《Worlds Colide. A System Collision LitRpg》 Chapter One. Tcg Heaven? The world went awash with blinding white, and the fluttering of paper. As my eyes adjusted I could see several black lines swirling around me in an all encompassing sphere. Then, as if it noticed my awareness, everything came to stand still, and the black lines I had seen before came into better view. "Are those....cards?" I tried to voice, but nothing truly left my throat. I didn''t feel my body for that matter. Before I could begin to fall into a panic attack again, a flash of light grabs my attention. Congratulations Awakener! You have Awakened as a Card Cultivator. Cultivators are those that have to be the most patient. The world is your deck to master, but be warned, with great opportunities come great risks, so plan wisely. Awakener Skills Unlocked: Heart Binder: The crux of your existence and the guiding record of your journey. -All cards acquired will go into the Heart Binder if placed inside. No more than 3 copies of a card can be stored. (Rarity differences are calculated in.) Heart Deck: The means in which you interact with the world through your cards. -Create a Deck with a maximum of 20 cards plus your soul card, minimum Deck requirement is 5 cards. As you rise in Tier and Rank, your maximum number of Decks go up allowing for variations on the fly. Receive starter pack? Y/N "What the hell....Did I drink too much at a party or something, and it flavored my dreams?" I grumbled to myself. "At least if it''s not a dream, it can''t be any worse than a shotty 9-5 at 7 Star Mart," I sighed and mentally affirmed yes. Consent acknowledged! Beginning transfer of resources! -System reward: Starter pack. -Starter pack: A beginning offering from the system, to start every Deck Cultivator''s journey. Guaranteed to give 5 Cards with a small chance of some of these cards being a part of a set. (No set can be obtained in this pack to guarantee a minimum deck). The card you receive will be random based on luck and your Affinities. Good luck! Rarity Attainment Chance: Common 45%, Uncommon 30%, Rare 15%, High Rare 10%, Legendary 5%. "Okay, so I could get something great, or something awful, and it''s all based on luck." I sighed. "...and affinities? What are those supposed to be?" Before I could finish my thought, the world seemed to shake and all the cards around me turned at once to show me their blank side. Suddenly, a cacophony of noise flooded my world leaving me reeling, the only line still present; "...Find us, awaken us.." Before the world was flooded by a blinding red and kaleidoscopic cadence that lasted but a moment, the faint whisper of words barely audible as the world faded to black. "....nc...vat.....wai...!!!!" And all was dark.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. _______________________________________ I awoke with a start, slamming my head against the ceiling. "Ow...what the hell," I said as I rubbed my forehead, confused and in pain. "The last time this happened was before I moved out of the boys home 6 years ago..." I groaned, only just starting to take in my surroundings as the grogginess beganto fade. I was on the top bunk of my shared bed at the boys home. The one I lived with from early toddler life all the way until I became an Adult at 16, and had to find my own way. To stop mooching off of Brimiri who had always been like a mother to me. I remember moving into the boys home a few months after I turned 3, my parents were out on a dig site somewhere in the world, and they''d been gone for about a week, leaving me with a paid babysitter. On the day they were supposed to return home, Brimiri arrived having already learned of my parents passing. She gave me the news with much regret, and offered me a home at St. Perri. Everything was as I remembered just before my 12th birthday, the old bookshelves by the door, the basics of both cultivation on the wall to inspire us, the smell of Brimiri cooking breakfast in the Cathedral kitchen before first service. ¡®Wait, cultivation?¡¯ It crossed my mind, but I shrugged it off because that thought didn''t matter. It all brought a tear to my eye, these were the easier times in my life, before everything seemed to truly start to fall apart for me. Here I had a loving family that I neglected after I moved out, too caught up in trying to make all these get-rich-quick schemes, and never really settling down. "It sure would be great if this wasn''t a dre...." I paused as I took a second to notice my hands, they were smaller, less rough from years, tough jobs, and a music career that never took off. "Shit, guess there are a few downsides, but I can make this work probably..." I wasn''t sure yet. "That dream before though, how do I see my status scr-" I was drawn short as a screen took over the entirety of my view. Name: Syilten Flykra. Race: Human Cultivation Path: Card Cultivator, (Error!) Level:0 Tier:0 Affinities: Ice, Space/Error! (Temporarily sealed by the system.) Soul Card: Currently unstable and unformed. Binder: 0/0 Deck 1: N/A Inventory: 1/10. Starter Pack, Open? Y/N. --Further Information locked until creation of first deck-- I scratched my head and crawled out of bed, thankfully I was alone in my room. ¡°Well, here''s hoping I''m not crazy, so let''s get started. Then I can get to those errors and locked messages in my status sheet." I held my breath and hit Yes to open the Starter Pack, and the world was filled with dazzling light. As it fades, 5 balls of light floated before me. Before I could even begin to interact, a pain ripped through my being and merged with the lights in front of me, almost causing me to blackout, but I held on. Something was telling me how important it was that I stay awake. After what felt like eternity but was most likely only a few minutes, the pain subsided and the orbs of light were irreparably different from how they appeared before. When the orbs appeared, they were blank white orbs surrounded by a color. Now they seemed to contain sharp hints of blues and purples? It was hard to tell with energy seeming to be constantly in motion. "Wow..." was all that escaped my lips as I felt drawn to touch the cards. 3 had this almost Rusty color surrounding them, 1 had a light going into a dark green ring surrounding it, and the final orb was the most eye-catching. It had a ring of the softest pink, yet radiated energy as if it was far different from those that arrived before it. "I wonder what the colors mean. That pink seems a bit ominous, but those rust colored ones seem underwhelming. Hmmm..." I scratched my chin trying to remember things about card games I''d seen. "Is it like a power scale? Maybe the rarity scaling of a gacha game? Guess I have to do something to see what these are gonna be, huh?" With a surprising lack of hesitation, I reached out to make contact with my first Card, or at least that is what I was sure I''d be doing. "yolo.." As my finger brushed the first orb of rust color, a small flash of light blinded me, and what felt like a pulse of energy rippled out in the world. What replaced the orb was a card about 1.82 inches wide and about 3.5 inches tall. Before I could even inspect my first Card, a System notification took my view. --System Achievement reached¨C -Journey¡¯s start: a title Achievement all awakeners get upon getting their first Cards or first Essence. --Effect: You are now seen as beginning your steps to Adulthood in the eyes of the citizens Detlmar. You now have access to System Shops and Even Shops that appear randomly in the Spires, Dungeons, or more rarely, in the wilds. Able to earn Cards through quests. Unlock the trading system at your next milestone. (Growth title) Caught off guard, I dismissed the notification after reading it through a few times. "Guess I just grew up..." I chuckled and brought my attention back to the Card and 4 floating orbs. ¡°Hopefully no more interruptions till I see all my cards and Binder them..." Suddenly, the door burst open with a rush of air that ran through the room as if the window had been open. Brimiri was standing there panting, eyes wide, and a hint of irritation speckled on what is normally a consistently jovial air. But that''s not what surprised me the most. Chapter 2. Sorry... And Skills! The door to my room flew open so fast, I thought the door would fly from the hinges. Startled, I hid behind the table and peered over to see Brimiri standing in the door, her eyes wide and breath labored. Yet, this wasn''t the Brimiri I remember growing up with. Well, she was mostly the exact same except for the silver hair, purple eyes, being 7''0" instead of 5''9", some of the sharpest ears I''ve ever seen, and her skin had paled greatly even though her skin seemed to shine. She was still missing the arm she lost in college due to a machining accident that removed all functionality; they had amputated at the shoulder. "Syil! Are you ok? I felt the energy here fluctuate wildly...." Though the words seemed to have gotten caught in her throat when she noticed the single card and 4 floating orbs. Her stance noticeably shifted and she let out a breath of air I didn''t realize she was holding. "Syilten Flykra before me this instance!" She just about shouted at me. I quickly complied, putting myself between her and the orbs behind me, my hands fidgeted in one another nervously. ¡®Did I do something wrong? Is being a Card Cultivator rare or frowned upon here?'' My thoughts were wild and untamed, panic rushing through my veins. ''And why am I dreaming of Brimiri as an elf, and still getting a lecture?'' Seeming to notice my tension, Brimiri put her hand on my shoulder to try and help me calm down. I flinched and she pulled back her hand. "Syil...." she seemed to stammer before she got her composure back. "...I think I came off a little too harsh, Syil. I''m sorry. But you can get hurt if you''re not careful during your awakening, that''s why I told you all to come to the Cathedral for the coming of age ceremony." She let out a long sigh. "I guess I''ll have to stay by your side here till you''re done, they won''t move till they are all awakened. That light pink one is the one I''m worried about, strong cards cause phenomena to happen when they awaken, especially high rares like that one...You have astounding luck Syil," she said almost with reverence. Perhaps even fear. After a while of me looking at her, she finally spoke. "I was almost certain you''d be an Essence Cultivator, but the world throws us curve balls sometimes with our expectations." Almost confused she said, "Are you going to awaken your Cards or are you waiting for my permission?" She quipped.(?) Quickly realizing that I had in fact frozen up and forgotten the orbs behind me for a moment in my panic, now after taking my breath I stepped back before my Cards, or at least the one that already formed and the 4 orbs. "Don''t forget to inspect them, Syil!" I lightly heard in the background as my attention was pulled to the card before me. ICE SLASH: Common - Summon and shoot a weak blade of ice to slash at your enemies.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. --Add to Deck for further information-- "Okay...not amazing, but not terrible either.." I trailed off as I noticed a 1/? in the corner of the card. "Is that a set number? Like on trading cards? Wonder what that means....more stuff to figure out," I grumbled. "I guess Rust is common? Brimiri said red was Rare, what''s green?" Guessing I should start the awakening of the other cards, my hand drifted over to the next common. Just as before, there was a small blinding flash and a new card was floating before me. This one was different from cards before, this one (try ¡®it¡¯ maybe) gave a calm and constant feeling while ICE SLASH felt energetic and eager for a lack of words. ''What does that mean?'' I thought as I started to inspect the new card. Cold Resistance: Common Type: Passive -Effect: The cold has always been a friend with a bite, now you can have a true friendship. -- You have +10 to cold resistance and +5% increase to all cold or ice related abilities --Add to Deck for further Information-- "Huh?" I voiced as I notice a line I didn''t see before on the Ice Slash Card, but i re-inspected the Ice Slash Card to be safe, and to my surprise, another new line was added to the Card description Ice Slash: Common Type: Active -Summon and shoot a weak blade of ice to slash at your enemies. --Add to Deck for further information-- "So guess if I choose to explore the System, it''ll give me more information, but I have to be the one to look for said Knowledge." I scratched my head in wonder. ''These are just common so far and I have one more to go and I''m already blown away, did I die and go to Tcg Heaven?¡¯ Try ''These are just common so far. I have one more to go and I''m already blown away, did I die and go to Tcg Heaven?