《The Nexus: Ethera, Age of Heroes [A Fantasy Litrpg Adventure]》 Chapter 1: Smoking Kills Adam woke up to his phone alarm just like every weekday morning, and then just like every morning he turned it off and went back to sleep. This repeated five times for five different alarms set on his phone until he finally rolled out of bed at 8am. He looked around his one room apartment. Clothes were scattered on the small leather couch with more on the floor. He spotted what he was looking for on the coffee table. His work uniform. Luckily it was only blue jeans and a black work t-shirt with colorful letters on the back that spelled out Gas and Gameland. His name was embroidered on the front in white with ¡°manager¡± underneath. He brushed his teeth, pulled his dark hair into a loose bun, sighed, and left. He grabbed his keys and cigarettes and was out the door fifteen minutes after waking. The drive in his beat-up 2019 Kia Niro took him thirty minutes on the dot even if it was a mom-mobile. As he rode with the windows down he lit up a cigarette and turned up the late 2000s music. He liked his vintage car, it was reliable, strong, easy on gas, and got him from point A to point B without issue. Traffic was as shitty as ever. But once he got onto the highway there were few cars this late in the morning. He rolled up to the store at 8:45 and saw Josh standing outside buried in his phone. Adam parked out front next to Josh¡¯s car so that customers knew they were open. As Adam got out of his car he could hear a voice blaring from Josh¡¯s phone ten feet away. ¡°Come get some you noobs! I¡¯ll kill you all! You pathetic idiots!¡± ¡°Still hate-watching that nerd in the Nexus?¡± Adam said as he walked up to the door to unlock it. Josh looked up from his phone. ¡°Yo, yeah bro, this guy is insufferable.¡± Adam shook his head, ¡°Why do you watch him then?¡± ¡°I like to watch him die. He whines so much, and he¡¯s so bad. You know how you root for the villain to fail. It¡¯s kind of the same thing.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Adam didn¡¯t get it. He liked to watch people who were good. He wanted to see the best and find out what they did so he could be better. Josh would do this a lot too, but he had a thing about hate-watching the same streams over and over. Adam walked into the store with Josh right behind him. As he entered he flipped on a switch and the familiar sound of arcade games filled his ears. The inside was 3000 square feet with the walls lined with old vintage pinball and arcade games. All had been refurbished and upgraded to be more energy efficient and not break down as often. The middle area held everything a normal gas station would, from snacks, to Slurpee machines with two registers in the middle in a round, closed off island. Behind the registers were cigarettes and a few nicer bottles of alcohol. The gray-white linoleum floor squeaked slightly as the both walked behind the island. They sat, with twin sighs, in the tall stools behind the counter. Josh hadn¡¯t looked up from his phone for even a second. This was so routine for the both of them that he could have walked blindfolded to his chair without missing a step. ¡°You ever thought about streaming?¡± Josh asked Adam. ¡°Me? What would I stream? Everyone watches the Nexus now.¡± ¡°True,¡± said Josh, ¡°but what if you were there? Would you stream then?¡± ¡°What would be the point?¡± He looked over to Josh. ¡°Can you even chat in there?¡± ¡°Yeah, bro. They can see chat, get donations, and you can even send them help or challenges if it¡¯s allowed.¡± ¡°What would they need donations for? Isn¡¯t everything in there free?¡± Josh looked up with a glint in his eye nodding. ¡°Everything is free, but the donations go to the Nexus to keep it running without issues. I heard that the revenue they got from streams in the first month was enough to keep the Nexus powered for the next one-hundred years. The streamers are rewarded in different ways inside and outside their chosen world apparently. There¡¯s some kind of streamer store and for every bit of revenue you make the Nexus you get corresponding points to spend in the store. Apparently the store changes constantly and won¡¯t affect the worlds they live in unless it¡¯s allowed, but there is one leaked item that never changes.¡± Josh¡¯s voice got quiet and looked around like he was checking for someone listening. ¡°A world seed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s literally the seed for a world. You are able to create the world you want, or at least most of it, and then you get to live in it.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± said Adam as he leaned back on his stool slightly, ¡°that sounds pretty cool. But I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d stream. It would be weird with people watching my entire life in there.¡± ¡°You can turn the stream off at any time. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re being watched all the time. Look.¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. There was a scream of rage from Josh¡¯s phone. He pushed a button and a hologram mirroring his screen popped up showing the words (PPGigantus is currently offline) ¡°Holy shit, is that the guy¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Yep, he changed it in the nexus. I told you bro, he¡¯s the worst. Anyway, see, he just rage quit another world. This nerd has almost fifty thousand people watching him most days.¡± ¡°How close is he to a world seed?¡± ¡°No idea, it doesn¡¯t seem to be one of his goals so we don¡¯t know. He just likes the attention I think.¡± The bell on the front door rang as a trucker walked in. He came up to the counter a few minutes later with a few sodas and a bag of chips laying them on the counter. ¡°Let me get a fill up on one,¡± he said. Adam rang him up and punched in the gas. ¡°Fifteen fifty-three for the soda and chips, and the gas you can charge at the pump.¡± The trucker tapped his phone to the card machine as Adam watched his screen confirm the payment. ¡°Have a good one,¡± said the trucker as he left. ¡°You too,¡± said Adam. The bell rang again as the man left and started pumping his gas. ¡°So, would you?¡± asked Josh. He had his arms crossed looking over at Adam. ¡°I don¡¯t know man,¡± said Adam. ¡°I might just enjoy the experience if it¡¯s even actually me in there.¡± ¡°What do you mean of course it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°You never know.¡± ¡°Bro, you signed up for it right?¡± Josh looked concerned. ¡°Yeah man, we went together when we turned eighteen. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot.¡± Josh laughed a little as he rubbed the back of head. His hair was cropped short and it stood up all over the place in a way that made it look deliberately chaotic like he stood in the mirror for way too long making it perfectly messy. ¡°It¡¯s just, you know, It¡¯s been seven years. I feel like we¡¯re stuck.¡± Adam nodded at his friend¡¯s words. He had been feeling that way for as long as he could remember now. No matter what they did it never seemed to fit. Adam had tried a lot of things in his twenty-five years. He¡¯d worked at a cinema, a pizza shop, studied in college before getting bored and dropping out, and finally ending up back at the gas station he and Josh had worked at in high school. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like the things he did, but he never really found anything he was passionate about. ¡°I get it,¡± he finally said. ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but there has to be more. I mean I see these people in the Nexus living a hell of a life bro. They can be whoever and whatever they want.¡± ¡°You said that they can see chat? What stops them from cheating and stuff or getting stream sniped?¡± ¡°Bro, it¡¯s a massive AI. Don''t you think it can filter out chat like that? It can literally upload our consciousness.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Adam got up and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. ¡°Smoke?¡± Josh nodded and they headed outside. Out on the sidewalk they watched the cars speed by as the trucker finished up and pulled away. They lit up their cigarettes and Josh let out a sigh as he inhaled. ¡°We playing tonight?¡± Josh asked. ¡°Of course.¡± They had their online game that they had been playing for years now. It was what originally brought them together and created an instant friendship between the two that had lasted most of their lives now. It was an mmorpg that had been through so many iterations at this point it had started over with classic servers. They were reliving their childhoods and it was nice. Adam thought about what Josh had said though. The nexus had changed things. The idea that people could live forever, if it was actually them, was pretty insane in itself, but the creators took it even further. They allowed for the development of worlds. Some were paradises where crime wasn¡¯t even an option, and others were pretty much real life video games. There was only one condition. The Nexus and its worlds were free to access for everyone. It was programmed into the core of the system and was impossible to change. Adam laughed to himself as he thought about all the advertisers and companies that had a meltdown over that. It had almost caused a global war until the rich had realized they were vastly outnumbered. Things had calmed down a lot since then though, and like Josh had said there were certain things that people could spend money on, but it could in no way affect the world or the participants without their full consent. He hadn¡¯t really checked it out since it wasn¡¯t something he could be a part of anytime soon, but after seven years it had just introduced the ability for people to stream. So, there wasn¡¯t much to go on yet. I wonder, he thought, what it would be like to be in there. Josh took the last puff of his cigarette and threw it into the can-turned-ashtray next to the sidewalk. ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°these things are going to kill us one day.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± said Adam. ¡°Gotta die somehow.¡± He threw his cigarette in the can as the both looked out at the highway. Adam took a deep breath of the clear air and thought life wasn¡¯t too bad after all. At that moment an 18-wheeler was turning into the parking lot. It was a big lot, but the truck didn¡¯t seem to be slowing down. The man inside pulled on the horn with a panicked look on his face. He swerved away from the pumps. Everything slowed down in the moment as Adam watched the trailer tilt over. It was like something out of an action movie where the heroes would jump out of the way at the last second. Adam and Josh both just stared at the oncoming truck frozen in confusion and fear. As the truck¡¯s trailer screamed against the asphalt Adam turned his head to see cartons of cigarettes spilling out of the back just as his world went black. Chapter 2: The Nexus ¡°Breathe,¡± said an elderly woman¡¯s voice from inside of Adam¡¯s head. Adam sucked in breath like he had just surfaced from being underwater too long. His eyes shot open and he jumped out of the chair he was sitting in toward the ground covering his head and waiting for the truck¡¯s impact. It didn¡¯t come. After a few seconds the voice spoke again directly into his brain. ¡°Welcome to your nexus. I know this might be a shock, but you died.¡± Adam lifted up his head and looked around. He was in a blank white room with a single black folding chair sitting open in the middle. There was no discernible light source that he could see. He could hardly tell the room was square with how disorienting the stark whiteness of the room was. ¡°What?¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m dead? Are you serious? Where am I? Where are you? Why are you speaking in my head?¡± A woman appeared in an identical black chair across from his empty one. She was slightly plump, puffy white hair, wrinkles, and eyes full of kindness. She was a grandmother if Adam had ever seen one. Adam felt a little at ease in her presence. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a seat dear and I¡¯ll explain everything.¡± Adam stood and hesitantly walked to the chair. His feet were a little shaky and he kept his eye on the old woman the whole way. She just sat there with her hands resting on a small black cane. ¡°Very good dear, I know this must be crazy, but I assure you I am only here to make your transition as smooth as possible. Now, like I said you died.¡± Adam saw a flash of the truck barreling toward him. ¡°You were transported directly to the nexus upload center and here you are. It looks like you signed up when you turned eighteen. Do you remember signing up for The Nexus?¡± ¡°Um, yeah I signed up with my best friend,¡± said Adam. ¡°Wait! What happened to Josh?¡± ¡°Joshua Weston?¡± asked the grandmotherly figure. Her eyes were staring past him like she was zoning out. ¡°Yeah, is he okay?¡± ¡°It seems he has also joined The Nexus recently. He will be going through this same explanation as you right about now. Now, let us get back to busi¨C¡± ¡°Can I see him?¡± interrupted Adam. The woman smiled and said, ¡°Yes dear, you can see him soon, but first we must finish here. Now, this room is yours. You may change anything in the room in any way that you want. All you have to do is use a little brain power. I will unlock the room now. Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Room configuration currently unlocked rang a robotic voice inside Adam¡¯s head. Adam thought about his home. The room instantly changed to his one room apartment that he had left only a few hours ago. Clothes were scattered everywhere still. Dishes were in the sink, and the same old beige walls with movie posters hung around the room. The only difference were the two plastic black chairs where he and Guide sat in the middle of the room. He looked around and panicked a little at the mess. Instantly the clothes were gone, the dust cleared, and the dishes done. It was as pristine as the day Adam moved in. He let out a breath. For some reason he just didn¡¯t want this lady to think he was a pig. ¡°Very good dear. You can change this at any time. You may also add rooms, change the size, and do anything else you would like inside this room.¡± Adam¡¯s thoughts wandered for a moment and a giant Olympic sized swimming pool appeared behind his bed. The room had grown to a massive size to accommodate the pool. Adam smiled to himself, and then the pool disappeared. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked, looking around. ¡°It is best to keep something you¡¯re familiar with for the time being. Why don¡¯t you try locking the room.¡± ¡°How do I loc¨C¡± Before he could finish a window popped up in front of him floating in thin air.
