it was light in the room, it seemed to have a faint green glow somehow. Sen walked over and picked it up. She inspected it and to her surprise couldn¡¯t open it even though there were no bindings or lock. This must be it. She found her way back to the spot where she had found the boy but he was nowhere to be seen. She remembered that there was a clerk at the front desk and decided to see if she could find him that way. As the reception counter came into view a surprising scene was unfolding before her. The boy she had met in the bookcases was sitting on the counter with an angry look on his face. He was being lectured by the girl that had welcomed her and Lance. When the boy saw Sen approaching he quickly ducked under the counter. The girl was about to lay into him with threats when she saw Sen and the book she was holding. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± said the girl. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what there is to be sorry for, but it didn¡¯t trouble me that much whatever it was.¡± The girl seemed surprised by her response ¡°even still, I¡¯m sorry for my brother making you go through the trouble of looking for that book.¡± ¡°He¡¯s your brother?¡± asked Sen curiously. The girl pulled the boy out from under the counter. A painful expression was on his face. ¡°Yes, My name is Lily and this is my brother Brayden. I work here and my brother is often forced to come with me. He¡¯s been complaining about how boring it is here so I tried to make a little game for him to play by hiding that book. I didn¡¯t think he would make someone else find it for him!¡± Horrible memories of her own brothers flashed in Sen¡¯s mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much I¡¯m use to this kind of stuff.¡± ¡°Really!? Thank you!....you can keep that book if you want since you went through all the trouble to find it. The person who sold it to me said it was valuable.¡±
Quest Complete! The crying boy you met in the bookcases tricked you into finding the book his sister had hidden for him. After talking to the sister, she agreed to let you keep the book in compensation for all the trouble caused.
You have leveled up!
¡°Wow! My first quest!¡± Sen thought to herself. As Lily went back to lecturing her little brother, Sen took the opportunity to inspect the book she had just been granted. Maybe I can open it now? She pried open the cover and suddenly the green light emanating from the book grew brighter. A second later the book itself disappeared and a message window replaced it.
Skill: you acquired a new skill, Item Identification
Before she even had a chance to check her newly acquired skill, a familiar voice came from the direction of the staircase. Sen looked up to see Lance on the stairs, frantically waving what looked like a book in his hand. ¡°Sen! You were right! I found something!¡± A Road To New Discoveries - Chapter 3 Chapter 3 The city of Rhodium was often lined with artists trying to sell their works. However many of them were not adventurers and it was well-known that the city had little money. Therefore, it was rare to see a merchant stall set up in the courtyard. ¡°You name it we have it! Discount prices right here!¡± shouted Sen from the side of an overflowing merchant stall. Still wearing the starter¡¯s clothing, she bellowed out her advertisements. A large and burly looking man approached her after picking up something off of the counter. ¡°You call this sale-worthy?¡± he said in a baritone voice, waving a paint brush in her face. Sen turned to face the man now talking to her and put on the best professional smile she could give. ¡°Is there some kind of problem sir?¡± ¡°Problem? Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know you criminal! I ought to report you to the guards!¡± Sen could feel the irritation building beneath the surface but maintained a smile. Why do these types always show up when I¡¯m around? Before Sen could interject with a response, a familiar voice cut in. It was Lance. ¡°Are you accusing us of something?¡± said Lance, his eyes narrowing. The burly man now focused his wrath towards Lance. He walked right up to his face and spoke quietly. ¡°That¡¯s right. I say it¡¯s impossible for you to have such low prices, unless you¡¯re getting your wares using underhanded methods.¡± Lance smiled and gave a response. ¡°So they¡¯re stolen you say? Then what about that item in your hand? Surely you were going to pay for that.¡± The man was startled at the sudden accusation. He looked at the paint brush then back to Lance. ¡°I¡¯m not buying anything!¡± said the man, rage now reddening his face. ¡°Oh? so you¡¯re admitting to stealing it then?¡± Suddenly Lance¡¯s voice got louder. The increase in volume grabbed the attention of nearby people. Sen took this opportunity to hide behind the stall to avoid further involvement. ¡°What? A thief?¡± ¡°Stealing in broad daylight? Of course you¡¯d get caught.¡± As people chimed in with comments the man seemed to back down a little bit, realizing his fading position. ¡°What?.... No, I wasn¡¯t stealing-¡° Lance cut him off before he could finish. ¡°If you aren¡¯t stealing then you must be willing to pay the full price of three gold right?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? This is listed as ten silver¡­¡± Lance got closer and whispered into the man¡¯s ear. ¡°But don¡¯t you remember sir? We have to charge extra because it¡¯s supposedly stolen.¡± A grin spread across Lance¡¯s face. To the onlookers it simply looked like a business man¡¯s professional smile. But to the burly man standing in front of him, it seemed like the smile of a devil. ¡°Why y-you!¡± The man nearly became consumed with rage, but held himself back in front of the judgmental gaze of those watching. He breathed out a deep breath and threw three gold coins into the chest of Lance. ¡°This isn¡¯t the last you¡¯ve seen of me.¡± Said the man as he brushed by Lance and elbowed the crowd out of his way. After a bit the commotion died down and the crowd of onlookers dispersed. Sen made her way towards Lance who was picking the gold coins off the ground. ¡°You¡¯re evil you know that?¡± Lance popped up off the ground and smiled at his friend ¡°it¡¯s called business and you¡¯re just soft. Haylen Quake¡¯s guide to business states-¡± ¡°yes yes, Haylen Quake this, Haylen Quake that, you¡¯ve told me a million times already.