¡¯ The sound of a throat clearing behind me brought me out of my reveries. "Sorry Brimiri... I know you''re busy," I apologized. She simply giggled. "Oh I was young once, Syil. But unlike you I''m an Essence Cultivator. I was over the moon on my Awakening day. As you know, Almiri when they awaken as Essence Cultivators, one of their 4 Essence slots are already filled by our natural affinities of the celestial variety. My father chased me around as I went crazy showing off my first ability till I ran out of Aura and passed out. Just don''t get too lost in them before they''ve all awakened," she said softly with a smile. My thoughts reaffirmed as I reached out for the final common Card. This one felt similar to ICE SLASH yet different, like another flavor, yet similar. Spacial Shot: Common Type: Active. Affinity: Space -Effect: You''ve begun to be able to perceive the fluctuations of space around you allowing you weak control over the power of space. -- You can harness special mana to fire a disrupting shot. Depends on intent, Tier, Rank, different status effects can arise. --- Current possible status effects: Disorientation, Nausea, blindness, Reversed motor controls, ?. --Add to a Deck for Further information-- ''Cool, an auxiliary skill to get out of dodge¡­ And Affinity is now on the Cards. Strange that that doesn''t show up from the start." This System seemed to like giving the bare minimum, telling you to figure it out afterwards. ''I''ll cross that bridge when I get there. I''ll probably wake up soon, so I should enjoy this.'' "I''m done with the commons Brimiri, you said I might have to worry about these two right?" I said and she nodded "To be more accurate I''m only worried about the Rare. I don''t know if it''s a regular Rare or a High Rare, but it is certain to have some reaction to the physical world when you wake it up.¡± With a firm nod, I reached out to the Green orb. Unlike the commons, the flash of light seemed to linger for a while longer, and a slight chill seemed to kiss the air for but a moment before it was gone. ''Strange, everything about this so far has been so strange,'' but as the light faded and I saw the Card, my thoughts ran still. Displaced Spear: Uncommon Type: Active. Affinity: Ice/Space -Effect: Your soul deeply loves the cold and has an intrinsic knowledge of space. -- Fire a Spear made of Spacial ICE within eyesight(limit 3 meters). Can be fired at an enemy from anywhere as long as it''s in eyesight as well as the enemy you''re trying to hit. Can only summon 2 spears at a time. --Add to Deck for further information-- "Huh...guess the effect either gets more specific as the rarity does or just becomes more complicated and specialized?" I murmured. "So I''m guessing so far that I''m not a front liner, though I''d prefer a spell blade." I felt Brimiri come to stand beside me. "I''m going to put you in a barrier, Syil, the rest is up to you. If you can''t handle the awakening of this Card it could cripple you. (*)*Cards are living things one and all, if you don''t respect them then there are consequences, but I believe in you Syil." was the last thing I heard before I became surrounded in what seemed to be a barrier of pure Jubilation. (*This could be a good place to explain to the reader who can''t see her why Brimiri would be weary of physical effects) *(Post edit addition) After taking stock of the barrier surrounding me, ¡®I guess Brimiri is scared, though I''m still processing Brimiri using magic¡­ I shrugged and reached out to touch the last orb when the world became nothing but the color blue. I felt a strong suction from my consciousness to my core before the world went black once more. Chapter 3 Brimiri stood watching Syilten as he gathered his nerves to awaken the High Rare he pulled. "Boy is either incredibly lucky or has the worst luck to bless this world. Essence bless this boy even if he''s out of your purview" she prayed as her hand clenched and unclenched. She was scared for Syilten, but she felt this same fear for every child that awakened, and soon he''d have to protect himself. She knew for better or worse that Syil would be fine even if he was injured here. "Enough of that" she chastised herself. "I just have to wait and pray, it''s up to him if the Card accepts such a young wielder." Suddenly, a blinding flash of the coldest blues and dazzling ripples of purple pulsed inside the barrier where Syil would prove his awakening to the system. When the flash subsided, Syil was in clear view trapped in a body of ice, unguided energy also frozen in the ice with him, shifting and moving closer to the shape this Card would exhibit. ____________________________________________ For a long time all there was, was cold. Cold no matter how far I traveled, yet nothing for my eyes to focus on other than the endless cold. My mind felt like it was going numb, my body didn''t want to respond to me the way I wanted, the most shocking thing for me though was that I was in my 22 year old body again. Suddenly with this realization I started to come back to myself slowly, and bit by bit, I fought the cold that tried to stop me, slow me. It felt like I was there fighting for days, but I finally felt something move. Absently, I heard a sound not unlike the shattering of glass, and as I gained another step my mind gained more clarity. The shattering sounds began getting louder and louder, and before I knew it, I''d started crossing meters with every step, not that I could tell at first. Eventually I came upon a clearing, which was surprising as this was just a blank landscape of black till now. I cautiously entered the center of the clearing and found an androgynous figure waiting for me. The...Spirit?...or whatever it was seemed almost surprised to see me arrive in its clearing, a show of genuine curiosity. Its body seemed to be made of shifting shards of ice in various states of being frozen, seemingly highlighted by shades of purple. With a voice like the tinkling of wine glasses it began to speak, and although the noise was alien to my ears I could understand every word as if it resonated with me, and through me "It''s been a long time since I was offered to an Awakener, but never has one been so young and been able to even find my clearing." I tried to speak but I found my body was once more no longer under my control. The being moved closer to me, inspecting me, judging me. Watching as the layers of my 22 year old self began to shatter and show the form of a 12 year old child. "Hmm, how rare... you have a rather dangerous Affinity there, young one. Thankfully the system weakened it for you." For a time, the being finished inspecting me, and with a nod of it''s head, "I''ll deem you worthy for now, but you''ll not be able to use me for a while. Be safe, Syilten Flykra. It wouldn''t do for my contractor to die too early." That was the last thing I heard before the being shattered into hundreds of shards of light and ice that all seemed to suck together at one one point leaving the silhouette of a Card, and then the world shattered.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ______________________________________________________ Brimiri''s breath caught in her throat as she started to see what looked like a Winter Queen manifesting, but she was certain her eyes were deceiving her. Suddenly she heard a shattering of ice, her attention snapped back to Syil and she only noticed him in the ice and a card just short of awakening. ¡°He did it!¡± she gasped. The ice finished shattering. causing Syil to drop like a sack of potatoes. She quickly rushed forward to catch his sleeping form, as all his Cards rushed into his Heart Binder. Before she could see the form his High Rare took. "Never a dull moment with you Syil, is there?" She sighed and carried him over to his bed and tucked him back in. "Sleep well Syil, I''ll let the other kids know you need to rest, after all you are astoundingly cold as a sheet of ice." She giggled and went back to guide the other kids going through their awakening ceremonies today. "Hopefully the rest aren''t as eventful." _________________________________________________________ After a while I awoke again in my bed, slamming my head against the ceiling for the second time that day, head pounding and my stomach screaming for sustenance. "I feel like I got hit by a truck and then backed up on before they drove away," I groan as I stretch my body as well as I can in my top bunk bed and begin to start crawling out just for my foot to catch, causing me to fall to the floor below. Following close behind, a resounding thud. "Ooph!" I exclaim. "Maybe I should have taken that slower with how hungry I feel." I start as I notice a sandwich on the work desk area of our room. "Hmm a note?" -You gave us all quite the scare this morning, and don''t think that gets you out of your chores today. Hope you''re feeling better when you see this. -Brimiri- "I seem to be a never ending stream of troubles for you huh? I should work on that from now on" I affirmed and finished my breakfast. Brimiri had left me a breakfast sandwich of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns in what seemed to be a time bubble to keep it fresh. "Very thoughtful and incredibly fascinating. I wonder if the me of this world had seen this countless times..." and almost as if reminded, there was a rush...no. A torrent of memories flooded my mind, seeming to try and take dominance. Nearing a panic attack I barely catch my breath, and instead of fighting, I welcome them in, and as a lifetime all my own but so different flashed before my eyes. Shocked as I was, I didn''t realize the headache had subsided. All I could think of was what I had seen, felt even. 12 years of my life I both did and didn''t live, memories that conflict with one another, yet necessary. What I learned was both amazing yet horrifying all the same. The current year of the current calendar is 1001 a.c.. 1000 years after the Convergence, a world shattering event that reshaped the entirety of two worlds and creating Detlmar. What shocked me the most was the existence of the System, or I should say Systems. During the Convergence, the world I remember, Detalm, merged with another world revolving around Essence Cultivators which in turn merged with our System. Datalm was home to Card Cultivation, a storied System known to be both kind and cruel. ''So I know what''s going on a bit more now. I''m still a bit confused with the age regression, but what''s happened has happened. For now I need to focus on the immediate future and figure out the blows as they come, I mean, heck. I have super powers now.¡¯ I began to psych myself up ''I need to find a wild monster and see where I stand, and worst comes I''ll just wake up right?'' I rushed to get ready, now that I had a full stomach. Quickly getting dressed in a baggy yet well-fitted pair of pants, and a light white undershirt before I put on a tunic much like the ones we wear around St.Perri, except it was now in the color of frosty blue and highlights of soft violets. There was also what appeared to be an emblem in the form of a card sticking out of a deck box. ''Guess that''s how they identify my Cultivation Path from now on, Brimiri did always have an emblem on her left collar cuff of what appeared to be a cube surrounded in swirls, that must be the Essence emblem''. With my shoes on I started to head for the door but something seemed to be tugging at me "I have to recheck my status screen after getting my cards. Status" I commanded. Name: Syilten Flykra. Race: Human Cultivation Path: Card Cultivator, (Error!) Level:0. Error:? Exp/Error: 0%/Error Tier:0 Affinities: Ice, Space/Error!(Temporarily seal by the system) MP: 90/100(90). %$^&#%¡Á:$/:¡Á2. Regen: 1mp per minute. Soul Card: Currently unstable and unformed. Binder: 5/5 *Ice Slash (C),T1R1. *Cold Resistance (C), T1R1. *Spacial Shot (C), T1R1. *Displaced Spear (UC), T1R1. Unknown (HR), Error!. Deck 1: Unnamed Deck 0/20 -Add Cards for a Playable Deck- Inventory: 0/10 "Huh, that''s a lot of new information. Why does it seem that my status is getting more messed up as time goes on?" Not sure if I should panic or not, I went to look at my last starter Card just to fall short. "Unknown, what''s that mean, is that the name of the Card?" and without my bidding a description popped up for my last Card. "What the hell!" I almost wanted to scream out in outrage. "I thought the system made sure we had a starting amount of Cards! what the hell is this?" Unknown: High Rare Type:Unknown Affinity: Ice, Space/Error! -Effects: You have not yet met the qualifications to use this Card. Grow to earn their strength hidden in this Card. It was a High Rare for the Systems sake, a nigh impossible chance from a Starter pack and I couldn''t even use it! Worst of all I couldn''t even start to access my Cultivation until I''d made at least one Deck of 5 Cards. "What will I do, I can''t even start yet.." ----System Achievement Met---- ---Not quite accepted, not quiet rejected--- -Effects: You''ve won the attention of ? (HR), Unfortunately you haven''t passed all of ? tests. --Gain a new Friend, or two from the System: Reward Card: Snowy Hare Pair (UC+) Growth, T1R1. "Well I stand corrected¡± Chapter 4 Youre a Snowy Hare...s There was no fanfare from the System, no show of light to show me my new Card, just the sound of a subtle tink at the back of my mind. Confused, I checked my status sheet to see what was going on. Name: Syilten Flykra. Race: Human Cultivation Path: Card Cultivator, (Error!) Level:0. Error:? Exp/Error: 0%/Error Tier:0 Affinities: Ice, Space/Error!