《The 8th Child no more, Legacy Human. [Isekai Litrpg. Fantasy] provisional title.》 Prologue August 12. 2044 Queens NYC, Magnus Laid on top of the bed that came with DDVRP. As he psyched himself for the first time he would launch Heroes of Distant Worlds. The most hyped-up videogame of all time. He had already made his character on his laptop with the complementary app of the game before he decided that he had chosen the most interesting powersystem. Well perhaps not the most interesting but the one that resonated the most with him. He laid back and actively thought. ¡®Neural Link Command. Launch Heroes of Distant Worlds¡¯ The mental chime acknowledged the command and the Pod turned on with a static whirl as it powered up. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Darkness, then Pain! Lots and lots of Pain! New memories clashed with older ones. Magnus could not understand what was happening but deep down he knew, something must have gone wrong. He could feel how memories invaded his mind, trying to rewrite who he was. He fought back. He hung on bare threads, holding into anything that made him who he was. ¡°I am Magnus Willian Jones. I was born in NYC in 1996. I grew up in Queens. I graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, went to Ranger College while I worked as a busboy in restaurants and did construction, and finally had a promising career as a government employee. " He kept repeating facts about himself and what made him¡­ He kept on high alert until the fight for Identity subsided and the other being inside his head faded into silent nonexistence. He did not come unscathed; some memories were not his own inside his head, but most of them were or so he thought¡­ no, he was almost certain he was still Himself. Magnus tried remembering what had happened before he fought for existence and the continuation of his identity, it came to him with memories of excitement and wonder that now turned into bitterness and hate. The new Deep Dive Virtual Reality Pod must have malfunctioned. Fucking Edison and their neural link chip. And fuck Alon Tusk, that Australian bastard. Alon Tusk CEO of Edison Corporation purchased some Quantum chips¡­ or manufactured them? He never paid attention to those details, but he remembered the advertisements. Edison Entertainemnt launching quantum servers in USA. thousands of times faster than regular servers. And then their new DDVRP that if you had the Neural Link chip you could just slide in and go into ¡°unique worlds¡± that would feel almost real life-like. Alon Tusk even came out to reassure that they were using quantum mumbo-jumbo to ensure a unique playtime experience for each player¡­ ¡°your own personal fantasy or sci-fi universe¡± yada yada yada. He did not want to believe it at first. He dismissed the first reviewers as paid shills. But time passed and in less than a year the new ¡°epidemic¡± of people that withdrew from real life to be in the DDVRP world started. Let me tell you, the conservatives went apeshit calling for a ban on it in the entire country. Physical rehabilitation centers were in an all-time high demand, for if you spend days on end laying without moving it leads to muscle atrophy. The world was crazy. And Magnus was not immune to the hype. He could not afford to spend hours on end inside the VR game. Because of the nature of his job, but a few hours a day he could do. And he could afford the 10 thousand dollars needed to purchase the demonic pod. And now he was here. He opened up his eyes and looked around. The coarse blanket that was covering his body was itchy. The light that shined into his eyes gave him sharp pain in his eye sockets. And the dust in the air made him sneeze. He could barely recognize that he was in some kind of church or a really small cathedral if he had to guess by the stained glass windows.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°What the fuck¡± he muttered. The graphics¡­ they were not supposed to be this good. I mean they were good. But this was too much, and this being the first release of the DDVRP also did not include the feeling of touch. Maybe in a few years, perhaps another few decades. But not at the moment. Something was wrong. Really fucking wrong. ¡° Young man, You are awake. You passed out after using a Status Awakening Orb. Thanks the Father for his mercy¡± Said a Priest as he made a circular motion around his chest with his closed fist before placing it on top of his heart, he was dressed in some light coffee-colored robes with dark brown embroidery around the end of the sleeves and neck. Magnus sat up from the cot he was laying in and rubbed his face with his hands, especially his eyes, the pain was subsiding but it was still annoying. ¡°Come, young man, let''s get you something to drink,¡± the priest said. He guided his unsteady steps to what seemed to be a side door that ended up opening up to a small office. There he handed him a clay cup with some ale. Magnus refused the foamy drink, his addiction whispering in the back of his mind that no one would know. ¡°I don''t drink alcohol,¡± he said out of reflex and the priest apologized briefly before he poured a new drink of what resembled water. After a taste, he confirmed that yes it was water. ¡°Young man, You are burdened with great purpose. But the Father does not give us more than we can carry. The Legacy that you have inherited might weigh on you heavily but it is also a blessing. A blessing that we must keep in mind and give it focus. A responsibility to do his will for the good of the empire¡­¡± The priest went into preacher mode and Magnus turned him off. Legacy. The Videogame called it The Bloodlines mechanic. There were many, almost endless mechanics you could choose from as a system to gain power in the game. Some of them varied minimally, and others were totally different. ¡®fucking Quantum mumbo-jumbo¡¯ he cursed in his head. His fucking luck¡­ Of course, he would get some kind of error. His body was either dead or maybe comatose in his apartment. The fact that he could feel, taste, and see in such details screamed to him that this was his new reality. For some reason it made sense. Like a 6th sense telling him that he could not go back and that there was no way out of this hole. surprisingly he was Ok with it. He did not hate his past life, his mother passed away at the ripe age of 87 having lived a good life and enjoying her retirement for a while. His sister lived her own life, he would miss her, but that was that. And he has not had a pet for almost 20 years. He did not have any attachments to his old life. ¡°Young man,¡± The priest said and he finally snapped out of his self-loathing. ¡°Yes, forgive me. I was contemplating my purpose.