¡± Lance gave a frustrated look and flipped a gold coin towards her. ¡°here, it¡¯s your share.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your dirty money.¡± Sen smiled while catching the coin in mid-air. ¡°You know perfectly well my wares are legitimate.¡± It¡¯s true, If she hadn¡¯t witnessed it with her own eyes she might not believe it herself. A month ago they had stumbled into the library and Lance claimed to have found an amazing book. She never would have guessed what he had in mind. Haylen Quake¡¯s Guide to Bussiness it was titled. After reading it Lance had come up with the idea to sell the same wares as the NPC¡¯s except at a lower price. He figured out a way to get starting players to make items from scratch in a cheap and efficient method. Truthfully it was beneficial for everyone involved, except the NPC¡¯s of course. Many of them were being put out of business. He had enlisted Sen¡¯s help so that she could sell his wares while he was busy obtaining more inventory or finding more customers. The na?ve boy she had met on the stairs to the library had somehow turned into a cutthroat business man. But, he was only ruthless when it came to business. Outside of that he was fairly harmless in her eyes. She often found him to be more girly than her. Sen let out a sigh and pocketed the coin. ¡°yea I know¡­so am I good to leave now?¡± ¡°Running back to the library? Don¡¯t you get tired of that place?¡± as Lance said this he was replacing some of the items on display with more expensive looking ones. ¡°Maybe¡­I¡¯m running out of stuff to read, all that¡¯s left is that section on math and a couple others.¡± ¡°What about a class? Have you chosen one yet? You can leave the city to go on hunts now you know¡­¡± ¡°Eh¡­.I haven¡¯t really found anything that interests me.¡± Lance stopped what he was doing to gather his thoughts. He spoke after considering for a few moments. ¡°You¡¯re not really interested in the crafting classes otherwise you would have chosen one by now. What do you say to accompanying me outside the walls to the hunting grounds? You might get a look at some combat classes that way.¡± ¡°I guess¡­.wait, you¡¯ve offered this to me before haven¡¯t you?¡± Sen questioned. ¡°I swear you¡¯re always in your own little world. Yes I have. I can go outside to collect raw materials now. I¡¯m going later today as well. I¡¯ll message you when I¡¯m leaving.¡± As lance turned around to help a customer, Sen took that as her cue to leave before he asked her to stick around and help. She was heading to the library of course. Whenever she logged on to Royal Road she was doing one of two things. Either helping Lance with his stall, or reading books in the library. As she made her way up the stairs she decided to check her progress. ¡°Stats window¡±
Avatar: Sen Type: Neutral Level : 3 Class: None Title: None Fame: 0 Health: 130 Mana: 210 STR: 10 AGI: 10 VIT: 15 WIS: 25 INT: 29 Leadership: 0 Luck: 0 Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Resistance to Magic: None
Sen had leveled up twice in the month since she started and distributed the points into vitality and intelligence. The first level up had been in the quest with Lily. The second came after she did a few quests for the other NPC¡¯s in the library. In the process she learned that she could use the Identify skill she had gotten to determine what untitled books were about, or if they had hidden properties. Since it was the only skill she knew currently, she used it on practically anything she could find. Lance often laughed at her saying it was useless, but simply doing that had allowed her to raise it to Beginner¡¯s level 3. She had also realized recently that her stats were unnatural when compared to other players. Reading books had boosted her intelligence and wisdom stats, which had given her more mana. It was one of the reasons why Sen was obsessed with the library. Initially it was because the books she was reading contained stories she had never even heard of before. She genuinely enjoyed reading about fantastical tales of adventure that were apparently historical records. She had been reading a particularly interesting book about a battle against vampires. When she finished the last page a message window popped into her view notifying her of stat increases. After some trial and error she had discovered that simply reading books for a general amount of time led to some minimal stat increases. The problem was that you had to read a book in its entirety for it to count. Simply flipping through the pages led to nothing, you had to retain the information. However, the stat increases weren¡¯t nearly optimized due to her having to log off for work and school. It was still enough to make an impact and the more important factor was that it reminded her that she was indeed in a game world. Once that registered into her brain, she kicked into gaming mode. These stats might come in handy later. Although she hadn¡¯t played very many RPG¡¯s she was reminded of memorizing combos in a fighting game. You need to know what the combo is before you can execute it and so that¡¯s what she equated the stat increases to. Sen walked through the double door entrance of the library like she had many times throughout the past month. She was greeted by the girl behind the counter, Lily. ¡°Ah, welcome back miss Sen.¡± She said with a smile on her face. Even though Sen knew Lily was an NPC, she couldn¡¯t help but act normally around her. She had been kind enough to allow her to build what essentially amounted to a fort of books in the sitting area and she even had given her a skill book. ¡°Hey Lily, don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ll be in the usual spot.¡± Sen waved and briskly moved past the counter towards the sitting area on the first floor. ¡°Wait miss Sen!¡± Lily tried getting her attention but Sen didn¡¯t hear her. ¡°I guess everything will be ok¡­.