(Temporarily sealed by the system) MP: 90/100(90)*. %$^&#%¡Á:$/:¡Á2. Regen: 1mp per minute. Soul Card: Currently unstable and unformed. Binder: 5/6(5)* *Ice Slash (C),T1R1. *Cold Resistance (C), T1R1. *Spacial Shot (C), T1R1. *Displaced Spear (UC), T1R1. Snowy Hare Pair (UC+) - Growth, T1R1. Unknown (HR), Error!. Deck 1: Unnamed Deck 0/20 -Add Cards for a Playable Deck- Inventory: 0/10 "Well the Card is right there. I guess the light show was a one time thing, or only for special occasions?" As I pondered questions for another time, I began to pull up the description of my new card. Snowy Hare Pair: Uncommon+(Growth) Type:Active/Continuous, Summon/Familiar Affinity: Ice, Rabbit, Duo. -Effect:Oh what a sad affair, but don''t despair, have a hare, or two. --Summon/Contract a pair of Snowy Hares as Summon/Familiars, to assist you. These Hares are a set Card so secrets are in store. Unlock more information as you grow in Tier and Familiarity with your Snowy Hare Pair. --Add to a Deck for further information-- "Ok this Card description seems a bit targeted..." hoping that I hadn''t already started pissing off a possibly Sentient System, I decided it''s time to put my Deck together no matter how small I''m starting. *-Deck 1: UnNamed 0/20 *Add at least 5/20* -Available Cards: Ice Slash (C), Cold Resistance (C), Spacial Shot (C), Displaced Spear (UC), Snowy Hare Pair (UC+) Growth. As quickly as I could, I placed all my Playable cards in my Deck, choosing not yet to name it till I had more cards. Suddenly, I felt a rush of energy flow through me. I could taste, feel, hear, and see all my skills in my mind''s eye. The knowledge of how to start on the path of each Card was shown to me, but just that. How these Cards Grow was up to me from here, and if I didn''t learn and grow with them, then they too would stagnate. "So just a tutorial and then left to go play in the sandbox, I guess that''s better than those strong armed tutorials in all those bad phone games." It was a strange feeling having access to my mana, now that my Deck was started and my cultivation unsealed. The energy brimming in my body made me feel almost invincible. "Gotta cap that for now, what changed now that I''ve started my Deck?" I wondered as I couldn''t bring myself to stop shaking with excitement.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "As soon as I check my Cards and get familiar with the new info, it''s straight to the forest. Goblins are supposed to be easy starter mobs here too." I opened up my new Deck Fully expanded. *-Deck 1: UnNamed Ice Slash: Common Type: Active. Affinity: Ice, Sharp, Frail. -Summon and shoot a weak blade of ice to slash at your enemies. Cost: 5mp. Damage: 1-5(3-7) Cold Resistance: Common Type: Passive -Effect: The cold has always been a friend with a bite, now you can have a true friendship. -- You have +10 to cold resistance and +5% increase to all cold or ice related abilities Cost: Passive, no active effects. Spacial Shot: Common Type: Active. Affinity: Space -Effect: You''ve begun to be able to perceive the fluctuations of space around you allowing you weak control over the power of space. -- You can harness spacial mana to fire a disrupting shot. Depends on intent, Tier, Rank, different status effects can arise. --- Current possible status effects: Disorientation, Nausea, blindness, Reversed motor controls, ?. Cost: 10-25(Variable). Damage: Variable Displaced Spear: Uncommon Type: Active. Affinity: Ice/Space -Effect: Your soul deeply loves the cold and has an intrinsic knowledge of space. -- Fire a Spear made of Spacial ICE within eyesight (limit 3 meters). Can be fired at an enemy from anywhere as long as it''s in eyesight as well as the enemy you''re trying to hit. Can only summon 2 spears at a time. Cost: 35mp, 1.5sec cast time. Damage: 20-35(27-43) Snowy Hare Pair: Uncommon+(Growth) Type:Active/Continuous, Summon/Familiar Affinity: Ice, Rabbit, Duo. Status: No Contract. -Effect:Oh what a sad affair, but don''t despair, have a hare... or two. --Summon/Contract a pair of Snowy Hares as Summon/Familiars, to assist you. These Hares are a set Card so secrets are in store. Unlock more information as you grow in Tier and Familiarity with your Snowy Hare Pair. Cost: Permanently lose 10% for the duration of time contracted in a Deck(only if in active Deck). Special: This Card can grow! Grow closer with this Card to learn new requirements for growth. (Stays Contracted even outside of Decks, Contract effects only take effect in active Deck) As I studied over the changes to my Status, I noticed I could finally see the extra information now. ¡®Kind of rude that it makes you put the Card in your Deck first to know the cost, but I guess later it''ll be easy for me to switch Cards around when I get them.¡¯ Finally I got down to my newest Card, Snowy Hare Pair. The description on the Card said ¡®No Contract,¡¯ but didn''t go into detail on how to Summon them. "Guess I''m still a Card down either way," I grumbled and rushed out the door before anyone could see me. ''Can''t have them ruining my fun.¡¯ I picked up my pace, leaving St.Pelli, and racing along the lawn. St.Pelli Foster home for boys is located at the edge of the city of Tundras kiss, located in the south-east of Chronicland, close to the forest known as the Wastes Boundary. It was a forest that surrounded the entirety of the frozen wastes, said to be the original home of one of the Races ancestors I''m told. Tundras Kiss was only a day''s travel from the nearest Academy Town, making it one of the more well funded Cities, but only moderately populated due to the nearby Wastes Boundary. It''s cold year round here due to our proximity, making winter extra brutal. Thankfully it''s the end of spring and the turn of summer here. ''Strange I''ll start school in the summer instead of the fall here..'' ________________________________________ It took me an hour of running straight through, not paying attention to anything but my goal of reaching the forest. Eventually I made it to the forest, the tree line taunting me the whole run. Finally under the branches of the oaks and furs, I stop to catch my breath, eyes only set in the forest ahead. "Alright there should only be Mound Bunnies and Lesser Goblins in this forest, so even I should be safe," I muttered while beginning to trudge my way into the forest. On my way through the start of the forest, I seemed to step on every stick, crunching every patch of snow as I went along without a care. "I''m not really seeing much here. What does a guy have to do to get a fight in his own dream?" _____________________________________________ After about another 10 minutes of walking, I stopped to catch my breath. "Haven''t found a damn thing" I grumbled and kicked a Mound of snow just to hear a loud yelp. I quickly stepped back, not sure what can of worms I just opened up. I didn''t have to wait long as the pile of snow seemed to burst from within, as two powerful ears stood proudly. Before the powder even cleared I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my gut before I was thrown backwards. -Warning! Combat initiated- Condition: Healthy - injured! "Shit, shit. Can''t even see the damn thing and it''s already gone!" There was a loud thump above my head and I quickly scurried away, not watching what direction I ran in. Eventually I accidentally cornered myself against a cliff wall. "Really dogged this one up didn''t I?" I felt the panic start to take over as I noticed what had chased me, a Mound Bunny, but it was no longer alone. 5 Mound Bunnies slowly approached me, seemingly sure that they''d win. ''I''m not even higher on the food chain than a rabbit, that''s funny'' I felt a resonance fluttering through me, almost like something was trying to speak to me, guide me. On instincts I wasn''t aware I held, I reached out to my Cards "Ice Blade!" I shouted holding my hand out facing the Bunnies. A sword of ice flickered into being, floated there for a moment, and then faded away. "What! No, no, no!" I quickly checked my status, and there was a change. -Mana 85/100(90) I''d cast the spell but nothing happened. ''Do I have to swing the sword!?'' The Mound Bunnies were in position now. Scared and unsure of my fate, I closed my eyes as blows began to pile in. ''Damn this hurts, why does a dream hurt..?'' I couldn''t hold on to my awareness much longer, the world was fading, and my body was overloaded with notifications, physical and system. -Warning! You''re taking heavy damage! Either finish or escape combat to recover!- -Condition: Lightly injured - Injured- -Condition: Injured - Moderately injured- -Condition: Moderately injured - Severely injured- -Condition: Severely Injured - Severely injured- "I''m really going to die here.¡± Chapter 5. Saving Private Flykra I couldn''t hold on to my awareness much longer. The world was fading, and all that I could truly perceived was pounding of my heart and the constant System notifications -Warning! You''re taking heavy damage! Either finish or escape combat to recover!- -Condition: Lightly injured - Injured- -Condition: Injured - Moderately injured- -Condition: Moderately injured - Severely injured- -Condition: Severely Injured - Severely injured- "I''m really going to die here..." The words came out almost in a sob. I was going to die because I couldn¡¯t catch the hint. The last thing my ears heard was the swishing of wind, five thuds almost at the same time, and "Dumb kid." _____________________________________ -?''s Perspective- A slight and agile silhouette stood in a tree, high above the Wastes Boundary. She surveyed the forest before her. ¡°This is the correct time, yes?¡± She muffled, from under several scarves. Fidgeting with a timepiece, back and forth, over and over, she complained once more. ¡°Thankfully we¡¯re not close to a monster wave this year, but Systems Above am I bored. It should be now, right?¡± Her eyes changed position to watch the plains between the Wastes Boundary and Tundras Kiss. Finally, she saw a small form darting for the woods. She flattened herself to the tree to stay hidden, waiting for him to enter the boundary. ¡°At least you¡¯re predictable. I¡¯ll follow you for now, I saved you too early last time.¡± ______________________________________ ? had been following him for the past 10 minutes and she was starting to really think he was an idiot. He didn''t have any Cards channeled and ready to cast if a monster showed up, and he managed to piss off every Mound Bunny in the area. Careful not to be noticed, she took out about 12 Mound Bunnies before he finally made his first contact. He was obviously angry, since he hadn''t seen a single beast or monster the whole time he was going through the woods, thanks to her interventions, he just happened to kick a Mound Bunnies snow hovel instantly gaining aggro. Instead of springing to help, she watched it play out, the look of fear that formed on his face. He was obviously angry, not having seen a single beast or monster the whole time since entering the woods, thanks to her machinations. On his own, though, he stumbled right into a Mound Bunny hovel, gaining instant aggro. Instead of leaping to help him, she watched how this would play out, curious where the fear striking his face would take his instincts. "Finally he''s trying to cast a Card," she observed, watching to see how this would go. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The Card miscast, and then everything went to hell. He panicked and started running, angering another 4 Bunnies of which she only took out one. "I can save him easily from 5, but he really needs this lesson." Without regret, she watched them beat him to an inch of his life before rushing in to save him. "Dumb kid," she said with a click of her tongue. "Let''s get you home." ______________________________________________ For seemingly the third time today, I flew awake in a rushed panic, just to slam my head against the ceiling once more. "Shit.." I hissed under my breath, laying my head back against the pillow. ''What the hell happened, how am I alive? Was that all a dream?'' -Condition: Critical!- -Combat ended! Exp earned: 1 --Congratulations!, you''ve survived your first combat. Maybe look before leaping next time!-- -Warning! You are bleeding! If the bleeding isn''t stopped in the next hour you will die!- -? Has invited you to their party! Accept Y/N?