Would you like to lock this configuration? Y/N
He tried to reach up and choose the ¡°Y¡± option and his hand went right through the screen. He tried again a few times before he realized he must have looked like a crazy person flapping his hand through the air. ¡°Use your mind,¡± said Guide. She tapped the side of her head and smiled. Adam looked a bit embarrassed as he mentally chose ¡°Y¡±. The screen flashed, lighting up the ¡°Y¡±, and then it was gone. The room configuration is now locked. ¡°Nice,¡± said Adam to himself. ¡°Great job dear. Now, let¡¯s talk a little about what you can do from your nexus.¡± Guide explained all things Adam was able to do in the nexus. He could contact people either in the nexus or still in the physical world. He could browse the internet, invite people to his nexus, and get any food he wanted just by thinking about it even though he didn¡¯t technically have to eat. It was a paradise he could create. She even told him the room itself didn¡¯t have to only be a room. It could become a grassy field, an ocean, or anything else he wanted. All in all Adam was thrilled as he tested his new home. He practiced for a bit using his mind to open menus, accept notifications, and change his room around as he locked and unlocked the configuration. His mind wandered for a bit as he thought about the people who had made this place. He had always heard about the creators of the nexus as if they were some sort of saviors. He had never understood it until now. All he had to do was sign up and they did all this without it costing him a penny. He hadn¡¯t believed it, and a lot of people were skeptical when the nexus released. The creators, however, were the first to join leaving all their worldly possessions behind. Companies had tried to replicate or control the system throughout the years, but all attempts had failed. The world would riot if denied access to the nexus as it had nearly happened before, and the system completely unable to be affected from all outside sources. ¡°Now that you seem to have a handle on things I have one final part of the nexus to show you. This dear, is the true reason why the nexus was created. I would like you to ask the nexus for a list of worlds.¡± Adam mentally asked the nexus for a list of worlds. Within seconds hundreds of small planets were slowly rotating around him and Guide. They had an array of colors and sizes. Adam focused on one that looked like Earth for a moment. It floated between the two and a description popped up next to it.
World: Earth 2.0
Description: This planet is a copy of Earth newly populated by the inhabitants of the Nexus. There is no unwanted crime, violence, or war allowed on this planet. People live peacefully following their passions, finding love, making families, and anything else within the planet¡¯s rules. Money is no longer an obstacle as everything is provided by the Nexus.
Death: You may choose to leave the world at any time. You may also rejoin the world at any time.
Current World Age: 5 years, 355 days, 23 hours, and 15 minutes.
Current World Population: 1,150,828,223
Would you like to join this world? Y/N
He had heard of these worlds. He had even seen a few videos about them. Earth 2.0 was a popular one where people could live out their lives and still interact with new people. It was one of the first worlds ever created and it was said to be the reason for the success of The Nexus. ¡°Great job,¡± said Guide. ¡°It seems you have a handle on everything now. It is suggested that you spend some time in your nexus room with company or with an appointed therapist AI. The change can be something that is hard to acclimate to. The idea that you are you still, you¡¯ll live forever, and that your body on Earth is gone. I will take my leave now. Before I go I will update your contact list. If you have any other questions all you have to do is think about me and I¡¯ll pop right in.¡± She gave a little laugh and burst into a small cloud of smoke that smelled like freshly baked cookies. Adam was a little shocked at how abruptly she left, but as he noticed the smoke something else popped into his head. He hadn¡¯t even thought about having a cigarette since he¡¯d gotten to the nexus. He didn¡¯t crave it even now while it was on his mind. I guess that¡¯s one positive of dying, he thought, my nicotine addiction died with me it seems. With that thought the floodgates seemed to burst open. He felt the warm tears run down his face as thoughts raced through his head. He had died. There was so much he hadn¡¯t done. So much he wouldn¡¯t ever be able to do. He didn¡¯t think about marriage or kids before, but when the prospect was suddenly ripped from him that¡¯s all he could imagine. ¡°Why can¡¯t you still have all of that?¡± a voice rang out in his room. It sounded like an older British man. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Adam looked around his room as he wiped his tears away. ¡°My name is Charles and I¡¯m an AI therapist that was alerted to your crises by the nexus.¡± As soon as the voice stopped a blue portal appeared in front of Adam and out stepped a man in a tan suit with a short beard and long white hair. He had slight wrinkles around his eyes just barely noticeable behind his glasses. ¡°How did you know I was having a problem?¡± Charles cleared his throat slightly before he said, ¡°You are part of the nexus now. It knows everything.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s creepy.¡± The AI gave a short laugh. ¡°Yes, it can be a little unsettling, but you must know that nobody has access to the nexus or any of its information. Even the creators can only make improvements, but not interact with the internal system. This is just a safety precaution for times exactly like this.¡± ¡°If you say so,¡± said Adam, not convinced. ¡°Try not to worry about how I knew you needed me, but instead let¡¯s talk about why. Tell me what¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just read it?¡± ¡°Of course not, the nexus alerted me and no more.,¡± said Charles as he sat down in the black chair Guide had used. He changed it into a comfortable looking leather chair a moment later. Adam took a breath and did the same, turning his chair into a recliner and laying back. Screw it he thought. He¡¯d always wanted to talk to a therapist even if he couldn¡¯t ever afford one. Now he had the best of the best in AI technology to pick apart his brain. Once he was comfortable he started to talk. It came out like he¡¯d been holding it in his entire life. ¡°There was so much I wanted to do and I didn¡¯t even realize it until now. I want to love someone, I want to have children, I want to try new things, taste new things, and see everything. Now, I¡¯ll never be able to do any of that.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± asked Charles. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Because I¡¯m dead.¡± ¡°Correction, your body on Earth died. Your mind and consciousness has been uploaded to the nexus. You have a body just like you did on Earth. You can feel pain, love, depression, anger, and happiness just like you could before. You can feel the pinch of skin, the bump of a knee, or the pain of loss if you want. Just think about what you¡¯re feeling right now. You are still you, and your life is only really beginning now. Just look at the possibilities each world offers. You can find love, have a family, and even children if you wish.¡± ¡°Would they even be real? Is any of it real?¡± asked Adam. ¡°It¡¯s as real as what you feel right now. Every AI that is created within the nexus has its own mind. It has freewill to do whatever it would like just like you do. I, for example, am free to stop helping people whenever I feel like it and go do whatever I want. The nexus created me but it does not control me. I am my own person. I feel things just the way you do.¡± ¡°Whoa,¡± was all Adam could say. It was a lot to process. He¡¯d never imagined something like this could exist even knowing about the nexus. It was all just too much. ¡°But I would suggest looking into yourself for a moment. What is stopping you from doing everything you never did before? There are worlds where anything is possible. Take some time to adjust and then take the first step toward the rest of your life.¡± Adam let the words fill his mind as he laid his head back in the recliner and closed his eyes. The last thing Charles had said seemed to resonate with him. He heard a pop and the smell of pipe tobacco filled his nose. He looked around to see Charles and the chair gone. Another screen came into his view not long after that.
