《Adventuring 101: Class is in Session》 Chapter 1: Birth of a nobody A worn out mother lays on an old rickety bed resting, less than 2 hours ago she gave birth to a beautiful little boy, but she was only allowed to see him for a few moments before the medical team ripped him away¡­ she was not given any information, but she could hear the doctors mutters. 2 burning candles dimly light up the room, outside the stars are the only light source around as the moon was hiding this night. In bigger towns and city¡¯s magical light can be found but not out here in the middle of nowhere. Right next to the bed, the father of the recently born child is trying to comfort the mother but not knowing what is going on himself there is not much that he can do. The father is a lanky tall figure, pointed ears hiding behind his black curly hair. His grayish blue eyes not leaving his exhausted love, it is easy to see even with her laying down she is much shorter than the man about 5 foot to his 6.1. Her hair bright red, mixed with sweat from the nights¡¯ events, gently cascades over her broad shoulders, her eyelids are closed, resting for the moment obscuring her sparkling green eyes. Breeding between 2 separate races is not impossible, as shown by the birth that has taken place this night, though it does require magical assistance, the kind that does not come cheap. There is also the added birth tax the Capital city adds to any non human races offspring. The newborns parents have been saving for years just for this moment. Their house, if you can call it that, only has 2 rooms, the bedroom the mother and father are in, a thin piece of wood separates the rooms. The other room takes care of the rest of their necessities. The only furniture is the bed, a few half broken chairs placed around and in the room the doctors are in there is a small table that is currently holding the doctors and nurses bags. There was originally 1 doctor and 1 nurse helping deliver the baby, in the 2 hours since the birth another doctor and nurse have joined but what exactly they were discussing was lost to the parents, at least until the new doctor entered the bedroom. The doctor that entered was a tall man, even taller than the Father, the doctors¡¯ hair is the color of the sun and eyes the color of the sky, he was almost too perfect. Overall he is a lean man, but very recognizable to anyone in the village of Hazen, he was Faysal, the magical aptitude doctor sent from Ryse, the capital city to the north. Most families were given a week at least to bond before their newborns had to go through their magical assessment, something was not right.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "Ah Mister and Missus Selk, I do not believe we have been properly introduced, I am Faysal Philips, as I am sure you know it is my job to evaluate every newborn in Hazen and determine what jobs or future their magic will be put to best use." Faysal introduced himself in a calm but assertive tone. The Selk''s remained quiet waiting to hear the reason as to why this man was here. "I was rushed here to examine a strange¡­ phenomenon. Your son was born with no observable magic, no palm lines, no foot lines, a complete blank slate. I personally have never seen this and have only heard of 1 other recorded instance of this ever happening in our history." Faysal paused there allowing the parents to process what they have just heard, that is when Mr. Selk spoke up, "What, what does that mean for my son, what can be done for him." He was able to keep his tone calm but a mix of anger, sadness and many other emotions are stirring inside of him. For the first time Faysal looked less certain and showed concern, ¡°As I mentioned before this is an extremely rare circumstance, after examining the patient and reviewing notes from the last time something this rare has happened I have to agree with the methods that were used the last time, I believe the most humane thing to do would be to end your newborn son''s life before he has to deal with the consequences of his birth. The only destiny I could provide him given that he has no magic would be an adventurer, since adventuring is the only real open ended pathway, but without magic no groups or training schools will want to take him and he will have no defense against the many threats out there. I¡­¡± Missus Selk interrupted him before he could go any further. ¡°This is my first born, my first born SON! Things come easy to full blood humans like you, but my husband and I may never have the opportunity to bear another child¡­ please give my son the adventurer''s destiny, please keep his secret¡­ Please do not let us lose our child.¡± Tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled to get the words out. Faysal was quiet for a long moment after hearing the mother''s plea, a million thoughts running across his mind, he muttered ¡°I should not do this, what am I thinking.¡± He paused again, looking around to make sure the other doctor and nurses were not close enough to hear and lowered his voice. ¡°I will give him the destiny of adventurer, but you all must go far from here, far from Hazen, far from Ryse¡­ if you want him to have even close to a normal life that is your only chance, all I need is his name and I will help you, or I will try at least.¡± The tears turned to tears of joy as the Mother responded, "He is our gift, our light, our hope, our future, our everything. He is Hyro." Chapter 2: Interlude: Faysal Faysal knew he made a mistake, the King of Ryse was strict and would not agree with Hyro¡¯s lineage, let alone his magical aptitude, or lack thereof. Hyro should not have been allowed to live. He never agreed with the King''s views though and knew someone at sometime had to try and make things at least a little more right. The ordeal with the Selk''s made Faysal think of his sister and the problems and prejudices they faced as human and an Elf¡­ It seemed like only yesterday but it was close to a year ago now. ¡°Harper, I know you love him but the king is getting more strict with interracial couples having children, this will put a target on your back, as you have seen. Many of the citizens share the king¡¯s views sadly.¡± Faysal was standing in a dimly lit room, a magical light on an end table the only thing fighting back the darkness. At the table across from him was a female that had the same golden hair and blue eyes that Faysal had, she was a tad shorter but nearly identical to her brother. Tears were running down her face as she finished cleaning the tomato residue from her hair. Harper replied with a hint of anger and frustration in her tone, ¡°We have talked about this Fay, Jeatrue and I are not going to change our minds, no jerks throwing food will change it either. The ceremony has been completed. We may have the means to afford it but still it was not cheap, we paid for the help because this is what we want. We already have more love for our child than we ever will for King Palmer.¡± ¡°Do not say such a thing out loud!¡± Faysal quickly interrupted his sister, ¡°You never know where our great king may have eyes and ears, especially here in Ryse.¡± Harper gave Faysal a look of disgust and replied with heavy sarcasm ¡°Oh yes, our GREAT KING, my mistake¡­ Fay I don''t know what to do but I promise you this child will be entering this world, hopefully a better version of it. Please help us.¡± Faysal was speechless for a long moment not sure how to help, then it came to him, the answer that he did not want, ¡°I know a better place, go south, east of the Terraqua academy, I have a Colleague, Garry In Faras, a nice town there. I will send A message to him ahead of time so he knows to expect and help you get adjusted there.¡± ¡°It will be hard to leave home, to leave you but we do not belong here. Thank you Fay.¡± Harper replied. ¡°Someday, someday I will see you again and meet your child¡­¡± ¡°Enris.¡± Harper spoke the name allowed to the world for the first time with tears still rolling down her cheeks, ¡°Enris Ramey.¡± While thinking about his final moments with his sister, Faysal''s mind drifted back to Hyro and his parents. Something about this newborn mothers plea reminded him of his sister and he could not take away that child, though now he has started regretting that decision. He thought he had the paperwork covered, labeled the boy as only ¡®Half-elf, Half-Human¡¯ as opposed to ¡®Half-elf, Quarter-Human, Quarter-Dwarf¡¯ which he was. Faysal even listed his magical aptitude as ¡®basic self enhancement, power, endurance, perception,¡¯ nothing too threatening on the power scale but enough to warrant at least an adventurers¡¯ destiny. Everything he could think of to cover his own, and the Selk family¡¯s tracks he did, and yet here he was, barely a month after he told the Selks¡¯ to leave, he had a meeting with the Duke of the Village of Hazen, Duke Preft, no description of what the meeting was about just that he had to attend. The Duke''s estate was nothing compared to the King''s castle in Ryse but that was to be expected, Hazen was only a fraction the size of Ryse, one of the smallest territories the King has control over in the area. Compared to all of the other buildings in the village, the estate easily towered over them and had about as many guards as were set for the town watch as well. Faysal entered the Large stone double doors and was being guided by 3 guards up a spiraling staircase they stopped after only going 1 floor up though the staircase continued. Being led down a wide hall filled with pictures of past Dukes, Kings, Queens, everyone important in the known history, they eventually reached a wooden door blocking the entrance to the room at the end of the hall. Opening it the one guard spoke up ¡°Wait in here, The Duke will be in to see you when he is ready.¡± Faysal could not help but chuckle to himself despite his predicament, his nurses would say something similar when he was not ready for a patient. This was a fairly odd room for the type of meetings he is usually brought in for. There were still pictures hung up on the wall though all of these seemed to be of different, especially skilled individuals in Duke Preft¡¯s employ, top rank soldiers, crafters, enchanters, weathermancers, healers, almost every group was accounted for. There was a large rectangular table with 10 chairs, one at each end and lining the sides of the table; a few extra chairs were around the entrance to the room, presumably for guards. Knowing better than to take an end seat, Faysal took a seat in the middle of one of the sides and waited, and waited, and waited. After what had to be at least an hour and a half of waiting the door finally opened, Faysal¡¯s stomach dropped as the uneasiness of having the most powerful man in town right in front of him set in. Duke Preft was a pretty normal man, Short brown hair messily tossed around, he was shorter than Faysal by at least a foot but had an intimidating presence to him. The Duke entered with 4 guards, 2 took the chairs by the entrance, the other 2 stayed behind him, and 2 other people both about as tall as the duke but covered in black robes with hoods that made most of their features indistinguishable. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Ah Faysal, I am glad you were able to make it¡± the Duke said, taking a seat at the end of the table, his 2 advisors took seats next to him opposite of Faysal. ¡°When our Capital city of Ryse sent you to us I was told to expect great things from you but I must ask, do you know why I asked you to this meeting today?¡± Not being an idiot Faysal knew he should not admit to anything until he knew what the Duke knew so he simply responded, ¡°I am sorry I have no idea why sir.¡± The Duke frowned at that response and spoke up again, ¡°Let me ask you this then, do you respect me, our King Palmer in Ryse, the laws he has set forth that has made his kingdoms and the lands he rules over so great?¡± With that question Faysal knew his suspicions were correct, not that there was much he could do about it now, ¡°Of course I respect you, our great king and all the laws he has set forth.¡± Grinning like a cat that caught a mouse the Duke stared right into Faysal¡¯s eyes, ¡°Good then you will tell me everything I need to know about a birth that took place about a month ago, one that has your signature on all of the paperwork, including the delivery report, I was not aware we had you doing anything besides assigning destinies.¡± Over the next few hours Faysal was questioned doing his best to explain what he could without incriminating himself or the Selk¡¯s in any illegal actions, it was clear by the questioning that someone that night had spoken up. It is not too surprising, but he was hopeful that telling the other medical staff there that night that he would ¡®take care of the grunt work¡¯ would be enough to stop any of them from thinking about the outcome. To Faysal¡¯s somewhat relief almost all of the questioning was about the childs¡¯ lineage, the fact that he was not just a ¡®Half-elf¡¯ like described in the paperwork and nothing really too deep in the magical aptitude. He was questioned why the aptitude test was done so soon, which Faysal responded the same way he did for the question regarding why he was there in the first place, ¡®experienced medical staff are in short supply, especially at night in such a remote location as where the Selk¡¯s lived, since he was there already he figured he would save a return trip and get everything taken are of at once.¡¯ He tried to blame the mix up of races on the dark and late time as well until he remembered the Duke had access to his magical ability list, which includes race identification, a number of life sustaining abilities, a night vision spell and a magical flow sight. Faysal did his best to avoid topics where his own spells could get him in trouble, he tried to blame a lot of his faults on his incompetence and being tired, in hopes that would keep him out of trouble. And it just might have until Duke Preft started the final line of questions. ¡°Lastly I would like to hear your input on the boy''s magical aptitude, surely with self enhancement a few destinies could have been better for the young, mix bread, than ¡®Adventurer¡¯.¡± Faysal was quick on his feet with this one, ¡°The boy''s parents requested it, there was a great adventurer in his lineage apparently and when there are not that many choices I like to let the parents help decide their childs¡¯ destiny.¡± He lied. ¡°Understandable I suppose,¡± the Duke paused for a moment, one of the Cloaked figures whispering in his ear before continuing, ¡°Oddly enough though another doctor that claims he was there that night swore to seeing something different, that the boy was different.¡± Faysal froze, he was finished, no lying or clever talks could help him now, the newborn and his family are nowhere to be seen, a sworn statement from another doctor means there were those with the magical ability to sense lies when he gave it, and one or both of the advisors were probably doing that here or now. Faysal looked down in defeat and just tried to avoid execution at this point, ¡°I was weak, I apologize for my actions, I will accept any punishment you have for me, my Duke.¡± Head still lowered, Faysal hoped it was not too late for an apology. ¡°So it is true then? This mongrel child had no magic lines, no magic in him at all?!¡± The Duke asked with a bit of worry and anticipation in his voice. ¡°None that I was able to find Duke Preft.¡± Faysal wanted to say more but knew in this moment less would be better for him. ¡°Do you know where the boy and his family have gone?¡± The Duke pressed. Faysal noticed the other robed man move slightly, they were definitely spell checking his answer this time, at least he did not have to lie, ¡°I am sorry my Duke, I do not know.¡± The Duke slammed his hand on the table, ¡°Abyss! You are lucky you are so liked in this village, an execution without reason might start a riot and I can not very well tell everyone what you have done. Guards lock him in the dungeon, we will see how long he can survive down there, and start a search for this ¡®Hyro Selk¡¯¡± The Duke said tasting his name in his mouth for the first time,¡± I want him and his family dead or alive¡± Faysal was drug out, down many stairs to a dark, damp dungeon with only one thought left in his mind ¡®Why did the Duke care so much about a magicless mixed breed¡­¡¯ Chapter 3: Early life Hyro¡¯s Mother, Bertrude Selk, and his Father, Sylvin Selk, did as the doctor suggested, they fled. They did not have many possessions which made traveling easy, luckily while their spells are weak Sylvin has the ability to locate water and other survival based abilities. His abilities are why they were able to survive being outcasts and with so little, there are not many jobs that need that skill set, not anymore anyway, and Sylvin never had the heart or build to want to try the adventuring lifestyle out. Bertrude did have minor enhancement abilities, able to strengthen metal. She worked for the master smiths¡¯ apprentice¡¯s before Leaving Hazen, her biggest downside is none of her spells added permanent effects, they were all temporary. Still, they made their way from Hazen opposite from Ryze, traveling south for many moons, doing their best to stay on the safe main roads, passing many small towns and villages along the way. Finally they reached the southern coast, well out of the Ryze territory, to their new home, the port village of Aquarine. Aquarine was an independent village, as many port villages were, it made for easier and more reliable importing and exporting of goods. Of course they made trade deals and even paid some taxes to neighboring capitols for protection and other services, but they had their own government not ruled over by any major nation, perfect for raising a newborn baby that shouldn¡¯t have been allowed to live. Aquarine also has the advantage of being surrounded by forests, extra protection but forests also hold their own dangers. There are 2 safe passages out of and into the village, the northern passage the Selks came in on and the sea which bordered the whole southern border of Aquarine. The less dense forest to the east also held the closest Adventuring School for at least a week''s travel, Terraqua academy. Much of the basic knowledge one needs to know is taught from the family members, then on the 14th birthday, children in the land of Orabis, what the locals call their world, come of age and choose their path from the destinies assigned to them at birth. Each child is then either entered into schooling, placed with a master or trainer, or are put immediately to work depending on each specific destiny. Bertrude, for instance, started her training under a master smith for 2 years before finding her own employment, Sylvin on the other hand was put right into the role of gathering food for a local merchant. Hyro grew up like many other children, his parents taught him the ways of the world, the ways of survival. He was also taught to constantly hide his hands the best he could. Wearing gloves or covers would give him away so he was taught other methods, sleight of hand, distraction, anything and everything to keep him unnoticed. Throughout most of his formative years Hyro did not socialize with many people outside of his immediate family. His mother was over protective, which made sense given the situation surrounding his birth. His father on the other hand knew Hyro was going to have to be as strong as possible to survive his destiny and did everything he could to teach and prepare his son. Bertrude eventually found a job similar to what she had in Hazen, assistant to a blacksmiths¡¯ apprentice, not the most glamorous of jobs but it was something, Sylvin was only able to find work as a dockworker, loading and unloading ships, grueling work but he needed to do something. Life seemed to go well enough for many years, but then came the day the whole family was dreading. Hyro would be turning 14 in just 1 week''s time, and with Adventuring being the only destiny available to him, he will start school at Terraqua, that is, if they will have him. The biggest issue with choosing Adventuring as your destiny is that usually it is reserved for the cream of the crop. While anyone can technically become an adventurer it is an extremely dangerous path, adventurers¡¯ need the most training and guidance of any path because they have to be able to handle any situation on their own or in their team set. By law adventuring squads have to be from 1-4 people for easier traveling and exploring, and so one group does not become too powerful. Not many are brave enough or skilled enough to explore solo but it has happened, those who succeed at soloing usually become legends in their own right. Adventuring has the highest number of casualties, especially with younger members, all of this danger does come with a good bit of notoriety however. Being an adventurer grants you access to most towns and locations, passing adventuring school proves you can handle the world so no borders or guards usually stop a full adventurer on their path, at least not for long. Adventurers abide by their own laws, no matter which school they graduate from, Adventures are their own governing body, granted to each adventurer from the high consil of adventures. Because of all the difficulties and rewards granted to an adventurer, most schools have a very rigorous admission process and only the most naturally talented or best spell sets are granted admission, this posed a problem for Hyro. Luckily for Hyro, after you are born until your coming of age, not many people pay attention to your hands or feet lines, they just go off of what family and the birth papers say, and he had his sleight of hand training. Unluckily for him, there is an ability aptitude test for adventuring school. Hyro is also not the most fit or bulky, due to his heritage he is kind of a mixed bag, he is slender like an elf, not as tall as an elf or most humans though, closer to his mothers 5 foot height so far. His ears only have the slightest point to them unnoticeable by most unless under close observation and he usually tries to hide it under his curly black hair. Hyro also has a rare condition, again most likely due to his heritage, Heterochromia iridum, his right eye is the grayish blue of his father, and his left eye the sparkling green of his mother. None of those traits will be able to help him get into adventuring school however. Since he turned 10 and was able to start understanding his destiny and the complications that come with it, Hyro, started teaching himself a form of magic, not the kind that everyone else has access to, he learned to use his sleight of hand to do tricks, things to make it look like he can do more than he really can. He also learned some alchemy on his own just by trial and error, despite his parents warning him of the dangers, and despite some... fiery outcomes. Hyro would forage the nearby forest every chance he got for anything that he could use for his alchemical experiments. Hyro hoped that mixing those two skills he may be able to sneak his way passed the initial tests, but only time would tell.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Despite not having real magic, or perhaps because of it, Hyro studied anything and everything he could since he was old enough to read. One of the things he loved to read up on was what normal people were able to do. There were many books free to the public on hand lines and the ability each one had, many things, even small, coud change a line''s power. How long it was, when and if it curved, if multiple lines connected, there were so many possibilities it was overwhelming to most, but, Hyro drank it all in. Hyro even read of some people who were able to still use magic even after serious scarring or amputation, either only using feet line or simply remembering their own hand patterns and simply tracing where the lines used to be. Of course this led to a time where Hyro was overly hopeful and tried to use many different types of magic tracing where he would ¡®imagine¡¯ lines, he must have tried millions of combinations, unfortunately nothing ever came of this. To actually use magic there were 2 parts needed, one had to have the necessary line available and know the word of power to activate the magic. Each spell, after being used, had a cool down where the line would disappear and reform when it was ready again. For most people remembering words of power was not too hard since most people only had a select amount of powers, usually the same on each hand and each foot. For Hyro, there were times he thought his head was going to explode with knowledge because he wanted, and needed to know EVERYTHING. If he, by some grace of the Gods, managed to become an adventurer he needed to know what each word of power could do to know what to expect from his possible adversaries, he thought of it simply as survival preparation. Hyro had 2 weeks left to prepare for admission to Terraqua academy, he would be turning 14 in a week, but the next entrance exam, held 3 times a year, was a week after that. He used all the time he could to come up with a plan, and after much deliberation, he thought he may actually have a shot. He knew from his research that the entrance exam had 3 parts, Physical examination, Mental evaluation in the form of a written test and a tournament between all applicants. Hyro did not fear the mental evaluation, it was the other 2 parts that would pose an issue, especially since there was no real age requirement to become an adventurer. Yes most tried to gain access as soon as possible to allow for the most training time and most time to grow but this was not always the case so he could be up against anything. For the tournament he really put his alchemy to good use, knowing that there were common spells for fire and acid attacks he put most of his time and resources in making miniature vials of his own versions of a fire spell and an acid-like poison spell. They would not be the most powerful but the school had almost every weapon available for use as well so he thought with enough vials and a decent longsword that he may just make it. The vials were easily hidden in a handmade compartment in his cloak, his parents showed him to do simple sewing from a young age since they made most of their own clothes. He had much of the knowledge on how to wield and use a sword, and had some muscle behind him, but rarely used one, so that was his biggest focus in the 2 weeks, hitting trees mostly, he practiced as much as he could with a rusty old longsword his mother brought home one day. The physical examination was his biggest concern now. His 14th birthday came and passed without much commotion, no one really wanted to celebrate what could possibly be Hyros last birthday. The day after he was hit with what he thought at the time, was a brilliant idea, and it possibly might give him what he needs to pass the physical examination, as long as they did not employ someone who could read or sense a person''s magical aptitude. When both of his parents were out at work so that no one could stop him, Hyro went outside and made a small campfire. After the embers were roaring hot, he grabbed a burning torch sized log, and before he could talk himself out of it, wrapped both hands over the burning hot flames. The pain was more than anything he felt in his short life, but he could not stop there, fighting through the pain he took his already bare feet and did a similar process, stepping on the fire. The pain was so much for his young body but he fought it until he knew the scarring would be enough to hide his hands and feet. Just like he read in the book before, he would claim to be able to use his magic lines even with burns and scar marks on his hands and feet. He knew it would eventually heal, he just needed it to be bad enough in 6 days time when the examination came. Once he believed the burns were deep enough he drenched his hands and feet in a small nearby river and almost immediately passed out from the pain with a slight grin on his face. His mother came home first and when she saw the smoke from the fizzled out fire and saw her baby boy she had a mix of emotions, how could such a smart boy do something so stupid, she was worried more than anything though. She picked him up and took him inside right away and wrapped his hands with spare cloth. When his father came home Hyro was still passed out but Sylvin knew what Hyro was trying to accomplish, and while he wished Hyro did it in a more, safe way, with him around, Sylvin felt a small rush of pride, his son may just have what it takes to make it in this world. Chapter 4: Terraqua Entrance Exam The morning of the exam finally came. Hyro used his final days to heal and continue brushing up on his abilities with the longsword. Only the staff of the academy, current adventurers, current students and applicants were allowed on the grounds so Hyros parents took him as far as they could, as did most of the other parents. ¡°Be careful, remember if anything is too much for you we can always find another way or try another year.¡± Hyro¡¯s mother said. His father put his hand on his son''s shoulder, ¡°I know you have what it takes son, like your mother said be careful but also, be amazing like I know you are.¡± ¡°I will be careful, mom, dad, and I will do my best!¡± Those were the last words Hyro said before hugging his parents, tears rolling down their faces. He went off on his way to the academy grounds. The walk to the entrance of the school did not take long, there were a handful of others, mostly young, boys and girls walking to the school, a mix of races present. Humans, elves, dwarfs, gnomes, and some Hyro could not even fully identify. Truth be told, even the ones he could identify he did not fully trust, they could easily be mixed races or just look like something they were not. Heck he did not even fully trust that what he perceived to be boy or girl was accurate. He did not want to assume anything going into the exam, after all any of these people may be a competitor in the coming tournament. His hands and feet did not hurt anymore for the most part, they were just badly scarred. He kept white clothlike bandages on them anyway, both to hide his hands and, to be honest, he thought it made him look cool. Upon entering the front door to the Academy everyone was lined up. Hyro was not near the front of the line but that was okay with him, at the front seemed to be a few that were a little too eager. Most notably was what looked like a Human male with short spiky golden hair and a somewhat smug smile. Hyro was close to the end of the line, now that it appeared everyone was here he could tell there were 12 total applicants for the coming exams, on average 1 out of 3 made it into the school, so maybe 4 of them had a shot. This is going to be hard, Hyro thought to himself as a somewhat elderly gentleman wearing blue robes with a long white beard and no hair on the top of his head came out to greet them. ¡°Hello and welcome to this year''s second Entrance exam for Terraqua Academy! I am the Head of the academy, you can call me Buck, we do not do that formal thing here, just names or nicknames, whatever. We will provide you all with more information on what to expect once we are inside so please, hold any and all questions until then. Once you enter these doors there will be no going back until the exam is over. You will find Tracy inside, give her your information and proceed to the first room to the right. I will see you all inside.¡± Then as quickly as Buck came, he was back inside and gone. The line started to move, one at a time everyone moved in and gave their name, race and age to Tracy. Tracy was what looked to be a little halfling woman, almost looked like a child but the way she held herself let everyone know she was older and more authoritative. Hyro was too far away to get the people towards the front''s information but he was able to get the 2 in front and behind him. First was a tall, short brown haired Half-elf, he was rather soft spoken and seemed shy, or scared. ¡°I am, umm, James, James Underling I am a Half human, Half elf and I am ummm 14.¡± Tracy just said ¡°Next!¡± and moved the line along. Next was a short dwarf person with long brown hair, but no facial hair at all; they spoke with a somewhat gruff tone, but much more confidence than James. ¡°I am Brutey, A dwarf, and I am 15.¡± Tracy nodded, ¡°Next!¡± Hyro stepped up, ¡°Hryo Selk, Half Human, Half elf (he lied to go along with his birth papers), I am 14 years old.¡± Again Tracy nodded and called for the next applicant, Hyro moved on but was sure to keep his ears open to get more information. After him was a very small boy about the size of Tracy with a pointy nose, ¡°They call me Gribby, I am a Gnome thank you very much, and I just turned 16.¡± Gribby said confidently. Last was a feminine elf, a little taller than Hyro with fire red hair that flowed down her shoulders. ¡°Cynthiana-Escolade, Cynthia for short, I am Elvan, 14 years old.¡± Hyro could hear Tracy then close the book she was writing in and raced past him to the room they were all heading to. The room was set up like a classroom, chairs and desks filled most of the room all pointing towards the front. Almost all the seats were taken at this point so Hyro just grabbed an open one next to James and waited for things to start. Shortly after Hyro took his seat Buck entered and stood at the front of the room next to Tracy and 3 other People. The man closest to Buck was a Tall, thin man with flowing blonde hair and long ears that pointed out of his hair. Next to him was a shorter, bulky man with a braided beard and short brown hair. Lastly was a fairly plain looking female, no makeup, black hair with a few strands of white poking through. Buck spoke up, ¡°Welcome again, now that the formalities are out of the way we can really begin. The 3 Advisors next to me will introduce themselves in a moment, we will give a small layout of the day''s events, most should be a recap of what you should already know but we always like to make sure everyone knows what to fully expect. First though, again, welcome to Terraqua academy, we take adventure education very seriously here, only the best and most cunning can gain entrance. For us Adventuring is life, and life is hard, that is our motto, live by those words.¡± Buck paused to allow everyone to grasp his opening words. ¡°Today''s events are split into 3 parts. First you will each be taken to our examination room one at a time for a basic physical examination. I will allow our examiner to explain more.¡± The tall man stepped forward, ¡°Hello everyone¡± he said in a soothing voice, ¡°I am Extrial. The physical examination is fairly simple, we see how much weight you can lift, check that you are medically in decent enough shape and lastly, check your magic lines to make sure your skill set is up to the task of life.¡± Extrial was brief and to the point. Buck spoke up again, ¡°After the physical exam is the Mental aptitude examination.¡± He nodded to the shorter gentleman to take over. ¡°I guess that is my cue,¡± he said stepping forward, his voice a gruff tone. ¡°I am Hurly, I will be your proctor for todays¡¯ Mental exam. Expect all sorts of stuff here folks, most are real world issues you could face out there, I hope ye are all ready!¡± Hurly took a step back and Buck took over again. ¡°Lastly we will have everyone¡¯s favorite part, the tournament!¡± Buck nodded to the last person and let her take over. Stepping forward she had a voice that had a sly tone to it. Walking forward she spoke up, ¡°Hello, I am Valda, I oversee the tournament. This tournament is only to observe ability and potential. Medical staff will be on the sidelines in case of emergency and any acts deliberately meant to fatally wound or kill another applicant will be dealt with immediate disqualification and will be turned over to local authorities. The Tournament itself, with 12 applicants, each of you will have 3 matches, there is no real scoring or overall winner, but the winner of each match with fight the winner of another match and losers face losers, If you win your second match you¡¯ll then face a winner and so on. Keep in mind, you could win all 3 or lose all 3 and still be accepted or denied nothing is guaranteed from the tournament. That is enough for now, we will explain more later.¡± Valda said, stepping back. Buck took over the show once more, ¡°Before we begin I am sure you all have plenty of questions,¡± He paused looking over the faces, ¡°That is good, we all have questions in life, hold onto them and hope that they get answered as you go through the day''s events!¡± He chuckled. ¡°I am going to take my leave now, Tracy will call you 1 by 1 and Extrial will take you to the examination room next door. Good luck!¡± With that Buck, Valda and Hurly all left the room, leaving only Extrial and Tracy. Tracy opened her book back up, traced a line on her palm and quietly said Organizo. She then tapped the book and it glowed for a moment, ¡°Good we will be calling you up in alphabetically order by the names you gave me, first we have,¡± She paused to look in the book, ¡°Acadeles Brighton'''' The kid with the golden hair that was at the front of the line stood up with confidence and left the room with Extrial. The room remained quiet the whole time they were gone, it must have been about 10 minutes and they came back and the next person was called. It went like this for a while though no one was as quick as Acadeles with his exam. Hyro took as much information as he could from everyone who was called. Next was Brutey, then Cynthiana, then Gob, a green skinned muscular person with an underbite and what looked to be fangs coming out from his bottom teeth. After him was Gribby, then someone called Harvey Grutto, nothing stood out with him though he looked a lot like another applicant that had not been called yet. After Harvey was Holland Interly, another short fellow with a pointy nose similar to the gnome Gribby. After Holland, Hyro was called and he felt a pit in his stomach grow and suddenly, he was more nervous than ever.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Hyro followed Extrial down the hall, the walls mostly plain, a few doors, but all closed. Finally Extrial stops, ¡°Ah here we are, Hyro, right in here we will start the physical examination.¡± It¡¯s a fairly simple room, a weight bench in one corner and in the other was a Magical device Hyro has only heard about before, certain People with long lasting or permanent enchanting abilities can sometimes create wondrous things, this particular device allows one to run in place, as fast as they can and can throw hurdles or other obstacles at the runner. The only other item in the room was a chair along one wall. ¡°Okay Hyro we will start simple, do you know how much you can lift? Without any magical enhancements¡± The first 2 tests went very smoothly, Hyro is not the strongest but he can hold his own, and he is pretty fast and quick on his feet so the in place obstacle course was actually more fun than a test. ¡°Impressive dodging, the last thing that we have to do is examine the magic that resides on and in you. Please present your hands and or feet.¡± Extrial said, after which Hyro¡¯s face went pale. Hyo was not sure how to respond so he did as he was told and started to remove his hand bandages. Upon revealing his hands Extrial looked down, was silent and in deep examination for a moment. ¡°Yes, it appears that these scars make it nigh impossible to make out what lines you may have, have you been able to use any of your magic since whatever incident occurred?¡± Hyro knew this was coming, he prepared for this moment, ¡°Yes but it is easier if I can replace my bandages.¡± Hyro worked some chemical reaction with diluted alcohol and the juices of a rare flammable forest fruit, Chebui, onto the cloth of his hand wraps, when ignited from a spark he can make up his sleeve it will hopefully appear like he is holding fire. The Chebui juice should make the flames easy to extinguish with a pat or 2. With any luck seeing one of Hyro¡¯s ¡®magical skills¡¯ will be enough to verify his abilities on his record. Extrial nodded at Hyro allowing him to reapply his bandages, after he was done Extrial awaited the demonstration. ¡°It appears from your birth certificate and your application information you provided you have Minor Strength Enhancement, Increased Perception, Fire Manipulation, Increased Endurance, Tracking, and a few other more mundanes, what can you show me now just so I can verify that you at least have some control over your¡­ Abilities.¡± Hyro wasn¡¯t surprised at his somewhat demeaning tone. He knew the magic list was meager, he needed the list to be stuff he could prove, use less strength until a spell is cast, pretend to not notice everything until he casts his perception spell, simple things like that. Hyro¡¯s plan is simple but hard; play slightly dumber, slightly weaker, slightly less agile and aware, without a ¡®spell.¡¯ Fire manipulation he added as a risk and due to his experiments, he needed something to stand out at least a hair. Finally prepared, using everything he worked so hard for, mixing his sleight of hand, his alchemy knowledge, his prepared materials and a good bit of luck, Hyro ran a finger over top of where his ¡®Fire control¡¯ line if power should be on his palm, traced a short curved line and said the word of power, ¡°Ignis Imperium.¡± The small match slid down his sleeve, ignited as he rubbed his wrist forward after tracing the ¡®line.¡¯ As it ignited the chemical cloth on the bandage did its work making Hyro hold a ball of fire, displaying his own brand of magic. Hyro was so impressed with himself, so excited, he could not believe he was holding a ball of fire! He was so excited he didn¡¯t hear Extrial, as he repeatedly told him he had seen enough, and eventually stepped forward to shake him. Hyro was startled; he jumped, causing some of the flames to set his clothes on fire. Hyro was back in control though, quickly playing it off as lack of perception, he extinguished the flames and then ran his finger over another ¡®line¡¯ saying ¡°Sensus.¡± Hyro then paused for a moment then continued, ¡°Sorry I should have increased my perception before playing with fire, It won''t happen again.¡± Extrial just nodded, ¡°Very well, return to the other room and wait, I will be in shortly to gather the next applicant.¡± Hyro was overall ecstatic with how his physical examination went. He felt he did just well enough to show he had some strength, speed, skill and even control over his ¡®magic¡¯, he might actually stand a chance at getting accepted. He returned to the room everyone was waiting in, sat where he was before and continued waiting. Extrail returned, one at a time he took the 4 remaining, James Underling, a kid with slight elvish qualities, Petunia Eisen, a human with long straight black hair, Terry Grutto the person who looks like Harvey, they even have the same last name. Then lastly was an almost sickly pale green tall and bulky man named Wenel. Hyro now at least knew all the names of his competition, and could roughly judge their physical skills by how long they were away with Extrial. Acadeles and Gribby having some of the best times, Harvey, Terry and Petunia taking so long Hyro almost fell asleep awaiting their tests. Either way they all were finally done and for the first time it was not Extrial who entered but Hurly. ¡°Well now I am positive you all had a wonderful time with old Extrial there and his fun little physical missions for ye, but let''s see what those noggins of yours can really do! Everyone follow me!¡± He led everyone 2 doors down the hall to the left. This room had 12 chairs spaced out with small desks, each desk had a piece of parchment with writing, a quill and a vial of ink. Hurly spoke up once they entered, ¡°Everyone take a seat, lets see how quick ye can think through these questions. You may NOT use any magic to help with the test or otherwise.¡± A written test, reading and writing was not uncommon, but not everyone could do it, but it does make sense, to be an adventurer they are vital skills to have. Hyro was slightly beaming however, he knew he needed to stand above the rest in at least one category and this was it. He took a seat and started what he basically trained his whole life for, reading about situations and answering questions about magic. The exam was honestly, at least to Hyro, easy. It was 4 questions long, each asking about a different trap, creature or scenario and asking how you would solve it. Since Hyro spent so much time learning all he has he knew so many ways to solve each issue, a tribe of Goblins is becoming overgrown and expanding near a civilized town, easy, create a poison, sneak in and dose the communal pot of gruel that all goblin tribes have. Hyro added some flair and said that he would use his magic line and power word Silentium to not make a sound, but still, easy for him. All of the questions he answered in a similar way and by the time he was finished everyone else was still vigorously writing. A few moments after he was done he saw Acadeles finish and look around, almost angered to see that Hyro finished before he did. Slowly 1 by 1 everyone else looked up as they finished their test. When it appeared as though everyone had finished Hurly spoke up again, ¡°Very good everyone, Leave yer exams where they lie, go right out this door, Valda be waiting to take ye to the outside arena. Good luck.¡± Chapter 5: Entrance Tournament for the ages After following Valda through the halls they came to a set of double doors that opened up to a field. One side of the field there were stands, the other was the forest, and the field itself was at least a 60 meter square field. There was a caravan on the one side of the arena with a large parchment on it with what appeared to be a battle schedule.