¡± As she got closer to her fort, someone she didn¡¯t recognize was already occupying it. An old man with stark white hair and a long flowing beard was reading the book she was looking forward to reading. He was wearing dark blue robes and when she got close enough she could see he was human. The old man looked up from the book and, seeing Sen approaching him, hopped down from the chair. Sen was surprised because he really did hop from the chair. When he landed he was barely 5ft tall and his beard swished against his waist. ¡°Hello my dear, you must be miss Sen correct?¡± he outstretched his hand offering a handshake. Normally Sen would have accepted him with ease, but she was currently a little irritated at the fact that he had gotten to read that book before her. In addition to that he already seemed to know who she was, and she had no clue as to who he was. She had already had to deal with the man back at the market earlier, so she decided to vent her frustration at him. ¡°Who are you and what do you want?¡± she crossed her arms and assumed a defensive stance. The man looked back at her in surprise. A moment passed before he burst into laughter leaving Sen the one surprised. ¡°Hahahaha¡­well aren¡¯t you an interesting one!¡± he said while retracting his hands into his sleeves. The man contemplated for a moment before responding to her question. ¡°Hmm¡­yes, my name is Reginald and I was told you might be able to help me.¡± He put a smile on his face and waited for Sen¡¯s answer. ¡°Reginald¡­could I just call you Reggie? It¡¯s easier¡­.¡± The man once again burst into laughter before responding. ¡°hahaha¡­.you can call me whatever you¡¯d like provided you help me with my problem dear.¡± Sen eased her defense a bit and said ¡°What problem would that be?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to help me find a book.¡± Sen was curious now, but stubbornly decided to keep being angry. ¡°Why me? Couldn¡¯t you just get the head librarian to help? I¡¯m sure she knows this place better than me.¡± The smile faded from Reggie¡¯s face and he shouted ¡°NO! I won¡¯t have anything to do with her!...I hate that wretched women.¡± Sen was taken aback by the sudden anger. It¡¯s true that she didn¡¯t particularly like the head librarian because she wouldn¡¯t allow her to go up to the third floor, but this man seemed to have a personal vendetta against her. Reggie regained his composure and continued. ¡°I asked the young lady at the front desk and she said that she had no knowledge of the books I¡¯m looking for. When I asked if there was anyone else who might know, she mentioned you. She said I could meet you if I stuck around here for a while, which I have.¡± Sen¡¯s curiosity was definitely piqued now. Even though he only seemed to know her thanks to Lily, he had still sat around for who knows how long just to see if she could find a book. She really wondered what kind of book he could be searching for. Forgetting about her anger she couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°What kind of book is it?¡± ¡°Ah, I misspoke earlier, I¡¯m actually looking for a series of books. Tell me, have you heard of Haylen Quake?¡± Sen was surprised to hear that name again. Lance hadn¡¯t been able to shut up about the guy for the past month. ¡°I know the name¡­.a friend of mine found a book he wrote about business. Unfortunately I don¡¯t know anything more than that.¡± ¡°Oh yes, he was particularly well known for his ruthless business practices. However he was a much bigger figure than that. Many consider him one of the most influential men to walk the continent, outside of Von Arpen of course.¡± Sen had spent the better part of a month in-game reading about Von Arpen and the history of the continent. So she knew that for this man to mention those two in the same sentence was a big deal. ¡°So he wrote more than just books about business then?¡± she asked now sitting down to give her full attention. ¡°Yes, he wrote many books about many things. But, the books that I¡¯m looking for are special even amongst everything he wrote.¡± Suddenly Reggie produced a book seemingly from out of nowhere. He placed it on the table in front of her after clearing a space. It was a brown hardcover book with gold trimming around the edges and fancy gold lettering. It was entitled The Five Fingers of Quake Volume: Index. ¡°Volume¡­Index?¡± Sen said in confusion. ¡°I said they were special. Go ahead, take a look inside.¡± Reggie said with a grin on his face. Since she was given permission there was no hesitation as she flipped open the cover and read the first few sentences. This only made her more confused. ¡°W-what the heck is this?¡± Sen asked. What she had read was complete gibberish. It was like someone had hit the randomize feature on all the words in the book. There was not even any sentence structure let alone a concept of chapters or table of contents. Nothing! You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You think that¡¯s something? Apparently there¡¯s three more volumes just like it.¡± Sen truly didn¡¯t know what to think. Even as an avid reader and huge fan of books she still couldn¡¯t figure out why anyone would keep or even write a book like this. ¡°¡­and you want to find them I¡¯m guessing?¡± ¡°Of course! I mean, isn¡¯t it interesting?¡± Reggie said with a spark of life flickering into his eyes. ¡°Here¡¯s one of the richest and most powerful men on the continent. Not only was he the main perpetrator behind the founding of this city and very library we stand in, but he was also considered one of the greatest mages of his time. Then, right before his death, he writes this series of books that seem to have come straight out of the mind of an insane person. Who wouldn¡¯t be interested!?¡± Reggie¡¯s curiosity and enthusiasm only served to boost her own. After hearing a story like that she couldn¡¯t help but be interested in the mystery behind them. Reggie seemed to sense her growing curiosity and posed the question again. ¡°So will you help me? I¡¯m not asking you to find all of them but depending on how well you do I might be inclined to increase your reward.¡± After he said this Sen realized what would come next.
Qwerky Quake A mysterious old man has approached you in search of an odd series of books written by a man named Haylen Quake. He has promised a reward depending on how many of the books you can find. Difficulty Level: E Quest Requirements Must have completed the Sniffling Secret quest. Must have spent a minimum of 200 hours in the library.