  • Contact Added: Rebecca Robinson - Relation: Mother - Location: Earth
  • Contact Added: Brian Robinson - Relation: Father - Location: Earth
  • Contact Added: Joshua Weston - Relation: Friend - Location: Nexus
  • Contact Added: Gerald Filson - Relation: Friend - Location: Earth
The list continued on and on as it added more and more people, some of whom Adam didn¡¯t even remember knowing. He thought about Josh and a new menu replaced contacts.
Name: Joshua Weston
Age: 25
Location: The Nexus
Contact: Nexus call, Nexus message, Nexus video chat, visit home, or email
Adam wondered what a Nexus call was when the prompt popped up in his face again.
Would you like to call Joshua Weston? (Y/N)
Adam chose "Y" and a ringtone sounded in his mind. It rang twice before Josh picked up. ¡°Bro! Are you okay?¡± ¡°I guess, I think I¡¯m still trying to wrap my head around everything. Can you actually hear me?¡± Adam felt weird just talking without having a cellphone or earpiece or something. ¡°Yeah, loud and clear. Yep, can¡¯t believe that shit bro. But look on the bright side. We don¡¯t have to go to work tomorrow.¡± Adam laughed a bit at that one. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Did you see the world stuff?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Yeah, looks pretty cool. I only checked out Earth 2.0 though.¡± ¡°Are you serious? This shit is insane. Hold on, I''m coming over.¡± The line went silent and a moment later there was a knock that reverberated around Adam¡¯s room.
Would you like to invite Joshua Weston to your home? (Y/N)
Adam accepted the prompt and Josh walked through the front door of his new home pretending to be his old home. Josh went right to the fridge and grabbed a beer before throwing himself on the small leather couch. Adam was pretty sure there hadn¡¯t been beer in his fridge before that. ¡°Check this out,¡± said Josh. As he cracked open the beer, hundreds of tiny planets appeared again rotating around them. Josh took a drink and let out an audible sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch. As he did, a small galaxy floated toward the middle of the room. Adam moved out of his recliner toward the scene unfolding in his living room. The rotating planets flickered blue as he passed through them without resistance to look at the galaxy closer. It wasn¡¯t like the other planets, but instead seemed to be a small galactic system of its own. As Adam looked a description appeared next to the floating mass.
World: The Tetra Galaxy
Description: Space pirates are a thing, aliens are too, and you can explore them all along with all the planets that The Tetra Galaxy has to offer. Become the captain of your own spaceship, and explore the darkest depths, the brightest stars, and the greatest planets. Beware though, not all the lifeforms out there are friendly.
Death: You may respawn in The Tetra Galaxy, but you lose everything and start back at level 1.
World Age: 3 years, 2 days, 1 hour and 23 minutes
Population: 3,635,728
¡°Space pirates?¡± he asked. ¡°But you really want to just jump into a whole new world?¡± ¡°What else are we going to do?¡± said Josh. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it. What¡¯s the point of waiting around here? We talk to our parents, or whoever we left behind and we tell them we¡¯re good. There¡¯s nothing here in this little room for us. There¡¯s a whole world out there and this time we can finally live.¡± Adam thought about what his friend had said. He wasn¡¯t wrong. They didn¡¯t leave much behind. Adam had just been dumped a few months ago for not ¡°living up to his potential¡± as she had put it. He didn¡¯t blame her, but he hadn¡¯t felt like anything was worth living for. Now that it was gone he had a small hole inside himself. Like he had missed something. With that hole came a drive to fill it. At the moment he didn¡¯t feel whole, but the idea of joining a new world, one where they could fulfill their full potential sparked something inside Adam. ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± he said. ¡°But not this one. I don¡¯t think I like the idea of space just yet. Maybe another time.¡± ¡°Fair enough, let¡¯s look around.¡± For the next few hours the two scrolled through the small floating planets together. After about an hour they realized there were filters. The first filter they chose was an upcoming world or newly opened world. The next filter was something with dragons, because who didn¡¯t want to fight a dragon. The last filter box they checked was something called Hardcore. The little information window appeared when Adam focused on it.
Hardcore: Death is permanent in this world. If you die you will be sent back to your nexus and unable to join the world ever again.
Adam had always enjoyed perma-death in games. The risk vs reward, the sense of accomplishment, it was what made it so enjoyable. Plus, the idea of just respawning with everything seemed a bit boring. When the last filter box was checked only one planet remained. It floated slowly around the two like all the others, but when there was only one it felt like it had chosen them rather than the other way around. There was a palpable excitement in the air between the two as the planet moved between them.
World: Ethera
Death: Hardcore - If you die you will be returned to your nexus and unable to rejoin the world ever again
Description: A land of magic and wonder. Adventure through the world of Ethera. Discover power, fight monsters, find treasure, create kingdoms, and rise to the top.
Time Until World Birth: 5 hours 52 minutes
¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± they both said simultaneously. Another small menu appeared a moment later.