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Acadeles Vs. Holland Victor 1 Vs. Victor 3 Victor 1 Vs. Victor 2
Brutey Vs. Wendel Victor 2 Vs. Victor 4 Victor 3 Vs. Victor 5
Gob Vs. Petunia Victor 5 Vs. Victor 6 Victor 4 Vs. Victor 6
Hyro Vs. James Runner up 1 Vs. Runner up 3 Runner up 1 Vs. Runner up 2
Gribby Vs. Harvey Runner up 2 Vs. Runner up 4 Runner up 3 Vs. Runner up 5
Cynthia Vs. Terry Runner up 5 Vs. Runner up 6 Runner up 4 Vs. Runner up 6
As everyone gathered around and looked at the parchment Valda spoke up, ¡°As you can see the first round of matches has been decided, to keep skills as hidden as long as possible, for the time being, none if you will be observing the matches. The only people observing will be the Main staff at Terraqua academy, That''s Buck, Extrial, Hurly, Tracey, Helina who is our school nurse, and myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all there is?¡± Gribby Blurted out getting a stare from every applicant and Valda as well. Valda snapped an answer quickly back, ¡°Sure we have our grounds keepers and cleaning staff, but yes, that is all that is needed as only the top applicants from each entrance exam are even admitted, sometimes there are a few,¡± She paused, letting the next words really hit hard for some of the unaware, ¡°Sometimes there is none.¡± Everyone stayed quiet after that announcement, not a single one of them may make it into the academy, Hyro did not even consider that as a possibility, his heart sank. He really needed to make sure and do something to stand out in this tournament to secure a spot. Valda continued speaking, ¡°This matchup list will update as matches conclude, each match will be until knock out or someone wishes to withdraw from the round. Everyone not included in the fight will either be in the waiting room or with Helina or Buck for post match evaluation.¡± Valda paused again, and in her sly tone, looking right at Gribby ¡°Now, are there any questions about this tournament.¡± A few hands shot up, Gribby¡¯s was first as he did not even seem to notice Valda focusing on him, Brutey had their hand up as did Harvey and Terry. Valda called on Gribby though almost as soon as his hand was up, in his quick speech he asked his question, ¡°So uhh, hmm is there any magic I can¡¯t use? Hmmm?¡± Valda thought for a moment then vaguely replied, ¡°Nothing lethal. At least not intentionally or irreversibly lethal. Harvey, Terry, I assume you have the same question?¡± The 2 boys nodded and spoke in unison. ¡°Will there be any team matches or events?¡± Valda, expecting this question, wasted no time in her reply, ¡°I am sorry boys, but no. The point of these exams is to see if you, individually, have what it takes to be trained as an adventurer.¡± The 2 boys looked down shyly and took a step back. ¡°Brutey, you have a question as well?¡± Brutey nodded and spoke up, a somewhat feminine but slightly deep voice ¡°Are we allowed to use any weapons?¡± ¡°Ah good question, Yes, however only weapons with NO active OR dormant enchantments. That is to say only mundane weapons which you can use or enchant during battle yourself. I will personally check each item before each battle begins.¡± Brutey nodded, satisfied with the answer. ¡°Any other questions?¡± Valda gave everyone a moment, then Hyro stuck his hand in the air, Valda nodded at him ¡°Hyro?¡± ¡°Will there be any time immediately before the round to activate any self enhancements, things we may have on most of the time if we are out adventuring?¡± Hyro, of course, did not NEED any time to activate any spells or enhancements, but it could not hurt to make it look like he had this concern. Valda thought for a moment as to come up with an answer and not give away what she thinks Hyro¡¯s abilities are, ¡°Any non combat self enhancements may be activated immediately prior to the round beginning, however, combat related must be activated after the round begins.¡± Hyro took that to mean, from the list of abilities that he should have, increased perception could be activated beforehand, but minor strength enhancement would have to wait until the start, Valda was not done answering however, ¡°An instructor will be on your side of the field to verify what enhancements you are applying pre match before anything can be done however.¡± That actually worked perfectly for Hyro¡¯s purposes now he wont have to act clueless at the start of combat. Valda spoke up again, ¡°If there are no more questions, Acadeles and Holland please stay behind, everyone else please return to the first room on the left upon entering the building. Hyro hated this. He wished he could watch the battles, get intel, figure things out, but no, just more waiting. Why would they have us waste so much valuable time wh¡­ wait, Hyro thought they aren¡¯t having us waste time, they are giving us this time, i just wasted it. Hyro quickly went into observation mode. Hyro may not have spells that he could use for gaining intel like some of the others had but he was observant. If he could catch the glimpse of someone''s hands, or possibly notice when someone else uses one of their abilities in secret he could learn a lot of valuable information. Hyro had been in quiet meditation; he had thought that everyone else was doing the same, he could not have been more wrong. The first thing of note was Harvey and Terry, while they were not talking they were staring, unblinkingly right at each other. Not moving, not saying a word, it was somewhat creepy. They really were mirror images of each other, blonde hair in the same bowl cut, same muscle tone. They each even had the same scar on the left cheek. Hyro could only assume they had some sort of shared telepathy as well as some sort of empathetic pain ability. Brutey was polishing a few hammers of different sizes that they had in different pouches on their person. From smaller throwing hammers, to a giant sledgehammer across their back. After watching Brutey for a while Hyro noticed they started to run a finger across their one hand over the sledgehammer. Brutey then said something but Hyro was too far away to tell what it was, He tried lip reading, Revel? Review? Remove? Removere?!? That would be a spell to remove a current enchantment, they must really want to use that hammer but it had a permanent enchantment. This Brutey had a few tricks to be wary of it seemed. Brutey themselves are short and stocky, and as Hyro noted before, no facial hair which was odd for most dwarfs regardless of sex. Petunia was hard to see under her loose black cloak, and her long black hair hid most of her face. She seemed to be working with a few trinkets under her robes. It was really hard to make anything out and she was sitting closest to Hyro, then he caught a whiff of alcohol? Was she using tricks similar to his fire manipulation? Every angle he tried to look at it, it is like she perfectly shifts to obstruct any chance of him viewing anything useful. That is when it hit Hyro, she must have used an obstruction spell, I can think of at least a dozen known ones with similar effects. Giving up from trying to see what she was doing Hyro continued to look around.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Gob was almost the picture perfect Orc, perfect forest green, tall with frightening muscles. It was almost as if he was bred to be the perfect orc. He was doing what Hyro was doing just moments ago, absolutely nothing. He is staring ahead, not an ounce of fear in his eyes. Wendel had a few traits similar to Gob but a pale imitation. A more pale green skin, not as big or muscular, obviously an Orc mixed breed. He on the other hand was not just staring off into space. It was hard to notice, and if Hyro was not looking for it he would have missed it, but there was a string flowing from his palm and out the door along the floor. Was he gathering the layout, the other students already enrolled, the matches themselves? Hyro really wished he paid attention when he cast his spell. Gribby could barely keep still in his seat, he seemed like a ball of energy. He was looking all around, whispering into his cloak, he looked insane. Hyro could not tell a single thing that the Gnome was trying to accomplish with all his antics, it seemed too random. With his boyish tousled brown hair, it was hard to believe he was older than Hyro. Hyro did his best to pay the most attention to James, as that is who he would be facing off against first. James had some physical qualities similar to Hyro but he was obviously more introverted. It appeared as though he was twiddling his thumbs just waiting, WAIT Hyro noticed something he was not twiddling his thumbs He is casting spells. It was somewhat hard to see as his green robes partially covered his hands. He was silently muttering words. He was skilled at hiding his lips so Hyro did not have a chance at figuring out what he is saying like with the others. What he was doing was lost to Hyro but he was doing something for sure. Lastly there was the girl with fiery red hair, Cynthia. There was something about her that Hyro could not put his finger on, she seemed calm and collective, but also ready, not to mention she had eyes like the ocean and her Elven pale skin was radiant. She is breathtaking¡­ NO i have to keep a clear head, she is the competition! What is she doing? Hyro spent the rest of the time before the first match ended watching her, but he really did not learn much, except that she had cute dimples when she smiled. Not too long after the match must have started, Acadeles returned to the room, no one else. ¡°Brutey and Wendel, I was told to send you out.¡± That¡¯s all he said, he then sat down and started writing on parchment he pulled out of a satchel that he had on his hip. Brutey and Wendel stood up and walked out but Hyro shifted his observation temporarily from Cynthia to the new entry to the room. Acadeles used the parchment as a distraction to hide the fact that he cast a 3rd eye spell. He must have enchanted a rock or something near the field so when he traced the line and said ¡°Tertius Oculus¡± ever so quietly almost unnoticeably, but Hyro knew that he had some observation abilities and that he was gaining intel from the coming fight. The next couple of fights moved along in a timely manner, Noone immediately came back from the Brutey Vs. Wendel matchup, but Buck came in and called out Gob and Petunia. Hyro wondered what happened to those not returning but assumed they just needed further medical treatment or other examination after their match. That was almost as quick as Acadeles¡¯s match and when Gob returned, Holland, who didn¡¯t seem in too bad of shape, returned with him. Hyro wished he had more time to observe him but Gob simply announced ¡°Hyro, James, go.¡± So Hyro stood, and led the way out to the Area for his first match. Hyro was not sure what to expect; he has never really had a match except against a few small wildlife, but he had to at least act brave and confident. The longest match so far couldn¡¯t have taken more than half of an hour, so worst case it would be over soon. The first thing Hyro noticed when they got to the arena was all of the Instructors were there, Tracey who checked everyone in was there and there was one other person, a gorgeous lady in white decadent robes with pink sash, succulent red lips and long platinum blonde hair. She must be Helna, the medical personnel. Next, Hyro noticed the caravan that had the matchups on it and was not too shocked with the current results.
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Acadeles Vs. Holland Acadeles Vs. Gob Victor 1 Vs. Victor 2
Brutey Vs. Wendel Brutey Vs. Victor 4 Victor 3 Vs. Victor 5
Gob Vs. Petunia Victor 5 Vs. Victor 6 Victor 4 Vs. Victor 6
Hyro Vs. James Holland Vs. Petunia Runner up 1 Vs. Runner up 2
Gribby Vs. Harvey Wendel Vs. Runner up 4 Runner up 3 Vs. Runner up 5
Cynthia Vs. Terry Runner up 5 Vs. Runner up 6 Runner up 4 Vs. Runner up 6
If Hyro wins, he will be against Brutey next round, if he loses, Wendel. While Hyro would much rather avoid Brutey and their hammers, he had to give each fight his all if he wanted any chance of passing the entrance exam. James was walking with his head down right behind Hyro, as they neared Valda spoke up, ¡°Hyro, follow Hurly to one side of the arena, James, follow Extrial to the other for preparations.¡± They each did as they were told, as Hurly and Hyro reached their side and were standing at the edge, Hurly spoke up first, ¡°Well, Don¡¯t ye be wasting time lad, activation yer passive spells, I believe Perception will count, and I¡¯d say increased endurance, anything else and ye be needing to make a case fer it.¡± Hyro thought for a moment, he wanted all of his ¡®passives¡¯ active right away but what excuse could he have for minor strength enhancement¡­ ¡°Whenever I am out I always keep ALL of my passive abilities active, Minor Strength enhancement specifically lasts for 2 hours at a time but has a cool down of 2 hours as well so as soon as it runs out I activate it, the only time I don''t is when resting and sleeping.¡± Hyro knew he was taking a slight risk here, 2 hours is a long time for most passive spells especially at his age, but he hoped the ¡®accidental¡¯ explanation he added about using his passives almost all of the time, would explain the increased duration. Many spells increase their effect over time if used more frequently Hyro remembered reading in one of his many books. Hurly was silent for a moment, in thought, ¡°Well good on ye lad¡± he said after a few seconds, ¡°That seems reasonable enough for me.¡± Hyro let out a small sigh of relief and then went through the actions of ¡®activating¡¯ his 3 passive spells. ¡°Defensio, Vi, Sensus¡± He did his fake line movements for Increased Endurance, Minor Strength enhancement and Increased perception, in that order with their words of power. Hyro did a slight shutter with each one, pretending to gain each increased effect. Hurly nodded, ¡°Are ye ready lad?¡± Hyro, not sure of anything at this moment, but not having much choice, just nodded. Hurly proceeded to walk away to the sidelines with the other staff. Extrial was already there, which made sense, while passive effects were common, they were not that common among adventurers, especially minor ones or having so many like Hyro ¡®has¡¯. Hyro stood, anxious, in his simple traveling clothes, extra baggy sleeves to hide his secrets and his special wrapped hands. Hyros trusty rusty Longsword at his side, obviously not magical so approved for battle. Once Hurly was on the side Valda spoke up again, ¡°Ready, Set, FIGHT!¡± Hyro, starting his very first fight against a real threat, after so much practice and planning, Hyro froze. He could not move. James took advantage of the situation, dashing to one side closer to Hyro but still about 100 ft away, he traced a line and muttered ¡°Hortulanus.¡± Hyro knows that word, it could have several meanings¡­ maybe? Not only is his body frozen, he can¡¯t even think straight. Hyro completely missed it as 3 plants grew right at James feet as he picked each by the root. James was shocked at his luck at being able to set everything up, the Instructors on the other hand, have seen many applicants freeze up, especially when the pressure of the first fight really sets in. ¡°Surgit!¡± Wake up! Hyro snapped out of it just as the 3 plants in James hand did as well. Hyro¡¯s brain worked in overdrive putting together what happened. Hortulanus must have been his word of power to grow these specific plants, and Surgit, more commonly wake up, sometimes just an alarm clock, sometimes a revival spell, in this case it brought the plants to life making them snake like creatures as they slithered towards Hyro. What luck, Plants! Hyro positioned the fire igniting device in his sleeve and traced where his fire manipulation should be ¡°Ignis Imperium!¡± Hyro lit his fireball with his word of power, and the igniter that burned up as the fire started, as planned. With his prepared wraps he is able to throw the ball about 75 feet, and he had some practice on some wildlife. Taking aim, he threw the ball right at the front of the 3 snakes and rushed forward. Now it was James¡¯s turn to be stunned. His connection to the plants that he makes is slightly physical and emotional, so seeing a fireball go towards and engulf one of his babies, a tear rolled down his face as he slightly flinched in pain. Hyro, of course, noticed all of this as he was in the zone now. Not trusting the other 2 Snake plants and seeing how James was already in some pain, Hyro assumed James did not have much else up his sleeve. Hyro ran in a semicircle, going around the two snake plants, both stopped in their place when seeing the Fireball, stunned like their master. Hyro pulls out his Longsword mid run, grabbing the attention of both snakes and their master, James tries to grab something from the inside of his cloak and Hyro sees him fumble a dagger to the ground. One of the snake plants was a little faster and lunged toward Hyro just as he rushed James with the broad side of his sword. James was knocked to the ground but it was Hyro who let out a shout in pain. The Plant that lunged landed on Hyros left arm, even though it was on the bandages it had fangs that still pierced Hyro''s skin. In pain but knowing he had to act quick Hyro grabbed the Plant bending it and pulling it right off and then threw it to the ground, slashing down with his sword shopping the plant in half. He then saw the last one in the corner of his eye, mid lounge towards him, with a lucky slash of his sword Hyro cut the plant snake right before it reached him. The blow to the last two connected plants was to much for James however and he, still on the ground, yelled ¡°Agggghh, my pets, ahhh, I Surrender!¡± Just in time too, as that is when Hyro realized what kind of poison the plant that bit him had, as the world around him started to morph and change shapes and blend all together. Hyro was hallucinating, and as everything was swirling around him Hyro fell back onto the ground and laughed. Chapter 6: Ready, Set, FIGHT! Hyro slept? No, he did not really sleep, so He guessed it was a Hallucination. He was in the center of a cavern, surrounded by beasts of all sorts, boar, bear, wolves, even those plants that James summoned. He cried out and without any indication of casting a spell of any sort and no indication of activating a gadget of his, Hyro cried out and flames conjured all around him from his feet outward. It was amazing, but Hyro quickly came to after the display of power to realize he was lying down, in a small room with only 2 beds, one he was on and an empty one, a desk with a few towels and bandages on it and the beautiful lady in white from the begging of the tournament, Helina, Hyro thought he was still Hallucinating when she spoke. ¡°Ah Monsieur Hyro it seems you are with us once again oui?¡± ¡°Um, Yeah I, at least I think so?¡± Hyro responded not too sure where he was or what happened, his bandages were off of both his hands and there was a smaller bandage over where he was bitten. Hyro also just realized his shirt was completely off too. ¡°Did, did I win?¡± ¡°Oui, you won right before being incapacitated yourself. It was actually a pretty good matchup between you and James, Both with some decent power and ability, but almost no defenses, something to definitely think about if you get admitted.¡± She winked, then continued, anticipating Hyro¡¯s next questions, ¡°James is ok, a lot of his pain was internal, burning his first plant was like burning a part of him, so he was almost out from that alone, He is resting in the Next room. The Last Match of Round 1 is commencing now, then after a 15 Minute break for the Staff, we will start round 2. For now, do you need more rest?¡± Hyro thought for a moment, and He actually felt great! Better than he ever had, he felt more powerful somehow. ¡°No, I feel great, thank you.¡± Hyro thanked her, assuming she had something to do with his increased vigor but had no way to know for sure. Helina just nodded, ¡°Your clothes are in the drawer here¡± She opened a drawer under the table, ¡°After you are dressed go back to the room with the other applicants, it is the last door on the right.¡± And with that she left Hyro to get himself together. Hyro started with grabbing his shit, hoping that the hidden compartment was there and undamaged, it appeared so, and since Helina did not mention anything, he assumed his secret was still safe. He pulled a slightly exposed thread which pulled all the way out and opened a few inch wide gap between the fabric of the back of his shirt. Hyro pulled out the hand wraps he had stored there and began wrapping his hands, he put enough for 3 rewraps in there plus the wraps he wore to the academy, 2 of which he had used already, one after the demonstration and one now. With two fights left he should have just enough for 1 casting a fight. He also has enough of his fire starting tools, which he also pulls one out and preps it in his sleeve. Once he is all situated, Hyro walks down the hall, pausing slightly at the room where he was told James was resting, but as the door was closed he decided to just continue walking to the room where everyone was waiting. As he walked in everyone looked up, only to go back to their own things when they realized He had nothing to say. Hyro just took the seat he was in before and waited, like everyone else. Luckily, he didn¡¯t have to wait long, Cyntia, Terry and Valda all walked in, the two former taking their seats, neither looking worn out or hurt at all, as Valda spoke up. ¡°That concludes round 1, I hope you all learned a thing or two,¡± she gave a sly smile, ¡°In 15 min we will send for someone to grab the first matchup of round 2, rest until then.¡± With that he took his leave, closing the door behind him, only to have it open right after as James and Harvey, the only two missing from the applicants, entered, taking their seats. And back to silence, this time true silence. No one was secretly trying to cast spells to gain any special intel. Hyro rested his eyes for what he thought was only a moment but the next thing he knew he heard Valdas Voice, ¡°Acadeles, Gob, Come with me please.¡± They both got up confidently and followed Valda out. Everyone seemed to be up to similar antics as before, all using their magic to gain whatever information on the fight as they could, but Hyro didn¡¯t see how anyone could get any information with how quickly Acadeles came back in and announced ¡°Brutey and Hyro, you are up!¡± Hyro stood up, and followed Brutey out to the arena where they would be facing each other. To be honest, Brutey and her Hammers scared Hyro, he did not see how his parlor tricks were going to be useful against pure and true power, but he had to try. As they arrived Hyro took note of the Matchup listed on the side of the Caravan, and, as suspected, Acadeles was the Victor out the first bout, great, so win somehow and fight the monster that finished both is fights in moments, lose and fight the massive Orc that can crush me with his bare hands. Tough choice.