¡± Magnus chimed in, and the priest made a nod before doing the circle motion once again. As he placed his first on top of his heart Magnus guessed that this was some kind of religious gesture. A flash of memory from this body came to him and it confirmed what he suspected, and he winced as he mentally beat down the intrusive memory into the back of his mind. ¡°Status,¡± He said out loud as he willed to open his Character sheet, it also worked wonders to make the Priest shut up as he read. ¡°Character: Name: Magnus Alucard Isveig Lucious Ergram Age: 18 Race: Legacy Human. Alignment: True Neutral Rank: Stone [incompleate] Bloodlines: Main: Jotun. Secondary: Aesir, Vampiric Red Dragon, WereDireBear. Status: Healthy Aether: 60 [(Core+Mind+Con+1/2Strength)x10] Aura: 75 [9Core+Con+Strenght+1/2Dexterity)x10] Stats: Strength: 2* Dexterity 1* Constitution: 2* Mind: 1* Core: 3* Habilities/spells: Interface. AutoLoot Inventory Allspeak. - Jotun[?]: [12%] Giants Constitution [3*] - Aesir[?]: [0%] Marital instinct. - Vampiric Red Dragon[?] [0%] Impale -WereDireBear[?]: [0%] Enhance¡± He wanted to keep on reading, to explore more of his status, but he had a suspicion that the priest wanted him gone. Or was it his intuition telling him to book it as soon as possible? ¡°Thank you for your help. But there is a lot to process, i would like to rest for now¡± Magnus said as he rose from his seat, the light no longer hurting his eyes, he adjusted to this new younger body surprisingly easily. ¡°Yes, Yes.¡± the Priest said as he got up. ¡°Let us finish with the ceremony and then you can retreat and get some rest¡± The priest then guided him back into the infirmary, before they exited into the main hall of the church. There was an altair where the priest stood, he gestured for him to stand in front of him. The priest waited as he did, not understanding fully what he was expecting him to do. ¡°Kneel¡± the priest whispered to him. His eyes went wide, Kneel? His body was repulsed by that idea before he could control himself his mouth answered. ¡°I kneel for no one,¡± he said with venom in his voice, and immediately cringed at the edge he was projecting. The priest sighed and shook his head before reaching up and placing his hand on top of Magnus¡¯ head. ¡°We pray now for, a new Hero is born, the endless paths of possibilities lay ahead, we pray for forgiveness for kindness, for empathy and understanding. In these troubling times, we pray for peace and God''s will for us.¡± The priest dipped his finger in some pouch he had hanging from his neck and then made a circle on Magnus¡¯ forehead. ¡°May Father watch over you in his infinite wisdom and compassion¡± ¡°Amen,¡± Magnus said in reflex. that answer made the priest raise an eyebrow, but he did not questioned him. ¡°May your path be prosperous and your harvest bountiful¡± Said the priest, Magnus repeated the same phrase and the priest responded with a nod then turned around and went into doing whatever priests do in this world. Chapter 1: New Clothes new Me. After an awkward moment where Magnus looked around trying to find the previous body owner¡¯s belongings, he came back to the priest and the middle-aged man pointed at him to a dark corner where a rucksack was stashed. He picked it up and exited the church, he would examine the contents later but for now, he needed to find lodging. A flash of memory from an inn with a unicorn sign came and he killed the invasive thought the moment it appeared. He wondered for a few moments if he should head that way or find some different place to stay. The last thing he wanted was more memories jumping into his mind. But at the same time¡­ he needed to get off the streets. The looks he was getting from the population were, weird. Especially from the women. He decided to ignore the stares and headed where his intuition guided him. He passed street vendors hawking their wares, little stands selling everything along the way of the main street. Behind them, buildings with all sorts of businesses were located in every other building. From tailors to blacksmiths, bakers, you name it. After a few awkward minutes of walking through the main street of the town he was in he finally saw the smiling unicorn head, instead of a horn it had a corn cub on its forehead. If he had to guess this was the sign he remembered. He dug into the side pouches of this rucksack and pulled out a key with a number on it.
Is Lucky 13 a thing here too? He wondered as he entered the establishment. He approached the bartender, another unremarkable man in his late 30s stood as he wiped a cloth along a mug. As If that was not cliche enough. The patrons inside the dining hall all quieted down as soon as he entered, conversations stood and some people eyed him with hate. Others with hunger. He decided to ignore both groups and wandered in front of the bartender. He showed him the key and the number on the key. ¡°Awakening ceremony.¡± was the only thing he said. He got a raised eyebrow in return followed by a nod. ¡°Dinner will be served in 2 hours, right after sundown.¡± the bartender paused for a moment and finished with ¡°I assume you will be staying in your room?¡± Magnus shrugged. The bartender sighed. ¡°If you are, I will send my daughter Lydia with your food.¡± With that Magnus went up the stairs to the second¡­ of was it the first floor? He did not care how they counted the floors... He found the 13th door and opened it. After entering he checked the room thoroughly, then once he was sure he was alone he placed the deadlock on the door, locking it in place. Magnus sat down on the bed and placed the rucksack in front of him. Then after a few moments of keeping his eyes closed and taking deep breaths with his diaphragm, he finally psyched himself to be calm enough. He used the bed as a makeshift table as he unpacked his rucksack. The first thing he found was a leather pouch with 10 regular yellow gold coins, 5 of what appeared to be red gold. And finally some 12 silver squares and around 20 copper rectangular pieces of change. A few cotton shirts that after getting his Giant¡¯s Constituion were too small for him. Fine linen Pants that would now barely cover his calves if he managed to squeeze into them at all, a face and head scarf. A hooded cloak complimenting it all. Wool Socks that were a few sizes too big but now were perfect, and undergarments that while barely fitting now, he could do without needing to change them. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He wondered about his shoes, but a memory of the boots being enchanted with ¡°fit all sizes¡± came and went with the same swiftness. Finally, there was the gear, all of it was too small for his current frame. A padded gambeson with Hardened Leather on top. Shin and forearm guards, leather gloves that were thin and soft to the touch and probably did not protect from anything beyond simple scratches. And finally the main weapon. A friking Rapier. Fuck! He placed it all on top of the bed in order, he checked the rest of the gear. A firestarter kit, a knight dagger, a hatchet, probably a camping tool, and finally 50 feet of rope. That and the sleeping gear: one tent, sleeping bag, and matt all of them were too small for him now. He did not wander and actively tried to ignore the invading memories about the previous body, the one he had before he got the legacy awakening, and the subsequent improvement to his physique after gaining Giants Constitution. So he guessed based on the gear and the size of the clothes. The previous guy must have been barely over 5 feet tall. Nothing compared to his current 6¡¯3, he was thin and had the barest of fat and muscle. He killed another memory that gave him a vague idea of who the person used to be. The 8th child of some minor noble. But he was not him anymore. The 8th child ran away from home. For some reason. And now Magnus was in his body. He was his own thing, he was not Lucious. He cursed in his mind the moment he mentally mentioned the name of the Guy. Memories flashed and he ignored them promptly. ¡°Damned it all¡± he rubbed his temples. He needed new clothes and gear. The armor was too small, and it was barely adequate. If he had to guess there must have been some fantasy shenanigans going on. Otherwise, it did not explain the Leather aspect of the armor. That was not hystorically a thing, like at all. Yes, covering metal armor in boiled leather was a thing, but not just leather as protection. He sighed. Yet also there were no trolls or dragons in medieval times to get sturdy leather from ( or at least he hoped there were not) He decided to go back out and get some new gear before the day was over. If the sun set in two hours he could guess that stores would close by then, so he had to rush a bit. He donned the face mask, wrapped the headscarf over his head, and finally placed the hooded cape over his shoulders. Tying the hatchet to his belt cord and placing the Knight Dagger on the other side he finally felt prepared. He slung the rucksack on one shoulder after repacking the stuff and headed downstairs after looking at the door behind him. Magnus made it into the main room and kept his head low as he exited the inn. Barely even getting a few glances from the patrons drinking inside. Ha made it to a tailor. Recognizing and guessing it was one from the front sign that had a picture of a sewing needle and ball of yarn. A bell chimed as he entered and a bored-looking woman straightened up as she plastered a business smile on her face. ¡°Welcome to Madam Sues¡¯ and Daughters Tailoring Parlor. I am Sue the second. how can I help you?¡± Said the woman with a rehearsed catchphrase. ¡°I need some clothes, hopefully, you do barter I assume?¡± He asked ¡°Yes, we do trade in all sorts of ways. Now please, show me what you have to trade¡± If this was a cartoon he would probably see the dollar signs on her pupils. ¡°These,¡± he said as he picked up the three pairs of shirts and pants, placing them on the counter. ¡°Don''t fit me anymore, I need something my size.¡± She eyed him for a moment, probably trying to guess his size then she pointed him to the side ¡°Unfortunately anything that would fit your frame is on your right side¡± she said as he waved her hand. ¡°Any adjustments needed will be discussed in the overall price after you select the clothes that you need.¡± He grunted in acknowledgment and headed to the right as he saw her pick up the shirt and pants to examine them. He picked up two coarse linen shirts and finally two wollen ones to get on top of it, it was coarse but not itchy to the touch. So it would make do. Finally, he eye-guessed a few pants that would fit him, it was coarser linen than the ones he had but he needed to downgrade to not get ripped off during the barter. A pair of each landed him with a change of clothes and a spare. He walked back and saw the face that the woman was making. She looked at him skeptically but did not comment. ¡°Six for six,¡± he said as he placed them side to side with his older clothes. The tailor pondered and rubbed her chin. Before answering. ¡°I can give you two Electrum for the difference in quality,¡± she said. He controlled his face. Not to raise an eyebrow. ¡°Three,¡± he said back. She seemed thoughtful for a moment before sighing and muttering something about her mother under her breath. ¡°All right, Three Electrum.¡± she finally relented as she dragged the clothes under the counter. ¡°Is there a changing room I can use?¡± he asked and the woman looked at him as if he was crazy. ¡°A what?¡± she asked, probably not familiar with the concept. ¡°A room where I can change into my new clothes¡± ¡°Oh, well you could use the Tailoring section in the back, there is none there at the moment,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Ok,¡± He answered. She again looked at him funny before shaking her head with a thin smile. ¡°I''ll be right back,¡± he said and she nodded back. He went in and took his face mask and scarf off, before quickly slipping outside of the shirt that he got at the church, probably. For all knew he could have spawned with it. The thought brought a chuckle out of him. After a quick change into his shirt, the woolen one on top, and finally a new set of pants he felt ready, he placed the face mask on top and finally the hooded cape back on. With his new frame, the cape only came as a half cape, but he doubted that he had the skill to be able to walk with a full-on cape. His meager larping experience told him that full capes got stepped on and stuck a lot, and he wanted to avoid that. As he walked back into the room he found the Tailor with a red face and an awkward look on her face. He stood there looking at her, waiting for his money. She was nervous and fidgeted around, her forehead started to sweat. ¡°The three electrum?¡± he half asked asked, half demanded. ¡°Ohh yes, your money,¡± she said, like a deer caught in some headlights she scrambled to get the change. He pocketed the three red gold coins into his coin pouch and then bid the tailor fare well. The Tailor squeaked some answer he did not care about before he headed out to get some other of his gear changed. Damned it all, this whole thing felt like a chore. Chapter 2: Underwhelming Thugs, and Guards. Long story short. Magnus got into the blacksmith¡¯s shop, A muscular lady who was chewing what appeared to be tobacco greeted him, her brash no-nonsense attitude was refreshing for a change. They talked, and she agreed to barter, he ended up exchanging the gabeson and to his surprise the leather armor, he thought he would have to go to a tanner for that, but in the end, the blacksmith worked as a supplier for all kind of weapons and armor, at least in this town. He decided not to be a cheap stake and settled for a gabeson of similar quality, he exchanged the leather armor which the blacksmith woman identified as wyvern hide for some chain mail that covered his torso and arms. He chose also a full-face helmet and armored gloves that reached up to halfway through his forearm. As for shin guards and leg armor, he settled for some high-quality full leg armor, the blacksmith gave him a great deal, allegedly whoever commissioned it never came back to finalize the purchase, it fit him, so he got it off her hands. In the end, he came 5 gold lighter, and around 40 pounds heavier on the armor side. Yet the weight was manageable. He exchanged the rapier for a polearm, settling down for a Poleaxe, it came with a hefty Axe head on one side, a hammer head on the other, and a spear point on top. Around 7 feet in length. He decided to go for such a weapon after