- --Due to being unconscious, no hostile intent, and in critical condition, consent waived in favor of survival- ---You''ve joined ?''s Party--- Without prompting, the System started to catch me up on how truly close I was to death. What surprised me the most was that someone had saved me from my untimely fate, and there were still more messages to go through. ''I should learn if I can adjust these to be accumulative updates. Let''s look at the older messages first'' -Combat Initiated- -- Ice Blade cast, -0 -- ---Spell Misfire, unable to complete cast--- ''So it did misfire, but I feel like I was missing something when I cast it'' --You''ve been Struck By Mound Bunnie lvl.3 x23 -- ''Oh? The System seemed to have been listening to my complaints about walls of text.¡¯ -Condition: Healthy -> Moderately Injured- -Aggro grabbed, Mound Bunnies x7- "But, there were only 5, was my savior watching me?" Still confused, I checked the last of the notifications that came after I passed out. ? Casts light as a feather, weight lowered by 25% for 10 minutes, movement speed increased by 15% for 10 minutes. -Warning! Moving faster than current Tier can handle! Bleeding status increased to Heavy Bleeding, find medical attention in the next 30 minutes or you will die!- ''That one''s not concerning at all, saved me and almost killed me right after.'' -Brimiri Casts Joyous recovery, Condition raised from Critical -> Lightly injured- -Brimiri Casts travelers chronicle, your recent past has been read!- "Oh, she''s gonna be pissed when she sees I''m awake." I groaned and started to roll over just to make eye contact with Brimiri sitting at my Desk patiently watching me, I swallowed hard. "Well look who''s awake, again?" The flat look and thin smile told me everything I needed to know, I''d screwed up and made the one person who still worries for me worry harder. Worst of all, I think I betrayed her trust and made her use abilities that strain her immensely. "I knew you¡¯d wake up soon enough. When I found you laid out on the front step of the Cathedral bleeding out, I didn''t know what I would do with myself!" Her voice was starting to raise from a soft tone as her words went on. "Not only did you not follow instructions to awaken your starter pack or Essence in the main Cathedral hall, but you went out and tried to get yourself killed!" By the end she was on her feet and pretty much shouting at me. As Brimiri started to lecture me, I crawled out of bed and sat on my legs on the floor, hands on my knees, and my head bowed. Every word that came out of Brimiri''s mouth stung more than the last, over the years she''d never felt the need to yell or shout at me, even with all my antics. I waited for Brimiri to speak her piece, took the time to listen to it before I responded. "I''m sorry," my word hitched in my throat "..I''m sorry Brimiri." Tears I didn''t know were there started to flow and fall unbidden as I continued "It felt like a dream, all of it did, and I started treating it as a game, I¡¯m so so sorry." Everything that happened since I woke up started to replay in my mind, colored with my new realizations, ''I''m really an idiot to not start catching on with the first jolt against the ceiling.'' Since waking up in Detlmar, I hadn''t taken a single thing seriously. I even willingly walked myself into an incredibly dangerous situation for where I am. After a time my eyes finally raised to meet Brimiri''s again, tears were in her eyes too but they wouldn''t fall. "At least you seem to have learned your lesson properly," was all I heard before her arms were around me and my sobs started back up. I didn''t know how long we''d been there truly, but we were there at least long enough for me to soak one of Brimiri''s shoulders. "There, there" she patted my back the whole time. Chapter 6. Eventually our embrace broke apart and Brimiri cleared her throat. "Now your reprimand is over, but you aren''t out of the woods yet," she said ominously. "Until you leave for Academy in 3 days, you''ll be mucking the horse stables." These words came out with an air of finality, like words that would not be tested. "Yes Ma''am," was all I could croak out, before she gave me a pat on the shoulders and started to leave the room. "By the way, you were asleep for a few days so you missed first enrollment, which was today, and dinner will be ready soon." With that the door closed. "Well that could have gone worse" I say shakily "But I''ve never mucked a barn though..." I fell asleep shortly after dinner. ___________________________________________ I awoke the next day, but as I followed Brimiri around the grounds, I found breakfast to be unmemorable in comparison to the unfamiliar quiet of the halls and gardens. The whole time I¡¯d lived at St. Perri, these places would still be full of kids running around, and church staff sweeping behind them. Today, there were only the gardeners, and half as many Sisters as usual. .I tried to scratch my head to figure out why, before it hit me. St. Perri usually only handles up to 26 boys, most of which turned 12 this year, so everyone else has left for the academy, or were in classes with the Sisters. "Seems in trying to get a head start, I got left behind instead," I sighed. "I gotta start taking this seriously, just not too seriously. Now where were the Stables?" It didn''t take me terribly long to find the stables, there was even a stable hand there. "Hello!" I waved as I approached. The man actually seemed surprised. "Sorry kid, horses can be dangerous, you''ll need to go play elsewhere," he said, barely looking up from his work. I cleared my throat. "But sir," I said hoping he would look up at least, but seeing he wouldn''t. "Brimiri said I had to help in the stables until I go to the academy," I said. He seemed to mill this over in his head, and finally he spoke. "So you''re what, 11? Unless I''m wrong, I''d have you for a year?" He looked me over. "No sir, I turned twelve two days ago, but I didn''t make the smartest of choices, hence why I''m here." I said, shame in my tone. This seemed to draw him short. After a while of silence, where I thought he was just going to blow me off and keep working, he seemed to have come to a decision. "Grab a pitchfork, I expect you here every morning before the sun has even risen till you leave, am I understood?" He made sure to speak while holding my eye contact. He stared intensely enough that I felt the need to flinch away, but I held his gaze and nodded. "Yes sir!" I quickly replied, and went to grab a pitchfork. ___________________________________________ After a while, I learned the name of the would be stable hand, Kyle. He didn''t like talking about himself, but I could tell he''d seen a fair bit before he ended up here. He seemed to be in his early to mid 40''s, with salt and pepper hair. Though, as I''ve learned so far, appearances can be very deceiving. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. We spent the whole day Mucking the Stables with only a few mishaps. Mainly me slipping and falling in some muck, or one time I accidently poked my foot with the pitchfork. Kyle was very patient with me, no matter how often I clarified something about the task ahead of me, and let me voice my disagreements. Overall, I felt like I learned something during all that. In my past life you''d never catch me doing such a dirty job, heck I''m barely willing to clean dishes I make, but something almost dying put my life back in perspective, made the task seem almost relaxing in comparison. With that thought I was pulled to a halt, as a System message appeared. -System milestone met- -Requirement for a new quest Generated- -Quest: Take the day with humility! -Requirements: 1/? Met.
  1. Learn a valuable lesson and grow from it.
2.? --when further requirements are met the quest will update!-- --- Rewards: Variable --- Somehow I''d gained the System¡¯s attention yet again, but I''m not quite certain what lesson mattered for this quest. Was it finally waking up from my delusion that this was some kind of dream? Or was it the steady rhythm of mucking the barn, a task I''d have avoided like life was on the line before? And why are the requirements hidden? ''It''s kinda hard to clear a quest you don''t know the requirements to.'' I let out a sigh, "I guess I''ll eat for now and return to my room for the night." ______________________________________________ The next morning, I awoke to the soft knocking happening again at my bedroom door. "Thank you Brimiri!" I called out as I got up and prepared to get dressed. The night before, I''d found Brimiri at dinner and asked if she''d help me wake up at least, to which she agreed. She actually seemed a bit surprised that I''d asked for help, or maybe because Kyle actually agreed to let me help in the Stables. Thinking that Brimiri had already left to attend to her other duties, I almost ran into her rushing out my door, thankfully she stepped just out of the way bringing me to a bidding stop. "My bad Brimiri, I thought you''d have to get straight to your duties." She seemed to giggled at this. "I woke you up a bit earlier than you asked so you could eat, silly." She spoke with one hand covering the smile on her face while the other hand had a bowl in it. "I brought you some boiled grains and ebben fruit." She started to pass the bowl my way. "Can''t have you working on an empty stomach." As soon as I took the bowl she winked at me and went off to start her day. I took my time eating so I didn''t choke, and took the bowl to the kitchen so I could rinse my dishes before making my way to the stables. Kyle was already waiting for me by the time I got there. "You''re late," was the only thing he said before he stabbed the second pitchfork in his hand into the ground and turned to walk into the stables. ''I don''t think I''m late, there isn''t even a speck of orange in the sky,'' I thought to myself, but all I did was shrug, grab the pitchfork, and follow him without complaint. Kyle seemed to be in a better mood today, even after his earlier comment. He ran me through so much more than yesterday, when all we did was mucking. He told me it was because I came on one of the two days of the week he does actually muck the stables, Though yesterday was about mucking and laying fresh hay, on the other days he just cleans and turns the hay for the horse. He started with having me show him what I learned yesterday, by going through the steps on a stall we didn''t do the day before, on my own. He watched my actions, only correcting me a few times during the process, but overall he seemed happy with what he saw. "Okay, enough of that for now. That was the only one that needed a good mucking still, though your hay laying could use some work. You use a little too much, but not bad for your first time alone, and after only a few other times." He beckoned me forward with a hand brush. "You''re going to groom the horses today with me, just brushing though, we haven''t booked the bath to clean them completely. Now watch me." Kyle walked up to one of the 5 horses, one with a near solid white coat if not for the speckles of brown in several places. He approached her slowly, with one hand out. He waited for permission to approach, which he received quickly, "You''ll always need to show them respect, to receive it in return. If I had to guess, this is the lesson Brimiri sent you here for." I quickly caught up and followed his instructions and put my hand out, the other one visible at my side. Though, it seems in my excitement I approached too quickly, the horse rising slightly off its hooves. "Woah, woah there." He quickly got the horse under control, but it still showed reasonable weariness. "While you had the right posture, you were too impatient Syilten. Horses are easily spooked if they don''t know you, especially if you were out in the wilds. It''s important to be able to keep any beast of burden calm. Now come, try again." This time I approached slowly, stopping when it seemed I was about to spook her. I waited with my hand outstretched and my head bowed, and for a time I just stood there in the same position until I felt something soft and warm, but a little wet, pushing into my hand. The horse had nuzzled up to me, forgiving me for scaring it earlier. Kyle seemed surprised too by this fact, which he voiced. "She usually has a stubborn streak and doesn''t forgive easily, you only had your head bowed for 10 minutes, bloody new record that." This was the first time I''d seen anything other than a neutral expression cross his face. After our initial hang ups, not another issue seemed to arise, and I took my lesson from earlier and applied to the brushing, to which Kyle only gave me a smile to encourage me to continue. Today ended before 5 in the afternoon, a nice change to yesterday''s 7 in the evening. On my way back to my room I got another pleasant surprise from the System. --System Requirements Met-- -Quest: Take the day with Humility! -Requirements: 2/5 Met.
  1. Learn a valuable lesson and grow from it. Met
  2. Keep to your word! 2/3 Met
  3. Prove your dedication in a craft you find undesirable. Met
  4. ?
  5. ?