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Acadeles Vs. Holland Acadeles Vs. Gob Acadeles Vs. Victor 2
Brutey Vs. Wendel Brutey Vs. Hyro Victor 3 Vs. Victor 5
Gob Vs. Petunia Gribby Vs. Cynthia Victor 4 Vs. Victor 6
Hyro Vs. James Holland Vs. Petunia Gob Vs. Runner up 2
Gribby Vs. Harvey Wendel Vs. James Runner up 3 Vs. Runner up 5
Cynthia Vs. Terry Harvey Vs. Terry Runner up 4 Vs. Runner up 6
Valda spoke up as all of the staff, except Helina was on the sidelines, ¡°Hurley, You take Hyro again and prepare all pre fight abilities, Extrial, you go with Brutey.¡± Motioning to opposite sides as she spoke. Everyone did as they were told, Hyro Following Hurley, ¡°Well lad, quite simple this time, same spells, prep them and lets be on with it!¡± Hyro nodded in agreement, ¡°Defensio, Vi, Sensus¡± Hyro was getting pretty good at putting on this act by now. After everything was ¡®active¡¯ Hurley walked away meeting the other instructors, Extrial arriving roughly the same time. ¡°Ready, Set, FIGHT!¡± This time no one froze, not that Brutey would ever freeze in a fight. Brutey immediately started enchanting their medium sized hammer after grabbing it from their back, the one they removed the enchantment from before. ¡°Ligare '''' Brutey spoke, rushing forward towards Hyro, who was lunging to his left, Brutey¡¯s right. Hyro drew his sword, the hammer was glowing a blue hue, Hyro knew blue usually meant some sort of Enhancement spell but that could be anything when paired with Ligare a binding or capture word. Brutey swung to the side towards Hyro who rolled out of the way just in time slashing with his own mundane sword, he actually made contact with Brutey, but mostly only tore clothing. Brutey lunged back, prepping another spell, Hyro took the time to use his big one too. ¡°Ignis Imperium!¡± ¡°Incresco!¡± Hyro did his act to summon his fireball as Brutey raised their hammer high with both hands as it nearly doubled in size. Well, don¡¯t have to guess what Incresco does Hyro thought as he prepared to throw his fire at a rushing Brutey. Hyro was unlucky in this matchup, most of Brutey¡¯s clothes were leather or other material that does not catch fire easily. Hyro should have added that oil ¡®spell¡¯ and brought liquid along but could not find a reasonable way to hide enough liquid. Hyro did his best anyway, throwing it right in Brutey¡¯s face, who completely ignored it, running right through and crushing their giant hammer, right through Hyro¡¯s side. Hyro somehow hung onto consciousness, barely. On the floor he looked up as Brutey advanced towards him. I can not give up, I have to show resilience if nothing else. Hyro thought as he got to one knee ready to dodge. Everything hurt on Hyro and his vision was blurry but he sloppily rolled to the side right as Brutey slammed the giant hammer down again. Hyro was actually impressed he was able to will his body to still move. He was less impressed when he felt something hit him in the neck as he tried to regain his footing. What Hyro did not notice was Brutey was swinging the giant hammer as a distraction with only one hand, the other hand threw a perfectly placed throwing hammer right towards him. Hyro fell straight to the ground this time, welcoming unconsciousness once again. The next thing Hyro knew he was in that all too familiar room, with Helina standing right over him. ¡°Oh, I see we are finally waking, oui?¡± She asked Hyro as she noticed his eyes looking around. ¡°I, I can¡¯t move!¡± Hyro shouted. ¡°Oh oui, the move from Brutey, while rendering you unconscious, also caused you to become paralyzed. I needed you awake to, well fix it. Reparare!¡± She said tracing a line on her palm, then resting her hand on Hyro¡¯s forehead. ¡°Brutey, Acadeles and Gob are really putting me to work this year.¡± She mumbled, ¡°Same as last time, get ready and meet the others, you were out for a while even with my assistance, so the break before starting round 3 is almost over, lucky you woke up or you may have been disqualified.¡± She said leaving the room, knowing that Hyro was feeling great, like everyone after her care feels, especially with as many spells she had to cast on that boy to keep him stable. Hyro prepared the same as last time, now using his last fire spell ingredients, and headed out to the room where everyone was waiting, he was the last to arrive. Sitting down with everyone he did not even bother looking around this time, he has to be putting on a good show to even have a chance at getting accepted. How am I going to win against a powerhouse like Gob. He will probably laugh as he brushes off my fireball and crushes me. I need to think. After a while of resting and thinking Valda entered, ¡°Everyone is still alive so far, let¡¯s start the final round, Acadeles, Brutey, come with me.¡± Without even looking to see if they stood up, Valda walked out and started towards the field. While everyone got to work on their various preparations Hyro noticed one thing - this is the longest time anyway has been away fighting Acadeles. A little more than a half an hour after they left, Valda entered again, ¡°Cynthia, Wendel, follow me for round 2.¡± Again Valda left just as before. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Remembering the match-up board the last time he saw it, Hyro was pretty certain Wendel was the person who James was against. It does not look that good if the only person he beats loses to everyone. After a short time Cynthia and Wendel reentered the room. Wendel immediately took his seat, looking down the whole time, Cynthia just announced ¡°Petunia, Harvey, umm, you are next.¡± She then quickly took her seat, blushing. The pair rose and made their way to the arena. This time after a short period Harvey returned and Hyro knew what was coming. ¡°Gob, Hyro, it is your turn.¡± He said sitting down with his last word. All thoughts of strategy left Hyros'' head, at least for the duration of the walk, all he could think was simple: Am I going to live? When Gob and Hyro approached the arena they saw the familiar caravan with the matchup list along with all of the staff, with the exception of the nurse, she must still be healing from the last match. It appears as though the winner of round 3 gets a star on the board next to their name.
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Acadeles Vs. Holland Acadeles Vs. Gob Acadeles* Vs. Brutey
Brutey Vs. Wendel Brutey Vs. Hyro Cynthia* Vs. Wendel
Gob Vs. Petunia Gribby Vs. Cynthia Petunia Vs. Harvey*
Hyro Vs. James Holland Vs. Petunia Gob Vs. Hyro
Gribby Vs. Harvey Wendel Vs. James Gribby Vs. James
Cynthia Vs. Terry Harvey Vs. Terry Holland Vs. Terry
Hyro had one quick idea to at least get him some creativity points he hoped, if it was allowed. When going with their respective Instructors, Hurly, as usual leading Hyro and Extrial was sent to assist Gob. The Exchange with Hurly was much like last time, though after the act of activating his passives Hurly seemed to be done as before, ¡°Well if there be nothing more lad lets see what ye got.¡± But Hyro spoke up quickly before he could walk back, ¡°Actually I was wondering if I could use a torch, as a weapon? It does not even have to be lit.¡± Hurly seemed to think for a moment, ¡°Wait here lad¡± And he walked to where Valda and the others were, not being able to overhear what was happening Hyro just had to stare and wait in desperation, this was really his only plan. That is when he noticed Gob, Staring at him from across the area with a death stare, he seemed amped up and almost wild. Hyro was so out of it looking at Gob in fear that he did not notice Hurly walk up, Torch in hand. ¡°Here lad, We agreed, it would make sense to carry this around and no reason not to let you have it, Good luck lad¡± He said handing over the unlit torch. Then he walked away rejoining the others. Valda, as usual for this tournament, spoke up, ¡°Ready, Set, FIGHT!¡± Hyro dashed back, correctly assuming that Gob would be dashing towards him. While rushing Gob expertly traced a line on his palm, ¡°Ira!¡± As he shouted he glowed with a faint red hue. Gob never wore more than the bare minimum, clothes and armor got in the way, and for most of his life he felt the same way about people and weapons too. Weapons, however, his mind was changed on that when he met Bam and Bam Bam, his pair of brass knuckles. They had no real magic and were, in fact, just a normal pair of brass knuckles, but they were the first ones that Gob ever used and when he first did he heard them say their name during the fight, BAM, BAM BAM, the lovely sounds of Gob hitting things. All Hyro could think about when he heard Ira, were the warnings he was given when traversing the woods near his home growing up. Watch out for the barbarians, listen for their rage, listen for Ira. It was not much of a surprise, Gob probably had a few, mostly attack increasing passives as well, but the rage was Hyro¡¯s currently biggest concern, Hyro never met a Barbarian, but everyone knew they almost always were mindless brutes that bashed their way through anything and anyone to get what they wanted. There were a few that gained a decent amount of control during their rage, and are quite powerful; they are known as berserkers, one of the recognized adventure classes that Hyro read about. Hyro was not sure how much control Gob had and did not want to get in his way to find out. That is when he noticed the Brass knuckles on Gobs¡¯ hands seemed to not only be glowing red too but increased in size ever so slightly. That was something even Gob never noticed as he did not really care about or pay attention to bam and bam bam when they weren¡¯t in action. Hyro was still dashing away from Gob, now more in an arched direction to stay in the arena boundaries. There was not a ring out rule that was mentioned, it was just easier for Hyro to fight in a set space. Hyro pulled out the torch from his back, he had to show what he could before it was too late, and judging by the look Gob had, Hyro did not have long. Hyro took his chance, stopping in his tracks to turn around and lunge into a tumble right past and under a confused Gobs¡¯ swing. Hyro was able to not only dodge but temporarily make Gob lose his balance as his rage filled charge caused his sudden swing to to almost knock the Orc over. Hyro acted as quick as he could, holding the torch between his legs as he prepared his last fireball. Putting on one of his biggest displays yet Hyro traced his fake palm line and shouted ¡°Ignis Imperium'''' lighting his mixture placed on his wrappings and creating a ball of fire in his palm as he usually did. What was not usual, however, was Hyro having a torch between his legs, that was close enough to where the fire lit to light up itself. The reaction shocked Hyro, causing him to jump a little. The flames from the torch engulfed the back of Hyros¡¯ wrapping. It just so happened the fire retardant Hyro used was not as effective over time. Hyro did know this fact but he did not know that keeping it in an enclosed space decreased the effectiveness even more swiftly. So his hand now did not only hold a fireball, his hand was a ball of fire. Knowing this pain as well as Hyro did, did not change the fact that it hurt. Hyro was used to thinking through pain of this level though and decided to use it while he could, rushing towards Gob with his flaming torch and his flaming fist. With Gob controlled by his rage there was no way he could see this coming. He was able to move out of the way of the torch but got a direct hit in the stomach from the fire first. While it did cause some damage to Gob, mostly burns, it hurt Hyros hand just as much if not more. Gobs¡¯ stomach felt like punching a brick wall. Luckily for Hyro, the force of the punch and contact was enough to put out most of the flames as they have also eaten up most of the material by this point, on the other hand however, Gob was able to easily recover from the little hit and punched Hyro clear across the arena. Hyro blacked out but only for a moment. As Hyro fully came to and started getting to his feet he saw Gob was dashing right at him. His torch was back where he was punched from, how Hyro was even conscious after being punched and falling a good 10 feet back is beyond him but here he was. Hyro grabbed for his rusty sword and put it out to defend himself as he suddenly felt another intense burning in both of his hands and feet he dropped his sword in pain as Gob approached swinging. Gob did not expect Hyro to drop in pain and missed his swing. Still in pain, Hyro rolled away. Hyro ripped off what he could of the wrapping on both his hands thinking there was some sort of reaction to the chemical. He did this while running away from and dodging Gob the best he could. Hyro knew he was getting more lucky than anything. Hyro needed a plan, he did not know if he could survive another direct hit, he did not think he could survive the one hit that he did. Hyro did not know that Gob was still weak, both physically and in pride after losing to Acadeles so quickly he wanted to show he was tough. After waking up from being knocked out, Gob refused that Half Breed Helinas¡¯ help or that is how he thought of it. Being slightly worn out still caused him to not hit as hard, fast or as furious. Hyro was losing both energy and hope as he was, after all, doing all of this with only his wits, parlor tricks, and a whole lot of luck. The pain in Hyros¡¯ palms and feet seemed to subside almost as soon as the last of the wrappings left his hands, one being mostly burnt off helped. Still curious as to what caused such an unusual burning pain he examined his hands quickly as he dodged around the Orc causing him to lose balance yet again. Hyro was in shock as he looked down and saw a single faint, glowing line going across almost his whole palm, fading between red and blue. It was the same line on his other hand and he assumed his feet as well though he had no time to check. What is happening, am I hallucinating from the blow I took, did I really pass out and die or go into a coma Hyro thought rapidly, then quickly changed gears. On the off chance it¡¯s real I have nothing else, so¡­ COME ON HYRO YOU READ HUNDREDS OF BOOKS ON LINES. Hyro could not remember where he saw this particular line before. Not many were this long, and usually long lines segmented off and were part of multiple different spells, not this one it was just one long line. Hyro knew he saw it in a book before though. What did it do, what word did he need. As he was getting half lost in thought Gob connected partially with Hyro¡¯s thigh as he swung down trying to hit a tumbling Hyro. Hyro did not lose consciousness this time but he did get knocked over and could not move his leg without immense pain. Getting hit knocked his thoughts in place and he remembered where he saw the long flowing palm line before. It always came with such force, a tidal wave, usually it resulted in a stream of liquid with great force in a single direction. With that he also knew the words to try, not having much else, and seeing Gob about to end him here and how he traced this glowing line ¡°Thadal Unda!¡± Hyro felt a warm glowing sensation in his chest as he cast his very first spell ever, and thanks to his research, practicing and pretending to have magic for so long, he cast it flawlessly. He felt the warm sensation swiftly move towards his hands which he immediately pointed towards Gob out of reflex. Right before Gob could make contact a stream poured out of Hyros hands, it was not water or any normal liquid, however, Hyro was spewing lava, right at his opponent. Hyro was almost certain this was some sort of dream now, but he was enjoying the power nonetheless. Gob was powerful but even he could not withstand being in front of two lava hoses. The streams lasted for 3 seconds, Gob fell down after 2, was unconscious shouting in pain just as the stream ended. Hyro fell after the 4th second. Once again the next thing Hyro knew he was awake in the white room for a 3rd time, This time, however it was not Helina that he awoke to but Buck the headmaster. ¡°What in the abyss did you do?¡± Was all Buck said, but Hyro had no idea, so he went with silence as his answer, which prompted Buck to continue, ¡°Not a single soul expected that kind of power from you kid, let alone Gob who took the full blow, he will live, by the way, Helina is doing all she can to heal his burns, let¡¯s hope he is as good as using spells with burned hands as you are.¡± Buck tried to joke and caused himself to chuckle, Hyro did too mostly out of respect for the man and fear for what will happen to him. If it appeared he had a killing intent, HE DID, he thought it was fake, a dream. Buck continued to speak however, ¡°We examined you thoroughly after the battle, whatever line of power you had, is gone, burned off like the others. Have you ever cast a spell like that before?¡± Hyro decided to be honest, mostly, ¡°No, I thought it was a dream.¡± Buck just nodded along, ¡°I see, that is reasonable, we will have to keep a close eye and examine if that spell shows itself again, such rare power. Try to keep quiet, the announcement will be soon, but if nothing more to keep an eye on your strange new power, you are going to be accepted into Terraqua Adventure academy!¡± Chapter 7: Interlude 2: The dark dungeons ¡°Psst, Faysal¡± All the guards dressed the same, so it was hard to tell who was calling him from the barred door, but Faysal knew it had to be Bryan. While a few guards have tried to help him, and most think his incarceration is unfair, Bryan was the only guard who would visit him every week, to bring him extra food and supplies. Faysal did not spend much time in the dungeon in the Duke of Hazen¡¯s estate, they were more like holding cells. It was not even a week before he was transported north to Ryse, he was transported magically too, probably so no one would notice the beloved town Doctor being imprisoned. Faysal figured that most of his friends and acquaintances were probably told he was needed for an emergency at the capitol or some sculpted story, and not a single soul would think twice. He all but gave up getting any form of assistance, especially when he arrived at Ryse, only to be told the king had no use for him. The King claimed to have heard and saw all he needed to and that Faysal could not be trusted, he was sentenced to the dungeon or reeducation. Reeducation used spells to alter one''s brain chemistry to be more compliant, but one did need to undergo the process voluntarily, so most violators of the law in Ryse were given the option. Ryse is one of the only main capitals to still use the reeducation processes, most outsiders judge them harshly for that and for their treatment of mixed races. Most of the world has grown to accept the mix of races, seeing the benefits that can come from it. Ryse and the lands under their control believe it to be an abomination to not be pure. Faysal loves his job but hates that part of the government he works for, especially since his own nephew is Half human, half elf. Luckily his Sister and nephew lived to the south-west, so he did not have to worry about them facing the troubles that Ryse causes. All that aside, when the King heard that Faysal helped a Mixed breed family escape AND the mongrel child had a curse upon him, the King was disgusted and never wanted to see Faysal again, thus, the dungeon it was, or reeducation of course. The Dungeon in Ryse was a bit different than most as it was more of an underground labyrinth, even after 14 years Faysal has not mapped it out in its entirety. There were obviously more Cons than pros to being in the dungeon, for one normally rations were dropped in for everyone down there once a week, stale, moldy leftovers that the pets did not even want, that was basically it, once a month they got a tub of dirty water to drink or clean in but nothing else was ever delivered, until Faysal arrived. During his first few weeks he kept his head down, he did not ever really see anyone else except when the deliveries were made, the others got real good at hiding. What Faysal found out on his 3rd night, was the dungeon must have been connected to some sort of monster hives, as every now and then, different species of monsters would roam the halls in the dungeon, even as close to the barred gate where the food is dropped off. The first night Faysal was lucky to only run into a giant rat, he was able to spot it and hide well enough not to be spotted, he was more careful from there on out. Faysal, like everyone else thrown in the dungeon, was left with only the bare minimum clothes, no weapons or food, nothing. Many would perish within their first week, before Faysal came along. People loved Faysal, so much so that a resistance was formed once word got around from some guards that respected Faysal. Not only did Faysal have a spell to know all one''s spell potential, but he himself had many of the best healing, and life sustaining abilities there are. Even the king does not know what all Faysal can really do. With all that power, and a kind heart, Faysal has helped many people. The resistance was led by a woman named Gretta, Faysal healed her daughter from a life threatening birth defect 15 years before the Selk incident. Gretta and her daughter, Lorana, formed the resistance when Lorana¡¯s father, a guard named Bryan, was given orders to lock Faysal in the Ryse dungeon. Bryan did as he was told, he was not stupid or brave enough to outright defy an order, but he knew there was some injustice done, and hearing the stories of the beasts seen in the dungeon, he had to help. Once a week, every 4th day when the Guards were rotating duties, all guards in the area are distracted or are a part of the resistance, so Bryan had time to drop off a quick message, some edible food and water and occasionally a weapon. It is not much but trying to build a resistance within enemy lines takes caution, time and a lot of luck. Bryan had the strength to help a resistance but not the brains, that¡¯s where his wife and daughter came into play. They have not done much yet however, aside from helping Faysal and freeing some of those unjustly imprisoned in less guarded areas, or at least that was all the information Bryan has been able to rely on their exploits. ¡°Psst, Faysal¡± Bryan called again, just before he saw Faysal step out of a shadow, almost appearing out of thin air. ¡°Ha, gets me every time, I never know where you are hiding.¡± ¡°If you could easily spot me, that would defeat the purpose of hiding now, wouldn¡¯t it.¡± In truth, Faysal had some magical assistance from the stealth ability that Myra, another prisoner surviving in the dungeons, has. Of the 5 still alive in the dungeon, only Faysal was pure Human. Myra, being a Half Gnome, Half Elf, Making her appearance actually pretty close to a human with exaggerated witch like qualities, that is to say, long pointed nose, long pointed chin, she even had a bit of a heckling laugh. Happy, the Halfling and Orc Hybrid was a unique fellow, as small as a halfling with moss green skin and a small set of tusks, but a nice man, just a bit scary looking. Then there was Paline and Jasper, a couple thrown in here together for attempting to receive help magically conceiving a child with black market magic. Paline was part Dwarf, Part Orc and Jasper Part Dwarf and Human, So magic would need to be involved for the conception to be successful, but not going through the proper channels was not only illegal but also unsafe. Faysal could understand though, it was not cheap to do things legally. Happy was here simply because too many purebreds were scared of him too easily, Myra because she stood up to a government official when he was publicly berating a child for getting in their way. Of course the official had to make a scene because the child was a mix of gnome and human. Myra just snapped, and that specific official was having a bad day, so she ended up here. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I brought you some more supplies that my wife asked me to bring you.¡± Bryan passed a small satchel through the bars. ¡°Food for you all and¡­¡± a door slammed close by as someone entered the stairway to the dungeon. Usually they had more time but today the changeover was happening quickly. Faysal nodded his appreciation and added back into the shadows with the satchel. Bryan took his leave and went back to his duties. Faysal went further away from the barred entrance to where the 5 set up a small camp for protection and comfort. It was not anything remarkable by any means, 3 makeshift tents from extra fabric they found or were given from the resistance, a small fire pit and a few protection wards placed around to alert them or outright stop any intruders to their little home. Myra was waiting for Faysal to return, over their time here they have become quite close and even share one of the tents. ¡°Fay, what did they bring us this time? Anything that can finally help us get out of here?¡± Faysal responded by opening the bag for the first time as the other 3 all emerged from their respective tents. As Bryan mentioned there were some food items, which were always appreciated, a small dagger which Faysal strapped to his side, his last one just broke so this was perfect timing. There were more supplies to help continue mapping out this labyrinth, some rope and, ¡°This can not be...¡± Faysal said in astonishment removing the final item from the bag. Some people have the ability to place their magic into items, so that anyone can imbue their power into it and activate the effects. Some are fairly basic everyday items to make life easier that can be used over and over, some can be used a handful of times and some, usually the more rare items can be used only once. One such item is what the Adventurers use to anyone who gains acceptance into their schools and becomes an adventurer. No one except adventurers truly know how it works just that it helps them focus their power, abilities, everything about themselves. This small midnight black sphere was an Adventurer''s system. ¡°What is it? Can I eat it?¡± Happy asked, smiling. ¡°No you can''t eat it Happy, that''s an Adventurers system!¡± Jasper Blurted out excitedly, ¡°I want it! Imagine what I could do, fight better, move faster, maybe even finally conceive a child with my love!¡± Jasper continued pulling Paline close. Paline had a different opinion on the matter however, ¡°Jasper, you know who needs to use that sweetie, we all do.¡± She looked over at Faysal as did everyone there. ¡°What if it is a knock off or a cursed item? What if the adventurer''s know when someone uses one? It is too risky.¡± Faysal was apprehensive about using such an item. ¡°Faysal we have been stuck here for such a long time, nothing has helped us get free and we have lost everyone that was here or has been put here with us over time. Things can not get worse, I think this is what you are supposed to do.¡± Myra said, leaning in to give Faysal a kiss. ¡°We will be here to help if anything goes wrong.¡± Faysal thought for a long moment, sitting down to try and make sense of how the resistance even got such an item. Was it given to them? Stolen? Faysal supposed it did not matter now, it was in his possession and Myra was right, something had to change. ¡°Ok Myra, I will use it.¡± With that Faysal grabbed the sphere tightly and forced all his will into his right hand holding the Marble sized item. A bright golden light started erupting from the sphere, illuminating the whole room. All of a sudden the sphere disappeared and Faysal''s arms were out stretched. All of his hand lines were glowing the same golden color, a similar light was emitting from his feet and eyes too. Everyone saw Faysal stay like this for at least an hour. From Faysal''s perspective however, everything went black and words floated in front of him: SYSTEM INITIATED, WELCOME FAYSAL. PLEASE STANDBY. Chapter 8: Hidden Knowledge The acceptance announcement went quick, but Hyro could not pay attention knowing that he, of all people, was going to be an adventurer, or at least he got accepted into the Academy. He did pay attention to hear that 5 total applicants were being accepted, somewhat of a record apparently. Acadeles, Brutey, Cynthia, Gribby, and of course, Hyro. Hyro was happy to hear that he would get to see more of Cynthia. The 5 were shown to their respective rooms where their belongings were waiting for them. Hyro was glad to see that not only did he have his own room but it was bigger that his room at home by far. Each student at the academy started in their own room, eventually they were told that they would share rooms, but when or with whom they were never told, or Hyro was not listening if they were. For now Hyro fell onto the most comfortable bed he had ever felt in his life and fell asleep for as long as the cosmos would allow him. Sunlight shone through the window in Hyro¡¯s room, as it hit his face his slumber finally came to an end. He sat up in bed trying to remember where he was and piece together what was real and what was a dream. Was he really accepted into Terraqua academy? Did he really use magic? It was all a blur and unbelievable to him. As he sat in the bed a voice could be heard in his room. It sounded like Buck but Hyro could not tell for sure as no one was in the room but him that he could see and the door was still shut. The voice almost sounded like it was being amplified. ¡°Acadeles, Brutey, Cynthia, Gribby and Hyro, make your way to the outdoor arena as soon as you can.¡± Hyro did not know what to expect but quickly started getting dressed, luckily he had some of his alchemically treated bandages hidden in the bags that were brought to his room so started wrapping his hands quickly before going out, just in case. It did not take Hyro that long to get ready, but he was still the last of the 5 to step outside, and he was greeted with many new faces. Standing in the center of the area was a mixed group of people about 20 or so, all different ages and races together, applauding the 5 as they made their way to the arena. All of the staff they have met up to this point were there as well. Hyro has never been the center of attention before so it took him by surprise. Most of the others seemed to be used to and liked the attention, but Cynthia seemed to be shocked as she stopped in her tracks at the applause, causing Hyro to bump into her. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± Hyro trailed off as he noticed Cynthia¡¯s whole face was bright red, a stark contrast to her usually rosy pink cheeks. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Hyro asked, concerned she may be sick. ¡°Y¡­yes thank you.¡± She replied, ¡°I¡¯m just not used to this.¡± Cynthia quickly shook herself back to attention and continued walking forward to where the other 3 from their group were standing. Buck was at the front and center of everyone in the area and he spoke up in a loud voice, ¡°As is tradition, the current members of Terraqua academy are here to welcome you into their ranks, so let us officially say,¡± Buck paused as everyone there in near perfect unison said the next part, ¡°Welcome to Terraqua Adventurers!¡± Buck then continued, ¡°All current students, you may now be dismissed to go back to your normal duties for the day.¡± Without missing a beat all of the other students left. As they were leaving Hyro got a better count and there seemed to be 18 people, with his group it should be 23 now, a lot for an adventurer''s academy from what Hyro has read. After only a few moments the area was left to just the 5 new students and 6 staff. ¡°Now it is time for you all to learn a little more about being an adventurer, please follow Hurly back inside he will begin today''s lesson with you all.