test-swinging a few of them and feeling the most comfortable with it. He kept the dagger and hatchet as backup weapons. With his weapons set and done. He dressed up and left the blacksmith/armorsmith. He asked her about a general store and work in town and the woman told him about the ¡°Awakened Companions¡± a merc guild similar to what would settle down for an adventurer¡¯s guild in a Japanese fiction. They had the general store in there, and it was easily the cheapest option, the only downside is that he had to become a member. He sighed. Yes, he could do so. But did he really want to? The only reason he got the armor and weapons was that he was in a murder-happy medieval fantasy world. And if he wanted to travel in any way or form he needed to be safe. Direwolfs, manticores, griffins, etc. all of them were real, and if you walk around like a morsel, you get eaten. He remembered the description of the system he chose¡­ it was terrible if he wanted to go the crafter¡¯s route¡­ The only way for him to earn experience is to kill things and absorb life energy from them, or either sit down and meditate trying to absorb as much aether or aura as he could and progress that way. While safe it was boring as hell¡­ and SLOW. unbelievably slow. He could see the orange sky, denoting that the sun was finally setting, and for now, he decided to head into the Inn, get some sleep,p and maybe rest and register tomorrow. Get a new tent, sleeping mat, and bag while he is at it. As he walked towards the inn he was met with a slight problem. A person stepped in front of him, holding a dagger, as he heard someone stepping right behind him. ¡°Well, well, well. Who do we have here¡± said one of the rogues. He could almost swear that the person was a woman. But he could not guess, they all had their bodies and faces covered. And the voice sounded as androgynous as it could be. ¡°Follow us, don''t make any fuss about it. And you might get away from our exchange unscratched.¡± Said the one while poking him in the back with something sharp. He could not feel the sharpness, only the pressure at this point, but if it was a knight dagger, it would probably be able to puncture through his armor. Or maybe not. He did not know, truly he was ignorant of the capabilities of armor and weapons. Hell, he did not even know if he could fight the two of them. But he knew one thing. If things get bad making a ruckus would alert the guards or some shit. They guided him to a side alley while being as shady as they could possibly be. You never follow people with drawn knives where they are leading you, try to run away if you can, or fight back. And although he was comfortable in his armor, he did not know if he would be able to outrun them with 40+ pounds of extra weight. He sighed quietly, and just as they were about to exit the main street, he abruptly stopped, pivoted left away from the knife on his right side, and swung a backhand towards the person behind him using all of his momentum. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Wha¡± was the only thing the person behind him managed to say before diving back, and while they avoided the backhand they also did not stab him. He grabbed his poleaxe with both his hands and swung it in an arc around making some more space. The thug behind him dived back and rolled under the swing, the one in front charged, he used his knowledge of baseball to carry on the swing and reposition himself, facing both assailants at the same time. Magnus took off his rucksack and dropped it on the ground. ¡°You really should not have done this,¡± he said to the two masked individuals. ¡°Are you insane?¡± screamed thug number 2. ¡°Just shut the fuck up and fight¡± Why? why was he so Ok with this? Why was he instigating instead of de-escalating? His train of thought got interrupted as thug number one lunged at him, her speed startled him as he breathed out sharply and swung the poleaxe. Something inside his stomach bubbled, and the weapon in his hands accelerated to a degree that it whistled in the air, surprising not only him. The lunging rogue¡¯s eyes went wide and they tried to dodge, but in the end, the only thing they managed was to mess up the edge alignment of the axehead. The hit still impacted her shoulder, with a thump and the lump of steel that made the poleaxe head snap¡¯d something in their shoulder. The other thug turned around and booked it without a second thought. As Thug Number One lay on the ground screaming in pain, he looked dumbfounded at thug number two as they disappeared into the alleyway. ¡°HALT!¡± screamed someone behind him as he turned around to see some guards. Or what he assumed were guards. ¡°Put down your weapons, and don''t resist, you are currently being detained!¡± one of the women in uniform said. She had one of those mancatchers in her hands. The two other guards had spears. ¡°Are you with them?¡± he asked as he pointed at the ground. You can''t never be too careful, so he felt necessary to ask. ¡°What? No! We are the town guards!¡± she said as she tapped the brooch that kept her red cape pinned together. A memory flashed confirming it as he gritted his teeth in frustration. ¡°All right¡± he said as he dropped the Poleaxe, he took out the knight¡¯s dagger and the hatchet and dropped them on the ground too. ¡°Lead the way, officer¡± The way to the station was short. ¡°Get that one into the cells, and get her a mender!¡± screamed the woman in charge, as she led them inside the building proper. She opened the door to a side room and motioned for him to enter. ¡°Sit and wait¡± He took the seat as the door shut closed with a reverberating thud. Magnus decided to take off his helmet, it was not as uncomfortable as he had guessed, but indoors with little to no air movement he felt it choking him up a bit. Something he would need to look into down the line. If not just try to get used to it. Five minutes passed, then ten, and he was starting to get really annoyed at waiting¡­ Over that time he wondered why he acted the way he did, why antagonize them, why not just run away the moment he had the escape path secured. Part of him revolted at the thought of running away, a tactical retreat was a possibility, and regrouping was a thing he was willing to do. But running away. It made him feel anger like never before. He never considered himself as a prideful person. But now something had changed. It was not the previous occupant of the body, it did not trigger any memories. Then it came to him. He willed the character sheet to appear. ¡®A fuking dragon¡¯ one of his bloodlines was probably one of the most prideful creatures to exist in fantasy. ¡°Fuck me¡± he muttered and just as he said that the door opened. The new female officer looked at him for a few seconds. Then she cleared her throat and pretended she had not heard him¡­ but she definitely did. If her lightly blushed ears meant something. He also noted how pointy they were. ¡®Medieval Puritans¡­¡¯ if he had to guess. ¡®Maybe an Elf?¡¯ then he stoped himself. ¡®Don''t be racist.