--when further requirements are reach the quest will update!-- --- Rewards: Variable --- Deadline: 1 day 6 hours. --- "Well at least I know there are only five requirements, but these again seem very targeted." With a sigh, I resumed my path to my room. "Guess I made the System worried too, somehow.¡± Chapter 7. Unexpected Lessons The next morning I managed to get out of bed on time myself, which I''m thankful for since I forgot to go find Brimiri yesterday. I quickly got dressed and prepared to head to the kitchen. I was actually surprised to see someone there preparing breakfast, of which I took a bowl of grains and fresh fruit with a nod. After I finished eating, it was time to head to work. I''d spent a little too long in the kitchen so I took off in a light jog for the stables. ''Gonna ask Kyle today when the horses even get used. Honestly I didn''t even know we had a stable till Brimiri had me start heading there.'' I chuckled to myself. ''Last day and then school...'' My thoughts trailed off as I turned the corner and noticed Brimiri and Kyle having a chat. As I got closer they both stopped talking and waved at me, waiting patiently for me to make it to them. "Brimiri, Kyle, good morning to you both. I wasn''t expecting to see you both this morning," I greeted. Kyle was the first one to reply. "Well you''re early today unlike yesterday" this statement drew me short, I''d left at the time that should have made me on time today. Having seemed to see the turmoil on my face, "You were on time yesterday, it was just something I said to rile you up, but you went straight into the work without a complaint, I was honestly impressed. Which leads to why Brimiri is here this morning, but I''ll let her tell ya." I said, and took a step back allowing Brimiri forward. "When I sent you here Syil, it was because I was angry and thought this a good punishment before you left for the academy. What I didn''t expect was you to rise to it and not complain. That takes a lot of maturity, young man." She spoke with a look of pride gracing her face that literally brought a glow to our surroundings. "So I''ve decided you''ve been punished enough, and Kyle here agreed. So today you''ll be with me Syil, then you''ll be ready for your trip tomorrow," she finished with a clap and turned to Kyle, gave him a nod and started to walk away. Quickly I did the same, wishing Kyle a good day and thanks. Brimiri was walking like a woman on a mission, and I had to almost jog to keep pace. Eventually we stopped at a clearing between the Wastes Boundary and St.Perri. Along the way I got another update on my Quest. --System Requirements Met-- -Quest: Take the day with Humility! -Requirements: 4/5 Met.
  1. Learn a valuable lesson and grow from it. Met
  2. Keep to your word! 3/3 Met
  3. Prove your dedication in a craft you find undesirable. Met
  4. Earn Kyle''s respect and Brimiri''s trust back. Met
  5. Pass Brimiri''s test!
--- Rewards: Variable --- Deadline: 1 day --- The System seemed to have taken Brimiri''s punishment as a quest for me to complete. ''I wonder if this is a normal thing or if the System quests are rare. And pass Brimiri''s test? What test?'' We stood there for a while just watching the sunrise, the sky filled with oranges and pinks. "Beautiful..." I said breathlessly. A chuckle to my right brought me out of my wonder. "Well Syil, for such a late riser you''re watching that sunrise with quite the smile." The grin left her face for a time, and eventually Brimiri spoke up. "I''ve decided I''m going to help you catch back up with the others who have already left,¡± her tone shifting into one of a strict teacher.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. She moved closer to me, stopping within a few steps. ¡°But I''ll only be teaching you defense, and judging by how beat up you were, you don''t have a Defense Card, so I have a gift for you Syil. I''ve had this Card for a long time, it was a gift for when it was thought I''d awaken as a Card Cultivator like the rest of my family. I want you to have it,¡± she held out her hand, a single Card present. Force Wall (UC), T1R1. Type: Active/Sustain. Affinity: Null, Guard, Null. -Effects: Well who needs a shield? Summon a wall, and maybe it''ll be a bit pushy ¨C Summon a wall of un aspected mana as a defensive ward that can only take Moderate Damage before failing. Anything that makes contact will have force placed against them. ¡ªNull Effect: Influenced by aspects of the user, disappears after being influenced. I didn''t know what to say, it was exactly something I¡¯d need going forward, I seemingly was an ADS (Additional Damage Support) in this world so far, and I couldn''t even protect myself, yet much less cast a spell. ¡°Brimiri I don''t know what to say,¡± but she cut me off. ¡°I don''t want to hear any humble retorts from you right now, accept this Card.¡± She left no room for error in this, her mind was made up, and I decided to respect Brimiri¡¯s request. ¡°Thank You,¡± was all I said as I took the Card into my Binder with a smile, then it felt like for a moment that my guts had shifted, then it was all over. ¡°That was a bit disorienting¡± I wobbled. Brimiri just giggled at my antics before going back to her Teacher mode. ¡°I''m told that''s quite common for a Null Card. Now Look at how the Card has changed to you, then we put you to practice till you leave.¡± With a sigh, I opened up my newest Card. Asteroid Wall (R), T1R1. Type: Active/Sustain. Affinity: Ice, Guardian, Space -Effect: You grew up learning about the solar system, and fell in love with the universe. Have your own Asteroid belt you cutie! ¨C Summon a defensive field of Spacial ice to act as a maneuverable bulwark (6 shards of Ice) ¡ª Each Shard of ice can take two blows of equal tier or one from a tier above. ¡ª- This Card has reached its Max potential having evolved from a Null Card. This Card can not be a part of a set. Tier and Rank still raise and unlock the potential hidden in this Card. -Cost: 15mp, 2mp per 10 minutes active without damage. Reload cost: 3mp per Shard regenerated, 1 second to form. Can only be used while at least one Shard remains after initial cast. While I was amazed at what the Card had become, even hopping up a Rarity rank. ¡°Now I''m sure the System is poking fun at me.¡± It was a dark corner of my life when I thought it would be easy to make my living studying the stars, but I hadn''t done that in this life. Brimiri tilted her head at me. ¡°Just the flavor text just seemed a bit pointed my last few Cards is all,¡± having heard this she started to nod sagely, and kinda failed at it in the process. ¡°This is something well documented among the Faith of Sacred Cards. Reward Cards, Null Cards, and Evolved Cards often do, as they came about through your actions and means. What many consider a saving grace is that only the owner of said Card can see such text unless the Card is out of the Heart Binder.¡± Without warning Brimiri shot an orb of light at me, just barely grazing past my ear. A light rustle of air was the only indication anything had passed. ¡°Start casting!¡± She shouted as orbs started flying my way a few at a time. Barely dodging, I finally get a cast off. 6 shards of ice start to form, then abruptly stop at the size of pebbles, when the orb makes contact it stops and disappears. Then the ice pebble shattered, and so did the other five. She didn''t let up on me till I ran out of mana to cast the spell, which was five times since miscast still uses mana. Panting and worn out I collapsed to the ground. ¡°That was only 20 minutes,¡± I pant. ¡°How would we do this all day? Meet up every hour and a half?" I ask and a mischievous look crosses her face for all of a moment. ¡°Oh just with this,¡± and as she finishes, a basket with a decadent smell appeared out of what I assume was her inventory. ¡°When I said all day, I meant all day.¡± Item: Trainers Meal. Type: Consumable Buff -Effects: Increase any Mana Regen below 10mp per min to 10mp per min for one hour. Inside the basket was twelve sandwiches, twelve hours of certain torture if the look in Brimiri¡¯s eyes is anything to go off of. ¡°I''m going to love these I''m sure, but I''m also sure I¡¯m going to hate what comes after.¡± I grumble, and Brimiri just smiles and nods. ¡°Guess I had this one coming, I''m ready.¡± And like that, the rest of the day faded into exhausting my mana over and over, dodging different assortments of light orb attacks, and I even managed to fully cast the spell halfway through the day. That was when the real training started, Brimiri doubled down on me after that, and before I knew it, my face hit the pillow of my bed and all thoughts ground to a halt. Chapter 8. Rewards and Goodbyes The next morning came with aching muscles, and a pounding headache. With a groan, I push my head up, hearing a *donk*, but just brush it off. ¡®My head hurts enough, I don''t need to imagine shit too.¡¯ After I got out of bed I just sat there for a while, leaned back in my desk chair. I noticed a blinking light in the corner of my vision the whole time, but I needed the moment to catch up. When I was ready I opened up my notifications. --System Requirements Met-- -Quest: Take the day with Humility! -Requirements: 5/5 Met.