¡± As Buck concluded, he and the other 4 stayed back as Hurly walked to the doors that led inside, followed by the new students. They took one of the first doors on the right after walking inside, the same room that they were in yesterday. Hurly stood at the front while the 5 grabbed seats. ¡°Alright ye youngins, let''s begin. First, I know you all are bright from the exam, but since much of what I have to share is secret knowledge I will be starting from the beginning. First, however, ye be needing to sign this with a small prick of blood.¡± Hurly held up 5 pieces of paper that were sitting on the desk and handed one to each of the 5. When Hyro was handed the paper he read over it thoroughly, though there was not much on the page. Terraqua Academy Opening Contract I, Hyro Selk, swear to keep all knowledge learned at the academy to myself and only discuss with other adventurers. Should I leave the academy for any reason I agree to have all knowledge and items gained stripped from me to preserve the integrity of the Adventurers. If any knowledge is shared with an outsider I agree to face the same consequences, and any entity that I share information with will be subject to the same fate. It is with sound mind and judgment and without corrosion that I sign this document and bind my soul to the will of the contract. Signed: Hyro Selk Under the signature was also a small square box where Hyro followed the others lead of pricking his thumb and leaving a bloody thumbprint in the area allotted. After everyone was done Hurly went around and collected the papers and took out a small wooden box with a slit on top. He put his hand on the box and it started to glow faintly, getting brighter as he inserted the 5 papers one at a time. After the final one was put into the box and the glow was at its brightest Hurly put his hand on top of it again and the light was extinguished, that is when he finally spoke up again. ¡°Now ye will all hear of Thomas Hestron, the first adventurer. Our Best records be suggesting he lived around a millennium ago, everything suggests that he was not from our world and he brought his own style of magic that he called technology. Many things have adapted from this so-called technology, the lights ye be seeing in many cities for instance are a mixture of Thomas¡¯s technology and our world''s magic. The most important piece of technology however, was something old Thomas had inside of him that made him a true adventurer, the Adventurers System. Before he disappeared, Thomas found a way to take the system from inside of him and create the small spheres that give adventurers access to the System. Now no one be knowing where the system is really from or who controls it. There are theories ranging from deities to advanced beings from another plane to the System just always being around, but as Adventurers it allows one to hone skills, learn more about themselves and even unlock greater potential.¡± Hurly paused for a moment to let this information set in. Some of this information was speculated or available to some extent but to have everything confirmed was a bit of a shock. After a short time Hurly continued, ¡°By all accounts everyone sees the system slightly differently, as it molds with yur being and provides the assistance to best suit its wielder and their intelligence. My system, for instance, takes the form of Stone tablets in my mind, the information mine provides is specific to me, ye may be having a more modern or futuristic look or something different entirely but it will always be suited to you.¡± After another short pause, ¡°Now I know that be a lot of information, but I will allow each of ye to ask 1 question if ye wish.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. True to his nature Gribby spoke up, ignoring the other hands raised in the air, ¡°What happened to Thomas, he just left one day?¡± Hurly nodded in response, ¡°Aye, from what we know one day he was making a bunch of the Adventurer Systems and the next, vanished. Due to the system¡¯s enhancements, an Adventurer who gains great power can live a remarkably long time, but most suspect he was reaching his end and wanted to go on his own terms.¡± Hurly looked around, everyone had a hand up at this point, ¡°Brutey.¡± ¡°How are there still System Spheres available? Surely Thomas did not make that many a millennium ago.¡±Brutey asked, lowering their hand. ¡°Aye, the original spheres ran out long ago, the Adventurers Council has a method to create more, the secret is guarded within their ranks only. Acadeles, yur question?¡± ¡°Yes sir, I know much is not known about the System itself, but how does it connect to and enhance our abilities, is it possible for someone already strong to lose power?¡± Hurly thought about his question before responding. ¡°Good question lad. While there is no record of anyone being weaker in the long run, there is almost always an adjustment period so you may seem weaker as you learn how the System works. Hyro, yer the last one with a raised hand¡± Hurly called on Hyro as Cynthia¡¯s hand lowered after Acadeles asked his question. Hyro had a million questions running through his mind, some answered from the questions the others asked, some he would not dare ask anyone, let alone in a group. Hyro decided to ask a question he had been thinking about for a long while, ¡°As far as I could tell, Adventurers are the only destiny to have a class system, though I could not find much information on them. Are those classes related to the System, and if yes, how so?¡± Hurly smiled at one of the best questions he has heard in quite a long time, he liked this kid. ¡°Aye lad, the system will give you a choice of classes once you hit a certain¡­ threshold. It is usually based on what the System senses from your innate abilities and how much you impress the System in the early stages. That will be gone over in more detail after ye are all introduced to the System yourselves. Cynthia, ye be the only one not asking a question, now is yer chance.¡± Cynthia¡¯s face went bright red again as the spotlight was shown on her and she started stammering. Eventually she collected herself and asked a coherent question, albeit quietly ¡°Have our world''s Deities ever shown an issue with the system?¡± Hurly shook his head in response, ¡°Quite the contrary lass, many that are connected to such deities say it has brought them closer than ever before, Cleric of sorts is even one of the classes of the System.¡± Cynthia seemed to relax upon hearing that, Hyro was never that religious himself but did research the Deities as he did with almost everything, he tried to speculate which one Cynthia would be aligned with but there were so many it was too hard to tell without knowing more about her. Hurly continued speaking, ¡°Now that everyone had a chance to ask their question. Each of you follow me, you will all be placed in yer own room with one of us teachers, it is time to introduce you to the System.¡± Hyro got in line, following everyone else, Acadeles taking the lead, followed closely by Gribby, then Brutey, Hyro followed them and Cynthia trailed behind the pack. At each door Hurly would pause and call someone¡¯s name to enter that room. First was Gribby, Hyro saw Valda waiting in that room, Next was Cynthia, Helina was waiting in her room. After Cynthia, Acadeles was called to enter a room with Extrial, Hyro was somewhat surprised when he was called next to see Headmaster Buck waiting for him, Brutey presumably going to a room with Hurly. When Hyro entered Buck closed the door behind him. Each room appeared to be a similar layout, a bed like area, 2 chairs and a small desk. Similar to a simple examination room. Buck spoke up after the door was closed, ¡°Have a seat Hyro, I decided to observe your System integration as a safety protocol. We have never seen a raw increase of power like you displayed without the System¡¯s assistance before, so we are not sure if there will be any side effects. Not to worry though, I have reached out to the council of Adventurers ahead of time to explain a little and they agreed to give me this.¡± Buck held up a small empty jar, covered in illegible writing. ¡°What is that?¡± Hyro asked curiously. ¡°A contingent, if you start spewing lava uncontrollably or anything too dangerous, this will be able to remove the System from you. The council has only used it before to remove the System to those who fail the Adventurers academy or disgraced adventurers, but you appear to be a somewhat special circumstance.¡± Buck paused letting Hyro sit in his thoughts for a moment. ¡°I know this is a lot to take in, and we usually do not offer this at this point, but given the circumstances, I am giving you an option. Take the sphere, and continue the path to be an adventurer, or step down, you will be given a job helping around the Academy, you will never become an Adventurer but your contract will still be intact and no memories will be extracted.¡± Hyro was shocked at the proposal, all he ever wanted was to be an Adventurer, because that is all he was ever Destined to do, but now another option was presented. What should I do? What would Mom and Dad do? Working at the Academy would be easier and safer for sure, but I have worked so hard to get to this point. What if the System rejects me due to my lack of magical aptitude? What if something worse happens? Those were just a few of the thoughts racing through Hyro¡¯s head. As if knowing what Hyro would eventually decide however, Buck was already holding out an Adventurers System Sphere, available for Hyro to take if he wished. After some contemplation, Hyro knew he could not back down now, and he took the Sphere out of Buck''s hand, Squeezed it tight and willed something to happen. Hyro never tried to activate any magic item before, his family could not afford it and he was afraid of what would happen since he had not magic his whole life, and as he willed and willed his power and being into the sphere, nothing happened. Buck spoke up ¡°Have you ever used a magic item before boy?¡± Hyro answered somewhat ashamed and slightly scared, ¡°No sir. My family could never afford them.¡± Buck nodded stroking his white beard in thought, ¡°No need to fret son, sometimes it helps focus power by saying what you are doing out loud. In this case you are just trying to activate the Adventurers system, so you could try saying something like that. Do not focus any one spell but focus your whole being into the sphere. Try that.¡± Hyro tried again, hoping and praying something would happen, his knuckles going white from squeezing so tight. While willing all of his being, all of his thoughts, all of his will into the sphere he spoke, ¡°Activate, Adventurers System. Activate Adventurers System! I COMMAND YOU, ADVENTURERS SYSTEM! ACTIVATE!¡± The sphere exploded in his hand, not causing Hyro any harm but engulfing him with a power he never felt before. As the power flowed through him all of his bandages wrapping on his arms and legs were engulfed in a heatless flame as they disappeared from his body entirely. His hands and feet started to glow, not just where lines should or could be, but the whole surface glowed multiple colors, then it stretched to his whole body. The glow emitted from everywhere, and when the multi-colored glow reached his eyes, the terrified Hyro saw nothing but black, he could barely hear Buck say a few words before Hyro did what he did best. Hyro heard, ¡°What the Abyss¡­¡± and then he lost consciousness, lost to this world as he saw in the darkness, words appeared, accompanied with a soothing but powerful, slightly robotic voice: SYSTEM INITIATED, WELCOME HYRO, WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU. PLEASE STANDBY. Chapter 9: The Adventurer鈥檚 System What seemed like an eternity passed from Hyro¡¯s perspective, he could not move, could not talk, he could not do anything but stare at those words. System Initiated that part was easy enough to understand, he was trying to activate the Adventurer¡¯s System after all. Welcome Hyro, We have been waiting for you. Who was waiting for him and how did they know his name? After what had to be hours the words finally faded away and Hyro was left in complete darkness before seeing a new prompt, now instead of just floating the words appeared to be written in a giant floating book in front of Hyro. CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Hyro Selk AGE: 14 RACE: HUMAN/ELF/DWARF CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 1 ABILITIES: STRENGTH: DEXTERITY: VITALITY: WISDOM: INTELLIGENCE: CHARISMA: LUCK: ACHIEVEMENTS: ANALYZING¡­ LOADING¡­ CURRENCY: COPPER: 0 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 100 SKILLS AND SPELLS: ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR. ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR. ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR. ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR. ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR. ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR. ERROR: ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR. QUESTS: LOADING¡­
Not everything in his so called character sheet was filled out, in fact most seemed to be empty or having some sort of issue. While staring at it more words started to pop up and the sheet updated itself. First, Hyro saw a prompt appear over the abilities section, ¡°SETTING TO BASE POINTS, ADJUSTING BASED OFF OF INTERNAL READINGS AND ASSESSMENT.¡± Next Hyro saw all of the numbers just to a 10 except for Luck, which showed a 0, then all of the numbers started to fill in. The Skills and Spells stopped showing the word Error but did not look much more promising. What caught Hyro¡¯s attention was the Achievement and Quest sections. They both had the word NEW next to them, and when Hyro shifted his focus to them he heard a voice in his head, somewhat robotic but slightly sinister. ¡°New Achievements. New Quests¡± After observing all of the changes taking place Hyro looked over all of the information again, completely shocked to see some of the things written about him. CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Hyro Selk AGE: 14 RACE: HUMAN/ELF/DWARF CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 1 ABILITIES: STRENGTH: 12 DEXTERITY: 16 VITALITY: 10 WISDOM: 18 INTELLIGENCE: 22 CHARISMA: 22 LUCK: 100 ACHIEVEMENTS: NEW NEW ACHIEVEMENTS: REBORN: WELCOME BACK. CHAOS MAGIC: UNLIKE THE OTHER DENIZENS OF THIS WORLD YOUR MAGIC HAS TAKEN ON A MORE CHAOTIC NATURE. IN A TIME OF CRISIS YOU CAN CALL UPON THE ORDER OF CHAOS FOR ASSISTANCE. AT THIS TIME TEMPORARY LINES OF POWER MAY APPEAR FOR YOUR USE. LUCK OF THE DRAW: AN UNKNOWN ENTITY SEEMS TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR AFFAIRS AT CRITICAL MOMENTS. AGAINST THE GRAIN AND BELOW THE FOLD: YOU HAVE SURVIVED THIS FAR IN THIS WORLD DESPITE YOUR SETBACKS. +4 TO ALL ABILITIES EXCLUDING LUCK (CHANGES HAD ALREADY BEEN APPLIED). CURRENCY: COPPER: 5 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. CONTRIBUTION: 100 SKILLS AND SPELLS: ACTIVE: None INACTIVE: ¡Þ QUESTS: NEW QUESTS: ADVENTURING 101: COMPLETE YOUR FIRST YEAR AT TERRAQUA ACADEMY. REWARD: 100 CONTRIBUTION AND ACCESS TO THE ADVENTURING 102 QUEST. BECOME CLASSY: REACH LEVEL 10 AND GAIN A CLASS. REWARD: A NEW CLASS AND THE POWER THAT COMES WITH IT. THE LUCK OF CHAOS: YOU HAVE ABNORMALLY HIGH LUCK AND AN ODD CONNECTION TO THE PANTHEON, THE ORDER OF CHAOS. FIND MORE INFORMATION ON THE ORDER AND YOURSELF. REWARD: VARIABLE.
Hyro looked over every piece of new information available to him, he may not understand it all, but he can still commit it to memory. As he is focusing on each area, some words open another description page with some more information. NAME: THE NAME THAT YOU ARE KNOWN TO OTHER BY TO OTHERS. AGE: THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE ON ORABIS. RACE: THE LINEAGE(S) THAT YOU ARE CONNECTED TO. CLASS: THE ROLE AND ABILITIES THAT YOU HAVE FOCUSED ON. LEVEL: THE ACCUMULATION AND PRACTICE OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE. That is all pretty basic, I hope no one can see this information though, it will blow my cover, Hyro thought as he continued looking through. ABILITIES: DIFFERENT METRICS AND GAUGES THAT REPRESENT A BEINGS TALENTS. BASE FOR MOST BEING¡¯S IS 10 IN ALL PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ABILITIES AND IS 0 FOR LUCK. STRENGTH: THE GAUGE TO MEASURE ONE''S PHYSICAL POWER. DEXTERITY: THE GAUGE TO MEASURE ONE¡¯S AGILITY, REFLEXES, BALANCE AND SPEED. VITALITY: THE GAUGE TO MEASURE ONE¡¯S LIFE FORCE AND ENDURANCE. WISDOM: THE GAUGE TO MEASURE ONE¡¯S COMMON-SENSE, PERCEPTION AND SELF DISCIPLINE. INTELLIGENCE: THE GAUGE TO MEASURE ONE¡¯S ABILITY TO LEARN AND RETAIN INFORMATION ABOUT A VARYING DEGREE OF TOPICS. CHARISMA: THE GAUGE TO MEASURE ONE¡¯S ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY. LUCK: THE GAUGE USED TO MEASURE ONE¡¯S LUCK. I guess that I should be happy that almost all of my abilities are above the base of 10¡­ but why is my Luck such a high number and what does it mean? I have never really felt lucky. Hyro again found himself again hoping that no one was able to see his information, or that he could hide it somehow. Maybe I can find a way to ask Buck or the other staff more information about that. ACHIEVEMENTS: A LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT YOU HAVE EARNED OR WERE GIVEN. NEW ACHIEVEMENTS: NEW ADDITIONS TO THIS AREA SINCE YOU HAVE LAST OPENED THE CHARACTER SHEET. Hyro spent a long time looking over his apparent Achievements. Unfortunately the achievements themselves had no more information for him than what he could see. What did the system mean by Reborn? Did I die somehow, or is this something everyone who gets the system uses? Reborn into the System maybe? Hyro had a thirst to find more information. Chaos Magic really drew his attention. So that must be how I used actual Magic in the Tournament. Why did it never activate before? How can I use this again? What constitutes a crisis? Eager to test this out and have real magic at his disposal, Hyro kept investigating. Luck of the draw, there goes the System saying I have Luck again, but what Entity is interfering with me? I wish there was more information. Against the Grain and below the fold makes sense at least, even I was not sure I would make it this far. Achievements seem to be easy to get, I just got the System and already have 4. Hopefully I can get more and gain stronger with them. CURRENCY: THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOU HAVE, LOCAL CURRENCY IS TANGIBLE AND IS COMPRISED OF COPPER, SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM. 10 COPPER = 1 SILVER, 10 SILVER = 1 GOLD AND 10 GOLD = 1 PLATINUM. ADVENTURER WORLD CURRENCY (AWC) IS INTANGIBLE AND IS CALLED CONTRIBUTION. IT IS AWARDED BY THE SYSTEM FOR DIFFERENT QUESTS OR ACHIEVEMENTS AND HOW MUCH YOU ASSISTED IN THEM. Well that is obvious I have little to no currency, it is no secret I do not come from money, but what is contribution? Is 100 contribution a good amount? More questions to ask the staff at Terraqua. SKILLS AND SPELLS: A LIST OF SKILLS AND SPELLS AVAILABLE TO YOU PROVIDED YOU KNOW THE PROPER WORD OF POWER. No spells is what I would expect to see, but why is there an infinity sign next to my inactive spells? Does that have to do with my Chaos Magic Achievement? Finally Hyro looked into the Quests in as much detail as he could. QUESTS: A LIST OF SYSTEM OR PERSONAL TASKS WITH POTENTIAL REWARDS LISTED. NEW QUESTS: NEW ADDITIONS TO THIS AREA SINCE YOU HAVE LAST OPENED THE CHARACTER SHEET. Adventuring 101 and Become Classy have to be ones that every Adventurer starts with, they seem fairly basic and straightforward. The Luck of Chaos is more confusing, I have never heard of the Order of Chaos before, but I guess that''s why my quest is to find out more information on them. Hyro tried to focus on many more parts, such as the Variable reward and the infinity Symbol next to the inactive spells but he was not able to get anything more out of this sheet. While not everything had more information and not all of it was useful Hyro must have spent at least an hour going into as much detail as he could. After he got all of the information that he could get more words appeared below his page. FINALIZE CONNECTION TO THE SYSTEM? YES NO Hyro focused on the YES and a white light started emitting from it until it encapsulated his whole vision. What seemed like only seconds later Hyro was able to open his eyes, He was laying on his back on the bed that was in the room. Buck was standing right over him, he appeared to be checking Hyro¡¯s vital signs and consulting a book that he had open on the desk. ¡°Am¡­ Am I still alive?¡± Hyro croaked out, his voice horse. Buck jumped up and looked at him, ¡°Yes you are alive boy, but in all my years as an adventurer, teacher and headmaster I have never seen or heard of any System integration taking as long as yours or affecting you the way it did.¡± Buck said while handing Hyro a glass of water which he graciously took. ¡°Sip, do not chug that, now, I am going to need to do more of an analysis before I can let you go for the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with the System.¡± Buck grabbed a small rod from the desk ¡°Revelare!¡± Hyro suddenly saw a popup window in his vision BUCK IS TRYING TO VIEW YOUR INFORMATION USING A TOOL. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY AND STOP VIEWING ACCESS? (CHANCE OF SUCCESS 5%). YES NO Hyro has not known Buck that long and wanted to trust him, but was not sure what he should do. Only 5% chance, it is not like I really have a chance anyway. But I could try, just to see what happens. Hyro focused on YES and another screen was shown. BUCK HAS OVERPOWERED YOU AND HAS BEEN GRANTED ACCESS TO YOUR INFORMATION¡­ LUCK OF THE DRAW ACTIVATES. YOU MAY CHOOSE ONE ACHIEVEMENT, QUEST OR SPELL TO CONCEAL FOR THE NEXT 1 HOUR. Only 1, if I pick Chaos magic he will still see that I don''t have any spells. The Luck of the Draw and The Luck of Chaos still would not hide the fact that his Luck was so high. No matter how Hyro thought it through, there was no great option. Then He had a thought and quickly focused on the infinity symbol next to inactive spells. OPTION SELECTED ¡Þ HAS BEEN HIDDEN AND REPLACED WITH NONE FOR 1 HOUR. ¡°Hmmm interesting.¡± Buck muttered to himself while looking at screens only he could see. ¡°Did something happen when you integrated into the System? Not only do you have achievements and quests I have never seen, especially from someone still in training, but you have no spells, something called Chaos magic¡­¡± Buck trailed off in thought and started transcribing Hyros character sheet onto a piece of paper. What he wrote down was exactly how Hyro saw it, except for the inactive spells, which Buck wrote as showing ¡®NONE¡¯. Buck then showed the paper to Hyro, ¡°It is important to know how we can train you, or if we can train you, is this exactly what you see?¡± Hyro wrestled with his options, Should I tell Buck that the System let me hide something? Is there a reason the system let me hide a fact about my sheet, or was it just random luck? ¡°Yeah that looks like what I see.¡± Buck stared at the paper with Hyro¡¯s information on it getting lost in thought. Pulling out a small pen looking item and holding it to his lips Buck spoke with an amplification that somehow made it seem like his voice was everywhere, similar to this morning, ¡°All Academic and administrative staff please report to Exam Room 4 immediately.¡± Buck put the item away without another word. Hyro was unsure if he should say anything but within a few minutes the small room was crowded with the Staff of the Academy. When everyone was situated Buck handed the sheet to Tracey, ¡°Tracey, please make copies of this for everyone that will deteriorate in 10 minutes, that should be more than enough time for everyone to go over everything.¡± Tracey took the paper and, tracing a line on her palm, ¡°Tempus Exemplum 10.¡± She said as the paper glowed and she started handing it out to everyone in the room. Did Tracey keep the original document? Maybe Buck has her organize documentation on students. Hyro thought as everyone looked over the information. Hurly was the first to speak up, ¡°Aye did he get a broken System? We have seen him use his spells and no one has ever been documented with 100 luck, it just is not sustainable.¡± Buck responded quickly, ¡°I checked his system, it is no glitch or accident, it appears this Order of Chaos is manipulating the boy for some reason.¡± The room fell quiet for a long moment as those words hung in the air. ¡°Who is the Order of Chaos?¡± Hyro finally worked up the courage to ask. ¡°I have no idea.¡± All of the adults said in an almost perfect unison. Chapter 10: Classes Hyro was told to go relax in his room and explore the system more while the staff discussed the next steps they would take. Hyro had a lot to think about. Should I tell the staff the truth about my background? Should I run before they find out too much? What should I do?!? Hyro sat down in a chair in his room, staring at his character sheet, trying to gain any insights to help him in his current crisis. ¡°Crisis! That¡¯s it!¡± Hyro nearly shouted as he had a realization. Hyro closed his character sheet and looked inside of himself, thinking deeply on his situation. I need to know who to trust, what I should do, show me the way¡­ Not sure if anyone was listening or if the System itself decided what was a crisis. Hyro did not have much hope but this was his only thought while he was waiting, then it happened. First it was a small tingle then a burning sensation on his palms and as Hyro looked down he saw a line forming. It was not as long of a line as last time and did not hurt nearly as bad but it was something. The line itself formed an I and Hyro had an idea of the word of power needed but wanted to check his character sheet before doing anything. CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Hyro Selk AGE: 14 RACE: HUMAN/ELF/DWARF CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 1 ABILITIES: STRENGTH: 12 DEXTERITY: 16 VITALITY: 10 WISDOM: 18 INTELLIGENCE: 22 CHARISMA: 22 LUCK: 100 ACHIEVEMENTS: REBORN: WELCOME BACK. CHAOS MAGIC: UNLIKE THE OTHER DENIZENS OF THIS WORLD YOUR MAGIC HAS TAKEN ON A MORE CHAOTIC NATURE. IN A TIME OF CRISIS YOU CAN CALL UPON THE ORDER OF CHAOS FOR ASSISTANCE. AT THIS TIME TEMPORARY LINES OF POWER MAY APPEAR FOR YOUR USE. LUCK OF THE DRAW: AN UNKNOWN ENTITY SEEMS TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR AFFAIRS AT CRITICAL MOMENTS. AGAINST THE GRAIN AND BELOW THE FOLD: YOU HAVE SURVIVED THIS FAR IN THIS WORLD DESPITE YOUR SETBACKS. +4 TO ALL ABILITIES EXCLUDING LUCK (CHANGES HAD ALREADY BEEN APPLIED). CURRENCY: COPPER: 5 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 100 SKILLS AND SPELLS: ACTIVE: (Temporary, information filled from intelligence) Notitia: Gather information about 1 question. The question must be asked after the word of power. Response limited to power. INACTIVE: ¡Þ QUESTS: ADVENTURING 101: COMPLETE YOUR FIRST YEAR AT TERRAQUA ACADEMY. REWARD: 100 CONTRIBUTION AND ACCESS TO THE ADVENTURING 102 QUEST. BECOME CLASSY: REACH LEVEL 10 AND GAIN A CLASS. REWARD: A NEW CLASS AND THE POWER THAT COMES WITH IT. THE LUCK OF CHAOS: YOU HAVE ABNORMALLY HIGH LUCK AND AN ODD CONNECTION TO THE PANTHEON, THE ORDER OF CHAOS. FIND MORE INFORMATION ON THE ORDER AND YOURSELF. REWARD: VARIABLE.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Hyro¡¯s assumption was right, he might not always be able to look at the sheet in combat but it is useful to know that he can use it to double check any spell he gets access to. ¡°Well, here goes nothing, Notitia!¡± Hyro traced the line and spoke the word of power, ¡°Is there anyone here at Terraqua I can trust with my secrets?¡± As Hyro finished asking the question the line disappeared like last time Hyro used magic and he felt drained like he just ran a marathon. All of a sudden a faint string started flowing out of Hyro¡¯s palm, almost pulling him in a direction, not sure what else to do, Hyro followed. While Terraqua academy was not overly huge, it was bigger than most buildings that Hyro got to explore growing up, and Hyro has not had time to explore the grounds. Needless to say, after following the line and weaving in and out of different halls, Hyro had no idea where he was. At one point he went outside and passed the outdoor arena, but then he was led into a smaller building, then he was led out of that building and then into the building he stands in now, staring at a group of students, all of which appear to be meditating. There are only 6 students in the room, only 1 caught Hyro¡¯s eye however, the one that string Hyro was following led right to. It appears as though only Hyro could see the string as no one reacted to it while he was walking through the halls, which made sense as he cast the spell for personal information. Hyro continued staring in the room, trying to not draw attention to himself but also trying to observe as much as he could about the answer to his question. The string led to an Elven looking young man, not that much older than Hyro. Who is he and why did this spell lead me here of all places? I don''t even know who he is but apparently I can trust him¡­ we will see. Hyro got lost in thought while looking through the door to where his now faded string led, he was not paying attention as the 6 students that were meditating now lined up trying to leave the room. ¡°Ah sorry, I was just looking around.¡± Hyro stammered out, a little embarrassed. Most of the people leaving just walked on, a couple did stay back to introduce themselves. The elven boy who Hyro was led to and one other smaller student, the Elven boy walked right up to Hyro as the others walked on. ¡°Hey, you were in the most recent group of those accepted to Terraqua right? I am Enris, I¡¯m just finishing up my first year here! Oh, and this is Dreeva.¡± Enris spoke like he was in a race to get to the end of the sentence. Hyro was shaking Enris¡¯s hand as he spoke and shifted to Dreeva as he introduced her. ¡°Hello, My name is Hyro, yes, I did just get accepted. It is a pleasure to meet you both.¡± With everything going on in the last day or so Hyro only just now realized that he was shaking Enris and Dreeva¡¯s hand, and walking around Terraqua academy and his bandages are nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Hyro felt naked. He could feel his face getting warm as he started to worry about walking around without his bandages. Enris spoke up again to break the somewhat awkward silence, ¡°Well Hyro, It is a pleasure to meet you, Dreeva and I have to get to one of Valdas encoding and deciphering classes so we have to go, but if you have no one to sit with at dinner my table is always open.¡± Enris said while starting to walk away with Dreeva who just gave a small wave in parting. Hyro waved and muttered in reply as they left ¡°I will look for you there, thanks.¡± Hyro started walking back to his room, not sure what to do now. Who is Enris, is he just nice and welcoming to everyone? What am I going to do? As Hyro started getting close to where his room was he could see Hurly waiting in the hallway. ¡°Ay Hyro, I was just about to call for ye. Buck had other matters to attend to, but I think we have a plan to start yer training.¡± Hurly went on to explain that they were going to start his training as a support and utility. Not a perfect fit and the staff will continue to come up with other options as research is done and as Hyro¡¯s abilities show themselves more. ¡°Don¡¯t ye worry lad, we have dealt with curve balls before, maybe not to this extreme, but we never give up on a hopeful and talented young one like yerself. Tomorrow ye will start with some basic courses, Introduction to Meditation, Welcome to The System, Traveling the land and my personal favorite, Adventuring 101. We will start focusing mostly on basic courses while we finalize a plan for ye but we will start with What is Utility? A map of campus with yer classes for the day will arrive tomorrow morning, you will have the same for at least a week. Any questions lad?