¡¯ he mentally scolded himself. ¡°So,¡± Magnus said as he made a motion for the officer to start talking. His patience was thin for waiting. ¡°The Incident. Could you recount your experience?¡± She asked as she composed herself. She unrolled a parchment and took a quill from an ink bottle. ¡°I was headed towards the Unicorn Inn. When two of them blocked my path, they had knives, i managed to get away from the pincer they had me in as they led me to a side street. We fought, and one of them ran after I struck the first one down¡± Then I shrugged. ¡°Uhm. yes, we have confirmed that The individual in question is Nessa Blunt, a known thief and extortionist in town, she has a few warrants for her arrest. And a bounty of 3 electrum. Is it bold of me to assume that you are a registered Companion with the guild?¡± ¡°No, i am not. At least not yet¡­¡± he decided to spill a bit of the beans ¡°I concluded my Awakening ceremony today, and was planning to go rest at the unicorn inn¡± ¡°The Smiling Corn¡± she interrupted him to correct him. ¡°The Smiling Corn¡­¡± he corrected himself, a bit annoyed, but continued ¡°to rest and register tomorrow.¡± ¡°Then it''s a bit more complicated. We could give you payment as a freelancer. It would come at a higher tax for the bounty. Or you could collect the bounty tomorrow, although the delay may complicate things further.¡± ¡°How?¡± he decided to ask. She seemed hesitant. Fidgety. In the end, she sighed and placed the quill down. ¡°It is not for me to say. Just know that It could complicate things. The decision is up to you.¡± Complicate things how? What? ¡°How much is the tax?¡± he asked. ¡°It would boil down the bounty to one electrum,¡± she said as she looked pained when saying so. ¡°Two-thirds?¡± he could almost not believe what he was hearing. She nodded in shame. ¡°The guilds, have almost exclusive rights to all contracts and bounties, the laws don''t favor the independent hunters and dungeon divers.¡± ¡°So they greased enough pockets to change the local laws to favor them, increasing taxes on independent agents, discouraging everyone from working on their own.¡± he supplied what she seemed reluctant to say. Her scandalized face but no refutal told him everything he needed to know. He wanted to curse out loud but stopped himself from doing so, last thing he needed was to get charges of heresy or some other shit. He was low on coin¡­ Well, not that low. But still, the 5 gold he had to pay for his new armor has set him back to nearly half of what he started with. And that is not even counting on the registration fee from the guild, or whatever the expenses will be. He did not know if he could afford to pass on the two electrum. Deep down something boiled inside of him. Telling him that those two electrum belong to him! That he should not give them up¡­ ¡°I don''t think I can afford to pay two electrum as taxes.¡± The Elf Guard seemed understanding and she gave him a pitiful nod. ¡°Tomorrow, after you register, show this to the guild. They will give you your bounty. Until then, follow the guard outside, she will return your weapons to you, and they will escort you to The Smiling Corn.¡± She said as she signed the paper, folded it, and sealed the letter with some wax. ¡°May we meet next in better circumstances¡± he said as he pocketed the letter, and offered his hand for a shake. She looked at his hand quizingly, before she grabbed his forearm. ¡°May favor smile at you and misfortune not reach you so we don''t have to meet again.¡± She released his hand and he left the office. Chaper 3: Guild Registration. The day ended with him getting his weapons back and then being escorted into the inn, Magnus headed upstairs without a second thought. He sat down on the bed and opened his status screen. Deciding to go over everything now that he had a moment of respite. He guessed that he could have done so sooner, and he cursed his rush to get his gear in order as soon as possible. ¡°Character: Name: Magnus Alucard Isveig Lucious Ergram Age: 18 Race: Legacy Human. Alignment: True Neutral Rank: Stone [Incomplete] Bloodlines: Main: Jotun. Secondary: Aesir, Vampiric Red Dragon, WereDireBear. Status: Healthy Aether: 60 [(Core+Mind+Con+1/2Strength)x10] Aura: 75 [9Core+Con+Strenght+1/2Dexterity)x10] Stats: Strength: 2* Dexterity 1* Constitution: 2* Mind: 1* Core: 3* Habilities/spells: Interface. AutoLoot Inventory Allspeak. - Jotun[?]: [15%] Giants Constitution [3*] - Aesir[?]: [6%] Marital instinct. - Vampiric Red Dragon[?] [1%] Impale -WereDireBear[?]: [3%] Body Enhancement¡± He wished to know more about his racial abilities. The interface was that, once he wished for it to expand it gave him a sassy message. ¡°Some people see a Book, Others a scroll. Blue Boxes for you! (Intuitive Ability to Interact and see how the System Works.)¡± Auto loot was another sassy message that told him the ability was an active used 10 Aether or Aura (whatever stat was higher at the time) and 10% of the materials to do the harvesting of materials automatically. Inventory said to not try to stuff your pets in it, that it would not allow you to store living things because they would die, and the dimensions were 3 cubic feet. Or 1 cubic yard. However, he wanted to call it. Finally, Allspeak allowed him to speak in all languages. No sassy text with that one. The bloodline abilities were a bit different. Jotun was his primary Bloodline, it expanded and gave him a description, the same as the secondary ones. Main Bloodline: Secondary Bloodlines: The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He saw how it classified the bloodlines. Into Aspects for each bloodline, then magic domains, and finally into alignments. He tried expanding into the Giant''s Constitution only to get interrupted by a knock on the door. Magnus opened the door, he saw a tray of food that was brought to him by a mousy-looking young girl, she was probably 18 maybe older if he had to guess by her complexion. ¡°Lydia,¡± he said with a nod. She almost jumped up as she heard him. ¡°Yes!¡± she said as he took the wooden tray from her hands, and placed it on top of the bed, for the room had no other furniture. ¡°Leave it outside the door on the floor once you are done and I will collect it before midnight¡± He was about to close the door before he stopped himself. ¡°Lydia. If I have to relive myself?¡± he asked her awkwardly. ¡°Ahh, there is a chamber pot under your bed¡­ and if you need to use the restroom, there is one in the common room downstairs.