  1. Learn a valuable lesson and grow from it. Met
  2. Keep to your word! 3/3 Met
  3. Prove your dedication in a craft you find undesirable. Met
  4. Earn Kyle''s respect and Brimiri''s trust back. Met
  5. Pass Brimiri''s test! Met
Reward: Withheld General Skills, a special General Skill, one Rank in practiced Skill. ¨CSystem info¨C ¡®That''s both helpful and not very helpful at the same time,¡¯ I sigh and carry on. ¨CGeneral Skill(s) earned¨C -Pain Resistance -Hemorrhage Resistance -Basic Blunt damage Nullification(U) -Stable Care -Defensive Movement. ¡°Well that''s neat, I guess but I''ll check those later. Since I''m taking off today, I should run by the stables one last time to help Kyle and thank him,¡± I outline to myself as I get dressed. ¡°Then I imagine Brimiri might have made me something to say goodbye and wish me well.¡± Taking one last glance at the new General Skills, something clicked. ¡°Ah, so I didn''t hit my head again.¡± I nod sagely and start on my short trek over to the stables. I decided to travel through St.Perri as much as possible to avoid the morning air, for at least a while longer. This added another 10 minutes to my walk, but I''d counted for that when I woke up. In what felt like no time at all, I arrived at the stables, or at least I had though I had. Where the stables had been was an empty lot, no signs that a stable had even been in this location. ¡°What magic bullshit is this?¡± I say with a shake of my head. ¡°Wish I had slept in now. Guess I''ll go run around the garden for a bit before the Gardners come out.¡± As I ran I took the time to really look at the garden, realizing the next time I see this garden, St.Perri at all, would be in 4 years. The thought left me feeling sentimental as I jogged, dodging around tools left out by the children that moved in a few days ago. ¡®Man, I just got back and it''s already time to leave again.¡¯ I stopped to stare at the herbs and spices the kitchen staff grew, smelling the peppers and mint before moving on again. I looked at all the changing colors of the flowers and trees, shifting from soft yellows to mellow blues and around to easy greens. A scene to showcase joy and kindness.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡®She always made sure we could stay positive in every little way and I didn''t notice,¡¯ coming to a stop in front of the cathedral, I sat down on the step and caught my breath. ¡°Early morning?¡± The question brought me up short. Brimiri had managed to sneak up on me while I was catching my breath, though to be fair the town could probably hear me gasping for air at the end of my jog. ¡°Yeah, I was going to help Kyle again but I somehow forgot how to get to the stables,¡± I returned. Brimiri just quirked her head in confusion. ¡°Why Syil, are you okay? We don''t have a stable at St. Perri. Who''d use the horses? we don''t have Knights stationed here.¡± I could have sworn her lip was quivering a bit but I wasn''t sure. ¡°I see, I guess I was still caught up in a dream this morning. Maybe after yesterday''s training I was thinking of an easier life.¡± I quipped with a smile. We slipped into a companionable silence, just watching as the dark sky began to be painted in morning hues. The morning air seemed just as companionable as well. Eventually Brimiri broke the silence. ¡°I''m going to miss you Syil, it''s very rare I spend so many years with one child like I have with you.¡± She paused for a moment as if trying to word her thoughts. ¡°It''s a tragedy what happened to you, but for what it''s worth, I''m glad I was the one to raise you.¡± She had to wipe her eyes. ¡°I know you''ll do well out there Syil, tricks and all.¡± She finished by giving me a tight hug that left my bones creaking. ¡®Systems above, she gives a tight hug for having one arm.¡¯ She let me go and I wheezed in a breath. Her blatant show of emotion froze me for a moment before I collected myself. ¡°I promise I''ll do my best to write, and if I can somehow visit before the end of the school term I will.¡± I said resolutely, a soft chime I barely registered in the background. ¡°Well I certainly hope so young man, it would be very unbecoming to stay out of contact,¡± she said with a stern face that quickly fell back into her normal joviality. ¡°But really Syil, just take things easy. Your first year isn''t supposed to be some hero story, but it''s also not going to be like preliminary school. I don''t believe I have to remind you about patience,¡± she added with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk. Taking the message she spoke to heart, ¡°Yes Ma''am. I''ll look before I leap next time. No, every time from now on.¡± I said with a wry smile. ¡°No Syil, that''s a life of paranoia. Just take your time, that''s all I ask. Now!¡± She shouted with a clap of her hands. ¡°We have to get you ready for the carriage, it gets here in an hour and you gave me plenty of time to get you packed. Now go bathe, you smell like a goblins armpit, and you really don''t wanna smell like that.¡± She started to walk off, quickly calling back. ¡°Be quick and come to the kitchen afterwards,¡± and she was off. Not wanting to waste any more time, I took off as asked. ___________________________________ I decided to lounge in the water for about 15 minutes before I got out and redressed. When I finished toweling my hair and the light hit the falling strand, I noticed my hair for the first time. ¡®Purple, no blue? Or is it both..¡¯ I carefully brought myself up to the mirror, taking my appearance in and feeling my breath catch. ¡®My eyes were dirt brown, now they''re ice blue and I think periwinkle? Cool.¡¯ I leaned closer admiring my new eye color. ¡®Glad I''m not blond.¡¯ I chuckled, moving onto my hair, it had turned a color that looked black till the light traced the strands, making them almost seem to sparkle in blues and purples. ¡°I feel like some kind edge lord left alone with hair dye,¡± I sigh, somewhat exasperated. ¡°At least the colors are cool. No, they¡¯re Awesome!¡± With one last glance I finished getting dressed and rushed to the kitchen. Brimiri was chatting with the other Sisters in the kitchen till she saw me walk in, and quickly beckoned me over to sit at the table with her. ¡°Sit Syil, I¡¯ll go grab your food.¡± She was gone with a swish of air and back in another, both her ¡®hands¡¯ holding their own loads, held by a literal air of joviality. ¡°Something for now and something for later.¡° She winked, having seemed to read my mind. ¡°It''s on your face Syil, you''ll need to work on that or you''ll get taken advantage of. Now eat!¡± She exclaimed with a slap on my back. She placed a plate in front of me with a full baked potato, two thick strips of bacon, and a hearty stack of pancakes. I could feel the drool pooling in my mouth and it took everything I had to not tear into it like an animal. Instead I took my time and enjoyed the flavor, noticing she hid honeycomb in the soft cakes. It was delicious and made the thought of leaving feel heavier, every moment closer to goodbye. We stayed silent all the way up till arriving at the carriage. It was comfortable, preferable even, as I don''t think I could have found the words capable of filling the silence. We didn''t feel the need for any more words, it seemed, as we parted with nothing more than one more hug and smile before I climbed into the carriage. I was the only one to get on at the moment so I decided it was time to go over some of the notifications I''ve been ignoring. Skill Up! Reward Allocated! Asteroid Field (R ), T1R1 ¡ú T1R3 -Effect: Summon 8 Shards of Spacial Ice as a controllable asteroid belt. Each Shard on proper cast can withstand 4 attacks of equal Tier or 2 attacks of one higher Tier. ¡®Nice. More shards, and I can take a few more hits. Now for the General Skills,'' but as I begin to pull up their description, a flash of green snaps into my awareness. Another passenger had arrived, and they were a Race i hadn''t encountered in this world yet ¡°Morn''n man, nice to meet cha¡± he said as he plopped down across from me and stretched his hand out, smile wide on his face showing sharp teeth. ¡°Radwin¡¯s the name, pleasure¡¯s mine.¡± Intermission 1. After a Kyle .Kyle''s PoV. It was an early morning, nothing different from any other day. Kyle was resting in the bell tower window, looking down at the cathedral gardens. He let out a proud sigh. ¡°Nothing like a quiet morning.¡± He nodded contently, but like most days his zen was interrupted by a deceptively joyful grunt. ¡°What can I do ya¡¯ fer today, Madam Brimiri? Though it is quite early, I must add.¡± Kyle grunted out. Brimiri simply chuckled before responding, ¡°Yes I know, Kyle, you lazy grouch. I was hoping you''d do your job as the disciplinary coordinator.¡± She finished with a slight shake of her head. Kyle just let words linger for a moment. ¡°Is it that boy who almost got his clock cleaned out,¡± Kyle spoke as a statement and not a question. She responded with a bone weary sigh. ¡°Yes, I want you to discipline Syilten. He''s one of the few who thought he''d be some top adventurer as soon as he awakened. He didn''t even try to test his Cards before he ran off to the Wastes Boundary.¡± She shook her head admonishingly. ¡°So give him something grueling, that most kids would be argumentative about.¡± He just sat there thinking, ¡®What kind of work do kids hate till they warm up to it?¡¯ As he thought, he perused all the General Skills he''d acquired over his time Cultivating. ¡®Hmm, that''ll do nicely.¡¯ ¡°Tell the kid to meet me at the ¡®stables¡¯ when he wakes up,¡± was all he said before he leapt for the gardens below. Brimiri just grimaced. ¡°Can''t he ever do something relatively normal for his exits for once, like I dunno, taking the stairs?¡± ___________________________________________ Kyle decided to get to work behind the Cathedral, near the pathways out and to the Admin building. ¡°This should do I think, or at least it should look like it belongs.¡± With a loud clap of his hands, the world filled with lights of brown, green, and faded orange. When the light faded, stables were standing tall in the clearing Kyle had just been facing, soft neighs echoing out. Kyle collapsed to his knees, breathing ragged. ¡°I swear, if that kid doesn''t learn his lesson, he¡¯s paying back with his mana.¡± He stayed there a moment, waiting on the blackness at the edge of his vision to start to recede. ¡°I better at least get one of her personal meals for this. Summoning is ridiculously draining,¡± he simply grumbled and headed inside to get everything ready. ¡®It''s gonna be a long few days, isn''t it?¡¯ __________________________________ It had been two days since Kyle had Summoned the stables, and there was still no sign of the boy he was supposed to be setting right. ¡°She''s probably getting a laugh out of this, not like she hadn''t noticed the energy I had to use on this.¡± Almost as if speaking about her had summoned her, Brimiri rounded the corner and set her sights straight on Kyle. She made sure to take her time as she sauntered over, a look of approval on her face as she walked up. ¡°Good morning Kyle, I like what you did with the place.¡± Her view looking over the stables, she furrowed her brow as she got closer. ¡°And you really made sure to set the scene¡± Kyle just smirked. ¡°Can''t handle a little stink,¡± he smirked. ¡°Or is it supposed to be a vacation punishment?¡± He asked while wiggling his eyebrows, to which Brimiri just brushed off. ¡°He should be waking up soon. His treatment took, but he needed to rest. When he gets up and has his lecture though, he''ll be straight here.¡± She held out a packaged box out to Kyle. ¡°Eat. This should recover the mana you''ve already used, and keep you topped off for a few days.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Thank you. Now git, I don''t like to be watched when I eat.¡± ___________________________________ Roughly 3 hours later, Kyle was resting against a pitchfork he had put in the dirt, as a young boy he had to guess was probably the average Awakening age, 11 or close to turning 12, with dark colored hair. He rushed up with a ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Sorry kid, Horses can be dangerous. Go play elsewhere.¡± Kyle wanted to see if the kid would persist, or take the offered out. ¡®Though his punishment would have to go up, if he did.¡¯ Then the boy spoke up. ¡°But sir, Brimiri told me I have to help in the stables until I leave for the academy.¡± ¡®Okay, he didn''t run off. That''s a good start.¡¯ ¡°So you''re what, 11? Unless I''m wrong, that''d mean I have you for a year.¡± ¡®Let''s see if that makes you sweat..¡¯ Kyle joked with himself. Yet, he seemed to take on a sheepish look before he replied. "No sir, I turned twelve two days ago, but I didn''t make the smartest of choices, hence why I''m here¡±. Kyle gave the boy an appraising look, making sure to drag it out to unnerve him. "Grab a pitchfork, I expect you here every morning till you leave before the sun has even risen, am I understood?¡± Kyle made sure to keep the boy''s eye contact till he heard a ¡°yes sir!¡± And they got to work. ______________________________________ Kyle was actually surprised by this boy Syilten, he seemed a bit arrogant at first but he did the work without complaints, even listened when Kyle gave him advice. ¡®Honestly I thought he''d leave when I used aura to push him slightly off balance into a pile of manure during the second mucking,¡¯ Overall, the kid was alright, Kyle thought to himself. ¡®I''ll teach him something honest tomorrow. Though he does have a colorful mouth,¡¯ he thought with a quick spit to the side, removing the bad taste from his mouth. ¡®He seems oddly satisfied. What a strange kid.