¡± Hyro shook his head in reply, ¡°No questions for now, Thank you Hurly I was not sure what to expect after seeing you all discuss how the system changed me, thank you for not giving up.¡± Hyro teared up a bit at having the staff here seemingly work so hard to keep him included when most of his life he was taught to do the opposite and exclude himself to not be found out. Hurly put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Aye lad, we will sort out this mess together and make a great adventurer out of ye yet. Take any time ye need in yer room but the dining hall should be open in about an hour if ye be hungry.¡± And with that Hurly walked off to his next task, leaving Hyro alone again with his thoughts. Hyro actually knew where the dining hall was, when he was following his spell earlier it led him past a set of double doors labeled as such. After about an hour of trying to mess with his System more and finally reapplying his hand wrappings, Hyro decided to go and see what food options he would have here. Hyro walked to the dining hall and most everyone was there already. Hyro looked around and saw all of the staff and he was pretty sure all of the students both from his group and from those that welcomed them. There were also a few people that Hyro did not recognize but they were easily identified as kitchen staff from their aprons. After walking through the double doors and looking around for where to go Hyro heard someone shouting over the dull roar of the crowd talking and eating. ¡°Hyro! Hyro! Over here!¡± It was Enris who was sitting at table with 3 others and 1 spot open at the table. Sitting with Enris was Dreeva, another person that Hyro has not met yet that appeared to be a Human with caramel colored skin and Cynthia was sitting with them too. Hyro walked over to the table Enris spoke again as he got close, ¡°Have a seat, you already met Dreeva, and I believe you know Cynthia who just started with you.¡± Enris motioned to each of the girls as he mentioned to them, ¡°This is Paul, he started at the same time as me, Dreeva is actually almost done with her time at Terraqua, she¡¯s been here longer than most.¡± Hyro waved at everyone about to speak when Buck spoke over everyone, silencing the room. ¡°Good evening everyone, the meal is prepared and the staff will bring it out momentarily. Enjoy the feast that was prepared for the first dinner with the newest enrollees. Welcome again and please enjoy.¡± As Buck finished speaking a few of the cooking staff walked out with giant plates that took up most of the center of each circle table, as the Cloche was removed Hyro looked over at the most delicious looking and abundant amount of food that he has ever seen. Multiple different parts of different animals, different fruits, nuts, vegetables, some that Hyro has never seen let alone tried. For the rest of the evening Hyro ate until he could not move. There was some conversation at their table, Enris led most of the conversation but Hyro got to know a bit more about everyone at the table. Enris had just gotten his class as a simple but effective Rogue class, but he seemed excited about it. Enris also explained that he was a half-Elf, Half-Human and was born just a short travel to the east at a town called Faras. Dreeva is a Rogue as well, and that is how she ended up getting close to Enris. Dreeva mentioned that she was a mixed race but mostly Halfling which explained her smaller frame. Paul was a Human as he appeared and was from a small island to the South. He has not gotten his class yet but should any day now. Cynthia did not speak much but did mention that she was an Elf from Aquarine. Hyro did spark up some conversation with her about the town they were both from. With Hyro not seeking much attention and Aquarine being such a big port town, it was not surprising that they haven¡¯t run into each other before. Overall it was one of the most fun nights that Hyro could remember having in a long time, but starting tomorrow Classes would begin. Chapter 11: Sanctuary Hyro awoke the next morning to a knock at his door, by the time he reached the door there was noone there but a rolled piece of parchment was sitting in a small mail slot that each bedroom had. Inside the rolled parchment was the map that Hurly said would be coming as well as a short note that had a list of Hyro¡¯s classes for the day. Class List for Hyro Selk Support / Utility Introduction to Meditation - Dawn Welcome to the System Traveling the land Break / Lunch Adventuring 101 What is Utility? And with that, Hyro now knew his daily schedule for at least a week, and he felt another wave of anticipation as he will finally take the next step on the journey to become an Adventurer. As Hyro looked at the map and class list he realized 2 things almost right away. The first is that the campus was more intricate than he originally believed, the second was that it was almost Dawn now, and he had to get across the building to get to his Introduction to Meditation course. Hyro was now in a rush. He threw his bandages and clothes on, not even bothering with setting up his fireball, there did not seem to be much point for it at the moment. After getting ready, Hyro ran to class. To Hyro¡¯s surprise, when he arrived the class was comprised of the 5 new enrollees that he started with and there was not a teacher at the front of the classroom, but Dreeva. There were no desks in this room, instead it was similar to the room that Hyro first met Enris and Dreeva in, a few foam mats on the floor spread around the room. As everyone walked in, Dreeva spoke up in a soft tone. ¡°H¡­Hello Everyone, I am Dreeva, a 4th year student near completion here at Terraqua academy. I have been given the honor of being your guide for Introduction to Meditation. Normally, meditation is something you do on your own time, but in everyone¡¯s first rotation of classes there is a guided meditation class to help those who have never done it or have never done it properly before. First, does anyone know why Meditation is so important to Adventurers?¡± Acadeles and Hyro both raised their hands but Gribby was in the room, so he blurted out his answer, ¡°It is to help focus and recover in times of trouble or stress.¡± Dreeva glanced over at him and smiled, ¡°Y¡­ yes those are some of the main reasons, it also helps us control our powers and the System better.¡± Next she went to the wall and opened a compartment that blended in so well Hyro could barely tell where it was after it was closed again. Dreeva pulled a small bell from inside the compartment she opened and rang it once. The sound reverberated all around the room and echoed around as if no sound was allowed to escape this area, the one sound that the bell ring made also spread out in range and started playing a simple but soothing melody. ¡°Now if everyone could please grab a seat on one of the mats we can get started.¡± Dreeva seemed more confident now that the music was playing. For the next half hour or so Dreeva gave them instructions on how to relax different parts of the body, how to control heart rate, control breathing, overall on how to control many parts of the internal system, Hyro dabbled in meditation a little bit but never to this extent, he could see many areas where these skills could come in handy. Towards the end Dreeva helped walk them through a deep state meditation. ¡°Focus on the music playing as you breathe in 2, 3 ,4 and out 2, 3, 4. Focus on your breathing this time as we breathe in 2, 3, 4 and out 2, 3, 4. As you focus and continue breathing I want you to picture yourself in your happy place, a place that is and always has been peaceful for you. Breathe in 2, 3, 4 and out 2, 3, 4.¡± Those were the last words that Hyro heard Dreeva speak in the guided meditation as he seemed to be teleported away. Hyro¡¯s eyes fluttered open and in front of him he saw his campfire, the one by the home he grew up in. He spent many hours reading, training, meditating, sleeping and more all by this little campfire that he built for himself. Sitting around the campfire he saw 2 people, both of them looked almost identical to himself, perhaps a bit older. ¡°It is about time you visit us, we have been waiting for a long time.¡± One of the 2 spoke up, while they both looked like him the one that spoke was more well groomed and in nice shining armor with a large blade at one side and a dagger at the other. He seemed almost royalty or at least a high official in the army. The other who has not spoken up yet appeared to be more of a hermit, a brown cloak draped over his shoulders, the hood was currently down but Hyro could tell if it was up he would be hard to recognize. Any weapons or items that this hermit looking version of him had were hidden in the cloak or some other hidden compartment, but he did not look like he had much. The one clad in armor spoke up again, ¡°This is your sanctuary¡­ our sanctuary. We are you Hyro, or what you could have been or still could be.¡± Hyro could not believe what he was hearing, this had to all be in his head, he was just meditating after all, maybe he fell asleep and this is just a, ¡°This isn¡¯t a dream.¡± The Hermit version cut him off mid thought. ¡°It is as real as the time that we Stumbled when we first got our longsword from Mom and almost lost our hand.¡± As the Hermit speaks he holds up his hand and wiggles his fingers, his hand completely made of metal glowing magic. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°So you are a version of me who did not move fast enough and lost his hand?¡± Hyro asked, trying to gain clarification. ¡°Yes, and no.¡± Replied the Hermit, ¡°We are a combination of different versions of you, from past, present and future decisions. I am the version of you who lost his hand that day, and also a version that read more into medical magic and found magic sooner than most other versions as well as other decisions that you have not made yet.¡± ¡°So what is the point of this place then? Just so I can see what other decisions could have led too?¡± Hyro asked skeptically. ¡°While that is an aspect of this place it is hardly the main purpose.¡± The Armor clad Hyro replied this time, ¡°Yes, we are here but this space is a combination of the ambient magic in the surrounding area, your imagination and thoughts, a bit of your own magic, and of course, a dash of Chaos. You may not realize as it was done subconsciously but you created this place as a safe haven when you need to escape or think, but also as protection from mental strain or attacks and a place to get counsel from the person that we trust the most, ourselves.¡± Hyro had to sit down to take this all in so he took a seat around the fire with the other 2. ¡°If I created this, then I created you so you shouldn¡¯t really know anything more that I do, so what is the point?¡± The Hermit Hyro replied this time, ¡°Yes you created this place but with it pulling magic and inspiration from so many different sources we have drawn in that power. Now we can not tell you things you do not know, but we can help you think things through in different ways. We can also help you remember things lost deep in your mind or help notice things you may have missed, even if it is only in hindsight. For instance all the running around the academy you have been doing, you have seen many other students and teachers but you seem to glance over some of the other staff, next time you are walking around look closer at the gardening staff, there might be something worth noting there.¡± The Armor clad Hyro interjected, ¡°But that is all the time we have for now, the first visit is always the shortest, we will have plenty of time to talk, we may look different or be a different combination of you but we will be here, waiting.¡± His voice started to fade away as did the vision of them and then finally the campsite itself. Hyro¡¯s eyes fluttered open once again this time to see Dreeva and the whole class surrounding him. ¡°Give him some space everyone, please.¡± The confident Dreeva spoke up, soft music from the bell still playing. ¡°Hyro I think we need to take you to see Helina, maybe Buck too.¡± Hyro was still processing everything but was shocked to hear that, did he get hurt while meditating? ¡°I feel fine, why would I need to¡­¡± And then, Hyro slipped back to his old habits, he passed out. When Hyro awoke again it was to see Helina standing over him, palms glowing as she used some sort of scanning or restorative magic on him. When she noticed his eyes opening she spoke, ¡°Ah, Hyro, It is good to see you awake again, Buck! He is awake!¡± She called into the adjourning room. Hyro now felt drained, he could move if he needed too but decided it was best to just stay down and rest. After a short moment Buck walked into the room. ¡°You do not want to make this easy on me do ya boy?¡± Buck asked with a slight chuckle as he walked in the room. ¡°What happened? I was meditating, then in my sanctuary and next thing I know I was blacking out again, why does this keep happening?¡± Hyro was confused and frustrated with the events that unfolded. ¡°Sanctuary? You mean just the deep meditative state, correct?¡± Buck asked quizzically. ¡°Umm, maybe? I was talking with, well with me, in a place I always thought of as safe.¡± Hyro thought it was normal until Buck''s question so he did not think to try and hide what happened. Buck¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly hearing Hyro¡¯s explanation, ¡°You mean you have an actual sanctuary? This early in training no less! That is something some never reach that is impressive, but also draining on such a young body.¡± Buck muttered the next part but Hyro could still hear it, almost like it was a little amplified in his ear, ¡°Dreeva did say he was glowing, what could this mean.¡± Buck spoke up to Hyro again, ¡°Well anyway, I know you are probably tired, Helina will give you some energy and then you should be able to just make your Welcome to the System class. When classes are over for the day please see me before dinner.¡± Buck said leaving the room, Helina traced a line and spoke the word, ¡°industria.¡± Suddenly Hyro felt like he just woke up from a full night of good sleep. ¡°Thank you Helina!¡± He said as he got up and started rushing to his next class. Chapter 12: Interlude 3: Vivat Resistentia! It has been about a week since Faysal has been given access to the system, and without any real guidance he was happy with the progress that he has made. Finally leveling up feels like a milestone, it may only be the first level but at least he knows that he is on the right track and his experiences aren¡¯t going to waste. Experience something about that word¡­ Faysal had an idea as he brought up his character sheet that looked similar to a medical chart, as he did, he thought the word ¡®Experience.¡¯ CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Faysal Philips AGE: 49 RACE: HUMAN CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 2 * NEW CONTRIBUTION STORE NOW AVAILABLE *NEW: EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 3 100/200 ABILITIES: 3 POINTS AVAILABLE! STRENGTH: 10 DEXTERITY: 10 VITALITY: 10 WISDOM: 20 INTELLIGENCE: 25 CHARISMA: 15 LUCK: 15 ACHIEVEMENTS: AGENT OF CHAOS: THE ORDER OF CHAOS HAS WHISPERED IN YOUR EAR AT A VITAL MOMENT AND YOU FOLLOWED THEIR DIRECTION, KNOWINGLY OR NOT. +5 LUCK, +2 STRENGTH, DEXTERITY AND VITALITY (CHANGES HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPLIED). DOCTOR OF THE PEOPLE: THROUGH YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS THE PEOPLE HAVE GROWN TO LOVE AND RESPECT YOU. +5 SITUATIONAL CHARISMA BONUS WHEN SPEAKING WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS HEARD OF YOUR DEEDS. UNSANCTIONED SYSTEM: YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN ACCESS TO THIS SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF NORMAL MEANS FOR THIS WORLD. QUEST: ADVENTURING 101 REPLACED WITH VIVAT RESISTENTIA! ADVANCED AGE: YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN SYSTEM ACCESS LATER IN LIFE THAN MOST IN THIS WORLD. +25,000 CONTRIBUTION (BASED ON LIFE EXPERIENCES). CURRENCY: COPPER: 0 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 25,000 SKILLS AND SPELLS: SPELLS: INELLIGO: IDENTIFY BASE INFORMATION ABOUT A PERSON PLACE OR THING. CURATIO: CURE A SMALL WOUND ON A TARGET. EFFECTIVE CAN BE INCREASED WITH KNOWLEDGE ON THE INJURY. CHIRURGIA: CREATE ANY SURGICAL TOOL FOR 5 X INTELLIGENCE MINUTES. MUNDARE: PURGE A POISON, DISEASE OR SIMILAR AILMENT FROM A TARGET. EFFECTIVENESS BASED ON INTELLIGENCE VS STRENGTH OF AILMENT. SUPPLERE: PROVIDE NUTRIENTS TO A TARGET, PREVENTING DEHYDRATION AND STARVATION. REAL NUTRITION MUST BE INGESTED EVERY LEVEL X WISDOM DAYS. FLAMMA: PRODUCE A SMALL FINGER SIZED FLAME. QUAERERE POTENTIAM: CONCENTRATE ON A TARGET TO DISCERN ITS TRUE POTENTIAL. THE LONGER THE CONCENTRATION AND MORE LIFE EXPERIENCE THE MORE POTENTIAL IS REVEALED. SOMNUS: PERSUADE A TARGET TO SLEEP. IF TARGET IS UNWILLING CONTEST BETWEEN CASTER LEVEL X WISDOM AND TARGET LEVEL X VITALITY. ACTIVE SKILLS: OCCULTA APPARENTIA: CAST BY MYRA, YOU CAN HIDE IN THE SHADOWS MAKING YOU HARDER TO SEE. DURATION, 15 MINUTES REMAINING. QUESTS: VIVAT RESISTENTIA!: A RESISTANCE HAS FORMED AND YOU ARE AT IS EPICENTER, HELP LEAD THE RESISTANCE AGAINST THE INJUSTICE OF THIS REGION. REWARD: VARIABLE. ESCAPE THE DUNGEON: FIND A WAY OUT OF YOUR CURRENT SITUATION. REWARD: 100 CONTRIBUTION AND SOME SEMBLANCE OF FREEDOM. GAIN A CLASS: REACH LEVEL 10 AND GAIN A CLASS. REWARD: A NEW CLASS AND THE POWER THAT COMES WITH IT.
¡°No wonder adventurers are sought after and left to their own devices, being able to use your experiences to directly gain more power at a tangible level¡­¡± Faysal was muttering to himself but everyone in their camp was nearby and listening, curious as to what power Faysal was talking about. ¡°I have heard of the system as most have before, but thought it was a myth or its uses were over exaggerated. Now do I use my ability points or look into this contribution store more? I was given what seems like a lot to start but have not received anymore since.¡± Faysal was still talking to himself to help get his thoughts in order, but Happy responded to try to help, ¡°I always liked shopping, everyone always looks at me and moves out of my way so I can get to the best stores!¡± The rest stayed quiet, no one had the heart to tell Happy why everyone was looking at him or moving away from him, and Faysal seemed so deep in thought he would not hear them anyway. Faysal decided it would be best to at least look at the contribution store before making any decisions on what to spend. When he thought the words ¡®Contribution Store¡¯ a new window opened up. CONTRIBUTION STORE: TOTAL CONTRIBUTION: 25,000
REWARD CONTRIBUTION COST
1 EXPERIENCE 10
1 COPPER 10
COOLDOWN IN DISPLAY 100
HEALTH BAR IN DISPLAY 100
1 GOLD 100
MINI-MAP IN DISPLAY 500
WHEEL OF FATE 1,000
TOWN/AREA DETAILS ADDED TO MINI-MAP 1,000
NEW BEGINNER QUEST! 1,000
NEW BEGINNER + QUEST!Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. 2,000
+1 ABILITY POINT 5,000
Interesting was the only real thought that came to Faysal¡¯s mind. The copper and gold were useless to him currently, so they could be ruled out. Who knows if the quests he would get would even be possible in his current situation. The experience and ability points are tempting, but he can earn them other ways, he still may look into them later though. That left the Displays and the Wheel of Fate. In reality Faysal did not have to think hard at all before making his first two purchases, he immediately thought Mini-Map in Display. Another prompt just saying ¡®Confirm or Cancel¡¯ appeared for a moment before Faysal confirmed his selection. Immediately he saw his contribution points lower to twenty 4,500, and in the top right of his vision a small circular map appeared. It was missing many finer details, but showed a green dot where each of his friends in the dungeon were, a small orange dot where their fireplace was, walls were indicated as well, though the small hiding hole they made to keep valuables from straying creatures was not visible on the map. Faysal had an idea and he went over to the hiding hole and looked inside. When he did that area on the map had a faint glow, and when he left that area it stayed, marking the map permanently. All that time Faysal and those in the dungeon spent mapping out the dungeon and now he basically had a generic cheat sheet, now time to hopefully expand that cheat. Town/Area Details Added to mini-map! Faysal thought without hesitation, this time a different prompt appeared that read, ¡®Due to size of the current area two times contribution required. Confirm or Cancel?¡¯ Well, I guess it is good that I have such a lot of contribution, let¡¯s see if this is worth it. Confirm. Immediately after agreeing not much seemed to change, there were small arrows labeled North, South, East and West that were not there before. Faysal also noticed a few other changes, his contribution amount lowered 2,000 like he expected but when glancing at the Contribution store the things that he purchased looked different. CONTRIBUTION STORE: TOTAL CONTRIBUTION - 22,500
REWARD CONTRIBUTION COST
1 EXPERIENCE 10
1 COPPER 10
COOLDOWN IN DISPLAY 100
HEALTH BAR IN DISPLAY 100
1 GOLD 100
MINI-MAP IN DISPLAY 500
WHEEL OF FATE 1,000
TOWN/AREA DETAILS ADDED TO MINI-MAP Max purchased for area 1,000
NEW BEGINNER QUEST! 1,000
NEW BEGINNER + QUEST! 2,000
+1 ABILITY POINT 5,000
TUTORIAL DEPENDENT ON ASSISTANCE NEEDED
It appears as though some items are single purchases or can only be purchased so many times. That makes sense, no use in having multiple maps, Faysal thought to himself while looking over the store. Some things have been added after I made the purchases, interesting. Should I make some smaller purchases before large ones to see what else may be added? Faysal refocused his eyes, closing all of his screens for a moment, Myra noticed him shifting his attention and used this moment to speak up, ¡°Fay, have you found anything interesting? You have been zoned out for quite some time.¡± Myra was talking solely to Faysal but everyone was gathered around the fire listening to what Faysal had to say. Faysal explained everything about the contribution store, what he has purchased and found out so far and about the tutorial being added after making some purchases. ¡°I am not sure of the next best move, sure I have what seems like a lot of Contribution but that could change, I am at a disadvantage not having the training they get in Adventuring Academies, perhaps the tutorial can help bridge some of that gap, but at what cost?¡± Almost everyone contemplated what Faysal was saying, trying to understand and think of the next best move for the resistance''s most promising weapon, Happy did not need to think anything over. ¡°I do not think a turtle or two turtles will be much help but Mama always said I was a gift from the fates so their wheel should be good!¡± Happy spoke as if what he was saying should be obvious to everyone. Myra tried to correct him, ¡°No Happy, tutor, actually it doesn¡¯t matter, Fay you know I am for action, wasting a potentially limited resource like Contribution and possibly wasting time, I do not think it is worth it.¡± ¡°I disagree, having the knowledge will help lead to more power, taking the tutorial may open up other options or show you that one option is not as good as you originally thought.¡± Jasper shared his opinion as did Paline who was in agreement with Jasper. The conversation lasted a few moments, Myra on the side of not taking the tutorial, Jasper and Paline in favor of it and Happy wondering if he could ride the two turtles and talking about fate. ¡°Let me start with the rest of the display options, then I can see if anything else gets added or go for the tutorial. I am sorry, Happy but I do not think we will be doing the wheel of fate today.¡± I can not think with Happy constantly talking about turtles and The Wheel of fate. Suddenly a pop up showed in his vision seeming out of nowhere reading ¡®Confirm or Cancel.¡¯ What Confirm or Cancel what? Did I perhaps think too hard about the Tutorial or the wheel of fate this time? I need to be more careful with my thoughts, either way I do not want to Confirm this. Suddenly the confirm option lit up for a moment and time froze. Faysal looked around but no one else seemed to be moving or even breathing, then everything around Faysal turned completely white. In a loud booming voice Faysal heard ¡°Welcome to the Wheel of Fate!¡± As the voice said the words wheel of fate those words appeared in giant bold yellow letters floating in the air, below the words a giant wheel but all of the options were completely blank. The voice continued speaking, ¡°I am your host, Grondo the magnificent!¡± As Grondo said his name there was a puff of smoke and a figure appeared, presumably Grondo. Grondo was an interesting looking individual, something Faysal had never seen in his lifetime. They had skin that was a mix of gold and silver and had a faint glow to it. Their top half seemed like a bodybuilder, Grondo had no feet however, instead everything came together to a single, almost tail-like point. ¡°The rules are very simple, every 1,000 contribution points you pay up to 10,000, one of the eleven spaces on the Wheel of Fate will turn to a better option, after payment decisions your luck and any other possible variables take effect and then you get to, SPIN, SPIN, SPIN! Now that the basic introduction is over, Adventurer may I have your name?¡± Grondo said that last part while looking down at Faysal for the first time. One hundred ¡°Umm, Hi I am Faysal, but I am not an¡­¡± That was all Faysal could say before Grondo spoke up again, cutting him off, ¡°Faysal! It is a pleasure to have you on the show! We do not get many contestants anymore but it is still many of the Gods favorite events to tune in to! Now that I think about it you might be the first contestant in about one hundred years! I wonder if the Gods and fate will reward or punish you for that? Only time will tell! Before we begin with the payment part do you have any questions about the game?¡± Faysal had no clue what most of this person was saying, but if his questions were limited to the game he did have at least one, ¡°I sort of chose this in error, am I able to return?¡± Grondo chuckled, ¡°Ah yes, we used to get many accidental contestants before the Academy started focusing on meditation and controlling thoughts early on in training. But unfortunately no, there is no going back, only forward!¡± As Grondo said forward he raised his hands and sparks flew from them. ¡°Now Faysal, do you have any more questions on how the Wheel of Fate works?¡± Faysal had a ton of questions, but the game itself seemed straight forward, he could just hope now that he did not get anything too bad from the wheel. ¡°No, I have no more questions about the game.¡± ¡°Wonderful!¡± Grondo replied enthusiastically, ¡°First is the payment round! For those watching, let''s show how many contribution points little Faysal has here.¡± With that, another screen showed up that just read ¡®Faysal¡¯s Contribution Points: 21,500 ¡°Wow! Would you look at that, not only do we have our first contestant in one hundred years but the first to have more than 3,000 Contribution when coming here in, oh three hundred years, impressive Faysal, you came prepared! Now, how much would you like to spend to increase your chances at the WHEEL OF FATE!?¡± That is a good question, it looks like I paid 1,000 just to be here, I only need two hundred to get the last two display options currently available, but other options could always be added and I wanted that tutorial option as well, who knows how much that will be. So let me assume the tutorial is the same as the highest current option, 5,000, add the two hundred, and I really wanted to try to keep 10,000 if possible for other options or future use, so if possible I want to keep 15,200 of my 21,500 so I could spend 6,000 easily enough, but that would only give me a fifty four and a half Percent chance. If I give myself the best odds of just under ninety one percent I would only be left with 11,500. Ugh. ¡°Fine, use all 10,000.¡± Faysal muttered quietly in defeat. He wanted to save but without knowing the bad versus the good options, he could not risk it in a time like this. Suddenly, the screen that showed Faysal¡¯s Contribution Points dropped down to 11,500. Faysal felt like he was stabbed in the gut, but felt some relief when he saw ten of the eleven spots start to light up. ¡°Wow! Folks this is another thing that we have not seen in a very long time, if ever! Faysal has spent 10,000 to sway the odds in his favor!¡± Faysal heard what sounded like an audience applauding, but he still only saw the Screen, the Wheel and Grondo, everything else was white. ¡°Now let us let fate take the wheel before we SPIN, SPIN, SPIN!¡± As Grondo finished his statement the wheel started flashing between a myriad of different colors, all the ones known and unknown, Faysal was in awe, if only for a moment. After a while the lights only went from a white light, black light and a crimson color. ¡°Oh it seems Faysal here is just full of surprises! It appears his fate is tied to the Order! We have never had a chance to see the full effects of Chaos on the wheel, until today that is! Let us watch as Chaos Reigns!¡± The lights intensified and everything from the screen, to the wheel and even the ground beneath Faysal¡¯s feet began to shake. Out of nowhere a deep voice spoke out, ¡°Welcome Faysal, to the WHEEL OF CHAOS!¡± The wheel stopped lighting up and a moment after that, all the white turned to black and Faysal could not see anything. The wheel then lit up again in the dark and Faysal could quickly see the options before the new deep voice spoke again saying, ¡°SPIN! SPIN! SPIN!¡± The eleven options were as follows 1) Skeleton Key, 2) Spin Again, 3) Controlled Chaos, 4) Controlled Chaos, 5) Controlled Chaos, 6) Controlled Chaos, 7) Teleportation Portal, 8) New Skill, 9) New Spell, 10) Level up! Then there was the one not lit up 11) Pure Chaos. As the wheel spun faster and faster Faysal could not read any of the options any longer, then a big red ¡®STOP¡¯ button appeared in front of Faysal. Without many other options he reached out and pressed the button. The wheel began to slow. As the wheel ticked between each option, slowing more and more. As the wheel almost stopped it looked as if it was going to stop at Level up! Then at the last second it ticked over to pure chaos and almost stopped when the deep voice spoke again, ¡°CHAOS!¡± The wheel spun a bit more to one of the Controlled Chaos spaces. Faysal let out a small sigh of relief. While there were others he would rather have, he for sure did not want the Pure Chaos option. It makes sense that a group called the Order of Chaos would be more on the side of Controlled Chaos than Pure Chaos. Faysal thought to himself. Everything turned to White once more and Faysal could see Grondo and the wheel again, still pointing to Controlled chaos. Grondo looked to be at a loss for words for a moment at least. ¡°Well that was most definitely a first for the Wheel of Fate, Faysal you must have some strong connections, but only time will see if those connections will be a boon or a detriment. That is all for now! Be sure to stay tuned in as we send Faysal back to his dungeon companions so he can explore the aftermath of his Wheel of Fate¡­ er Chaos experience! I am Grondo The Magnificent, signing out!¡± With another puff of smoke Grondo and the Wheel both vanished and Faysal was alone in the white room as a notification screen appeared.
CONTROLLED CHAOS!
THE WHEEL OF CHAOS HAS DECIDED YOUR FATE, YOUR TIES TO THE ORDER GROW STRONGER. CHAOS REIGNS! RUN!