Would you like to view the trailer to this world? Y/N
¡°There¡¯s a trailer?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Like a movie?¡± ¡°I guess.¡± They both mentally selected "Y" and their vision was filled with a blinding light. Then Adam was floating above a grassy plains. It felt like he was in a waking dream. He had no body, but was instead just floating senses. He could feel the summer breeze, he could smell the grass, he could hear the birds, and he could see far into the distance. Then, everything started to move. He couldn¡¯t control where he was going but only look around. He saw castles, villages, and even some people. The people were not all human either. Some looked like they were carved from stone, others were small and dark with pointy ears. He even thought he saw a man made of glass and smoke. As he floated through the land he noticed his speed starting to pick up. It wasn¡¯t long before the world was flashing by him so fast he was starting to get dizzy. Everything blurred together like some sort of video playing at one-hundred times the normal speed. Adam screamed but no sound came out. Darkness filled his vision. It was utter and complete. For a moment Adam felt worried. His mind raced with scenarios on what happened. Maybe the Nexus wasn¡¯t perfect. Maybe there was some sort of bug. Maybe he was actually dead and this was all just some sick dream. A voice rang out through the darkness just as Adam started to panic. ¡°The people of Ethera were not always so complacent.¡± The voice of the woman demanded attention and exuded power. A small blue light appeared within the darkness. It started to grow bigger as the woman spoke again. ¡°They were not always so weak.¡± The blue light started to come into focus for Adam. He could finally see that it wasn¡¯t a light at all but a giant blue crystal. Inside the crystal he saw scenes play out before him like thousands of tiny movies. War raged, magic flew, and monsters crashed through the lands inside the crystal. A flash of lightning crackled through the crystal and Adam saw the shape of a woman curled up inside. ¡°It is time my children were once again tested,¡± said the woman. The crystal cracked. ¡°They shall not be alone.¡± The sound of breaking glass reverberated inside Adam¡¯s ears. ¡°They will need you. Help them.¡± The crystal exploded and Adam was sent flying backwards. His vision shifted and he was on the grassy green plains again. He looked up as the sky was filled with shimmering blue crystals like millions of tiny stars. They hovered high above the lands covering the entire sky for a brief moment. Then the crystals plummeted toward the world of Ethera. Adam was suddenly back in his nexus room laid back in his recliner. He let out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding. ¡°That was intense,¡± said Josh. ¡°Yeah, vague as hell too. Looks like they didn¡¯t want to spoil anything.¡± ¡°Whelp, guess it¡¯s time to call the parents and tell them we died.¡± Adam couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the absurdity of the statement. Josh was right though. They needed to let people know that they were part of the nexus now. It took them only about an hour to call their loved ones and let them know what happened. Josh¡¯s girlfriend at the time didn¡¯t take it too well and he spent some time consoling her, but in the end they decided it was probably best if they parted ways since she¡¯d be alive for a long time still. Adam¡¯s was much easier as he just called his parents. He told them to sell whatever he had that was worth anything, and hopefully he¡¯d see them again one day. They took it pretty well, but they were big supporters of the nexus. Death just didn¡¯t seem that big of a deal when you lived forever. With business handled the two friends were ready to start their next adventure. Together they mentally brought up the world list and selected Ethera.
Would you like to join Ethera? Y/N Time Until World Birth: 3 hours 35 minutes
¡°You ready?¡± asked Josh. Adam nodded without hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s blast.¡± They both accepted and darkness once again filled Adam¡¯s vision. Chapter 3: Character Creation Adam felt like his body was floating, weightless through a blackness so dark that he wasn¡¯t sure he was able to see anymore. A small light appeared ahead of him and without willing it, his body moved forward. As he got closer the light grew bigger and bigger. He moved faster and faster until the light was so bright that it was as blinding as the darkness. Then he felt a rush of air and a small pop in his ears. When he opened his eyes, that he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d closed, he was standing on a small grassy hill. That was it, just a hill with bright green grass, that happened to be surrounded by utter darkness. It was like a small little island in the middle of space. He couldn¡¯t tell where the light source was coming from, but the hill was lit up nicely. There was even a small breeze that made the blades of grass dance slightly. A small ball of golden light about the size of his hand floated out of the darkness. As it got closer Adam could see that it wasn¡¯t a ball of light at all, but a small humanoid figure with wings. It wore a golden dress that sparkled with every movement. A pixie? Adam thought. He smiled to himself. It all felt so real. He could smell the grass. He could feel the breeze on this skin. He was part of this world. ¡°Hi, nice to meet you,¡± said the small figure that was now floating in front of Adam¡¯s face. Its voice was high to the point that it was almost comical. ¡°My name is Himoka and I¡¯ve been sent here to welcome you to Ethera.¡± Adam looked at Himoka and asked, ¡°So, you¡¯re like Guide from the nexus?¡± Adam knew a tutorial when he saw one. Himoka did a quick backflip leaving a trail of golden sparkles in her wake. ¡°Exactly! I was created to imitate Guide¡¯s functions in the world of Ethera. Shall we get started?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± said Adam. ¡°Perfect, if you look up you¡¯ll notice a timer. This is the time remaining before the birth of the world.¡± Adam looked up to see a timer counting down. The numbers were made of millions of little stars making the dark sky look like a beautiful galaxy. It currently had an hour and forty-five minutes remaining. ¡°Once the timer ends you will be able to join the world. If you joined with others in the same nexus room they will start at the same starting location as yourself. And if you finish creating your character before the countdown timer expires you will be sent into rest-mode until the birth of the world. Now for a little bit of magic!¡± Himoka flew in a wide circle around the hill. As she moved the golden glitter rained down all around. It created a perfect circle that encompassed the hill and Adam watched as the glittering light touched the grass. A ring of golden light formed together where the light had touched the grass swirling like molten gold. Five intricate golden mirrors rose from the swirling light as Himoka came to land on Adam¡¯s shoulder. Adam walked over to the first mirror. As he got close he saw what this was all about. Instead of himself standing in the mirror there was an image of a man about four feet tall with long pointed ears and deep purple eyes staring back at him. Its skin color changed slowly from midnight dark to light brown before his eyes. The figure before him had short hair that changed from blue to green to white just as the skin color. Then the body type changed from a very clear male to an androgynous figure then to a very clear female form. Before Adam could ask a question Himoka spoke again confirming Adam¡¯s suspicions. ¡°These five mirrors depict the five races of Ethera new inhabitants may choose from. Here you can see the possible choices of looks, body type, and attributes. These are known as the Rinklin. They are small in stature, but make up for it in speed and cunning. They also have a natural tendency to lean toward shadow and time magic as they were born from the aftermath of a war between shadow and time itself in the form of Draskkal the shadow beast and Elyssa the time goddess.¡± Adam had more questions then he possibly had time for. He looked up to see that he only had an hour and thirty minutes remaining. This was one of the most important choices he could make. His race could determine everything. His mind was racing, but he tried to stay focused. ¡°Can I see more information on them?¡± he asked. ¡°Certainly, all you have to do is focus on the image of the Rinklin in front of you.¡±
Race: Rinklin
Starting Attributes: Str: 4
Dex: 7
Int: 7
Vit: 3
Wis: 4
Description: Small and fast the Rinklin excel at ranged combat and magic with some expertise in small melee weapons. They have a natural propensity toward time and shadow magic.