¡± She seemed hesitant for some reason, after a few moments of her fidgeting he knew that she would not talk¡­ so he decided to cut the conversation short. ¡°That will be all, thank you,¡± he said to her and locked the door behind him. He locked the door behind him. He sighed in exasperation. Why was everything so fuking weird? He ignored his questions, not wanting any more mind fucking memories to jump into his head as he ate the food in silence. It was¡­ Ok, the stew was tasty enough, the bread was not stale as he expected it to be, and the cheese did not stink as much as he expected it. It could maybe use some red pepper flakes. Or paprika, but overall it was ok in terms of salt and pepper. He shrugged and placed the tray outside. He collapsed onto the bed without taking off any of his clothes or armor and fell asleep. Exhausted from the day''s events¡­ with a tiny hope that he would wake up inside his VR pod. His heart clung to that idea. But his brain knew it as an impossibility. The next day he woke up without much fanfare. ¡°Guess im still here,¡± he said to himself as he yawned. Stretching a few times to relieve his joints and finally he got up, needing to use the restroom. He headed downstairs after grabbing all of his gear quickly. After a quick piss into a wooden hole, he tucked away his new third leg before heading out. The guild was not far away, some five minutes walk ended in a town square with a water fountain in the middle. He approached the ¡°awakened companions¡± guild and used the front swinging doors. Inside he found a few people sitting at what appeared to be some meeting tables, and other people were going through the notice board. Magnus headed to the front desk¡­ which surprisingly had a set of bars protecting the clerk behind them. ¡°Im here to register,¡± he said, as he took of his rucksack and placed the Poleaxe against the wall. ¡°Welcome to The Awakened Companions. We are glad to have a new member join us.¡± She said with a bow. What was with the number of women here? Like they were the majority of people. Was there some kind of war going on? Magnus wondered, It would explain the lack of adult men everywhere and the reason for women to take over most of the other jobs. She placed a parchment in front of him and then he realized something. ¡°ahhmm ¡° he started to say, but stopped himself. How was he to explain¡­ well it was medieval times. ¡°I can''t read or write,¡± Magnus said sheepishly. His face heated up. He cursed in his head. ¡®Speak all languages¡¯ he repeated. Not read¡­ or write. ¡®Fuck¡¯ ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± she said as she took the parchment back. ¡°Name?¡± she proceeded to ask some questions about him. Surprisingly enough they accepted his First name, no need for last names, and the only extra information he had to give was his Rank and age. He said the truth ¡°Stone, incomplete¡±. And she just nodded, without complaining or telling him to get out. He let out a breath he did not know he was holding. ¡°How would you describe your way of fighting?¡± she asked. He raises an eyebrow. ¡°I swing my poleaxe and things die?¡± she burst out into a giggle. She took a few deep breaths ¡°I mean what archetype would you describe yourself as¡­¡± he kept on looking at her inquiringly, then waved his hand around trying to get her to explain. ¡°The archetypes are: Fighter, Ranger, Spellcaster, Mender, and Specialist¡± ¡°Just explain them as if I were a child¡± he decided to not beat around the bush. ¡°Fighters are melee combatants. They focus on swinging their poleaxes and killing things¡± she half-joked. Then continued. ¡°Rangers are hunters and scouts, they just that and they usually fight with Bows or Crossbows. Spellcasters are rare and they cast spells as their main source of damage. Menders are what the title says, they heal people, either with skills or spells, they are a support archetype, highly sought after by almost all parties. And finally, Specialists are everything else, heavy armored shield bearers, Trappers, Ambushers, Posion specialists, etcetera, they are highly unusual at the beginning of the ranks.¡± She gave him an info dump but continued. ¡°Everyone starts as one of the four basic archetypes, but as their rank progresses, and they earn new skills, old ones evolve everyone tends to become a specialist. It comes with a bonus on the cut of the loot that you can earn, but that is to be discussed with the party you are on. Any questions?¡± she finished. He shook his head. He had more questions, but a line had already started to form behind him and the last thing he needed was to get people annoyed at him. ¡°Put down Fighter¡± ¡°Finally, to get your Tags, you need to pay us One gold coin as the registration fee, for processing purposes. If you cant afford the fee, you can take a loan at¡­¡± She was about to continue saying dumb stuff so he interrupted her. No way in hell he was taking a friking loan. ¡°One gold¡± he placed two electrum on the counter, his intuition told him that he was right about the exchange, and his suspicions were confirmed when she swiped the coin away in a beat. ¡°Please place your mark here,¡± she said as she pointed at a square and passed the parchment back to him. He made some squiggles, similar to his old signature, back in his old world, and then he passed the parchment back to her. ¡°Welcome to the Awakened Companions.¡±, she pressed a few things behind her counter, and after pulling a lever she handed him a tag, it was the size of an egg, with a pin so that he could attach it to fabric. as she was about to dismiss him he pulled out the letter and handed it to her. ¡°Before we end our business, I have a bounty to collect.¡± She nodded. Opened the letter and read it. Her face turned sour as she placed the letter to the side and pulled on a cord that hung next to her. ¡°Please stand aside. The Guild mistress will see you promptly.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± He then remembered the Guard Officer telling him that there could be complications down the line. ¡°I should have paid the taxes and be done with it¡± Magnus grumbled. Angry at himself for making that stupid mistake. ¡°Please, follow me,¡± said a stout woman. She was short, muscular, and curvy, she had a beard decorated with bits of silver and her long hair was braided. A dwarf? Probably. He followed her with a reluctant attitude. What more is going to happen today? His past 24 hours being a total pain in the ass. Chapter 4 ¡°Magnus. Rank Stone, Newly awakened I assume¡± said the Dwarven lady as she sat on a plush raised chair that left them looking eye to eye as he stood, for there was no chair for him. ¡°My name is Helga Greymore, mistress in charge of this guild.¡± He hated these kinds of power plays. But went along with it. Not that he had another choice. ¡°Yes, you are correct¡± ¡°We find ourselves at an impasse¡­ the young lady you helped apprehend last night, she is one of the undesirable parts of this town, not only because of her occupation mind you. But because of something far beyond her control. her origin.¡± The guild Mistress continued. ¡°I would not suggest for her to get into indentured service to a young man like yourself, that would be scandalous. But the Lawmaster had other ideas¡± She grabbed a mug from her table and continued. ¡°He has been convinced that this is a way for her to reform herself. Her contract will only place her under your care for 2 winters, after that, she will be freed.¡± ¡°Wait a minute. Her origin? What do you mean?¡± he was puzzled. ¡°It is not something for me to discuss,¡± Helga said cryptically. ¡°You mean to suggest that one of her parents is some kind of bigshot?¡± Helga did not answer. But her silence was confirmation enough. ¡°The Lawmaker?