As soon as Faysal read the word run he was instantly back with his friends in the dungeon around their campfire, everyone seemed to be in the same place as when he left, still frozen. The next second everyone started moving again, just as Faysal was getting ready to explain everything, from deep in the dungeon a massive explosion could be heard, Faysal said the only thing that came to his mind, ¡°RUN!¡± Chapter 13: Continuing Classes Hyro¡¯s day continued on, his welcome to the System class was one of his favorites for sure as it came with some helpful tips, thinking the word Experience to show how much you needed to level up was one helpful example that actually made a permanent change to the character sheet, always showing that information. Valda, who taught the class, also stressed the importance of controlling one''s thoughts. He simply wrote the word system five times on a board behind him and nearly the whole class, which was all of the new enrollees again, had their systems pop up from unconscious thinking, Acadeles was the only one who seemed to not fall for it. Since getting the system not long ago and only having classes no one thought they would be anywhere near leveling up, but apparently Knowledge did equal power and, while everyone mentioned they had different levels of experience, nobody was at zero. To his surprise, Hyro had the most currently, and since it popped up during Valda¡¯s thought controlling test, Hyro thought he would look over his Sheet quickly and see what was different. CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Hyro Selk AGE: 14 RACE: HUMAN/ELF/DWARF CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 1 *NEW: EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 2 75/100 ABILITIES: STRENGTH: 12 DEXTERITY: 16 VITALITY: 10 WISDOM: 18 INTELLIGENCE: 22 CHARISMA: 22 LUCK: 100 ACHIEVEMENTS: NEW REBORN: WELCOME BACK. CHAOS MAGIC: UNLIKE THE OTHER DENIZENS OF THIS WORLD YOUR MAGIC HAS TAKEN ON A MORE CHAOTIC NATURE. IN A TIME OF CRISIS YOU CAN CALL UPON THE ORDER OF CHAOS FOR ASSISTANCE. AT THIS TIME TEMPORARY LINES OF POWER MAY APPEAR FOR YOUR USE. LUCK OF THE DRAW: AN UNKNOWN ENTITY SEEMS TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR AFFAIRS AT CRITICAL MOMENTS. AGAINST THE GRAIN AND BELOW THE FOLD: YOU HAVE SURVIVED THIS FAR IN THIS WORLD DESPITE YOUR SETBACKS. +4 TO ALL ABILITIES EXCLUDING LUCK (CHANGES HAD ALREADY BEEN APPLIED). I REQUEST SANCTUARY: YOU HAVE GAINED ACCESS TO A SKILL THAT MANY STRIVE FOR BUT FEW ACHIEVE, USE IT WISELY. +400 CONTRIBUTION AND ACCESS TO THE SKILL SANCTUARY. CURRENCY: COPPER: 5 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 500 SKILLS AND SPELLS: NEW ACTIVE: None INACTIVE: ¡Þ SANCTUARY: THROUGH MEDITATION YOU CAN FIND SAFETY FROM MENTAL STRAIN AND SPEAK WITH YOUR INNER SELF. QUESTS: ADVENTURING 101: COMPLETE YOUR FIRST YEAR AT TERRAQUA ACADEMY. REWARD: 100 CONTRIBUTION AND ACCESS TO THE ADVENTURING 102 QUEST. BECOME CLASSY: REACH LEVEL 10 AND GAIN A CLASS. REWARD: A NEW CLASS AND THE POWER THAT COMES WITH IT. THE LUCK OF CHAOS: YOU HAVE ABNORMALLY HIGH LUCK AND AN ODD CONNECTION TO THE PANTHEON, THE ORDER OF CHAOS. FIND MORE INFORMATION ON THE ORDER AND YOURSELF. REWARD: VARIABLE.
It appeared as though Hyro not only had the experience listed not but he had a new achievement that led to more Contribution and his first skill, Sanctuary. Going from having nothing to where he is now, Hyro felt pretty good and could not wait to learn and gain more experience. Valda spoke up in class after everyone got their Systems closed. ¡°Since some of you are close to level two let me go over the level progression at least until level five, that should be a good while for most of you. As you can see, to get to level two it will be one hundred experience. The Contribution store will also open for all of you at level two. For level three you will need two hundred experience, three hundred for level four and five hundred for level five.¡± He paused for a moment to allow those taking notes to write that down. ¡°For now the only thing you need to know, if you happen to Level up before Adventuring 101 later in the day do not even open the contribution store, many of you saw how it is easy to accidentally think of something and activate it in the system, so to avoid accidental purchases or going into Contribution debt, wait until you learn more about it later today.¡± Hyro raised his hand and was called on by Valda, ¡°What is Contribution debt?¡± Valda gave a quick answer in reply, ¡°It is a bit much to go into with our time left but think of it as cutting off your access to the system until you are out of debt.¡± Hyro vowed then and there to never go into contribution debt, he could not afford to lose his system. Welcome to the System ended shortly after that and the class walked together to their next class, Traveling the land. It seemed they all had the same classes with the exception of their last class, which was specific to each person''s abilities. Gribby was quick to let everyone know that he was going to be in Magic and you, no one else mentioned where they were going to be as they did not have that long of a walk to where their Traveling the land class was. Upon entering everyone took a seat and waited for whoever was teaching this class to come in. A dwarven looking fellow with orange hair that braided into his two foot beard entered the room, ¡°I am Himel, third year scout at your service.¡± Himel went through the class material pretty quickly. To Hyro, this was the most boring of all the classes so far. Himel went over basics of how when they became adventurer¡¯s very few areas would be off limits to them, especially in the line of duty. Every government has agreed to allow any Adventurer through their lands while on a mission for Orabis, as adventurers fight off threats no one else can. He went through all the details on the subject everyone already knew from the time they could talk. I really wanted to learn more of the survival aspect but I guess most people or teams would have skills or spells to take care of that. Almost as if he heard Hyro¡¯s thoughts Himel ended class with, ¡°In future classes we will discuss certain plants and wildlife to look out for as well as traversing different terrain. For the next class we will meet in the outdoor arena. That''s all for today.¡± With that Himel walked out of the room. As they started walking to the cafeteria, Hyro rushed up to Cynthia¡¯s side, ¡°Uhhh, Hey Cynthia, I do not know if Enris and the other will have lunch at the same time as us but did you want to eat together again?¡± Hyro could feel the heat rushing to his face but could not turn back now. He felt a wave of relief when he saw her smile, ¡°Sure, I¡¯d like that.¡± The two continued walking to the cafeteria, unlike dinner time this seemed to be more of a quick meal, grab, eat and go to the next class. Hurley and Buck were eating at the teachers table, while a few students scattered around, Hyro did not see Enris, Dreeva or Paul. Himel, the student instructor they just had, was sitting eating with a couple of others but not too many other people were in the area. After grabbing a salad and some fruit Hyro and Cynthia found a spot to sit and eat until they had to get to Adventuring 101. ¡°So, I have what is Utility after Adventuring 101, how about you?¡± Hyro asked, trying to get a conversation started. ¡°I will be with Gribby in Magic and you.¡± Cynthia answered shyly. They continued with small talk, Hyro did not want to ask too many personal questions the first time they were alone, and they did not have that much time as it was. After they finished eating Cynthia stood up to dispose of her garbage, ¡°Thank you for eating with me Hyro, I do not like eating alone. I have to run back to my room before Adventuring 101.¡± She started to walk away, Hyro stood up to dispose of his garbage too and called after her, ¡°I¡­ I had a great time! I hope we can do it again.¡± Hyro stood in place and watched her walk away, once she was out of sight he was able to snap out of his little trance and then realized he was standing after he just half shouted in the cafeteria. As embarrassment washed over him he quickly grabbed his things and left. Hyro went outside to get some fresh air and walked around the outdoor arena while some people did stretches and simple sparring in the arena. While walking around Hyro spotted odd movement out of the corner of his eye, at first it looked like a normal flower, but then it started to move. Slithering along the ground, almost like a snake. James? Hyro thought as he walked towards the Plant snake, following it. As he followed the plant snake for a short while it went behind a hedge where Hyro could hear voices, ¡°Yes, I know the plan, but I am not supposed to remember anything about him! It would bring too much attention if I approached him now.¡± The first voice sounded like James to Hyro. The second voice sounded older, and more tired, ¡°Trust me, No one pays attention to the staff here, we might as well be like the plants you tend to, there but not noticed.¡± ¡°Yeah, maybe not noticed unless it''s getting in the way.¡± Hyro could hear some rustling after the voice that sounded like James spoke. Hyro started to stealthily and walk away in case he was coming his way, he did not want to be caught eavesdropping. Hyro heard the other man say something else but could not make out the whole thing, just the words Job, and fraud. Rushing away, Hyro made it back to the arena, seemingly undetected, and continued on to the room Adventuring 101 was in. Hyro was not surprised to see Hurly leading the class, already in the front of the room, getting ready to start class. Hyro was the last to show up, so he quickly grabbed a seat and waited for class to begin. ¡°Ay! Good afternoon everyone! I¡¯ll be instructing yer Adventuring 101 course for this week. This course sort of goes hand in hand with yer welcome to the system and travelling the land, but focuses more on advice from mistakes and discoveries other adventurers have made in the past. One of the main reasons we have these academies is to help share our knowledge to help ye all, the next generation.¡± Hurly continued, ¡°First off, how many of you have managed to learn or do enough to get to level two?¡± Everyone seemed to space out as they all checked their character sheets, Hyro did as well. CHARACTER SHEET LEVEL UP!
NAME: Hyro Selk AGE: 14 RACE: HUMAN/ELF/DWARF CLASS: NONEThe story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. LEVEL: 2 NEW CONTRIBUTION STORE NOW AVAILABLE EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 3 100/200 ABILITIES: 3 POINTS AVAILABLE! STRENGTH: 12 DEXTERITY: 16 VITALITY: 10 WISDOM: 18 INTELLIGENCE: 22 CHARISMA: 22 LUCK: 100 ACHIEVEMENTS: REBORN: WELCOME BACK. CHAOS MAGIC: UNLIKE THE OTHER DENIZENS OF THIS WORLD YOUR MAGIC HAS TAKEN ON A MORE CHAOTIC NATURE. IN A TIME OF CRISIS YOU CAN CALL UPON THE ORDER OF CHAOS FOR ASSISTANCE. AT THIS TIME TEMPORARY LINES OF POWER MAY APPEAR FOR YOUR USE. LUCK OF THE DRAW: AN UNKNOWN ENTITY SEEMS TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR AFFAIRS AT CRITICAL MOMENTS. AGAINST THE GRAIN AND BELOW THE FOLD: YOU HAVE SURVIVED THIS FAR IN THIS WORLD DESPITE YOUR SETBACKS. +4 TO ALL ABILITIES EXCLUDING LUCK (CHANGES HAD ALREADY BEEN APPLIED). I REQUEST SANCTUARY: YOU HAVE GAINED ACCESS TO A SKILL THAT MANY STRIVE FOR BUT FEW ACHIEVE, USE IT WISELY. +400 CONTRIBUTION AND ACCESS TO THE SKILL SANCTUARY. CURRENCY: COPPER: 5 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 500 SKILLS AND SPELLS: ACTIVE: None INACTIVE: ¡Þ SANCTUARY: THROUGH MEDITATION YOU CAN FIND SAFETY FROM MENTAL STRAIN AND SPEAK WITH YOUR INNER SELF. QUESTS: ADVENTURING 101: COMPLETE YOUR FIRST YEAR AT TERRAQUA ACADEMY. REWARD: 100 CONTRIBUTION AND ACCESS TO THE ADVENTURING 102 QUEST. BECOME CLASSY: REACH LEVEL 10 AND GAIN A CLASS. REWARD: A NEW CLASS AND THE POWER THAT COMES WITH IT. THE LUCK OF CHAOS: YOU HAVE ABNORMALLY HIGH LUCK AND AN ODD CONNECTION TO THE PANTHEON, THE ORDER OF CHAOS. FIND MORE INFORMATION ON THE ORDER AND YOURSELF. REWARD: VARIABLE.
I did it! I made it to Level two! Hyro raised his hand and to his surprise he was the only one to do so. Acadeles looked over at Hyro and looked disappointed, not towards Hyro but disappointed in himself. Hurly looked stunned as Hyro raised his hand, ¡°Lad, are ye sure?¡± Hyro hesitantly nodded in response. ¡°Well lad, good on you! While not unheard of it is exceedingly rare for someone to gain a level in the first day of classes! The rest of ye all are what, twenty five to fifty experience?¡± The others in the room nodded in agreement with the exception of Acadeles and Cynthia. Acadeles spoke up, ¡°I only have twenty experience! How is that possible?!¡± Hurly gave a sympathetic look in response, ¡°Ah lad, ye see you already had a great deal of power, knowledge and skill when starting, as most do but ye were even further ahead. Later on it will not matter as much, but to start ye will struggle to gain experience, especially in a classroom setting. Ye see, normally completing a quest, felling a creature, most big tasks the System will give ye a message with how much experience you gain as it is usually more experience that sitting and learning, ye all saw Hyro when meditating, he unlocked something in himself and that probably gave him a boost in experience.¡± Gribby spoke out in return, ¡°So Hyro was lower than all of us at the start so the System is giving him a handicap?¡± Hyro felt like he was being attacked, being called weaker but did not say anything. Hurly responded to Gribby, ¡°Not at all lad, he simply had less experiences, the rest of ye most likely had more starting contribution which will help ye later on as well, the System always has balances, only Luck can throw that off.¡± Hurly gave a pointed look at Hyro. ¡°How does luck change things?¡± Gribby spoke out again. ¡°Luck is a fickle mistress, Most have between zero to fifteen luck their whole life, and that is manageable, notice in your Character sheet it is not called Good Luck.¡± Hyros'' heart sank listening as Hurly continued, ¡°Having a high luck you may watch your life burn down around you and the next day you become the heir to a kingdom. Those be extreme examples but I hope gets me point across.¡± Hurly looked over to Cynthia, ¡°Lass, are ye low on experience too?¡± She shook her head, ¡°No, I am at ninety experience.¡± She answered quickly and quietly. Hurly looked slightly shocked again and muttered softly, ¡°This class be a class of monsters.¡± Then he spoke louder, ¡°That is amazing Cynthia! Ye will surely Level if not by the end of this class then by yer final class!¡± Looking back to Hyro, Hurly continued, ¡°Now lad, will ye tell everyone what you get for leveling?¡± ¡°I get three ability points, and access to the contribution store.¡± Hyro said, looking over his sheet. ¡°Very good lad, every level two through nine ye will get three ability points, level two gets ye the contribution store and then level ten, as ye all know gets a Class. Now on the board behind me I have written what ye all will see in the contribution store when you get it.¡± As Hurly said that he flipped the board around revealing the information of the contribution store. CONTRIBUTION STORE: TOTAL CONTRIBUTION: _______
REWARD CONTRIBUTION COST
1 EXPERIENCE 10
1 COPPER 10
COOLDOWN IN DISPLAY 100
HEALTH BAR IN DISPLAY 100
1 GOLD 100
MINI-MAP IN DISPLAY 500
WHEEL OF FATE 1,000
TOWN/AREA DETAILS ADDED TO MINI-MAP 1,000
NEW BEGINNER QUEST! 1,000
NEW BEGINNER + QUEST! 2,000
+1 ABILITY POINT 5,000
¡°This be the standard starting store, depending on purchases and class ye store will change, but everyone starts here.¡± Hurly paused for a moment to allow those reading and writing to finish. Hyro was looking over all of the options closely, Contribution store, hmmm. As he thought that a popup appeared: CONTRIBUTION STORE: TOTAL CONTRIBUTION: 500
REWARD CONTRIBUTION COST
1 EXPERIENCE 10
1 COPPER 10
COOLDOWN IN DISPLAY 100
HEALTH BAR IN DISPLAY 100
1 GOLD 100
MINI-MAP IN DISPLAY 500
WHEEL OF CHAOS 1,000
TOWN/AREA DETAILS ADDED TO MINI-MAP 1,000
NEW BEGINNER QUEST! 1,000
NEW BEGINNER + QUEST! 2,000
+1 ABILITY POINT 5,000
No! I have to control my thoughts. Hyro closed his store quickly so as to not make any mistakes. ¡°Lad, ye opened it didn¡¯t ya?¡± Hurly asked Hyro. ¡°Yes, but it was an accident, I closed it right away, we were warned about going into debt and I only have five hundred contribution points.¡± Hurly thought for a moment before responding, ¡°Yes ye need to be careful and control yer thoughts, Meditation can help with that, but ye do not need to worry as long as ye never confirm an option that ye did not initiate. Every option will ask ye to confirm or deny, now since ye opened it already once, can ye confirm fer the class the store contents?¡± Hyro looked over his store and the store that Hurly wrote, and then he lied, ¡°Uh, yeah it''s the same thing.¡± Hurly continued on, ¡°Now, fer all of our students we have an assist device when they gain access to the store.¡± Hurly pulled out a small scroll. ¡°Here Hyro, activate this scroll by putting yer power into it.¡± Hyro was handed the scroll and did as instructed, it was a lot easier now that he has done it before and had access to the System. As soon as he did, a small circle map appeared in the top right of his vision. Hurly spoke as soon as he saw the scroll disintegrate, ¡°Ye now have the map, no use in wasting five hundred points when we have items for such things, ye can do the same with the school map ye have later, that will be the Town and area details added to the mini-map for this area, that one can be purchased for every area in Orabis, but the Mini-Map should be crossed out for ye now.¡± Hyro checked and confirmed what he said. ¡°Well everyone, we are almost out of time for the day, but before we end, as the store is opening for ye I have one more word of advice, while we say do not buy anything until ye learn more, ye should not ever do the Wheel of fate, fate is more fickle than luck and will try to screw ye anyway it can.¡± With that Hurly dismissed class and everyone went on their way to their final classes for the day. Hyro noticed his last class was actually in the same room, and he was not the only one to stay behind, Brutey and Hurly did as well. Once everyone else was out of the room Hurly Spoke up, ¡°Both of you are unique cases, well most of yer class is, but you two especially. Now we can do this class one of two ways, if you want to keep yer secrets that is fine and we can talk about the basics, or if ye two are fine with me and the other one knowing a bit about yerselves we can get into the details.¡± Hurly let them think it over, Brutey spoke first, ¡°I have nothing that needs hiding.¡± They responded flatly. Hyro still took a few moments but decided having more help was better than keeping all secrets from a teacher and classmate, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will share everything, but I am fine revealing most.¡± The class went on, Brutey explained how they could buff their own weapons and weapons of others, they also had small self restoration abilities. All of that combined with Brutey¡¯s strong body and skill, no wonder they were such a powerhouse. Hurly nodded along while listening and let Hurly know that they were on the path to become a type of Paladin, the exact details would end up depending on any deities tied to Brutey and how they build their abilities from here on out. Brutey also mentioned that they had twenty Strength, Vitality and Wisdom, though they did not go into much detail on many other things. Hurly seemed impressed at the spread of abilities for a beginner and told Brutey as much, He encouraged focusing on those three abilities while making sure the others remained balanced. One line that he said stood out to Hyro, ¡°If ye have one hundred Strength and only ten Dexterity ye would be tripping over yer feet every step, likewise if ye had one hundred wisdom and ten Intelligence ye would have trouble keeping yer thoughts and words in sync. Now Hyro, what would ye like to share?¡± Hyro felt his face go flush as the attention was put onto him, he started just reading out his abilities, that was basic enough, twelve Strength, sixteen Dexterity, ten Vitality, eighteen Wisdom, twenty two Intelligence and twenty two Charisma, Hyro was actually pleased with where he was starting in that aspect, but he did leave out his one hundred luck, especially after what they just heard about luck not long ago. When Hyro started talking about his skills and spells he decided to keep to the truth¡­ somewhat. ¡°My abilities adjust slightly based on my situation, it¡­ it¡¯s hard to explain.¡± Hurly nodded along and responded, ¡°And ye still have yer three points fer leveling right lad?¡± Hyro nodded before Hurly continued, ¡°I would recommend, fer now at least, trying to get all of yer abilities close to even, ye never know what ye may need with such versatile skills.¡± Hyro already had similar thoughts but having it confirmed was a good sign. Class continued a bit longer with Hurly going into the role of Utility, it can really be a mix of things, Utility can take a front line for a bit, fall back and heal or give support from the back, it is kind of an area for those that do not fit into one mold. Hyro thought it fit him pretty well for now and when class ended, before going to see Buck, Hyro decided to take Hurly¡¯s advice and start evening out some of his Abilities. He put two into Vitality and one into Strength. Now maybe he can stop passing out so much. Chapter 14: Do not do that! Hyro entered into Bucks office after being called in, ¡°How did your first day of classes go Hyro?¡± Buck asked as Hyro took a seat. ¡°I think it went well, I leveled up.¡± Hyro said excitedly. ¡°I heard, you are making some great progress. There are two things I wanted to discuss with you, first is actually about Leveling up. I know others have mentioned before, but be careful and do not activate the Wheel of fate. For most people it is just a harmless nuisance and costly, but with your luck you could be facing death or worse, yes there could be amazing options, but the odds would be stacked heavily against you unless you went in with 11,000 contribution points.¡± Hyro looked worried and after some internal deliberation decided not to tell Buck about the Wheel of Chaos, for now. Buck continued, ¡°The other thing is about your Sanctuary, that place will be exceedingly helpful, but do be careful when and where you access it. Ambient magic from the surrounding area goes into it, so here so here at the academy for instance is perfectly fine, but do that in a dungeon, mountain top or other area with stronger magic and the Sanctuary can change or keep you inside longer. It is advisable to have someone always near and knowing that you are entering Sanctuary before entering, at least until you can upgrade your Sanctuary.¡± ¡°How do I upgrade my Sanctuary?¡± Hyro was very interested in this as it was his first real skill that was not fleeting. Buck had this answer ready, ¡°There are a few ways to level skills and spells, constant usage of them, as you explore you may find items to help upgrade them or as you gain experience and level certain thresholds give the option to upgrade skills or spells, the first skill upgrade is level twenty four. The Contribution store will also start gaining the option to upgrade them as well but that isn''t until level twenty five and it is a pricey option.¡± Hyro nodded in understanding, ¡°Got it, use it safely as much as I can and continue working on gaining experience.¡± Buck chuckled, ¡°That¡¯s why I like you boy, you grasp the concept and at least point yourself in the right direction. I also wanted to let you know that I have started investigating the Order of Chaos. No books or scrolls we have here had any information containing them, but I do have some connections trying to dig up some information. I am telling you this in hopes that you do not do anything reckless to try and get information about them. I do not think you would but we have had students in the past do careless things to try and gain more experience or complete a quest.¡± Buck paused for a short moment, ¡°Before I let you head to dinner, are there any questions that you have for me?¡± Hyro thought for a moment before shaking his head, ¡°Not that I can think of for now, Thank you.¡± Hyro left Buck¡¯s office and headed to the cafeteria. Everyone was there like last night, but everyone wasn¡¯t waiting like last time and it was more buffet style than the previous night''s family style dinner. Hyro found the table with those that he sat with the previous night and they talked and ate together, Hyro had a great time finally making some real friends for the first time in his life. After they were done eating and cleaning up their area, most started to head to do their own things before bedtime, Enris stayed back to talk with Hyro, ¡°So you are the first of your class to level up! How does it feel?¡± Hyro was not sure how to respond so just went with the truth, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it honestly, I do not feel much different.¡± Enris laughed, ¡°Yeah I thought the same thing when I leveled first in my class, it¡¯s a weird feeling, and you won''t feel the effects until you add five or more points into one ability point, if you do it a couple points at a time you may never actually feel the difference but the effects will be apparent.¡± That made sense to Hyro, when you work out or eat better you do not see the effects right away and they are so gradual for you that you do not always notice the difference. Enris continued speaking, ¡°I don¡¯t have any other plans for the night and I am not tired yet. What do you say we spar in the arena?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you level ten? You will destroy me!¡± Hyro responded, Enris laughed again, ¡°In a normal fight, probably, this will just be a spar, we can leave weapons out and no combat spells or skills, just practice of our hand to hand fighting abilities and non combat spells and skills.¡± Eh what do I have to lose, maybe I can gain some experience from it. Hyro thought before responding, ¡°Sure, why not.¡± The two made their way to the arena, it was brisk outside but it was manageable. Nobody else was out at the arena so they had the whole place to themselves. They stood about ten feet away from each other towards the center of the arena when Enris laid down some ground rules, ¡°Like I said before, no active combat skills or abilities, no weapons, just hand to hand combat for a fun sparring match. We will keep going until we get tired of sparing or someone gives up. There should not be much blood or knock out but that will end the sparring match too. Do you agree?¡± Hyro nodded and the two began their match. Enris stood still, waiting for Hyro to make the first move, which he did. Hyro dove forward diagonally into a roll to put himself closer to Enris, just out of striking distance, Enris still barely moved until Hyro came up and tried to land a body blow, Enris responded by simply moving to the side. Hyro followed up by trying to land multiple jabs, but Enris had a flowing back step that allowed him to effortlessly dodge each attack. While back stepping Enris traced a line on his palm, ¡°Invisiblis!¡± As soon as he said the word of power while dodging Hyro¡¯s latest punch, Enris vanished. Hyro took a defensive stance, trying to get any clue to where Enris might be, but he could not notice any movement in the grass. ¡°Ooof¡± Hyro had the breath taken out of him from a jag in the gut, followed by a side jab, Enris was still nowhere to be seen. This isn¡¯t good, I have to find a way to spot him or I¡¯ll be out without landing a single jab. Hyro was hopeful that a spell or some sort of power would come to him but nothing. Then Hyro had an idea, not a good idea but it was all he had. Hyro dropped his defensive stance and stood Still and closed his eyes, he was going to see if his sanctuary could spot Enris. Hyro was waiting, taking deep breaths to concentrate, waiting, breathing, waiting¡­ ¡°Punch incoming, just above the navel¡­ NOW!¡± Hyro heard someone yell at him, no, not someone, himself?! It Worked! He reacted fast, feeling the punch make contact with him Hyro was able to grab the arm in response with one hand before taking the full blow. With his other hand Hyro sent out a jab, making contact with some part of Enris. Hyro kept a hold of the arm and punched a second time before letting go, he heard a small thud as Enris fell back and Enris reappeared, laying on the ground. ¡°Heh, it usually takes people a lot longer to do that without enhancements, let¡¯s see how you deal with this though.¡± Enris stood up as he spoke and started tracking another line on his palm, ¡°Celeritas.¡± Enris seemed to disappear again, but this time it was just a fast dash forward. Celeritas? From the word and what is happening I am guessing it''s a speed boost, now I just need¡­ Hyro¡¯s thoughts were cut off as Enris finished his dash forward and Landed five jabs in quick succession, knocking Hyro on his back. While on his back Hyro saw slight movement in the corner of his eye, not Enris, it was smaller, it was another plant snake! Hyro started getting up, ¡°Enris we¡­¡± That was all he could get out before Enris was next to him again, kicking him back down. Hyro needed to do something, are we just being watched or is there something more? Ahhh While thinking Hyro felt pain in his hands and feet again. Another spell! Hyro quickly glanced at his hand to see a glowing L shaped line, he then rolled away hoping to avoid any more strikes for the time being. Heh, I know this one! Dad has it, and it''s not an attack so I can use it! As Hyro stood up out of the roll he traced the line and yelled out, ¡°Exardescere!¡± Holding his hand diagonally up bright, blinding lights poured from his hand. Enris paused in his movement giving Hyro the opening he needed. Hyro ran, but not towards Enris, towards the Plant Snake, ¡°Enris, we need to stop! We are being watched!¡± As he finished speaking he grabbed the plant snake and tossed it towards Enris. Hyro watched in horror as the plant opened to reveal fangs mid air, latching right on to Enris¡¯s arm. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Aarrghh!¡± Enris screamed in pain as he ripped the plant out of his arm, threw it to the ground and stopped on it. Hyro ran over to his side, ¡°Enris I am so sorry, I did not mean to¡­ We have to get you to Helina, if it is what I think it is, the hallucinations will start soon.¡± Enris didn''t reply, Hyro was not sure he could if he wanted to. Hyro tried to help support his weight but could not do it alone with Enris starting to fade in and out. ¡°James, I know you are there, Come help!¡± Hyro was not sure James was actually close, but it was this or leave Enris to go get help and he was not inclined to do that. Out of the shadows James stepped out, ¡°I¡­ I am so sorry, I just wanted to watch, you seemed so familiar but I am not supposed to interact with the students if possible.¡± James sheepishly said, stepping out. He¡¯s lying straight to my face, Hyro thought before shouting orders. ¡°Well it is too late for that now, Help me take him to the Helina!¡± James did as he was told and grabbed the other side of Enris as the two took him inside to Helina¡¯s office. They carried Enris to Helina¡¯s office and banged on the door, some rustling could be heard from the other side before the door swung open and Helina was standing in the doorway and looked shocked at what she saw. She had Hyro and James place Enris on the bed in the room and Immediately got to work, only asking one question, ¡°James this is your poison, Oui?¡± James nodded at first until he realized she was not looking at him, ¡°Uh, yes ma¡¯am, sorry ma¡¯am.¡± Helina looked up for the briefest of moments and spoke in a demanding tone, ¡°Return to your supervisor immediately, Hyro you can stay and assist, just get me what I ask for,¡± James gave a look to Hyro before leaving, Hyro felt both regret and hatred in the stare, but did not have time to think about it. Hyro stayed as Helina requested, getting bandages, medicine, everything she asked for he was there to help fix his mistake. It did not take long, Helina cast a spell to help purge the poison and then wrapped up the area. Enris was shaking the whole time up until she purged the poison, now he just lay resting. ¡°Now Hyro, What exactly happened?¡± Helina asked as she sat at her desk. Hyro told her everything, from the sparring match, the spell he used, even trying to activate Sanctuary mid fight, leading up to how Enris ended up poisoned. After listening to the explanation she replied, ¡°Hyro, do you not realize what could have happened if you were attacked while in sanctuary? It is very dangerous and you are lucky to still be you. How Enris was poisoned seems to be a mistake.¡± Hyro blurted out, ¡°Oh course it was!¡± Helina reassured him, ¡°Oui Hyro, you are not in trouble, this is a school for learning and everyone knows the risk of being an Adventurer, just make sure to have someone else nearby when sparing next time S''il vous pla?t.¡± Hyro nodded, ¡°Definitely.¡± He paused for a moment before deciding to ask his next question, ¡°What did you mean when you said that I was lucky to still be me?¡± ¡°Oh Hyro, with as much I have seen you since you have started I forgot that you are still so new. This will probably be covered in a class eventually, but you need to know now. When in Sanctuary state, if you were to get hit with a strong enough force, you could lose control of your own body, and one of the residents of your sanctuary could take over. Now most hopefully would not, but not every version is kind and helpful. That is why no one ever uses it anywhere but in a safe environment.¡± Hyro was speechless, he did not realize he was putting himself in such danger. ¡°I can see by your face that you regret this action and will strive to not let that happen. Now I will wake Enris, can you see him to his room for the night?¡± Hyro nodded in agreement. Hyro and Enris walked slowly to Enris¡¯s room, Hyro was not sure where it was so he followed Enris but stayed close enough in case he was still weak. As they walked they talked a little about what happened. After Hyro explained his side Enris spoke up, ¡°You actually were trying to enter your Sanctuary mid fight, I was wondering why you started to glow, I almost struck you hard then but paused thinking that you were activating a skill or something, guess it is lucky for you that I didn¡¯t.¡± Hyro felt his heart sink knowing that he came that close to possibly losing himself, but then focused on what Enris said, ¡°I didn¡¯t ¡®almost¡¯ enter my Sanctuary, my Sanctuary is why I was able to stop your punch.¡± Enris stopped walking, ¡°Hyro, that¡¯s unheard of, are you sure?¡± Hyro nodded, ¡°Yeah, otherwise you would have beaten me right then and there. I am really sorry for what happened after that though.¡± Enris shrugged it off, ¡°Hey you tried to talk before I came for another attack again, this is on me as much as it is you. By the way I never told you why I asked you to spar. When I first started, a Second year came to me after I reached level Two and offered to spar. I learned so much from the fight that I got halfway to the next level and vowed to do the same for at least one person when I could, so how did we do? Have you checked your sheet yet?¡± Hyro took a quick look and he was shocked. ¡°I leveled up.¡± Hyro said quietly. ¡°YOU WHAT!¡± Enris shouted in reply. ¡°There is no way you leveled up from one fight, but that wasn¡¯t a normal fight I guess.¡± Hyro had to check again to make sure, but he leveled for sure, there was also a new achievement, and a change to his Sanctuary. CHANGES IN CHARACTER SHEET LEVEL UP!