So, pretty much the same information Himoka gave me. I wonder what exactly the attributes effect. ¡°Can you tell me what the attributes do?¡± He¡¯d need this information to make the best decision. ¡°Of course!,¡± she said next to his ear. She flew in front of him and floated there looking thoughtful for a moment before she came close to Adam¡¯s face and tapped him on the forehead. A screen appeared in front of him.
Strength: Determines how strong one is physically. This means how hard one can hit with melee weapons, how much one can lift, and can affect the power of certain abilities pertaining to strength. It will also help one to learn higher level strength based skills.
Dexterity: Determines how accurate and powerful ranged weapons are along with one¡¯s ability to react to certain situations. This attribute will also affect speed. It will affect one¡¯s power of certain abilities pertaining to Dexterity. It will also help one to learn higher level dexterity based skills.
Intelligence: Determines the power of many offensive spells and allows for the ability to learn higher level spells. It also increases maximum mana.
Vitality: Increases maximum health points, and also increases health regeneration. If your health points reach zero then you die, and are never allowed to return.
Wisdom: Increases mana regeneration and the effectiveness of healing and other beneficial magic. This will also increase magical defenses. Wisdom also increases mana regeneration. If you run out of mana you will be unable to cast spells or use abilities.
Warning: Upon leveling up each race will receive +1 to all attributes and +5 points to spend as they choose. Due to attribute gain race choices should be based off of the new inhabitants preference not solely numbers.
Okay, so this seems pretty straight forward, Thought Adam. A healer would want a mix of wisdom, intelligence, and vitality. A fighter type would want a lot of strength, some dexterity, and vitality. An offensive mage would probably pump a lot of points into intelligence and probably nothing else because they like to do those kinds of things. He knew he wasn¡¯t interested in this race though. It wasn¡¯t his style to sneak around or use a bow although he did like the idea of shadow and time magic. He moved on to the next mirror a few feet away. This one showed himself as he remembered it from the morning before his accident. The clothes he wore seemed to fit the setting. He had on some plain looking leather jerkin, some tan leather pants, and boots. He looked down at himself and noticed he was actually wearing the same thing the mirror showed. Then the image slowly started to change in height, hair color, skin tone, and gender just as the Rinkling had. Damn, he thought, I make a pretty woman. ¡°These are the Humans of Ethera. They are a race that does not excel in any one attribute, but instead are able to adapt to whatever their situation calls for. They are able to take on any class without restriction as long as requirements are met.¡± Ah, the old favorite. Human. It wasn¡¯t Adam¡¯s first choice, but he did like the idea of not having a restriction on class. ¡°Can you tell me what classes are available? And what kind of professions are there in Ethera?¡± ¡°Do you know what a class is?¡± Adam nodded and Himoka continued. ¡°You will be able to choose a class specific to you at level five based on the skills you decide to train. You will have a choice of three classes based on your accomplishments and skills upon reaching level five. You will then upgrade your class throughout your journey or even change it completely depending on the circumstances. You may also learn one profession which will level separately from your skills and class, but you may replace your profession at any time and start from level one. I am sorry, but I am unable to reveal what classes or professions you may choose from. It is for you to discover as that is part of the adventure.¡± Hmmm, that might make things a bit more difficult. He focused on the image of himself for a moment and the description appeared.
Race:Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Human
Starting Attributes: Str: 5
Dex: 5
Int: 5
Vit: 5
Wis: 5
Description: Humans are known to be the most adaptable of all the races of Ethera. They are unrestricted in their choices of paths or professions as long as they meet the requirements. They are Jacks of all trades until they choose to master one.
Adam moved to the next mirror. This one gave Adam pause as he got close. The figure before him looked to be made of glass with swirling pink smoke inside of it. It was humanoid in shape, but that was where the similarities ended. As he watched the swirling smoke within was the only thing that changed color. ¡°These are known as Elementals of Ethera. They are masters of elemental magic be it destructive lightning, burning fire, or healing earth. The Elementals start in a shell as you see here, but over time they are able to form bodies themselves. Until such time, if the shell is broken, they will dissipate.¡± So, there are hints at least to what classes might be available. This one makes it seem like elemental mages are a thing, the Rinklins seem like assassins, rangers, or some sort of time or shadow mage. I¡¯ll have to think about this. But first I need to see the Elementals stats.
Race: Elemental
Starting Attributes: Str: 3
Dex: 4
Int: 8
Vit: 5
Wis: 5
Description: Elementals are the highest order of magic users in the world of Ethera. They are a force to be reckoned with on and off the battlefield. After reaching the peak of their abilities they are able to leave their shell behind and take on their true forms. Magic has become uncommon in Ethera as have the elementals over the last thousand years. However, they seem to be resurfacing all around the world.
Adam moved to the fourth mirror. Before him stood a massive figure with skin that looked like still lava. Two twisting black horns protruded from the top of its smooth head. It had to be at least seven feet tall without the horns. It smiled at Adam with sharp teeth and tapped on the glass with its sharp fingernails. A thin hairless tail whipped around it. He was startled slightly by this and moved back a step. Slowly the form began to morph as the others did. It lost considerable height and morphed into a famine devilish figure as its skin tone changed to a brighter red. ¡°These are known as the Overlords of Ethera. They excel at both physical combat and demonology. Their race was born for war and they enjoy nothing more than a good fight: win or lose. Their main attributes are strength and intelligence.¡± Demonology, that sounds pretty good. They look sturdy too. He focused on the image.
Race: Overlord
Starting Attributes: Str: 7
Dex: 5
Int: 7
Vit: 4
Wis: 2
Description: Overlords are rumored to be spawned from the blood of demons. They are a race that revels in battle be it through their massive physical strength or their monstrous companions from the depths of the underworld. Sporting high strength and intelligence they are a foe that nobody wants to meet on the battlefield.