¡¯ ¡°Alright, we''re done for the day,¡± he said, and sent the kid off. When the kid was far enough away, Kyle simply plopped down in his chair and went to sleep. _____________________________ Kyle decided he would see if yesterday was a one off just for the last day, when he saw Syilten running up, slightly unkempt. ¡®Guess even with help this morning, he still fell behind.¡¯ He chuckled and called out. ¡°You''re late,¡± Kyle reprimanded, even though the boy arrived 2 minutes early in his haste, stabbing a pitchfork into the ground and striding into the stables. Kyle walked to the last pen, the one he let get particularly nasty for today. ¡°Show me how we did it yesterday, but on your own this time.¡± Kyle just watched the emotions war on on Syilten¡¯s face, it jumped from disgust, to reluctance, to finally settling at reluctant resolve. He didn''t waste any more time before just getting to the task. ¡®Guess he decided it''ll just be better to get it over with, yet he''s still taking the right amount of time. Yep, he''s gonna get the skill for sure. Still, let''s make sure of that.¡¯ When the boy finished Kyle called out. ¡°Okay, enough of that for now. That was the only one that needed a good mucking still, though your hay laying could use some work, you use a little too much, but not bad for your first time alone. And after only a few other times, too.¡± Kyle walked up to his favorite of his horse summons. ¡®Spook him a bit girl, play the fool,¡¯ he sent the horse through their link. Kyle walked up to her, playing the regular stable hand routine, "You''ll always need to show them respect to receive it in return. If I had to guess, this is the lesson Brimiri sent you here for.¡± For the boy''s credit, Kyle assumed Syil didn''t notice his sharp flush. Kyle genuinely had to fight back a chuckle when he watched Syilten¡¯s first attempt at horse rearing and grooming. Kyle even played at having to calm her down, so he could try again. When he left his head bowed for 10 minutes, it took him every ounce of willpower to not start laughing hysterically. Instead, he nudged his stubborn summon forward, thus moving the day along. _______________________________ The next day, Kyle was relaxing. Far too early in the morning to be awake, he just had a feeling that he should be awake now. Kyle clicked his tongue when he realized the cause. Brimiri was walking toward him in usually cheery demeanor. Ultimately Kyle and Brimiri just discussed Syilten¡¯s actions and show of responsibility over the last couple of days, ¡°Honestly I think the kid had already learned his lesson, if anything I think this just helped him ground out. I''m not a therapist Brimiri, I''m a disciplinary commissioner.¡± Kyle was fighting a slight smirk. Brimiri actually seemed to take this at a pause for a moment. ¡°There I go again. Seems I tend to be a tad harsh when I''m being protective. I think I''ll run him through some training instead.¡± Brimiri beamed, but for Kyle the shiver that ran down his spine would freeze the tides. ¡°Yeah, you do that,¡± Kyle quickly said to avoid being dragged into this somehow as well. ¡°I''ll go back to my tower after the boy comes by.¡± ________________________________ They only really chatted for another hour before Syilten arrived, 5 minutes early on the dot. ¡®Glad to be right about the kid.¡¯ Syilten greeted both of them, and was even bold enough to enquire on them too. ¡®Children will be children.¡¯ After letting Syilten know he wouldn''t be working in the stables today, and quietly admitting he lied about Syilten being late yesterday, it was silent again, just as Kyle liked. ¡®Easier this way.¡¯ He clapped his hands, the stables fading from existence with far less fanfare than they came into this world with. ¡°Time for a nap,¡± Kyle said with a very serious look on his face. ¡®Hope she doesn''t kill the kid, I''m starting to like him.¡¯ ________________________________________ Kyle was bored. He hadn''t realized that the time he was hazing Syil, he was having fun. And now he was actually bored. This was an unacceptable turn of events for his naps, but a little fun comes at certain costs. Looking himself over, he nodded. ¡°If he sees through this, then he''s absolutely a genius, or hiding an Inspection Skill.¡± Kyle had borrowed a set of clothes from the coaches closet, he had to look the part of the coachman to see if he got any entertainment on the way, then he''d be back on his way to Tundras kiss, before Brimiri could say her full name 10 times fast without taking a breath. He took one last look in the mirror. ¡°Oops, that would have done it,¡± and with a snap of Kyle''s fingers, his hair changed to a soft fluffy brown and his eyes shifted to a soft green. Finally, he took a deep breath and let it out, his face seemingly sagging without tension. ¡°This will do,¡± his voice now older and haggard. Kyle just sat and waited for the time when Syil would arrive, but what he saw was a little odd to say the least. Brimiri was talking in soft tones that a cultivator could hear, but certainly not a child. Yet, the topics were directed at him. ¡®Poor Syil probably thinks that they''re walking in silence. Just wait a few years.¡¯ He smiled, noticing Syilten was just absent minded in general. After everyone who had purchased for the carriage that Kyle ¡®commandeered¡¯ for his super secret mission, they were off for Brittlemar. Chapter 9. Journey Start "Radwin¡¯s the name. Pleasures mine,¡± he said with a shaky smile. I noticed his hand was also twitching a bit. ¡®Guess he''s actually the nervous type.¡¯ I politely shook his hand back, the tension in his shoulders seemed to fade away at this. ¡°Name¡¯s Syilten,¡± I returned back, he began to chuckle a little. ¡°Seelie, then.¡± He seemed to have forgotten himself for a moment, chuckling. ¡°I jest I jest. But your name is ten seels?¡± He asked with honest curiosity, or at least I thought at first. I palmed my face at the question, letting out a bereaved sigh. If I didn''t hear him chuckling, I''d have given him a genuine reply. ¡°Ha ha very funny, and here I thought you were the shy type.¡± I jab back playfully just for Radwin to visibly wince. ¡®Okay, maybe just a quick bout of courage then.¡¯ ¡°I''m told my name has to do with the falling of snow actually,¡± I replied beaming, setting Radwins nerves to rest. After that, we sat in amenable silence until it was time to leave. Only 3 other passengers arrived, but they seemed to be all a part of their own group. I looked them over for a while before the coach took off, they seemed to be the kind of adventurers that I imagined in local stories. They all had pretty basic gear but well fitted and seemingly specific to their builds. As I look on, I assume their fighting styles. The girl in the group was casually just flipping her knives, while the two men with her just seemed to be having a light hearted but heated discussion like they were love rivals, which they very well could be. Radwin had also seemed to close up further into himself again when they arrived, moving to sit between me and the wall. It felt like a nice show of trust. He also didn''t stop taking glances at their potions when he could, every now and then his eyes going distant. ¡®Is that what it looks like when I check my notifications, too?¡¯ I ponder ¡®I''ll ask him when we get moving. Maybe.¡¯ _________________________________________ The ride was shaping out to be alright, we''d only been on the road for about 3 hours. Over that time I got to know Radwin more, and see the strange new scenery around us. Radwin told me how his father was one of the pricier Blacksmiths in town, and that his mother just graduated as a journeyman tanner. On his awakening day, he forgot what day it was and worked through his starter System Notifications trying to make new tanning solutions for her. The System took that as a hint when awakening his Soul Card, though he said seeing what the Card did would have to be a surprise, since we''re technically restricted to only being allowed to use our Cards and abilities under the guidance of an instructor for our first year. I told Radwin about growing up a bit at St.Perri and about Brimiri, about how hectic my awakening had been while leaving out more than a few of the stupid parts, also not mentioning my Rares. I even told him about the mysterious Kyle, at which I swear I heard the coach stifle a laugh. ¡®Suspicious,¡¯ is all I thought at the time. ¡°Sounds like you''re gonna have your work cut out for you, Syil,¡± Radwin said, having moved to my nickname over the course of our chat. ¡°You''re gonna hate hot places, that''s for sure though. At least until we get a bit stronger.¡± Radwin seemed to ponder something for a while. ¡°When we come to a rest, can I study your Cards or the ones you''re willing to show me? I know it''s a huge thing to show your abilities and that creates a vulner¡­¡± I held my hand up to forestall the rest of his words. ¡°Radwin, I promise I''ll at least give it some thought, but you''re right. That is very personal, and it''s not like I can show you privately, since I''d have to pull them from my binder to show you.¡± At this, Radwin seemed to deflate but also take on a confused look. ¡°Haven''t you ever been in a party yet? my Dad put me in one the second I finished my Awakening, you can share the details and appearance with party members. Only they can see them.¡± Radwin informed me, but it still felt smart to think on this. ¡°It''s still going to have to be a maybe, Radwin. I''m sorry, but ask me again after we hit the rest stop, should only be a few hours out. For now though, I think I should get caught up on all the notifications I was avoiding during my Goodbyes, and our chat,¡± I said and Radwin seemed to deflate before my eyes.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Ok¡­¡± was all he said. ¡®Okay, I¡¯ve been putting these off for long enough I think, what do you got for me now, System?¡¯ Name: Syilten Flykra. Race: Human Cultivation Path: Card Cultivator, (Error!) Level:0. Error:? Exp/Error: 0%/Error Tier:0 Affinities: Ice, Space/Error!(Temporarily seal by the system) MP: 90/100(90). %$^&#%¡Á:$/:¡Á2. Regen: 1mp per minute. Soul Card: Currently unstable and unformed. Binder: 1/7 *Ice Slash (C),T1R1. *Cold Resistance (C), T1R1. *Spacial Shot (C), T1R1. *Displaced Spear (UC), T1R1. Snowy Hare Pair (UC+) - Growth, T1R1. Asteroid Wall (R), T1R1. Unknown (HR), Error!. Deck 1: Unnamed Deck 6/20 Ice Slash (C), Cold Resistance (C), Spacial Shot (C), Displaced Spear (UC), Snowy Hare Pair (UC+) Growth, Asteroid Wall (R). General Skills: Pain Resistance, Homorage Resistance, Basic Blunt damage Nullification(U), Stable Care, Defensive Movement. Inventory: 1/10. One Meal made with Love. I stared at the sole item in my inventory for a moment. ¡®It''s gonna be a nice break when we get to our first stop. Now what are these General skills?'' I pulled up regular skills first, choosing to save the unique skill for last. General Skill Descriptions: Pain Resistance: -Effect: You''ve endured past your breaking points. ¨CIt''s far easier for you to remain composed when injured or exhausted. -¨CUnlock Condition: Survive a battle longer than 5 minutes in a Moderately injured condition, or Survive being brought back from Critical condition. Hemorrhage Resistance: -Effect: Blood is necessary for your life, hold it better. ¨CBleeding effects have a harder time taking root, less severe wounds won''t result in death. Extended period of time to get to healing from Severer -> Critical injuries. ¡ªUnlock Condition: Successfully survive after losing more than two liters of blood. Stable care: -Effects: You''ve become a novice stable hand. ¨CTasks related to stable care are less exhausting, work is more efficient in Stables. ¡ªUnlock Condition: Work in a stable for 12+ under a trained stable hand, or work 3 days in a stable. I nodded my head at what I saw. ¡®Not nearly as descriptive as Cards, but still very valuable. And it looks like the first two are the only blessings I''ll get for my dumb stunt.¡¯ Defensive movement: -Effect: You''ve begun your journey on learning the defensive arts, and it all starts in footwork. ¨CAll defensive skills are naturally enhanced based on practiced proficiency. ¡ªUnlock Condition: Practice under a trained instructor for 12 hours, or successfully deflect 10 blows while on the move in one combat. ¡®This one should be from training with Brimiri, and it''s a very useful skill. Hopefully I don''t have to make use of it anytime soon.¡¯ Before I could check my last General skill there was a sudden neigh from the horses, before the carriage toppled over. Scrambling to see what was going on, I noticed the coachman passed out on the ground with an arrow in his shoulders. ¡®Shit, just my damn luck. Is this funny to you, System?¡¯ The only thing I was thankful for, was that I didn''t seem to get injured like everyone else, for some reason . ¡®Problem for later,¡¯ I thought, quickly turning to the adventurers. ¡°Please tell me you can fight,¡± desperation filled my face. The female adventure that seemed to be the leader of their group spoke up in a hushed whisper. ¡°We can fight, but we don''t have our tank. We''re all dps and support, and I doubt a kid like you got lucky enough to get a Defensive Card to start out.¡± ¡°Actually I do, even have the Defensive Movement General skill, too.¡± I quickly said, regretting it instantly. ¡®I pretty much just volunteered to get myself killed.¡¯ Before she even replied, a shout rang out. ¡°Everyone file out of the carriage or you''ll end up like this poor sap,¡± said a muscular man dressed in pelts and leather strips, a two handed axe in his hands. He kicked the body of the Coachman. ¡°And don''t get any ideas.