¡± She snorted and shook her head. ¡°That frivolous dick, Hah!¡± Helga said with a dismissive laugh. She shook her head and then pointed up. She meant higher¡­ she must be related somehow to the local lord¡­ He rubbed his face. ¡°I¡­ I can''t ensure her safety. I probably can''t even protect myself.¡± he whispered. She chuckled at that. ¡°Grow a pair boy! You are a Legacy. Don''t disgrace those who come before you¡­¡± She paused and shook her head ¡°To even suggest that you would not be able to fight for yourself. Heroines and Heroes are forged from Legacies, well that and early graves, but you don''t seem to be like the idiotic type, ignorant? perhaps. hot-headed? Yes, if the reports from interrogation are correct, but foolish or idiotic? No.¡± He knew what she was doing. Deep down, he knew that she was toying with his sense of pride, but something inside of him did not care. ¡°How can I be sure that she won''t slit my throat as I sleep?¡± Magnus asked. Only to get a snort in return with an underhand comment about ignorance from her. ¡°Indentured service comes with certain perks, normally we would just put an enchanted obedience shackle on her wrist, one attuned to you. It would prevent her from harming you in any direct way. But her benefactor paid for the extra service. She will be magically stamped, with the same effect, but more costly. But it ensures that she does not break her hand and slips the shackle away, releasing her from the item¡¯s influence.¡± Helga then paused for a second ¡°it would ensure your safety and prevent her escape, no matter what she did¡± ¡°So you would brand her like an animal?¡± he could not stop himself from asking. ¡°Better that than losing a hand, and then being sent to the salt mines. That would be the regular punishment for her crimes. Basically a death sentence without the axe swing¡± ¡°Can''t she be indentured to somebody else?¡± Magnus asked. But Helga shook her head. ¡°It''s either you or she loses the hand and the mines. Theoretically, but her benefactor will find a way to convince you. Either way¡± She finished. ¡°So I don''t get a choice?¡± he almost answered baffled. ¡°Not really, what you get is a sweet bonus, she will be delivered with her own gear, fully healed, and you get 30 gold coins for expenses.¡± Helga paused. ¡°This is the best deal I managed to negotiate for you¡± ¡°And why would you do that?¡± he did not believe that Helga would go out of her way to get them a good deal. What was the catch? What was she getting from this? ¡°Yesterday night, Alameda Osvald the Chief in charge of Guard post 8 came and told me about you, about the fact that you would be registering the next day. And that this whole thing would happen. So I went and negotiated on your behalf, as a future guild member. Nothing more, nothing less. I look after my own.¡± He doubted that. His face betrayed what he was thinking, but she just laughed. ¡°Besides I get a bigger cut of the guild tax if you get a bigger reward. So there is that¡± ¡°Fucking taxes¡± Magnus grumbled, making Helga laugh out loud. ¡°Well, that settles this whole affair. I will be notyfing¡­¡± Magnus interrupted her. ¡°I still do not like the fact that I am being forced to get a slave¡± She looked at him offended. ¡°Indentured service is not slavery, people retain certain rights. I will let someone from the Ethics department know that they must instruct you on the nature of the punishment that the young lady will be undergoing. Don''t get me wrong, I don''t approve of the choices she has made in her life, but I would never even consider placing anyone under SLAVERY¡± The last word was said with such venom that he almost flinched. ¡°Yes, ethics department, whatever, let''s get this over with¡± He sighed for what felt like the 100th time since he got to this world. Helga Guided them outside her office and then called for someone working for her in the guild. A middle-aged man appeared shortly after and he introduced himself as ¡°Mathias Something, Ethics director and Guild Counciler¡± Magnus got distracted by the Man¡¯s long and thin mustache that seemed to dance as he spoke. ¡°Just explain it as if i was five years old.¡± ¡°Indentured servants are people that work for you, the Penace Shackle prevents them from attacking you. Indentured servants also have basic rights, you can not order them to harm themselves, and they can refuse orders that would harm them in a direct manner. The brand will also trigger when you are under direct threat. It would work as a compulsion for them to help and save you, never at the cost of their lives. But if the danger is acceptable in their minds, they would feel obligated to help.¡± Mathias twirled his awesome mustache as he did a pause. Magnus felt another headache coming but decided to ignore it. Mathias must have caught how uncomfortable he was, so he continued. ¡°Overall it''s a much better alternative for certain individuals, they have forsaken their right to freedom, and with the magic Stamp as a deterrent, there is almost no need for supervision from outside parties. There will be reports seasonally. And any misconduct done with the penal individual will be punished as if the individual was a free inhabitant of our great empire.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. If the individual under your care becomes crippled or killed, you will be interrogated by a Lawmaster under a truth spell for mishandling, the charges that could result could vary from simple abuse of power to murder, depending on the level of malicious intent involved.¡± ¡°So you are telling me: Don''t be stupid. Don''t try to abuse your power. Treat them as people, dont expect them to charge a hydra for me if I go pocking the beast. And finally, don''t try to actively get them killed?¡± ¡°More or less,¡± Mathias said with a nod. Then procured a little booklet and passed it along. ¡°Any other information can be found here,¡± he said as he handed it to Magnus. ¡°Well. I can''t read or write¡­¡± he said embarrassed once again. ¡°Just give me a second,¡± Mathias said, then swiftly disappeared into to the hallways of the guild. Promptly returning with another book. ¡°It is my belief that Miss Blunt is literate, she should be able to teach you when you have spare time.¡± And then he handed him a book with pictures. He was about to complain about receiving a book designed for children but stopped himself. ¡°Thank you.¡± he managed to say. Before pocketing both books inside his rucksack. ¡°So what is the best way to earn money around here?¡± ¡°We are at the frontier so there are monsters plenty, but you already knew that. Besides the tamed dungeons under the city, The Endless Green Sea is also plagued with Wild Dungeons, but those are quite a bit more dangerous. Finally, you have the basic contracts that you can take. The most common for Stone Rank adventurers are harvesting quests. Ether of monster materials, mana stones, or plants. That is if you are not interested in traveling and staying in town. If you want to travel, you could take an Escort Job. although traveling comes with its own risk.