Sen was shocked by the requirements. She knew she had spent a lot of time in the library but to have it quantified like that put it more into perspective. It makes sense though, I lose track of time so easily in here. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many I can find but I¡¯ll definitely help you with your search.¡±
You have accepted the quest
This was one of the easiest decisions she made in a while. She got up from her seat while Reggie spoke. ¡°Wonderful! I¡¯ll stay here with the book should you want to look it over.¡± ¡°Wait a second¡­you¡¯re not going to help me? Where¡¯s all that enthusiasm from before?¡± ¡°Now now, do you really think an old man like me can search up and down a library like this for any period of time?¡± Sen tried persisting but Reggie wouldn¡¯t budge on the matter. She finally gave up and decided to look over the book more thoroughly in order to get some clues. The sections in the library were divided into themes and genres. Although she didn¡¯t expect a crazy book such as this to have any of those, it still might hint at where the others could be. The first thing she did was use her Identify Item skill, but the only thing that popped up was more gibberish. She turned the book over and back but still found nothing. But when she flipped through its pages, suddenly a flash of color went by. She turned back the pages slowly until a purple bookmark was revealed. ¡°Ah, I had forgotten that was in there.¡± Said Reggie. True to her habits she used her identify skill on the bookmark. ¡°Identify!¡± *Tting*
Magic Bookmark This magic bookmark will automatically return to the last saved page in a book, provided it has been used in that book once before. Simply state the title of the book to initiate the process. If nothing happens, the bookmark has not been used in that book, the book doesn¡¯t exist, or it is not in range to be affected by this magic.
Sen was surprised something actually turned up. She looked back to Reggie while holding up the bookmark. ¡°Did you know this was magical?¡± she asked. ¡°No actually, I just assumed it was a regular bookmark¡­¡± ¡°This changes everything! Don¡¯t you see how easy it¡¯d be to find the other books with this?¡± ¡°Well I suppose, but there¡¯s one problem with your theory.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sen asked, beginning to lose patience with this old man. ¡°Even if I did know the names of the other books, which I don¡¯t, there¡¯s no guarantee that the bookmark was saved in any of them.¡± ¡°Well isn¡¯t that great, how did you even expect to find them then?¡± Reggie laughed hesitantly in response. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it took a lot of digging just to even find out that they were stored in this library, all I really had to go on was that book I already have.¡± Sen slumped back into her chair. If only she could get a hint at something, anything! Her eyes followed the table and came to rest on the gold trimmed book. While staring at it she read the title again and suddenly shot upright in her seat. ¡°no¡­it couldn¡¯t be that easy¡­.could it?¡± Reggie looked at her in confusion. She took the bookmark and held it in front of her face. ¡°The Five Fingers of Quake Volume: Middle¡± ¡°Now there¡¯s no way that would-¡° Reggie was cut off mid-sentence when the bookmark suddenly zoomed out of Sen¡¯s hand and headed up the nearest staircase. ¡°You were saying?¡± Sen smiled then quickly ran after the bookmark that was zipping through the bookcases. After a few minutes, she came running back with a book in her hand and out of breath. ¡°*Huff* Got it! *Huff*¡± She placed a blue book of similar size to the brown one on the table. After flipping through the pages it was exactly the same as the other book. ¡°They all really are like this.¡± She said now catching her breath. Using the same method she had for the first book she found the other two which had the same title except for the volume, which were Ring and then Pinky for the last one. As she brought back the final book she wanted to address something that had been nagging her. ¡°Reggie you said there was only four books right?¡± ¡°Yes, to my knowledge there are only four volumes.¡± ¡°Then why does it say the Five Fingers of Quake?¡± she asked inquisitively. ¡°We¡¯re talking about these books and you want to question something like that?¡± said Reggie defensively. She knew it was silly but she decided to try anyway. ¡°The Five Fingers of Quake Volume: Thumb¡± Sen had guessed correctly. Suddenly the bookmark shot out of her hand. She quickly followed after it, darting up the staircase to the second level. The other books had all been located on the first or second level but this time the bookmark zipped right over the rope blocking the staircase leading up to the third floor. Sen didn¡¯t have time to think and hurdled over the rope so as not to lose the bookmark. She had always been bothered by the fact that she wasn¡¯t allowed on the third floor. Lily had told her that it was where all the rarest and most expensive books were located. However, as she ran through the bookcases after the bookmark, nothing seemed to stick out to her. I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so special about this place. At that moment the bookmark shot towards the ground. As she approached it, thinking something had happened, it wiggled its way between the wooden floorboards before she could grab it. She knocked on the wood to test it out and it made a hollow sound. She worked for a few minutes before finally prying up a small section. Inside the hidden compartment was a small leather bound notebook, with a purple bookmark now nestled inside it. Sen picked it up and flipped through the pages. This time there wasn¡¯t any words, only numbers. ¡°What the heck¡­¡± her comment was interrupted by Reggie who revealed himself from behind a bookcase. ¡°So it really was like that..¡± he said in wonder. ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Tell me, what do you think that book is?¡± Isn¡¯t it just a crazy person¡¯s notebook? Sen took another look at the pages and suddenly realized something. ¡°It¡¯s a cypher!¡± Reggie smiled ¡°That¡¯s correct, that book is most likely a cypher for the others.¡± It then dawned on Sen what Reggie had said before. ¡°You knew about this?¡± ¡°It was only a theory. My father insisted that Haylen was nothing but a crazy person. But I tracked down these books and you¡¯ve found that cypher. This must mean something. Haylen quake must have had a message that he wanted to give.¡± Sen now grew suspicious. ¡°Hey¡­who are you really? ¡°Aha, you¡¯re only curious about this now? Well I suppose there is no reason to hide it any longer. My full name is Reginald Quake, the last living descendant of Haylen Quake, and resident court mage of Rhodium.¡± He smiled and kept quiet to let her take everything in. Sen was awestruck. She had been referring to him like he was just some old man and now he tells her this? Before she could speak up he spoke first. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, I¡¯m not really one for formalities. And although it sounds grand, court mage isn''t that high of a position.¡± ¡°if you say so¡­¡± Sen said hesitantly ¡°It¡¯s fine, I assure you. Now bring that book here so I can get a better look at it.¡± Sen handed the book over and watched him flip through the pages after a few moments he spoke out. ¡°Well the good news is that I¡¯ll definitely be able to cypher a message using this. The bad news is that I think it should take me about a month.¡± Sen was worried that she might not get to hear what the message was, so she decided to ask. ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, would you mind telling me the message when you figure it out? I¡¯m awfully curious as to what it is now¡­¡± ¡°Of course! Did you think I would just leave you high and dry after you¡¯ve helped me so much? Ah! That reminds me, your reward.¡± Suddenly he produced a book from thin air. It was a golden glowing book, much like the green one she had seen before. ¡°This is one of two books that have been passed down in my family. It¡¯s supposed to teach some skill but nobody in my family could even open it. I don¡¯t really have a use for it but perhaps it could help you.¡± Sen reached for the book only to have it wrenched away. ¡°Wait a second. I¡¯m fairly sure that only a wizard can learn this skill. I¡¯ll only give it to you should you decide to pursue the magical arts.¡± *Tting*
Class: Wizard If you accept it, you can use exclusive skills related to the nature of the class. Do you want to convert now?