Adam looked up at the floating countdown above him again. He had an hour and ten minutes left. Without further hesitation he stepped to the last mirror. The figure in the mirror looked once again like Adam in everything except for the skin. The man in the mirror instead had skin that looked like it was made of crystal. It had a pale blue hue to it. As he watched the skin changed from blue to red, and then to green. ¡°This race,¡± said Himoka, ¡°are known as Gemstones. They are able to make their skin as hard as stone and focus on defensive and beneficial magic for themselves and the people around them.¡± Adam waited a moment for the description window to pop up.
Race: Gemstone
Starting Attributes: Str: 5
Dex: 3
Int: 3
Vit: 7
Wis: 7
Description: Gemstones are protectors at heart. They covet their friendships and family as a dragon covets its horde. They will protect at all cost, and help their companions through beneficial and healing magic. Though they are scarce they are considered to be the most neutral of all the races welcomed in any city and any land.
Adam walked back to the middle of the small hill and sat down. He looked up at the timer. He had an hour to decide and make his character. He still had so many questions, and Himoka seemed reluctant to answer most things. He needed to know what situation he and Josh would be put into so that he could make use of it. The little pixie still sat on his shoulder in silence seemingly waiting on him. ¡°Himoka, can you tell me what Ethera is like?¡± He had to get as much information as he could. This seemed like the best place to start. Himoka seemed to perk up at the question. ¡°The world of Ethera was once full of wonder and magic. For thousands of years monsters, magic, and mystery made the world turn. Slower than anyone, even a god, could see the world began to lose its magic. Monsters started vanishing, magic began to fade, and finally the gods were gone. The world became a mere husk of its former self. ¡°The people of Ethera forgot what their world once was. That is until She awoke. She is a being that even gods feared. Something so ancient that it is incomprehensible. She had been gathering her power, draining the magic from Ethera for millenia. Many would see this as malicious, but they would be mistaken. She was once nothing more than an observer. But as the people of Ethera grew some ascended into gods. These gods would have never known of her existence, but even beings of unimaginable power can grow lonely. She revealed herself to the pantheon and their jealousy was instant. They wanted her power. With tricks and treasures they stole her power and locked her away, unable to destroy her even weakened. ¡°Betrayed by the people she loved she was struck with pain beyond comprehension. She turned in on herself, in her prison, disconnected from everything. Unknowing, even to herself, she pulled the power back into herself. The jealous gods had created her prison too well, and by the time they realized what was happening they could no longer release her. They perished over thousands of years slowly draining away. ¡°It is now that she has finally woken. With her again comes life and death, magic and monsters, might and horrors. However, the people of Ethera will not be alone this time. They will have visitors from far away to help them. They will have you. ¡°The planet itself has an array of terrain, monsters, dungeons, treasure, and magical items. Some even say there are gods who survived. Ethera is also home to hostile kingdoms and war. It is not a place for the faint of heart, but one for the adventurous soul.¡± Adam nodded to himself. He thought he understood. She was the woman in the crystal. He still had some questions though. ¡°When did She wake up?¡± ¡°Last week,¡± said Himoka. She smiled and flew around my head. Well, thought Adam, that¡¯s really going to mess up people¡¯s week. ¡°Is there PvP in Ethera?¡± ¡°Yes, there is player versus player combat in Ethera. Players are able to establish kingdoms so they must be able to protect them as well. There are also safe-zones which will be announced when entering.¡± So, pvp and city ownership. A little more information. Something small and hard to hit would be good, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth the stats for my style. I most likely won¡¯t be able to pick a skin color that will blend in with all of the terrain. If I know Josh he¡¯ll be going with Gemstone or Overlord. Maybe something to compliment that. Overlord seems like a decent choice, but without knowing the classes or professions it¡¯s difficult. I think it might be best just to keep myself open. ¡°Is there a level cap?¡± He knew they choose classes at level five so there had to be a cap. Himoka nodded. ¡°The current level cap is fifty.¡± Adam instantly understood. There would be ways to raise the level cap in the future. His stomach floated with butterflies as his mind raced through the potential of the world. He looked around at the few mirrors he could see while sitting. They all showed the different races sitting in a position like himself. He sighed as put his face in his hands. The hardest decision. Adam enjoyed min/maxing his characters in games. Finding the best route and making every single point and choice count for him. This world though wouldn¡¯t be like one of his games. There were no online guides. There were no streamers he could watch. He was starting on the same playing field as everyone else. The thought excited him more than the fear of making a mistake. He finally resolved himself with a sigh and stood up. Himoka flew off his shoulders and around his head. ¡°Have you made a choice?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes,¡± he said and walked to the Human mirror. ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! If you want to change your body type or appearance all you have to do is think about what you want to look like and the magic will take care of the rest. This is where my guidance comes to an end. Enjoy your adventure!¡± Then she flew up and burst into a thousand glittering golden stars that rained down over his head. He looked at the mirror for a bit. He looked like himself from before except it was the most perfect version of himself that he could have imagined and he liked it. His body was that of a top professional athlete, his thick dark hair fell down to his shoulders, and his short beard looked perfectly scruffy. Blue eyes looked back at him, and he nodded to himself. Instinctively he knew what he had to do, and walked through the mirror without a moment more of hesitation. Chapter 4: Skill Selection Adam appeared in a room that looked like a small library from someone who still wore dragon t-shirts. Then he realized he¡¯d probably still wear dragon t-shirts if he could find good ones. There were two purple velvet chairs next to an intricate wooden table with legs shaped like claws. The room was about the size of his one room apartment. There was a bright purple carpet laid out across the whole of the room with colorful circles and stars. Bookshelves lined the walls filled to the brim. He looked down at himself. He was wearing a plain white linen shirt and brown linen pants. He also had on a simple pair of leather boots. Everything felt comfortable. It was weird to him that he could feel it. He really hadn¡¯t thought much about what had happened to him and what it meant. He had technically died. Was this even really him anymore? He stopped that train of thought quickly. He knew it wouldn¡¯t go anywhere good and he needed something good right now. Without warning, next to Adam, appeared an Overlord. This one wasn¡¯t nearly as massive as the one in the mirror had appeared. Nonetheless it was terrifying to see in person. The thing wore a sleeveless linen jerkin that showed off its massive arms. It had on tattered linen pants and the same brown boots that Adam wore. A very high-pitched scream escaped his mouth as he stumbled back from the monster, tripping on the carpet. ¡°Yo, what¡¯s up bro.