¡± ¡°Highwaymen,¡± He said while nodding. The counselor looked at him funny but Magnus ignored his look, dismissing it as a Lost in Translation due to his skill. ¡°Alright. Let''s get this over with.¡± Magnus was guided to a different room, one that Mathias said was the bounty office. There he was presented with 27 gold coins 2 electrum and 14 silver squares, the tax of 10% was withdrawn from both bounties, which meant that from 30 gold coins, he lost 3 and since 1 electrum was 20 silver squares he got to pay 6 silver squares as tax for 3 electrum. In the end, his coin pouch was much heavier, and he was happy with it somewhat. Not so happy to have a new companion. But that is not here nor there. He has been instructed to sit at one of the benches in the common room and wait for his ward to arrive. He would think of her as his ward from now on. No need to be an asshole about it. As he waited he decided to go back and check on his abilities. Since he got interrupted last night with dinner and never relly went back into it. He willed for his status to appear and then expanded on Giants constitution. Description: ¡°Me big and Strong. Never cold! (Enhanced Strength, Constitution, and Cold Resistance. Mutation side effect: Size Enhancement, Skin pigmentation) He stopped for a moment and looked at his hand, So he was not crazy!? And here he thought that the Blueish tint of his skin was some kind of hallucination or something. It was barely noticeable at the moment, but it probably will become more prominent as the ability progresses. He decided to check the other abilities before he got sidetracked and distracted once again. Description: Your ancestors laugh at you, but they don''t turn their back on you. Passive ability that helps you instinctively in the use of weapons and armor. Description: Dice, dice, and more dice. Actively channel Aether to impale a random enemy with anything that is available at random, strength of ability depending on Chance. Description: Punch holes in walls, and uproot trees with your hands!... Actively channel Aura into your body to enhance it to perform feats of speed and strength beyond your basic capabilities at the cost of stamina and body integrity. Well, shit. He would have to test Impale thoroughly, and not in any sort of dire combat, also he would not be able to rely on it in any sort of way. At least not at this level, maybe future ranks would improve the ability, but for now, it was almost useless except as a surprise wildcard. Martial instinct was really useful for him, the only experience he had with weapons and armor was the few in-between times he went LARPING with his friends. And that is no experience at all. And finally, Body Enhancement, which was what he probably used yesterday when he Smacked his indentured servant when she was trying to rob him. ¡°I guess¡± he wondered out loud as he finally got the gist of his abilities. He closed his eyes and tried to find the aura, and was able to find two distinct energies inside of him. Like two wells of power, one was located on top of his heart and the other one on top of his brain, he assumed that Aether was in his brain and Aura in his heart, if he had to guess about the bubbling feeling he experienced the day before. Finally, he took out the pouch with gold and willed it to go into his inventory. The coin pouch dematerialized as if the laws of conservation of mass did not apply to it. He chuckled at the sight. ¡°Crazy,¡± he told himself. ¡°What did you just call me?¡± He was interrupted as he saw two people standing next to him. They must have sneaked in while he was distracted. ¡°Not you. I was just¡­¡± he stopped himself. There was no reason to explain. ¡°Never mind.¡± He looked at the two people in front of him. ¡°So, how do we do this?¡± ¡°A drop of blood here,¡± Said the guard as he placed a glowing parchment on the table. Magnus wanted to make a joke about deals with the devil, but once again stopped himself from doing so in case of the inquisition of some shit. ¡°Fine¡± he took out his Knight Dagger and poked at his finger with a slight push. He has never actively harmed himself, but with two people watching him like hawks, he was too embarrassed to fail at this. The Dagger was sharp. Deadly sharp and in the end the blood sealed the deal. The parchment went up in flames and the little motes of ash flew up and towards Nessa Blunt, who hissed in displeasure or maybe pain. He looked at both of the women with pointy ears. Because Of course, Fate would have it that he gets a friking Elf as his first not slave companion. Then he remembered that this world was based on a wish-fulfillment fantasy videogame¡­ and it made sense. Busty Blushing Elven Maids are a thing. They seemed very similar now that he looked at them side to side. He looked back and forth a few times, his mouth opening and closing. Part of him wanted to ask, but part of him did not really want to acknowledge something that even the Guild Mistress refused to mention out loud in private. He was prideful, not stupid. ¡°I guess that will be all,¡± he told the Officer. Who patted the other Elf on the shoulder. Nessa hissed at her under her breath like a feral cat. The officer saluted and then turned around with a clap of her heels before marching away. ¡°Sit,¡± Magnus said as he pointed at the bench seat across the table from him. She rolled her eyes at his command but still followed it. ¡°Young Lady, don''t be giving me an attitude like I am the cause of this situation to begin with. Let''s rewind a bit and remember who tried to rob who?¡± She gritted her teeth and mumbled something under her breath. ¡°What was that? I could not hear you.¡± ¡°I said, fucking Legacys, If I knew I would have never tried¡­¡± she trailed into an awkward silence. ¡°Yes, well, that is that. Now the only thing we can really do is make the best of our situation.¡± Magnus rubbed his eyes and temples. ¡°Where you part of a gang?¡± She looked at him offended. ¡°Ohh sorry for assuming that the person who tried to rob me of my possessions might be involved in some other shady business.¡± ¡°No,¡± she said through gritted teeth. ¡°Will anyone come looking for you?¡± Magnus asked. ¡°...no,¡± she said, but he did not like the pause she took to answer. ¡°I guess your¡­ Accomplice might come¡± Her eyes went wide. With Fear (?) he could not place it. ¡°I have nothing to say to you¡± she spat to the side. ¡°Well, let''s get this over with, you will lead me to them, and then we will make sure that im not stabbed while I sleep.¡± ¡°She would never!¡± Nessa snapped back. ¡°So it''s a She. Good to know¡± Magnus said with a nod. ¡°Lead. The. Way. To. Your. Accomplice¡± He emphasized each word. Mathias told him that as long as he was not ordering her to harm herself she could not refuse his order. Yes, he knew that there were ways to work around being ordered to do stuff. But that came with practice and preparation. Not a thing that she had right now. Magnus knew that he was a wild card. Unpredictable, and he liked to keep it that way, for now. She hissed as the mark probably burned her into compliance. And then he followed her a few steps behind her.