Sen had been thinking about which class to pick for a while now. If she ever wanted to do some hunting she figured her best bet was to be a Wizard since she had no experience with fighting in hand to hand combat. She also knew that her stats favored using mana. Although it was a tough decision she didn¡¯t know whether she would get another chance to get a skill like this, so she accepted.
Avatar: Sen Type: Neutral Level : 3 Class: Wizard Title: None Fame: 0 Health: 130 Mana: 210+100 STR: 10 AGI: 10 VIT: 15 WIS: 25+10 INT: 29 +10 Leadership: 0 Luck: 0 Offense: 0 Defense: 0 Resistance to Magic: None +100 mana +10 to Int and Wis stats +Reduces mana cost for spells +Increases attack power of spells +Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class
¡°Perfect, then I¡¯ll meet you back here in about a month. I suggest you use that time to train, there¡¯s no telling what kind of adventure might be awaiting us.¡±
Quest updated The man who asked you to search for the books turned out to be none other than Reginald Quake, that last descendant of Haylen Quake. After much trouble you have found a hidden volume that seems to be a cypher for the other books. Reginald has said he will decode the message but that it will take a month. Meet him back at the library during the agreed time to find out what the message of the books is.
You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!
After receiving the book and saying goodbye to Reggie, Sen sat down to examine it. She tried to use her identify skill but it seemed like her skill was too low. Instead of fretting she tried to just simply open the book like she had before. To her surprise it worked.
Skill: you acquired a new skill, Spitfire
¡°Spitfire Window!¡±
Spitfire DMG: 1-2 fire dmg/s (+39 dmg/s) Mana Consumption: 2/s (+39/s) Range: 30ft maximum **NOTE** Damage and Mana Consumption gain +1 for every Intelligence stat. Caster can scale Damage and Mana Consumption as they wish.
Sen was shocked at the mana consumption. Even after distributing her stats and gaining the bonus from her class change and level up, she would still not be able to use it at full power for more than a few seconds. As she was lost in thought about her new skill, a voice called out to her. ¡°Hey Sen you there?¡± It was Lance. Sen looked around before realizing he was somewhere else. ¡°I¡¯m going out to collect some materials now. If you¡¯re interested in joining me come to the gates in about ten minutes.¡± It¡¯s that late already!? Sen had lost track of time. However, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to see how good this new skill was. She hopped up from her seat and dashed out towards the gates to meet Lance. A Road to New Discoveries - Chapter 4
I''m writing this to say that real life got in the way of me writing regular entries into this fanfic. I can''t promise that i''ll be able to keep a regular schedule going forward, but I do plan on bringing this to an end that i can be satisfied with instead of just leaving it unfinished. Also i think this should let people know that i haven''t forgotten about it! Hope you enjoy what i''ve written.