NAME: Hyro Selk LEVEL: 3 EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 4 225/300 ABILITIES: 3 POINTS AVAILABLE! STRENGTH: 13 DEXTERITY: 16 VITALITY: 12 WISDOM: 18 INTELLIGENCE: 22 CHARISMA: 22 ACHIEVEMENTS: NEW CHOOSING CHAOS: YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY USED SANCTUARY IN A FIGHT AND ADAPTED TO DIFFERENT DANGERS IN UNIQUE WAYS. +100 EXPERIENCE, +1,500 CONTRIBUTION, UPGRADE TO SANCTUARY CURRENCY: COPPER: 5 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 2,000 SKILLS AND SPELLS: UPDATE! SANCTUARY+: THROUGH MEDITATION YOU CAN FIND SAFETY FROM MENTAL STRAIN AND SPEAK WITH YOUR INNER SELF. TIME DILATION OCCURS INSIDE YOUR SANCTUARY, 5:1 TIME DIFFERENCE.
Another popup from the system came just as he was looking over the changes.
MESSAGE FROM THE SYSTEM
THE ORDER OF CHAOS HAS SENT YOU A MESSAGE AND THE SYSTEM HAS APPROVED THE MESSAGE. THE MESSAGE IS AS FOLLOWS: GOOD HYRO, FREEDOM, ADAPTABILITY, FLEXIBILITY, RECKLESSNESS, YOU ARE SHOWING VIRTUES OF CHAOS. CHANGE WHAT THESE MORTALS KNOW WHAT IS ¡®RIGHT¡¯ OR ¡®NORMAL¡¯ KEEP SPREADING CHAOS AND WE WILL KEEP REWARDING YOU.
After he got Enris back safely to his room, Hyro returned to his own room for the night. Hyro spent his ability points before doing anything else, putting two into vitality and one into strength, putting them both at fourteen. Next he pulled out the map he was given with his schedule and poured his power into it, all of the rooms were now labeled as well as a compass being added. Well this will be very helpful, he thought to himself. Hyro laid in bed, thinking about the message from the system, well really from the Order of Chaos, Change what is ¡®Right¡¯ or ¡®Normal¡¯, the teachers are not going to like that. That thought put a smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep. Chapter 15: Time Goes on For the rest of the week classes were mostly uneventful. Traveling the land did get slightly more interesting after getting to see some different plants and even some creatures in cages were brought in to show what they looked like in person and how vicious they could be. One of the first creatures brought in was something called a mimic, Hyro has read about these in the past, but to his knowledge he had never seen one. When the cage was first uncovered it appeared as though there was a simple wardrobe, but when Himel stuck it with an electrified prod it flared its teeth and started to try and attack the bars of the cage. At first Hyro felt a little sorry for the creature but he could see how they could be dangerous. By the end of the week everyone reached level three, Cynthia and Hyro both made it to level four, Hyro almost being level five. They were told in welcome the the system that information from a classroom setting will only be helpful or noticeable until level five, after that they would need to do more sparing, exploring or completing quests to gain experience. Hyro and Cynthia had lunch together every day, dinner was spent with Enris, Dreeva, Cynthia and usually Paul, towards the end of the week Paul finally got his class, he was now a Monk, a class that focused on hand to hand combat, he even had a skill that gave him a pool of something called Ki, that allowed him to lower the cooldown on some of his spells, he did not go into too much detail over dinner but Hyro was fascinated to learn more. As Hyro laid in his bed at the end of the week he looked over his character sheet to see the progress that he had made. He also found a way to minimize the achievements and quests, only showing the names unless they were new or he needed to look at them. CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Hyro Selk AGE: 14 RACE: HUMAN/ELF/DWARF CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 4 EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 5 450/500 ABILITIES: STRENGTH: 15 DEXTERITY: 16 VITALITY: 16 WISDOM: 18 INTELLIGENCE: 22 CHARISMA: 22 LUCK: 100 ACHIEVEMENTS: REBORN: CHAOS MAGIC: LUCK OF THE DRAW: AGAINST THE GRAIN AND BELOW THE FOLD: I REQUEST SANCTUARY: CHOOSING CHAOS: CURRENCY: COPPER: 5 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 2000 SKILLS AND SPELLS: ACTIVE: None INACTIVE: ¡Þ SANCTUARY+: THROUGH MEDITATION YOU CAN FIND SAFETY FROM MENTAL STRAIN AND SPEAK WITH YOUR INNER SELF. TIME DILATION OCCURS INSIDE YOUR SANCTUARY, 5:1 TIME DIFFERENCE. QUESTS: ADVENTURING 101: BECOME CLASSY: THE LUCK OF CHAOS:
Hyro had not thought about the message from the Order of Chaos much after that first night, he decided that he made a big enough spectacle this first day that he needed to get more control over all the changes in his life first. Hyro did still see James around here and there but they never spoke, and the plant snakes have not been seen since that one night, but Hyro still kept a close eye out. Meditating now was weird if nothing else. When entering Sanctuary and having time move differently inside, he can have two hour conversation and less than a half an hour would pass in the real world. Hyro was hopeful that as it upgraded more he would increase that time even more, but since no one that he talked to has upgraded their Sanctuary in this way, nobody had any idea that time dilation was even possible, Hyro only told Buck, Enris and Cynthia about his Sanctuary plus, Enris had Sanctuary, but it was not upgraded, Cynthia still has not unlocked her Sanctuary. Buck told Hyro a little about his sanctuary and it was fascinating to see the differences. ¡°I have Sanctuary Plus Plus,¡± Buck told Hyro the evening that Hyro told him about his Sanctuary Plus. ¡°It is very different from yours however, I get access to choose which other versions of myself to speak with from one upgrade and the other allows me to bring items in for my subconscious to examine or read, they are slower than I would be with it but I gain the information as soon as they finish.¡± It was interesting to see how even the same skill could change depending on how it was used or who was using it. Hyro was still warned, over and over, that even with the time difference he should not use Sanctuary in battle. Hyro understood the risks but it seemed like that was what the Order of Chaos and the System wanted him to do. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it When Hyro awoke the next morning there were 2 letters in his mail slot outside of his room, the first was his class schedule, he had the same classes listed and it was stated that he would remain in these classes for the foreseeable future. The next was a letter from his mom, he excitedly opened it: My Dearest Hyro, Your Father and I are filled with Joy that you have made it into Terraqua academy! We knew that you could do anything that you set your mind to. While I still wish there was a safer path for you I know that you will be the best adventurer there is. Focus on your studies there and continue to make us proud. Your Father has received a promotion when word got out that you were in the academy, while we still do not have much we wanted to send you something for you to save or use if you need something. I will write to you as often as I can, and I know you have only been gone a little over a week but I miss you more and more every day. You are our gift, our light, our hope, our future, our everything, We love you Hyro. -Love Mom It wasn¡¯t a long letter, but it was meaningful, especially to Hyro who, despite everything going on, was admittedly getting home sick. It was not much of a surprise that Dad would get a promotion or something of the sort, they probably assume getting in good with my parents would gain them favor with a potential new Adventurer. I can¡¯t say they are wrong. Hyro thought to himself. Inside the letter was 1 silver. It may not seem like much but this is more than Hyro ever had in his life. Classes continued on like they have been for the past week, for Introduction to Meditation, Dreeva told them she was done hands on instructing and it would be self meditation instead of guided meditation, she would still be around to help and watch if needed. There seemed to be no differences in Welcome to the System, just more advice on different generic builds, quests and overall just how the system works. Traveling the land was the first class with a big difference, Himel was not the instructor any longer, instead there was a new person waiting for them in the outdoor arena when they met. This older man had greasy slicked back hair, dark bags under his eyes, and he looked to be covered in dirt, which made sense when he introduced himself. ¡°I am Calepe Ignati,¡± Calepe started with an exhausted sounding tone. ¡°Unlike most of your other instructors, I am neither an Adventurer or Adventurer trainee, while I have applied in the past, I am merely the groundskeeper for the academy here.¡± Despite a change in instructor, the class did not change much though it did have more focus on plants, those to watch out for and how to care for plants that you can travel with for food and medicinal purposes, Cynthia started speaking up more when that subject was talked about than any other that Hyro has seen. Hyro was interested in the topic as he spent much of his time using different plants to make his alchemical concoctions, however whenever Hyro asked to speak after class or ever raised his hand in class it almost seemed like he was being ignored. Hyro just assumed maybe the man was busy or did not see him in class, but it was strange. Lunch continued as normal with Cynthia and Hyro eating and talking together, they talked a lot over their lunches, neither seemed shy or nervous around the other anymore. Hyro told Cynthia about his upbringing, well most of it, he left out his lack of magic and the recent Order of Chaos developments but told her about his family and his hobbies, hopes and dreams and she in turn did the same. Hyro found out Cynthia was from a lesser noble Elven household in Aquarine, her parents trained her for the Adventuring lifestyle since she was born, it was tradition that the first born would always be an adventurer. Like Hyro, she was not given any other destiny, per her parents'' insistence. The first day after they got their confirmed schedule she was the only one in class to have a change. Her last class was no long Magic and you, she was now going to be in What is Utility? With Hyro and Brutey. Adventuring 101 came with a change that Hyro was excited for, Hurly started the class explaining how independent study works at Terraqua. ¡°Aye Everyone, you all survived week one, to be fair we focus on more study, theory and background for week one.¡± He paused and showed an evil grin, ¡°Let¡¯s see if ye have what it takes to survive month one. First here on the board I wrote the experience needed and benefits from level six through ten.¡±
Level 6 700 Experience; 3 Ability points.
Level 7 900 Experience; 3 Ability points.
Level 8 1,000 Experience; 3 Ability points.
Level 9 1,200 Experience; 3 Ability points.
Level 10 1,500 Experience; Choose class, Class determines Ability points.
¡°Some of ye be close to Level five already, starting at Level five, this class and many of yer final classes becomes an Independent study. Most of your time at Terraqua will be like that, us instructors here to help and guide but each path must be forged on yer own!¡± Hurly pointed to Hyro, ¡°Hyro, ye be the first to get to level five, I imagine in a day or so ye will not need to be in the classroom setting, and no more than a week after that Cynthia will most likely be joining ye in that. What is independent study? Well, we told ya that you will no longer gain experience from the classroom setting, so go explore!¡± Hurly paused and looked at the mix of confused, worried and excited faces in the room before continuing, ¡°Each of ye will be paired with 1 older classmate, they will help guide you until ye can be on yer own. Ye may pick yer own assistant if they agree or we have volunteers. Two of ye in this class may explore together, but no more than that or the group will be over four, the Adventurers agreed upon maximum party.¡± Gribby, never missing a chance to speak out, did just that, ¡°No fair, I want to go exploring now!¡± Hurly chuckled, ¡°There always be one, Gribby, it be important that you gain and value the experience from learning in a classroom, this be the only time it will be available to ye. The older student ye be paired with will have more information, but fer now I will just stress that ye still need to be back fer classes the next day, so without permission these woods and plains north of the woods be the only areas accessible to ye.¡± The rest of the class Hurly discussed more of the importance of not letting abilities get too far, usually you did not want your lowest ability to be less than half of your highest ability. There was some wiggle room, but that was a good base line to not have any issues. Many of these classes did repeat information, presumably to make sure it was ingrained in each student as class time got more and more limited as time went on in the Adventuring academy. When class was dismissed, Hyro, Brutey and Hurly discussed what, What is Utility? Will look like for them going forward. ¡°Firstly, welcome Cynthia, upon evaluation in the first week, yer abilities seem to align more with this class than any other.¡± Now that Hurly brings it up, Cynthia and I never talked about her spells or abilities, I wonder what all she can do. Hyro thought as Hurly continued on, ¡°While the classes be different slightly, what ye learned in Magic and you is still helpful, we just split classes this way to align ye with a teacher that is best prepared to help guide yer progression, should ye need guidance.¡± Hurly gave a deep sigh before continuing, ¡°I never liked this part, I spent me whole life hiding my abilities and now I share it with students. In order for ye to know what I can offer ye much know more about me. I am a Battle Cleric, a rare class, somewhat similar to a paladin, but more focused on spells that can heal or harm, usually in area bursts. I will not list all my spells and abilities but please trust that if any of them could help you I will give you all the details I have in that area.¡± The three students nodded in understanding, shock washed over them as they realized this was the first adult on campus to reveal this sort of detailed information. Sure they could assume Helina was a type of healer, and Tracy an administrator, but even those were loose assumptions. As class let out Enris was waiting outside of the classroom, ¡°Hey Hyro! Hey Cynthia!¡± He greeted them both before turning towards Hyro, ¡°Hyro, can I talk to you? In private?¡± He looked over towards Cynthia, ¡°Nothing personal Cynthia, it¡¯s about his level, and¡­ ability.¡± Enris tried to not say specifics as to not give away Hyro¡¯s secrets but he knew that Cynthia was aware of what he was mentioning. Both Hyro and Cynthia nodded as Cynthia left saying she would see them at dinner and Hyro and Enris went somewhere private to talk. Chapter 16: Family Emergency ¡°Hyro, are you level five yet?¡± Enris asked in an unusually quiet voice once they got alone. Hyro checked and saw that he was still fifteen experience shy of level five and replied, ¡°No, not yet. I am really close though, why?¡± Enris gave a deep sigh before starting to tear up, ¡°I am going on a trip for a few days and was hoping that you would start your independent study tomorrow so that you could come with me.¡± Hyro was not sure how to react to Enris starting to cry, He has barely ever had a friend before let alone had to console one. ¡°Enris what is wrong? I am here for you if you want to talk.¡± Hyro put his hand on Enris¡¯s shoulder and saw in Enris¡¯s eyes that he would not be able to talk, as he started to break down in tears. Enris handed Hyro a letter that was addressed to Enris, Hyro opened it and read it quietly. Sweet Enris, I am sorry that I have to tell you this in a letter. I tried to come in person, but you know the academy rules are strict¡­ Buck should be talking with you soon. Please sit down when reading this. Hyro paused reading and when seeing tears on the paper and hearing his friend still sobbing he moved closer and put an arm around him as he continued reading. Your father was in an accident, while finishing a job in the Ira Forest a group of feral Barbarians were hunting down a Hogtork, your father and his guards got caught in the mix, I am so Sorry Enris, he didn¡¯t make it. We will be holding a ceremony in a few days but please come home, we need you, I need you. Please travel safe, Love, Mom Hyro was in disbelief, the world had its dangers, but that is why there were adventurers, that is why they were in school, for something bad to happen while they were training to be the ones to protect, it seemed cruel. ¡°Enris, I am so sorry.¡± He gave his friend a hug and let him cry into his shoulder until he was able to speak again. When Enris was calmer Hyro simply said, ¡°Get some rest, I will be ready to go with you in the morning.¡± With new determination Hyro gave his friend another hug and left to go see Buck. Hyro was shaking as he knocked on Buck¡¯s door, ¡°Come in,¡± Was heard from the other side as Hyro opened the door and spoke. ¡°Sorry for coming right before Dinner but I need to ask a question. If I get to level five by tomorrow can I be excused to join Enris to attend his fathers Ceremony?¡± Buck sat and thought for a moment, ¡°Yes Hyro, I do not see anything wrong with that, due to his current state we were going to send an Instructor with him as well so you will even be able to continue your training while away if you wish, I think it will be good for you and for Enris to have you there.¡± Hyro thanked Buck and left, just saying, ¡°I have some work to do, thank you.¡± For the first night since arriving, Hyro did not go to dinner with his friends, instead he went to the meditation room. He had a few ideas, and fifteen experience would not be hard to get but he wanted to make sure he was prepared to go too. Hyro opened the hidden door to the bell and rang it, then, against all advice he sat in the center of the room and entered his Sanctuary alone. ¡°Hello, welcome back, I have been expecting you.¡± Hyro opened his eyes, but he only saw one person around his campfire this time, every other time there have been two, and this one was different from any he has seen before. This version of him was dressed with a black mask, tight fighting black clothing that showed a slender frame, not a single area of him was exposed, everything was covered in black. Hyro was shocked to see only one but did not have time to question it. ¡°I need help.¡± ¡°I know you do, that is why I am finally here, the others can be helpful in their own way, I only come out when I am needed, I am the version of you that lost everything and learned to use that loss to fuel our Chaos.¡± The Hyro dressed in black responded. ¡°My friend has lost someone, I do not know how to help him, I need to gain a small amount of experience but I also want to power to protect him, not just rely on the teacher that is coming along.¡± Hyro stated what the version of him should already know, but Hyro found it was earlier to get answers here if you were direct. ¡°I was hoping that you would say that, to get experience, confront James, it will push you over the limit that you need. For the extra power, you know the only chance you have at getting that, give in to your chaos. Enris will take one of two paths, he will break from this or become stronger, help him do the ladder.¡± Hyro was shocked at hearing this version be so direct with his words, usually they only gave vague advice and this place was more of a place that Hyro could bounce ideas around, he actually got real guidance. ¡°How can you tell me so much? You seem different from the others.¡± Hyro asked and the other version of him replied quickly, ¡°That is because I am different, I am not just another possible version of you, I am a version of you that traverses the multiverse.¡± Hyro was in shock, he had so many questions, but the all black version simply waved his hand and everything went black, before Hyro could open his eyes back in the real world he heard one last sentence from the other version, ¡°I am in the Order.¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Hyro¡¯s eyes popped wide open. A version of me was in the Order of Chaos once? How was that possible? What was going on? Hyro had so many thoughts running in his head, but right now he had some things to take care of before tomorrow came. First he had to find James. Hyro knew everyone else would be in the cafeteria, but he needed to find the staff cafeteria. Hyro pulled his mini-map in the center of his vision and enlarged it. This was something he learned to do not long after he unlocked the maps, it was a nuisance to his vision, but let him look around the area. He read the names of the different rooms looking for a teacher or faculty lounge or cafeteria. It did not take him long to find it, their cafeteria was not far from the main one, just the door to it seemed to be glowing on the map. Hyro selected it as a destination and it showed his path on the map, something he learned from Himel in traveling the land, and then he made the map smaller again, stopped the bell sound and headed out. When getting to where the door should be Hyro could not find any door, but it was clearly glowing and marked on the map, Hyro knew from class that this meant it was hidden, now to figure out how the hidden door functioned. He feared it would be complex as every student past level two would know that it was there after installing the map. After a few minutes of not finding a single clue, Hyro was left with three options that he could see. He could bang on the wall, just wait and hope someone came out of the door soon, or get help. Hyro thought back to what Valda said in Welcome to the system one day, ¡°While with enough training, everyone can be decent at everything, the reason Adventurer¡¯s form teams is to spread the responsibilities so every area can be done great, not just decently.¡± Hyro then resolved to go find some help, and who better than one of the best rogues that he knew. Luckily the main cafeteria was close, Hyro ran in and went right to their usual table, Dreeva, Cynthia and Paul were the only ones there, Hyro looked at Dreeva, ¡°I need your help.¡± She looked up at him, ¡°Is it about Enris?¡± Hyro simply nodded and Dreeva got up to follow him, excusing herself from the table. Cynthia and Paul had confusing looks on their faces but Hyro did not feel like he had time to explain everything, it also was not his place to explain. As Dreeva followed Hyro she expressed how much she wished that she could go with Enris but she was being sent out on her final test tomorrow morning with her team, if they passed and cleared a nearby monster horde they would become full adventurers. Hyro was excited for her but barely showed it as he dived right into his current situation. ¡°I need to level to level five so that I can join Enris. I was in my sanctuary and my guidance from there told me seeking out someone who should be in the Faculty cafeteria is my best chance to be ready.¡± ¡°Dreeva stopped walking, ¡°Hyro, that is not a good idea, we can get in a lot of trouble.¡± She expressed concern, ¡°I know you want to go with Hyro but there are other ways to Level.¡± Hyro responded with slight anger in his tone, ¡°I do not just want to level, I want power, I want to protect my friends and make sure they don''t need to feel pain.¡± Hyro was resolute while speaking and it was clear his mind would not be changed. Dreeva gave in, ¡°Fine, I will help, but we have to be careful.¡± As they approached the area with the hidden door she traced a line on her palm, ¡°Invisiblis Maxima.¡± She almost whispered the words, but as she did she disappeared from Hyro¡¯s sight, Hyro also noticed from his peripheral vision that he was invisible too. The Maxima qualifier to Invisiblis must make whoever she chooses invisible, helpful. After a few moments she whispered, ¡°If we talk quietly my spell also barricades some sound, I will open it then I am heading back to the Cafeteria, the invisibility will wear off in two minutes, or you can yell and it will cancel out.¡± Hyro knew she was in a rush not to get caught so he simply whispered back, ¡°Thank you.¡± Moments later he heard a click and an outline of a door was now visible. Hyro assumed that Dreeva did as she said she would and that she was now on her way to the Cafeteria, but he still gave her a few extra seconds. Hyro grabbed an area that would let him open the door and pulled, the door was slightly heavy, but nothing that Hyro couldn¡¯t handle. Hyro did not open it fully, just enough to look in, most heads turned towards the door. Hyro peered in and saw a bunch of people that he did not know, but two people stood out and they were sharing a table, It was Calepe and James. He knew he was invisible but it looked like Calepe was staring right in his eyes. Hyro was not sure what his plan was at this point, I only have less than two minutes, well here goes nothing. Hyro thought to himself as he first found something to prop the door open just a hair. After he propped the door, Hyro walked over to James¡¯s table, still thinking on what to do. I have a few options, no real good ones. What would Enris or Dreeva or Cynthia do in this situation? Well they probably would not be in the situation and they have spells to help¡­ Spells that¡¯s it! Hyro quickly took out a piece of parchment and a writing implement. He hoped that all of this would stay invisible but was running out of time as it was, he was going to pretend like he copied a simple message spell. Nuntius, send a short message on parchment to a non-hostile target. Perfect for me, get the message to him, get out, easy. Hyro finished writing the note and secretly placed it right next to James¡¯s tray of food, hidden in a way that he should be the only one who could see it. The message was short, but Hyro thought it relayed what he needed. James, Meet me in the arena, alone, asap. -H Just as Hyro was walking towards the door he could feel the magic fading Oh no, has it been two minutes already! Hyro started to rush towards the door, almost in the clear, when Hyro¡¯s foot made contact with a chair, and Hyro fell on the floor, being revealed to everyone eating in the Faculty Cafeteria. Chapter 17: Interlude 4: Controlled Chaos No one hesitated and followed Faysal¡¯s instructions, they all ran. Faysal just had no idea where they should run to. Do I run towards the explosion or away from it? Well the more sane thing to do I assume would be to run from an unknown potential danger, so given that I am tied to some ¡®Order of Chaos¡¯ I guess I should do the opposite of that? Faysal really had no idea but all of those thoughts raced through his head at once and he went with his gut, running deeper into the dungeon towards the loud noise. It was a lot easier to navigate with the map in the corner of his vision, even with little to no light he was able to tell where turns and other obstacles were. Shortly after starting to run, Jasper whispered out ¡°Lux,¡± illuminating the area around them. Just a few moments after that Jasper again whispered out, this time saying, ¡°Armis,¡± giving everyone a faint glow. From spending so much time surviving and fighting in the dungeon with him, Faysal knew that it was a protection spell to make them harder to hit. Faysal stopped dead in his tracks as they approached an area they have not explored as well as the others and whispered to his team, ¡°Myra, hide us, I have an uneasy feeling, where are all the monsters?¡± Without another word Myra traced a line and whispered, ¡° Occulta apparentia,¡± the hiding spell that Faysal was very familiar with at this point. Faysal motioned for them to follow closely as he continued moving, slower than a run but still quickly, through the dungeon. As they continued on first came the smell, a mix of smoke, gun powder, and gore, then all of them lost their sight as the smoke engulfed their vision. Faysal, however, noticed something on the map, there was an opening that he did not remember seeing before, and on both sides of the opening were tens of red X¡¯s. Faysal was pretty certain he knew what that meant but bent down to the closest one to check, the red X¡¯s were dead creatures. ¡°Be careful walking, there are dead monsters all over.¡± Faysal whispered back to everyone and continued leading them. Despite the smoke as they reached the opening the got assaulted with a bright light, even through the haze it was the first time any of them had seen the sun in many, many years. Their vision took a few minutes to adjust from being in the dark so long, to the smoke to now daylight, but after looking around they were definitely outside, they could see different monsters and creatures running around, fleeing any direction they could It¡¯s almost as if they were trapped in there with us and we are all now free. Faysal thought as he saw them run away, not paying attention to His team at all. Looking around, both at the map and what was in front of him, Faysal then decided to just speak his mind, ¡°Where in the Abyss are we?¡± Happy responded right away, pointing up from where they just entered, ¡°MY MOUNTAIN!¡± Happy went and gave Fayal a hug, ¡°Faysal found my mountain! Thank you! Thank you!¡± It took a moment for Faysal to get free of Happy¡¯s hug, when he did he was even more confused. Ryse was not close to any mountains, not close enough that they should be coming out of the side of one. ¡°Controlled Chaos¡­ they planned all of this chaos?¡± Faysal whispered to himself but drew looks from Myra, Jasper and Paline, Faysal just shook his head as it was not the time to talk about it. While they have talked a bit about their pasts not many went into geographical descriptions, but Faysal had to assume that Happy¡¯s ¡®Mountain¡¯ was one of the ones to the west of Ryse, Faysal looked but was too far to quite see anything, ¡°Paline, can you increase my sight or just your own?¡± Paline replied, ¡°Just my own for now.¡± Faysal assumed as much, but was still hopeful, ¡°Can you increase your sight and look around, look for a river, lake, buildings, any landmark to confirm where we are.¡± She nodded and traced a line saying, ¡°Magnific¨¡re.¡± Her eyes got a slight silver glow to them and she looked over, then pointed in the distance, ¡°I, I think Ryse is all the way over there! We are in the Sagitta Mountains!¡± Almost everyone quietly stared at her as she confirmed what they were assuming, Happy just smiled and nodded, ¡°That is what I said, My Mountain.¡± The smoke was mostly cleared from the area and Faysal thought it would be a good idea to look where they came from and maybe seal off the new entrance to the dungeon, but after looking he realized there was no need for that, ¡°Oh no. I wasn¡¯t told to run because there was a time limit, or because there was danger behind us¡­ WE NEED TO KEEP RUNNING!¡± Faysal barely even took the time to glance at everyone, Happy! You know these Mountains, can you take us to your home?¡± Happy nodded gleefully and led the way as they started to run from where they exited the dungeon, but they were not quick enough. A small vortex opened where they exited out from, ¡°Abyss¡± Faysal, Myra and Paline said in unison. I should have known when we were brought out so far, and all of the dead and running monsters, they were not killed from an explosion, they were absorbed by a newly spawning monster lair. The explosion sound was the catalyst, creating a temporary portal to the mountains. Faysal has heard about events like this, one thing Adventurers spent most of their time doing was clearing Monster Lairs, but he has never heard what happened to people who witness the creation of a lair, That¡¯s probably because none of them have lived to tell the tale. Faysal could only think to himself for the moment, as none of them were able to move, they could just stare at the black, white and crimson vortex in front of them. What seemed like an eternity was passing as they were just stuck there, but Faysal learned that he could still see his character sheet and manipulate that while stuck here, so he did just that, but before he could really look at his information though he had two popup messages.