¡± ¡®What do we do?¡¯ I panicked, when I caught a near-silent statement. ¡°As soon as the kids come out, slit their throats. Those Cards will sell nicely.¡± My heart sped up. ¡°They plan to kill us for our Cards, why our Cards? Don''t they disappear with our binders?¡± I blurt out, but the lady adventurer is already getting her team in order, finally making eye contact with me. ¡°I''m gonna need that defensiveness from you, but you''re gonna have to play along with what they want first. Can you do that?¡± she asked me, the emotions on her face in constant conflict. She didn''t want to ask this of me. ¡°I''ll do my best ma''am.¡± My hands wouldn''t stop shaking, but I had a mission, and I would get out of here alive. Resolved, I stepped out with my hands held up. ¡°Please don''t kill me!¡± I pleaded, quickly getting thrown onto the ground in front of who I assumed was their leader. Chapter 10. Generals In Clutch I could feel the sweat pooling off of me, or at least, what I perceived as sweat. The air was caught in my throat, and no clear thought could form. Then I suddenly heard a shrill whistle and cast Asteroid wall immediately, two of the shards smacking the leader in the chin before I scrambled back. Everyone except Radwin had exited the carriage, but he looked like he was preparing something out of what looked to be a book. I took my position at the front like I was instructed, I still had all my shards but I was two hits down till they broke. ¡°Join!¡± I heard the party leader shout behind me. -The Cub Pack has invited you to their party. Accept Y/N.- I joined without hesitation as soon as the option showed itself. -You''ve joined The Cub Pack. -? -? -? -Radwin Roal. I quickly noticed that part of the screen told me who was in my party and their names, but only if I knew them. If I selected anyone specifically, I could see their health status. It really caught me off guard. -Party General Skills effects active- -Effects total, -20% weapon durability loss, -15% stamina cost, -5% mana costs, stealth is more effective, non attack spells are enhanced by +10% efficiency. ¡®I wonder if this is all the skills they have, or just the ones I can benefit from, being in a party. For that matter, I hope my skill helps them as well,¡¯ I thought, as something seemed to shift in me. ¡°Thanks kid, we needed that,¡± I heard after the sensation faded away. ¡°But, a kid like you really shouldn''t have these skills.¡± Her tone was almost sad. ¡°But I didn''t do anything,¡± I said, as I positioned the shard that was already about to burst to the front, blocking an arrow and dagger combo. I used the ice shattering as a quick smokescreen to reposition, as I started to channel and replace my missing shards.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡®So using them as attacks does count, good to know.¡¯ ¡°What do we do? I can only see three of them, but there are still two people firing on us.¡± The party leader lady just zipped for the tree line along the road, straight for where the arrow went. Watching her almost cost me a new hole in my stomach, and as I quickly moved two shards on instinct to block this blow, both shards shattered and threw me back by the force of them rupturing. The bandit leader, Or at least this band¡¯s leader, had deemed me the M.I.T (Most Important Target) and I hated it already. ¡®Thanks Brimiri you really saved me and you don''t even know it.¡¯ Everyone was tied up. Radwin was working furiously in what appeared to be a cauldron working on its own and the Cub Pack were stuck to their own devices. The female leader of the party was trying to flush out rouges in the trees, the men were pushing back six on their own with no advantage, and the Boss decided I was the target. ¡®Always a fucking tutorial boss.¡¯ I blocked his blows, missing some and taking others. I tried in vain to send out some feelers to help the others but my mana was running out, and I could probably only cast another Card or summon a few new shards. My mind was slipping, and only the fear Brimiri taught me had kept me on my feet. I''m not entirely sure what happened next. The leader kept coming at me, shattered all my shards, and backed off. One of the men watching on the side moved in from behind me to finish me off. On instinct, I cast Ice Slash, catching the blade and swinging in a bad parry, knocking the blade off course and slashing my arm a few inches from my shoulder. The spell wasn''t done yet as it continued to turn into a slash of icy energy that continued into the man''s throat. He sputtered and clutched at his slit and frozen throat before falling back. -You''ve Kil¡ª- I retched onto the ground in front of me, the shock of what that notification would say slammed me straight in the gut. This moment of self disgust almost cost me my life, as the leader rushed in to finish me off and he would have if not for a shiny blue vial smashing the ground between me and him, a frozen blast rushing out like a soft breeze around us. -You''ve received an area buff- -Effects: All ice skills are able to be cast at greatly reduced mana costs, reduced cast time for spells. I wasted no time and Summoned another Asteroid Wall, slamming all 8 shards into his body at once and sending him flying just behind the two men who had finished off the other five men, and slashing across his back with both their swords ending the confrontation. I could only lay there in the realization of what happened. ¡®I killed someone.¡¯ I started retching again for a while, a hand coming to rub my back calmly and reassuringly. For the second time in just a few days, I broke down into utter sobs. I''d never known violence, and video games only go so far. ¡®I''m a monster, I just wanted to stop him. Not kill him.¡¯ Before I could fully spiral, a sharp slap snapped me out of my panic. The female party leader, -I should really ask her name after that- was staring me in the eyes. ¡°Enough of that, it doesn''t serve you now. It speaks well of you that your first reaction is to detest the action of taking a life, but know this, he would have taken yours without a sliver of remorse.¡± She paused and pointed at Radwin who looked like he wanted to come over but wasn''t sure, the pacing marks on the ground he was walking in were similar to the ones next to me. ¡®Thanks buddy.¡¯ ¡°Your friend is certainly happy that you''re not dead, and I''m certain your family is as well. You''ll grow from this, if you take the right lessons from the situation.¡± She gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulders and went to help the men push the carriage back over, the coachmen already seeing to have recovered off to the side, nursing his wounds. And I just sat in silence taking in deep breaths, trying to find peace again. Chapter 11. Aftermath The Cub Pack helped move the carriage closer to the tree line. After the event that transpired, we wouldn''t make it to Brittlemar before the gates were closed for the night, so we''d be camping out about a mile up from where we were, to avoid predators coming for the blood. The Pack had also stripped off all the identification badges to denote their Cultivation Paths, as those were intrinsically linked to you by the System, and could be used to turn in bounties. You could always tell it was claimed rightfully, as when a wrongdoer dies, a red slash goes through the emblem, the more slashes the higher the bounties. These all were an arrangement of 1''s and 2''s with leaders having 4 total. It was decided that I would get 35% of the loot fairly distributed except for the bandit I dispatched. They gave me all his loot, one Card Emblem and 3 Cards that didn''t dissipate, but I couldn''t bring myself to look at them. I shoved them in my pocket. ¡®I don''t know if I want to put these in my binder.¡¯ I grimaced. I knew I was probably being silly, and maybe it was something that could help me now, but it felt wrong, tainted somehow, thinking about using the Cards gained through plunder, self defense or not. I numbly went to sleep on the floor of the carriage, deciding it was necessary. ___________________________________ -Radwin PoV- Radwin had his fair share encounters with interesting people, but Syil seemed to take the cake in almost all categories. He was calm with a somewhat arrogant air, but he seemed honest. And that honest kid, -his new friend- was suffering, reasonably so. ¡®It''s well known that we have to take out a bandit raid or two for the first year. Even my Pa made sure I''d be aware of that.¡¯ Syil however, had this air of purity around him, like fresh laid snow. Radwin had been the one to comfort Syil after his victory, but it probably wouldn''t feel like one. He''d stayed there till The Cub Pack reconvened from looting and assessing the damage, and Syil seemed to be spiraling down a dark rabbit hole. Syil just kept muttering rapidly in hushed whispers, to which he received a sturdy slap from the Party leader, her eyes only held remorse and sympathy, her words cutting, yet kind, to bring him back from the brink. After the battle was done, Radwin could only think about what he could have done better. He''d copied an aspect of Syil¡¯s spell to distill, desperately hoping to save them or give Syil an advantage. The only problem is the recipe update in his record never came, and without the recipe, the chances of the same effect coming out was low. Radwin was aware he''d always be a backliner with his skill set and natural proclivities, but he didn''t know how draining it felt only being able to watch till the right moment. He''d hated the thought of it when he''d awoken, and if not for the combat he''d just survived, would never have really understood the utility he provided. ¡®Next time I''ll be able to help him more.¡¯ Determination blossomed in Radwin. He''d be strong enough to never let his friends down. _______________________________The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I wasn''t sure how long I''d slept, but the morning sun was starting to peek through the treeline. It had seemed they decided to let me sleep instead of taking part in the watch. I was grateful, but felt more of a burden that way. I slapped my cheeks and took a few steadying breaths. ¡°I should catch up on notifications. System?¡± A tone on the verge of pleading. -You''ve Kil¡­- ¡°Not that one!¡± I screamed out. I could hear the others rushing to see what had happened. Radwin popped his head in first. ¡°Have a nightmare?¡± He seemed unsure of how to start, and we lapsed into silence. ¡°I think I''ll be alright, Radwin, just a few things I''m not ready to face yet,¡± I tried to reassure. My smile felt flat, even to me. ¡°I think I''ll just try to skim my notifications, and avoid the battle log for now.¡± Radwin gave me a knowing smile. ¡°I''ll be outside. If you uh, don''t want to be alone?¡± I didn''t even take the time to think it over. ¡°Thank you Radwin. I promise if it''s too hard to bear, then I''ll try to share the burden.¡± The words felt hollow, but they were honest. That seemed to have calmed him down, as he just waved a goodbye on the way out. ¡®I don''t imagine we''ll be here for much longer, let''s start back at my last General skill.¡¯ Basic blunt nullification (Unique): -You just never learn do you? Now, what did that poor ceiling do to you? And good job with those Bunnies champ. ¡ªBlunt damage below a certain percentage of your current condition is nullified. ¡ª-Unlock Condition: Just a Small Gift. It was a nice break from the usual fluff the System gave, it even gave me a chuckle I really needed. ¡°Yeah, I was being a real turd there for a bit.¡± -System milestone met- -General Skill Unlocked- Heightened Awareness. -Effect: You''ve run yourself to the brink time after time, or fought with desperate determination. -In the heat of battle, senses expand slightly. Rare moments of insight may take root. -Unlock Condition: Survive 3 close combats or Survive more than 20+ debilitating blows in one combat. -You''ve [Redacted] Exp earned: 24- ¡°The System seemed to try to be empathetic, but pushed the notifications anyways.¡± It was hard to fight the relief I felt. -Party Disbanded!- You are no longer in The Cub Pack Party. That seemed reasonable, since I wasn''t awake to share my Generals and Passives. ¡®I wonder when we''ll head off, I want safety.¡¯ Notifications handled for the time being, I tried to leave. The System had one last message for me. -Skill evolution path discovered. -Ice Slash ¡ú Chilling Ripost. Conditions: 1/50 riposts achieved with Ice Slash. It was a nice last pat on the back for what had been a horrifying experience. It was time to leave the carriage, and see when we would be taking off. The Cub Pack had built a fire during the night, and were sitting around it, chatting and having breakfast. They turned to look up at me, the Party Leader speaking up. ¡°We were just waiting on you, sleepy head.¡± The words came out with a reassuring smile. ¡°Won''t be much longer till we get back on the road, so just relax and we''ll take it from here, yeah?¡± ¡°Yeah, I''ll do that.¡± I hadn''t the spoons to do anything else yet. My mind kept going to the Cards in my pocket, jabbing little lines in my legs. ¡°It¡¯s Jessamine, my name, that is.¡± She pointed at the two men next. ¡°Rough looking one on the left is Rook, he''s mute and swears mostly in sign language. On the right we have Laurance, don''t let his looks fool you, thin and meek he may look, he can clean out your coin purse during a game of cards.¡± Rook just grunted, while Laurance just chuckled, giving me a thumbs up.