***** At the entrance to the city of Rhodium, a very brightly colored elf was pacing back and forth impatiently. To onlookers he looked as if he had been stood up on a date and was venting his frustration at the people walking by. What the hell is taking her so damn long? Lance clicked his tongue before continuing his pacing with mumbled words under his breath. It had been over an hour since Sen had told him that she was on her way. They had agreed to meet up at the southern entrance of the city, which normally was a sight to behold. Even though Rhodium was a city of artisans, they still maintained medieval style walls that were manned with town guardsman. The Southern gate had an impressive mechanism that lowered a metal grate down in the entrance way. The city guard closed the gate at night to keep the monsters from wandering into the city, which normally was not a frequent problem. Since it was still in the mid-afternoon, there was a fair amount of traffic coming in and out of the city. Many of the more common stall types would position themselves at the gates of Rhodium to try and entice weary travelers that were passing through. Lance could care less about such details right now. He had never thought much of the saying ¡°time is money¡± before, but he could really understand and appreciate it now. As Lance continued his pacing with rising irritation, a small hooded figure stepped out from behind a nearby stall. Caught up in his own musings, he failed to notice even as the figure got close enough to touch him. Suddenly the hooded figure outstretched a hand and coughed, breaking Lance''s concentration. Startled, he took a step back and with a confused look on his face, asked ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°heheheh...maybe you can, maybe you can''t¡± The hooded figure began hacking with a nasty cough before regaining composure and removing their hood. An old woman with matted, scraggly, salt and pepper hair was revealed. The creases on her face looked like they were filled with dirt and had been etched over hundreds of years. The ears sticking out from her hair clearly made her an elf and the fingers that had grabbed her hood were stained with some indistinguishable substance. She looked up at Lance and gave him a crooked smile before saying ¡°you''re that young lad that''s got all the shops up in arms aren''t ya?¡± Oh great, not another one of these shopkeepers... ¡°Listen, You can complain all you want about my business practices but it''s not going to change anything.¡± Said Lance, not hiding his irritation. ¡°I''ve done nothing outside the laws of the city so I don''t have anything to be ashamed of¡± with that he crossed his arms as if to signify the conversation was over. ¡°I quite agree, you''ve done quite a fine job for being so young. You''re actually just the kind of person I was looking for.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Lance, surprised by the unexpected response. Until now he had only been met with hostility from the NPCs. ¡°heheh, I knew you might be willing to listen. I tried to get those fools to help me but nobody listens. Those old fools are only...¡± the old lady continued to ramble on to herself almost forgetting Lance was standing in front of her. Is she senile? ¡°Ehem...you wanted to say something to me?¡± Lance interrupted. The old lady looked up as if to remember what her initial purpose was. ¡°oh yes yes, I was looking for a business savvy person like yourself to help me collect some materials¡± she reached down to a belt at her waist and put her hand into a pouch. When she brought it out, she was clutching a handful of clovers. At first Lance didn''t really know what to think but he suddenly realized that these weren''t just any clovers, these were four-leaf clovers! ¡°Wow! How''d you get so many?¡± shouted Lance, unable to hide his surprise. ¡°In the past these were easy to come by, but there seems to be a shortage recently.¡± ¡°I noticed that you are good at getting materials and I thought you might be able to help me...¡± Lance could understand her predicament. Alchemist supplies were hard to come by since Rhodium didn''t have that many combat classes who needed potions. Even though there were many types of potions, the easiest and most popular ones were always potions related to combat. The wheels in his head began to turn as Lance contemplated the pros and cons of helping this old lady. However, something came across his mind as he looked her over. ¡°Wait a second here, any way you look at this it''s either going to take me a lot of effort or a lot of money to get what you need. How are you going to help?¡± ¡°Well, I don''t have much money at the mome-¡± the old lady made a very forced coughing noise and covered her mouth with her free hand before continuing. ¡°As you can see, my health is not the greatest either¡± she said flashing her crooked toothed smile once again. Lance let out an audible sigh before responding. ¡°Listen, you approached me saying you had a business deal but I don''t see any way I can make this worthwhile for myself. Unless you can give me some evidence that I can make a profit out of this-¡± ¡°I can offer you my services.¡± she interrupted. ¡°I don''t really want to employ an alchem-¡± ¡°I''m saying I''ll teach you the skills to brew potions and the like, I don''t think it''s a bad deal right?¡± Lance was intrigued by the proposition she had just given. Alchemist was a fairly profitable profession in the right hands, not that he wanted to be one. But if he understood her correctly she was willing to teach him the skills of an alchemist without forcing him to change professions. Of course he would never be able to make potions as well as a professional alchemist, but good potions could sell for a lot of gold and players of all levels bought them. Lance had been looking for another business venture outside of the art supplies. His hope was to save up enough money for a cart and travel to other cities. But for that he needed a product that he could sell anywhere, not just in Rhodium. Lance was definitely interested in this unexpected quest but he still hadn''t completely let up his suspicion. ¡°Why would you teach me that? What if I undercut your prices after you taught me?¡± ¡°heheh-¡± the old lady began laughing which caused her to enter into a coughing fit. She settled down before continuing with her statement. ¡°Boy, the day an amateur like you can make a better potion than me is the day I retire.¡± Ah...I guess that''s true.. An Alchemist''s skills were difficult to raise. It took a long time to brew anything in Royal Road, especially potions. Good ones also required rare substances and ingredients that could only be harvested by people with the necessary knowledge and skills. Still, it''s rare to get an opportunity to learn a skill like this so Lance washed away his doubts with thoughts about how he could take advantage of this new venture. ¡°fair enough old lady, I''ll help you gather some ingredients in exchange for you teaching me how to brew potions.¡±
Clover Exchange An old alchemist women has approached you with an offer to teach you how to brew potions if you can gather the materials she has asked of you. Difficulty Level: E Quest Requirements *Merchant Class Only* Have a negative opinion with at least half of the city Vendors
You have accepted the quest