QUEST COMPLETED: ESCAPE THE DUNGEON
FIND A WAY OUT OF YOUR CURRENT SITUATION. REWARD: 100 CONTRIBUTION AND SOME SEMBLANCE OF FREEDOM.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
DUE TO THE QUEST ¡°ESCAPE THE DUNGEON¡± BEING COMPLETED IN RECORD TIME 100 EXTRA EXPERIENCE IS AWARDED.
Having 6 points to spend on abilities, Faysal split them between what seemed like 2 of his most important spots, Intelligence and Wisdom. After applying the points he looked over his Character sheet. CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Faysal Philips AGE: 49 RACE: HUMAN CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 3 EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 4 200/300 ABILITIES: STRENGTH: 10 DEXTERITY: 10 VITALITY: 10 WISDOM: 23 INTELLIGENCE: 28 CHARISMA: 15 LUCK: 15 ACHIEVEMENTS: AGENT OF CHAOS: THE ORDER OF CHAOS HAS WHISPERED IN YOUR EAR AT A VITAL MOMENT AND YOU FOLLOWED THEIR DIRECTION, KNOWINGLY OR NOT. +5 LUCK, +2 STRENGTH, DEXTERITY AND VITALITY (CHANGES HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPLIED). DOCTOR OF THE PEOPLE: THROUGH YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS THE PEOPLE HAVE GROWN TO LOVE AND RESPECT YOU. +5 SITUATIONAL CHARISMA BONUS WHEN SPEAKING WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS HEARD OF YOUR DEEDS. UNSANCTIONED SYSTEM: YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN ACCESS TO THIS SYSTEM OUTSIDE OF NORMAL MEANS FOR THIS WORLD. QUEST: ADVENTURING 101 REPLACED WITH VIVAT RESISTENTIA! ADVANCED AGE: YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN SYSTEM ACCESS LATER IN LIFE THAN MOST IN THIS WORLD. +25,000 CONTRIBUTION (BASED ON LIFE EXPERIENCES). CURRENCY: COPPER: 0 SILVER: 0 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. CONTRIBUTION: 11,600 SKILLS AND SPELLS: SPELLS: INELLIGO: IDENTIFY BASE INFORMATION ABOUT A PERSON PLACE OR THING. CURATIO: CURE A SMALL WOUND ON A TARGET. EFFECTIVE CAN BE INCREASED WITH KNOWLEDGE ON THE INJURY. CHIRURGIA: CREATE ANY SURGICAL TOOL FOR 5 X INTELLIGENCE MINUTES. MUNDARE: PURGE A POISON, DISEASE OR SIMILAR AILMENT FROM A TARGET. EFFECTIVENESS BASED ON INTELLIGENCE VS STRENGTH OF AILMENT. SUPPLERE: PROVIDE NUTRIENTS TO A TARGET, PREVENTING DEHYDRATION AND STARVATION. REAL NUTRITION MUST BE INGESTED EVERY LEVEL X WISDOM DAYS. FLAMMA: PRODUCE A SMALL FINGER SIZED FLAME. QUAERERE POTENTIAM: CONCENTRATE ON A TARGET TO DISCERN ITS TRUE POTENTIAL. THE LONGER THE CONCENTRATION AND MORE LIFE EXPERIENCE THE MORE POTENTIAL IS REVEALED. SOMNUS: PERSUADE A TARGET TO SLEEP. IF TARGET IS UNWILLING CONTEST BETWEEN CASTER LEVEL X WISDOM AND TARGET LEVEL X VITALITY. ACTIVE SKILLS: OCCULTA APPARENTIA: CAST BY MYRA, YOU CAN HIDE IN THE SHADOWS MAKING YOU HARDER TO SEE. DURATION, 15 MINUTES REMAINING. QUESTS: VIVAT RESISTENTIA!: A RESISTANCE HAS FORMED AND YOU ARE AT IS EPICENTER, HELP LEAD THE RESISTANCE AGAINST THE INJUSTICE OF THIS REGION. REWARD: VARIABLE. GAIN A CLASS: REACH LEVEL 10 AND GAIN A CLASS. REWARD: A NEW CLASS AND THE POWER THAT COMES WITH IT. COMPLETED QUESTS: ESCAPE THE DUNGEON: FIND A WAY OUT OF YOUR CURRENT SITUATION. REWARD: 100 CONTRIBUTION AND SOME SEMBLANCE OF FREEDOM.
Faysal figured he could not do much else so he pulled up the contribution store while he was at it as well. Before more crazy things could happen, Faysal quickly bought the Cooldown and Health bar in display. In the top middle of his vision one red bar labeled as health appeared at full for Faysal. In the top left of his display it said ¡®Current cool downs: None¡¯. There is two hundred more contribution down, let me get the map details for this area and stop there. I don¡¯t know what would happen if I activated the tutorial while stuck in place here. A message popped up asking Faysal to ¡®Confirm¡¯ or ¡®Cancel¡¯. CANCEL, CANCEL, CANCEL! I have to stop doing that. Town and area details added to the mini-map. This time Faysal was more intentional with his thoughts and was ready to confirm when a different popup that Faysal was half expecting came. Due to the size of the current area five times contribution required. Confirm or Cancel?¡¯ Five times! That is a lot of points, is it counting the whole mountain range, I guess I do not have many options, it is information that may save us soon. CONFIRM. His contribution dropped to 6,400 and his mini-map flooded with information about their surroundings. First he could now confirm they were in the Sagitta Mountains, and he could confirm that there was a lair arriving, in one minute now, and it was a Troll lair. Faysal had to think quickly now, they were going to have to move fast in the fifty seconds until they would be freed. Faysal tried to think if there was anything he could do to prepare more but without spending more contribution he was kind of stuck. He did look at the map and found an area they could try to run without much climbing but it would not get them far. If only I could see more and zoom out on this map. Responding to his thoughts the map zoomed out allowing him to see more. I really need to do the tu¡­ the two turtles to learn more about how all of this works. 30 seconds remained while Faysal studied the map. There was in fact an area they would be able to escape upwards with minimal to no climbing, but they would need someone to stay and cause a distraction, they are the only living targets in the area that Faysal could see, the trolls would come right for them, but staying would be a suicide mission. 10 seconds left I will offer to stay back, the others won¡¯t let me but maybe if I say I am right behind them they will still go. 3, 2, 1 Monster Lair: Trolls now spawned. Faysal started speaking the second they were able to move, ¡°Happy, lead everyone up the mountain there! Keep going up and go to your village, I will be right behind you!¡± Faysal tried to speak with confidence and certainty, Happy nodded but right before he started to move they all watched as 3 trolls of different sizes stepped out of the vortex which was still shades of black, white and red but was no longer a swirling vortex but a hole in the side of the mountain shaped as such. Happy let out a low growl, facing the trolls, ¡°Happy no like smelly cousins, smelly cousins leave now!¡± The trolls growled back at Happy in return. Faysal now knew a fight was at least starting so barked out his plan B, ¡°Jasper, Buff Happy, Myra, hide yourself and Paline, Myra go around and flank with Happy, Paline long shot from behind! Happy, take down the SMALLEST one.¡± There were two smaller trolls, and Faysal did not care which of the two smaller ones Happy attacked but he had to stress the word Smallest so that hopefully Happy would listen. Everyone acted swiftly, Multiple words of power could be heard as Myra and Paline seemed to disappear, Happy started glowing and charged one of the small trolls. Faysal jumped into action too, tracing a line on his palm and shouting, ¡°SOMNUS!¡± focusing on the biggest troll. Faysal has cast this spell many times and it has rarely failed him, he did not know the exact formula used when casting it until he got access to the Character sheet but now that he knew he was hopeful it would succeed, especially with his increased Wisdom. He was hopeful that is until he got a message, ¡®SOMNUS FAILED, COOLDOWN FIVE MINUTES¡¯. ¡°Abyss!¡± While tracing a different line Faysal then said, ¡°CHIRURGIA: Scalpel!¡± A glowing blue scalpel appeared in his hand as he rushed in shouting more commands, ¡°Paline, target the big one!¡± Faysal rushed in trying to jab at the other small one that Happy was not targeting, that is when Faysal found out the hard way, a scalpel does almost nothing to a monster with such thick skin. Faysal did his best to dodge each attack that the troll sent his way but a few of the small trolls club swings made contact with him. The extra screens were useful but taking up some of his vision will take some getting used to. Faysal noticed that his health bar was down to about half after taking two hits from just the small troll. Happy seemed to be making some ground against the one he was fighting though currently in a grapple match with it while Myra made multiple strikes from behind. Paline used one of her spells, ¡®Paralyticus offa¡¯ which was a beam of light that paralyzed an enemy. Luckily where Faysal¡¯s spell failed, hers succeeded, at least allowing them to focus on the small targets for now. Faysal noticed Paline started to help him by shooting some of her basic magic shots out at his target. Faysal knew she was limited on those per hour but he was grateful to have some help. It seemed to distract the troll more than anything which gave Faysal an Idea. ¡°Paline, on my command send a shot!¡± Faysal then maneuvered himself to the side of the troll, as he did the troll slammed down his club and crushed Faysal¡¯s left arm, ¡°Aaaahhhhh.¡± Faysal cried out in pain as he ignored a message that popped up, I need to focus. He was facing the troll again and the troll was right where Faysal wanted him, ¡°Now Paline!¡± Like clockwork Faysal saw two shots hit the troll, as it was distracted Faysal jumped in the air and did his best imitation of a double front kick. It was messy, but it got the job done. Between being startled from the magic shots and the kick the troll stumbled back, and tripped, falling right over the side of the mountain. ¡°One down, two to go!¡± Faysal gritted out, holding his arm in pain before tracing a line on his palm saying, ¡°CURATIO!¡± His health bar increased to about three fourths full, but his arm still felt broken. I will have to look at it more later. Faysal thought as he focused back on the fight. Happy was crushing the life out of the small troll he was facing, that fight should be over soon, now just the big guy, who was, of course, just recovering from being paralyzed. ¡°Paline, I don¡¯t suppose you can do that again?¡± Faysal asked, hopefully. After a moment Paline replied, ¡°Not even halfway recovered.¡± The large troll grabbed its club, which was the size of a small sized human, and swung in down right where Myra was at. ¡°MYRA!¡± Faysal shouted out, not realizing that she was already out of the way of the club. ¡°Happy finish your fight and take the lead against this beast! We will all support you.¡± Happy smiled and effortlessly tossed the troll to the side, and it too rolled down the side of the mountain. Happy went up to the big troll, where the last one was about Happy¡¯s size, this one stood a few feet taller. That did not stop Happy from trying to grapple him though. Happy was locked in a struggle with the troll for a few seconds, Myra attacking from behind while Faysal healed Happy, Jasper sending buffs when he could and Paline sending what shots she could get out. A lot of the team was running out of their tricks. Faysal took a look at his sleep spell cooldown, it is his longest, but this fight seemed to be going on forever. There was still a little more than one minute left. ¡°Abyss, try to buy me some time!¡± Faysal shouted as he took a few steps back, he could feel Jasper and Paline come near him for added protection while he opened the contribution store. Ten contribution is one experience, so for level four I need one hundred experience, so I need 1,000 total. Ten Contribution for One experience one hundred times. Faysal thought and then confirmed the next screen without even looking. Not wanting to cloud his vision with a whole character sheet he tried thinking, Just show my level. To his surprise, it worked. SECTION OF CHARACTER SHEET
NAME: Faysal Philips AGE: 49 RACE: HUMAN CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 4 EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 5 300/500
Great, just what I needed to know, 200 more, so 2000 contribution to get me to level five, done. Ten Contribution for One experience two hundred times! Faysal thought again and then, like last time, confirmed the next screen without even looking. He could feel power rushing through his veins. He still had about 45 seconds left for his cool down, but he had not paid attention to the fight, Happy was on his back getting attacked by the trolls giant Club, ¡°Noooo!¡± Was all that Faysal could let out before thinking, ALL AVAILABLE POINTS ITO WISDOM! He started running towards Happy and the troll when he noticed out of the corner of his eye ¡®Cooldown complete, Somnus now available. Faysal continued rushing forward, traced the line on his palm and confidently shouted ¡°Somnus!¡± The troll swayed back and forth for a moment before falling flat on his face, snoring like a baby. Chapter 18: Power Up! Hyro quickly found himself surrounded by all of the staff that were in the cafeteria, Calepe closest to him, with James close in tow. ¡°Why young Hyro, you should know this place is off limits to students, come with me, we will need to make sure Buck is aware of your trespassing in here.¡± Calepe spoke clear but plainly for all to hear. Once the others in the room heard Calepe was taking care of things they went back to their own seats and conversations. Calepe offered Hyro a hand up, ¡°Here let me help you up.¡± Hyro took the offered hand and got to his feat. Calepe and James led Hyro out of the cafeteria, Hyro noticed quickly that they were not going towards the other Cafeteria or to Buck¡¯s office so he spoke up, ¡°Um, Calepe, I thought that we were heading to Buck?¡± Calepe looked back and responded dismissively, ¡°Ah yes, I just need to stop at my office for something quickly.¡± After just a few moments of walking and heading outside, Hyro saw that they were approaching a shed that was labeled as ¡®Groundskeeper¡¯s Workroom¡¯ on the map. Calepe went inside and manually lit 2 lamps to light the area. Hyro was let in and looked around. It was a quaint little room, a work bench in one corner, a bunch of random tools scattered around, a desk and 2 doors, presumably leading to another room or closet. Calepe started towards one of the doors, telling James and Hyro to take a seat and wait a moment for him to return. Once Calepe was out of the room James turned to Hyro pulling out the note that was left for him, ¡°Was this from you?¡± James whispered, Hyro simply nodded before James whispered again, ¡°Staff like me are not supposed to have interaction with students without permission, you better not get me in trouble with you.¡± That was all James said, Hyro whispered back, ¡°Just please, meet me there after I clear things with Buck.¡± The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Calepe returned, speaking as he entered the room, ¡°I apologize for that, Hyro, before we go, I noticed your bandage was coming loose, I can reapply it for you if you would like.¡± Hyro quickly glanced down to his hands and to his shock saw that he was right, his left hand was half exposed and the bandage was torn. ¡°No thank you, I will get it taken care of as soon as I am done speaking with Buck, are we heading there now?¡± Hyro was starting to get uneasy with the situation. Calepe took a seat at his desk, ¡°In good time, first, tell me, what were you doing in the faculty cafeteria.¡± Hyro could feel the familiar cool rush of nervous energy fill his veins and stammered out a response, ¡°I uhh, I mean I wasn¡¯t trying to, umm, It was an accident?¡± Calepe looked at him sternly, ¡°You don¡¯t seem so certain about that, I am not here to try to get you in trouble, I am just trying to understand.¡± Hyro still was not sure if he could trust Calepe but needed to have a more convincing lie if nothing else. A good lie is always based on a truth, Hyro thought to himself before responding, ¡°I really needed to level and thought sneaking into a secured area would give me the small push I needed.¡± Hyro was a lot more confident with his answer this time. Calepe looked at Hyro with slight anger in his eyes and snapped back a reply, ¡°Hyro, do not say anymore.¡± He then relaxed a little before continuing, ¡°You know you are not to talk about system specifics with non adventurers, and neither I, nor James are adventurers, I am considered an exception due to teaching one of your classes, but James knows nothing of the system''s effects so be careful with your words.¡± Calepe looked over to where James was seated, ¡°James, you can forget what Hyro just said and there will be no issues right?¡± James simply nodded and Calepe stood up, speaking again, ¡°I see no need to involve Buck with the matter, I do not see a reason not to trust you, and while your reason was not a good one, there seems to be no malicious intent.¡± Calepe smiled while replying, ¡°Just make sure to follow the rules of the school or at least be careful enough to not get caught, your enhanced perception would have helped you no trip over that chair.¡± Calepe chuckled as he then opened the door, dismissing Hyro, keeping James behind. Hyro was left with his thoughts as he walked over to the arena. How does he know I should have an enhanced perception spell? I did not see him at the tournament, and the teachers that are Adventurers seem to not discuss specifics much unless it is vital or permission is given. He should not know that. When Hyro got to the arena he decided to have a seat and look over changes in his Character Sheet, minimizing all of the details that are not important to him currently. CHARACTER SHEET LEVEL UP!
NAME: Hyro Selk AGE: 14 RACE: HUMAN/ELF/DWARF CLASS: NONE LEVEL: 5* EXPERIENCE TO LEVEL 6 500/700 ABILITIES: 3 POINTS AVAILABLE! STRENGTH: 15 DEXTERITY: 16 VITALITY: 16 WISDOM: 18 INTELLIGENCE: 22 CHARISMA: 22 LUCK: 100 ACHIEVEMENTS: REBORN: CHAOS MAGIC: LUCK OF THE DRAW: AGAINST THE GRAIN AND BELOW THE FOLD: I REQUEST SANCTUARY: CHOOSING CHAOS: CURRENCY: COPPER: 5 SILVER: 1 GOLD: 0 PLATINUM: 0 CONTRIBUTION: 2000 SKILLS AND SPELLS: ACTIVE: None INACTIVE: ¡Þ SANCTUARY+: QUESTS: ADVENTURING 101: BECOME CLASSY: THE LUCK OF CHAOS: The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I did it, I made it to level five! Hyro thought to himself as he instinctively spent his ability points, bringing strength and vitality to seventeen. I should still wait for James, I don¡¯t need him to level anymore but I need some answers still. After that it¡¯ll be time to do something that we were told not to do. Hyro closed up his character sheet and sat, looking up at the stars, day dreaming of being an adventurer, taking on giant monsters, travelling to unknown lands, saving the world. Hyro was so deep in his thoughts and dreams that he almost fell over when he felt a tap on his shoulder. ¡°Alright Hyro, I am here. What do you want? I can''t stay long.¡± It was James, finally Hyro thought as he motioned for James to take the seat next to him. ¡°You said the other day when I found your plant watching us that I seemed familiar, what did you mean?¡± Hyro decided to just be blunt and ask his question, he did not have time to waste. James should not remember him, the academy makes sure that anyone who doesn''t make it past the tournament or that drops out at any point loses memories of other students, their abilities and basically every Adventurer specific thing that they have learned. James seemed uncomfortable with the question, but stammered out a reply, ¡°I just felt like I knew you, and like I said, staff are not supposed to interact with staff, so I sent one of my pets to watch for me.¡± Hyro wanted to believe him, but then he remembered the conversation he overheard when Hyro first found out James was back on the grounds, ¡°Yes, I know the plan, but I am not supposed to remember anything about him! It would bring too much attention if I approached him now.¡± Hyro knew James was lying but why, he decided to ask one more question, again trying to keep his blunt and confident tone, ¡°Then why come here at all, why risk your job to talk to me just because I asked?¡± James¡¯s reply to that question made Hyro¡¯s stomach turn, ¡°I¡¯m hoping it was the same reason you risked coming in to the Faculty Cafeteria, I don¡¯t have many people I am close to, and thought we could be¡­ friends¡± Hyro¡¯s mind raced with different thoughts, Did I have it all wrong? I know what it¡¯s like to try and make friends when it is something you aren¡¯t used to, it can seem awkward, I¡¯m still doing it now. Hyro honestly did not know what to think, but for now thought that it would be better to keep him close as a potential friend than to push him away, after all what is the worst a groundskeeper could do? Hyro replied after a short moment of thinking, ¡°It might take a little, but you are right James, I think we could be friends, I¡¯d like that.¡± A smile came across both their faces as they sat there for just a moment before James stood up, ¡°I really do have to get going, but hopefully we can meet up again sometime.¡± Hyro nodded and responded as James started to walk away, ¡°I would like that.¡± Hyro headed back to his room, he was getting really hungry at this point, the fact that he skipped dinner finally hitting him, but he was set to push through it. Hyro sat in his bed, and let out a deep sigh as he convinced himself that what he was about to do was his only option for quick power. If I think it fast enough there will be no going back. Here goes nothing, Contribution store, Wheel of chaos, Confirm! Screens popped up with each word but they came and disappeared so fast they were not readable. After Hyro thought ¡®confirm¡¯ and the last screen disappeared Hyro noticed the air go stale around him and his movements seemed to slow before everything turned black. Hyro was suddenly standing, or at least, it felt like he was standing, everything was still pitch black. In the darkness lines of light started to zoom around, white and crimson, until Hyro was able to see that he was no longer in his room but he was in a room with nothing in it, just him and these white and crimson lights cutting through the darkness. This went on for several minutes before a deep voice boomed from seemingly nowhere, ¡°Welcome Hyro, to the Wheel of Chaos! It is about time you stopped avoiding us.¡± The crimson and white lights started getting brighter and brighter until there was an even mix of black, white and crimson. The voice spoke again, ¡°Unlike the wheel of fate this is more of a private event. There will still be a random wheel that you can try to increase the odds of, but not only with contribution. You can spend contribution points, years of lifeforce or let the chaos lead the wheel and not add anything. Before we get to that the Order has a message for you.¡± As the voice continued talking a popup message appeared showing the same thing that the voice was saying.
MESSAGE FROM THE ORDER OF CHAOS
YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE ARE THE ANSWER. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO WE ARE, WE ARE THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF THOSE UNWANTED AND FORGOTTEN. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE WE CAME FROM? WE WERE FORMED FROM THOSE SAME HOPES AND DREAMS. WE ARE GODS, DEVILS, HUMANS AND MONSTERS. FREEDOM, ADAPTABILITY, FLEXIBILITY, RECKLESSNESS WE URGE THOSE TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES AND CHANGE WHAT IS KNOWN AS NORMAL. SO WHO OR WHAT IS THE ORDER OF CHAOS? WE ARE CHANGE!
Hyro read along as the voice enthusiastically read the message, Hyro could tell this voice was not a random or system generated voice and he decided to try and speak up, ¡°You are in the Order aren¡¯t you? Are you from this world or a different one?¡± Hyro was shocked to hear his own voice, he was not sure he would be able to speak and the echo from the room made his voice sound like there were multiple of him talking at once. The voice responded, ¡°Yes, I am with the Order, you are as clever as always Hyro, I can only answer so much here, but we can only visit ourselves in other worlds via their Sanctuary and only if they upgrade it the same path as we did.¡± The voice paused only for a short moment, ¡°Now let''s begin the Wheel of Chaos!¡± As the voice spoke that time a giant golden wheel with crimson words reading ¡®Wheel of Chaos¡¯ appeared. This wheel only had five spaces, all were currently empty. The voice continued, ¡°Now Hyro, if you wish it is 2000 contribution points for each section you would like to try to sway in your favor, or five years off of your current lifeforce. After you make your decision Luck and Chaos will make final changes to the wheel and we will spin to discover what will happen. So, would you like to make any purchases.¡± What?! It was supposed to be only 1000, if I pay contribution points for even one section I would be in contribution debt. I could give up some lifeforce but what if I was supposed to die in five years, I would have no time to gain power to extend my lifeforce at all. What should I do? What would the Order want me to do? ¡®Recklessness¡¯, hmmm Hyro thought before becoming resolute in his answer, ¡°Let Luck and Chaos decide my fate, I am not paying anything.¡± The voice let out a laugh, ¡°Yes Hyro let us let Chaos and Luck take the Wheel!¡± Two sections of the wheel turned white and black and the last turned crimson, the lights around the room started to swirl and flash, Hyro started to get a headache with all of the lights. As the lights finally started to calm down words appeared on the wheel, just before it started to spin Hyro could just make out what they said; 1) (White) Gain Ten levels, 2) (Black) Lose 20 levels, 3) (White) Controlled Chaos, 4) (Black) Instant death, 5) (Crimson) Chaos Reigns! After reading Hyro felt his heart sink and thought to himself, This may have been a mistake. The wheel spun round and round, none of the sections were visible with how fast it was going and all of the colors blurred together. Once the wheel reached its fastest points the colors around the room started going crazy again as well. After what seemed like a full minute of the craziness the room went completely black, but the lights on the wheel kept it visible as it started to slow. Every few seconds the whole room would change between black, white and crimson, eventually synching with the lights on the wheel. Hyro could feel his heart racing as the wheel slowed and slowed, White, black, white, black, crimson. White, black, white, black, it looked as though everything was going to end here and now as the wheel was pointed to instant death. Hyro let out a huge sigh of relief as the wheel ticked once more and the color in the room turned crimson. In giant letters that appeared as though the letters were bleeding red the words ¡®CHAOS REIGNS¡¯ appeared right in front of Hyro. The deep voice spoke once more, ¡°Chaos Reigns, Enjoy Hyro, you are in for a treat.¡± The voice then laughed, as both the laugh and all colors around Hyro faded out. Hyro was in complete darkness once again. He could feel that he was sitting down again, which was an odd sensation, but now he felt as though he could not move or open his eyes. That is when a new popup screen appeared in front of him.
CHAOS REIGNS!
YOUR CHAOTIC NATURE HAS PREVAILED. YOU WILL RECEIVE A BOON FOR EACH OF THE FOUR MAIN PILLARS OF THE ORDER OF CHAOS. FREEDOM: YOU MAY CHOOSE TO HIDE YOUR CHARACTER SHEET FROM ANYONE YOUR LEVEL OR LOWER FOR FREE. EVERY FIVE LEVELS ABOVE YOU ADDS A 10% CHANCE OF FAILURE (MAY 99% CHANCE OF FAILURE). ADAPTABILITY: YOU ARE GIVEN THE ANALYZE SKILL, YOU ARE ABLE TO ANALYZE PEOPLE, OBJECTS OR CREATURES AND POSSIBLY GAIN INFORMATION ON THEM. ANY PERSON OR CREATURE WITH SENTIENCE HAS A CHANCE TO DETECT ANALYSIS. FLEXIBILITY: SYSTEM UPGRADE, YOU NOW HAVE MORE INTERACTION WITH THE SYSTEM INTELLIGENCE VIA THE ORDER. RECKLESSNESS: LUCK CHANGES TO ¡®GOOD LUCK¡¯ WHEN PUTTING YOURSELF IN MORTAL DANGER. SYSTEM UPDATING... MAY TAKE UP TO 24 HOURS TO FINISH UPDATE.
After Hyro read the message he was once again able to open his eyes and move, when his eyes opened a smile came across his face. Sure he might still be lacking in many areas but this is going to make him much more powerful, hopefully powerful enough to protect everyone. He checked quickly that he could still access the system while it was updating, and once he confirmed that he could Hyro laid in his bed, happy that he took the risks he did, despite coming close to death. It seemed important that he made the decisions he did, maybe it was all in his head, but tomorrow he would go out on his first adventure, and he felt more prepared than ever. More prepared at least, until he heard his stomach growl and he was once again reminded that he forgot to eat.