¡°Good, good. Then I''d like you to get me at least 1 lb of clovers within the next week.¡± ¡°Wait a second, within a week!? That''s ridiculous!¡± Lance complained. ¡°Are you saying that you can''t do it?¡± the old lady''s expression turned into a condescending one as she looked up at him. ¡°Argh...no it''s just.....ahhh whatever, never mind ill get it done.¡± Lance quietly mumbled under his breath and mentally persuaded himself into believing that everything would turn out fine. With the conclusion of their conversation the old lady smiled one last time before thanking Lance and heading back to her street stall that was covered in exotic looking plants and materials. Barely five minutes after Lance''s conversation with the old women ended, he spotted a familiar silhouette making it''s way down the street towards him. As it got closer, the bright blue robes they wore were reflecting in the sunlight, making them glow an even brighter shade of blue. This was of course Sen, who had dawned a freshly bought blue mages robe. Lance greeted her with mixed feelings. ¡°I''m guessing This is why you''re so late?¡± he said, gesturing at Sen''s new fashion statement. ¡°Don''t you like it? I thought I should at least look the part now that I chose a class.¡± Sen replied trying to lighten the mood with a smile and a twirl. ¡°These don''t give me any stats, but it was all I could afford!¡± ¡°Wait, weren''t you coming with me to find out what kind of class you wanted to choose? So I waited here for nothing!?¡± Lance played up his frustration a bit to force some guilt on Sen for making him wait. ¡°Sorry but I didn''t really plan things like this. Here, why don''t we start making our way to where you need to go and I can explain along the way?¡± ¡°Fine....but it better be good.¡± Said Lance, happy to go along with the suggestion to speed things up. The two began making their way towards the fields south of the city. Sen explained her run-in with Reggie and the quest that had activated and resulted in her gaining the mage class and a new spell. After hearing out her story Lance could understand why she made the abrupt decision to choose a class. Lance also shared his story about the old lady he met right before Sen had showed up. Since it was Sen''s first time outside the city walls and Lance was absolutely no good in combat, the two decided to stay in a meadow that was still in view of the city. The Meadow was bordered by a forest in the distance, but the only monsters that you could run into here were Rabbits and Foxes. The good thing about starting in Rhodium is that there was little to no competition when hunting. Many places were so full of lower level players that it was difficult to find a good hunting spot, but because Rhodium is mainly made up of artisans there was never any problem for lower level players while finding good hunting spots. That being said, Lance specifically chose a place with lots of Clovers so he could start gathering the materials he needed for the old lady''s quest. Lance knew it was probably impossible for him to find everything he needed by simply looking in the grass, but he could at least get a head start. ¡°So....what am I supposed to hunt then?¡± Sen asked as Lance began crawling around on his hands and knees in a clover patch. ¡°Rabbits are probably the only things you can hunt at this stage, especially solo¡± said Lance who was only half paying attention to the current conversation as he shifted his focus to clover hunting. ¡°Hmm...well I guess you''re right. I should probably test out my new spell before I try anything though¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Having been in the city up until this point Sen had yet to try out her newly acquired spell. From reading the handbook a bit she knew how to activate a spell so she moved away from where Lance was and gave it a try. ¡°Spitfire!¡± As she activated the spell she could feel a warmth start to emanate from her right hand. Bringing her hand up to her face revealed a small flame now burning in her palm. Something seemed off to Sen though. The spell shouldn''t be something this small right? The stats window had actually shown it to be quite powerful. As she glanced at her mana bar it was clearly being drained, but at nowhere near the rate that had initially been shown. I must be doing something wrong. She decided to ask lance for some suggestions. ¡°Hey Lance, is there some trick to activating a spell?¡± she yelled over to him. ¡°Not really....I think you normally just activate it with a word or gesture or whatever right?¡± Lance replied while attempting to fight off a couple of rabbits that were trying to eat the clover patch he was searching. A gesture! I hadn''t thought about that.... ¡°Alright thanks!¡± Sen went back to trying to figure out how to activate her new spell. She tried to throw it and whip it around but nothing worked. She did figure out how to deactivate it by simply closing her hand. Oddly enough the flames didn''t seem to hurt her at all when she touched them, but when it touched the grass it caught fire instantly. Sen tried to think back to anything she knew about fire that might help. Suddenly an idea popped up. Sen remembered going camping with her family and everybody gathering around the campfire. As a kid she would always try to stoke the fire by blowing into it and her mom would yell at her to be careful because it was dangerous. She decided to apply her memory to this spell in the hope that something might happen. Sen activated the spell and placed her hand flat in front of her mouth as if she had just blown a kiss. Careful to aim it away from Lance, she took a deep breath and blew out air as if to extinguish the candles on a birthday cake. Suddenly a massive flame erupted right in front of her. A torrent of orange and white-hot flames reached out from her hand and arched through the air like a giant flamethrower. Sen''s initial reaction was to flinch at the heat, but she quickly realized that there was no change in temperature, at least for her. It still remained the same temperature as it had been as a small flame but it was obviously more devastating due to the scorched earth that was now in front of her. Sen swallowed her saliva and braced for pain as she closed her hand to stop the spell, only she felt nothing. At least I don''t have to worry about burning myself. ¡°Wow that looks like a pretty powerful spell!¡± Said Lance, his concentration having been broken by the giant blast that had just occurred nearby. ¡°hehe¡± Sen just smiled and gave a peace sign before going back and stomping out the rest of the flames that were still on the ground. Sen spent the next couple of hours trying to figure out how the spell operated. Unfortunately the spell seemed hard to aim because the burst of flames blocked her vision. Not only that but she could only tilt the flames left, right, up or down. Moving around while casting the spell proved to be quite difficult because she had to focus on where she was aiming while running in a direction without looking. Fortunately her Soccer experience came in handy for the running aspect, but trying to run without making the flames go every which way proved much more difficult. Despite the difficulties, Sen''s confidence grew alongside her skills. At this rate, I should be ready to start hunting in no time. Sen moved back to the area where Lance was searching. He had moved about 20 feet from his starting location. It seems he hadn''t made much progress due to defending against the rabbits that wanted to eat the clovers for Lunch. As Sen approached the scene where Lance was furiously trying to defend his patch of ground from some rabbits, she had to try harder and harder to stifle her own laughter. Normally one would be worried about their friend and attempt to help them. However the more Sen watched the scenario, the more her imagination took over until all she could see was a small elvish boy frolicking in a meadow with some cute animals. As the pink and flowery backdrop of the scene continued to expand, Sen''s laughter continued to escalate until she was forced to cover her mouth to keep from bursting. Finally, Lance was able to drive away the rabbits and stood in place for a moment of triumph before turning back to see Sen on the ground seemingly writhing in agony. ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Lance said innocently. ¡°Pfft-noth-hehe....Nothing, don''t worry about it...¡± Lance shrugged and went back to searching for clovers, slightly confused at the weirdness coming from his companion. After a few more minutes of giggling, Sen finally settled down enough to relax and gain her mana back. As her mana reached it''s maximum amount she began scanning the area for possible targets to hunt. It''s didn''t take long for her to spot a Rabbit trying to sneak it''s way back towards Lance''s patch of clovers. As she looked closely at the small animal approaching her, a nagging thought came into her brain. Do I really have no other options but to hunt something so cute? Sen had a real soft spot for cute things and it wasn''t just because she was a girl. As one might expect growing up in a household full of brothers, Sen never had many chances to be around cute things. As something that she could never get very often, seeing a small animal or finding a cute looking sticker were one of the small joys in her life. Cute things gave her a warm fuzzy feeling on the inside and she always treasured them whenever they were around. As she was contemplating what to do, the rabbit stood upright and perked it''s ears up. Almost simultaneously, an orange and white blur flashed from seemingly out of nowhere and shot right towards the rabbit. The rabbit, having quick reflexes, was able to barely dodge the attack. However a large tuft of fur was missing from the rabbit''s shoulder. In a panic, the rabbit tried to book it towards the treeline, but was cut off by the fox that had anticipated the action. The rabbit regained it''s composure and made a beeline for a nearby burrow hole but was once again was cut off by the fox. This process continued for a few minutes with the rabbit using it''s better agility and speed to try and run towards safety and the fox anticipating where it wanted to go an cutting it off. It was obvious that the fox was no match in speed, but it made up for that by taking the path of least resistance. Instead of tiring itself out by chasing the rabbit, it would simply wait until the rabbit ran out of energy and then go in for the kill. Of course the one watching all of this unfold was Sen. She couldn''t help but root for the rabbit to get towards safety, but as the ordeal dragged on, the outcome became obvious. The fox decided it was time to end the hunt and began moving in for the kill. The rabbit, which could barely even run at this point, seemed resigned to it''s fate. The fox slowly moved in, saliva dripping from it''s mouth in anticipation. The fox prepared for the final pounce when... ¡°Spitfire!¡± Whoosh! A huge burst of flame erupted towards the fox who just barely managed to jump out of the way, suffering some minor burns. The flames startled the rabbit and, with it''s final burst of energy, it managed to scurry into a nearby burrow while the fox was distracted. Sen let out a sigh of relief but as she turned to face the fox that she had just burned, a gut wrenching fear took hold of her and stopped her legs from moving any further. Standing before her was a furious little red fox, although it didn''t seem so little to Sen anymore. The salivating fox now turned all of it''s hunting prowess into taking revenge on the foolish human who had decided to interrupt it''s dinner. The fox began running full speed towards Sen. Unable to move, Sen screamed at herself internally. MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! As the fox pounced with it''s fangs aimed at her throat, Sen was barely able to lean and force the bite to her shoulder. Nearly 25% of her health dropped in that one hit alone! I need to get out of here fast! As panic took hold, Sen tried to run as fast as she could back to the city. The one thing Sen was confident in was her speed. Even though Sen was the fastest human this fox had ever seen, she was still no match for his speed and he was easily able to cut her off. The same hunting method that had captured the Rabbit! Every time Sen tried to get away the Fox would cut her off and pounce at her. While she was able to anticipate the pounce and avoid any serious hits like the first one, it didn''t take long until her health dropped below 30%. Sen had stopped her panicking and was trying to figure out a way to retaliate. She didn''t want to waste her mana unless it was a guaranteed hit. Ugh...I need a guaranteed action....wait, what about the pounce? Sen''s brain formed a plan around the one action she knew the fox would take, a pounce to go in for the kill. She began running back in the direction of the town and sure enough the fox cut her off before she got too close. Once the fox planted itself to stand its ground, Sen steeled herself and sprinted toward the fox. Confident in it''s own strength, the fox took up the challenge and began charging towards Sen. As they approached each other the fox, true to it''s habits, pounced towards Sen''s neck. In the same instance, Sen performed a well practiced slide underneath the fox. Boy am I glad I practiced so hard now! But thing''s didn''t go as smoothly as Sen had hoped. The fox realized her tactic at the last second and reached out a claw that dug through her other shoulder dropping her health to 1%! But that was all the adjustments the fox could make. Sen dug her heels in the ground and propped into the standing position. The fox landed and quickly tried to whirl around only to see a wall a fire engulf it. Spending most of her mana in an all out attack, the fox was defeated, unable to escape the flames. Sen dropped into a sitting position before sprawling out on the ground in pain and out of breath, but alive. Lance who had witnessed the whole sequence from about the halfway point came rushing over. ¡°Sen! Are you alright!? That was incredible! You should have told me you were such a good fighter!¡± ¡°heheh...I didn''t know I was one...¡± As the two of them sat there talking, Sen was about to suggest heading back into town for some much needed rest. Suddenly there was a trembling that came from the forest on the opposite side of the meadow. ¡°What is that?¡± said Lance. As the both of them were looking at the forest, a human shape burst from the underbrush. The human was obviously a player but they were dressed in an unorthodox garb. They were wearing bright red armor and brandishing an unsheathed sword that looked like a katana. They were running quite fast and seemed to be yelling something. ¡°What is he saying?¡± asked Sen. ¡°Not sure...¡± Lance replied As the man got closer his words soon became apparent. ¡°RUUUNNNNN!!!¡± At the same moment hundreds of humanoid shapes began rushing out of the underbrush. ¡°TROLLLLSSS!!¡± yelled the man as he ran past Sen and Lance at full speed.