¡± The voice that came out of the thing sounded like a deep growl. Even through that he recognized the person before him. ¡°Josh?¡± asked Adam. He was still trying to scramble back from the monstrosity when it spoke. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s me.¡± Josh had black lines running all across its deep red skin like lava had cooled down in certain spots. He smiled showing rows of sharp teeth as he waved. The nails of his fingers were black and sharp. ¡°You scared the hell out of me.¡± ¡°Sorry bro.¡± He laughed and went to scratch the back of his head, but his hands smacked into his horns. They were as black as obsidian, protruding from just above his brow and twisting around behind his ears. ¡°Ow,¡± said Adam. As he got up from the floor. ¡°That actually hurt.¡± ¡°Falling down? You know what, now that you mention it I can feel my tail. It¡¯s super weird.¡± Josh gave an excited laugh as he whipped his tail around. It hit one of the bookshelves and he visibly flinched ¡°Whoops, that kind of hurt.¡± Josh had his sleek red and black tail in his hands rubbing it where it had hit the book stand. ¡°Man, I feel fantastic,¡± said Adam. He moved from foot to foot while he flexed his muscles. Looking down at himself he lifted his shirt finding washboard abs underneath. ¡°Holy shit you look like a superhero.¡± ¡°I guess that makes you the super villain?¡± Josh let out a sarcastic laugh. ¡°Laugh it up nerd. Should we test out our new bodies a bit?¡± ¡°What did you have in mind?¡± Before Adam could react Josh punched him in the face. Adam flew back into one of the bookshelves lining the wall. He laid sprawled against the hard wooden bookshelf as the tomes fell onto him. His head lulled slightly as he groaned. Adam¡¯s vision was blurred for a moment. Pain seared through his body as a menu flashed in the upper left of his vision.
HP 45/50
Warning: HP stands for Health Points. If this reaches zero you die. You will recover 1 HP per 1 vitality every minute.
The pain vanished almost as fast as it had come and Adam¡¯s HP ticked back up to 50. Josh came rushing over to his friend. ¡°Shit bro, I¡¯m so sorry. Are you okay? I didn¡¯t realize I could hit that hard.¡± Josh went to move the books off Adam but as he touched one he froze. His eyes glossed over slightly like he was looking at something far away. ¡°Oh my god.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°These are skill books!¡± Without a word Adam picked up one of the books off his lap and a menu appeared instantly.
Beginner Spear Skill Book: Learn the basics of wielding a spear
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N
Another menu appeared before Adam as he finished reading.
Welcome to your starting skill selection! You will have one hour to choose two skills and exit the library. A door will appear when you have finished choosing your skills or time runs out. If time runs out before you choose, two random skills will be assigned to you.
¡°Did you get the message about skills?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Yep, what¡¯s that book you¡¯ve got?¡± ¡°This one is for spear.¡± ¡°Same.¡± They quickly checked the other two books that had fallen and found them to both be beginner shield skill books. Then Adam looked at the book spines and noticed a picture of a spear on two and a picture of a shield on two. There were no words. ¡°Look at the pictures.¡± ¡°Ah, so two of each skill book it seems. I guess because there¡¯s two of us?¡± ¡°Probably, let¡¯s see what we¡¯re working with. I¡¯ll go check the other wall while you check this one. Call out what you find.¡± The two started their research. Josh¡¯s side of the room was filled with books on weapons. There were daggers, one-handed swords, two-handed hammers, shields, bows, and more. Adam¡¯s side of the room was filled with books of magic. He had to check every single one because the pictures weren¡¯t nearly descriptive enough. So he slowly went through the rows.
Book of Basic Fire Magic: Teaches the user how to use basic fire magic
Book of Basic Ice Magic: Teaches the user how to use basic ice magic
Adam thought it would be all the same sort of magic he¡¯d seen before until he went further down the rows and discovered some interesting ones. The next few he saw peaked his interest.
Book of Basic Metal Magic: Teaches the user how to use basic metal magic
Book of Basic Warding Magic: Teaches the user how to use warding magic
Then he stumbled across one that he knew Josh would want.
Book of Basic Demonology: Teaches the user the basics of Demonology
Requirements: Str: 3 Int: 3 Wis: 3
¡°I think I found your demonology book.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°No freaking way, really?¡± Josh rushed over and grabbed the book. He smiled, hugging the book to his chest. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to try this out.¡± Before Adam could protest about the possibility that Josh might burn down the library the demonology book disappeared from his friend¡¯s hands. Josh stared ahead for a moment. He looked like a demonic statue, unmoving until finally he sucked in a breath like he had been underwater far too long. ¡°What happened?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Holy shit. I saw things. LIke, I understand what I need to do to make a contract, and summon a demon. It¡¯s actually kinda gross, but I know how to do it.¡± ¡°So can you summon one now?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Josh, shaking his head. ¡°I, um, need some materials first.¡± Josh was oddly vague about what exact materials he needed. Adam looked up at the timer hovering in the upper right corner of his vision. 30 minutes left. He relayed the time to Josh. It was still plenty of time to look through the rest of the skill books. Twenty minutes later they sat cross-legged facing each other with a plethora of books surrounding them. ¡°So,¡± said Adam, ¡°what else are you thinking?¡± ¡°I think I want the great sword one,¡± said Josh. ¡°A melee, demon summoning fighter style? That¡¯s an interesting combination.¡± ¡°Yeah, but who doesn¡¯t want to be an anime-sword wielding, demon summoning badass.¡± ¡°Fair,¡± said Adam. He couldn¡¯t deny that it did sound pretty sick. ¡°What about you?¡± Adam thought for a second before he answered. ¡°I think we need some heals for sure since we¡¯ve only got one shot at this, but of all the magic skill books I didn¡¯t see a single one focused on healing explicitly." ¡°What about this one?¡± Josh held up a green book embroidered with intricate leaves. Adam knew what it was. It was a nature magic skill book. ¡°I guess it could have a healing spell attached to it. It¡¯s probably our best shot.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the holy one too.¡± Adam let out a small sigh and said, ¡°yeah, but I don¡¯t think I want anything to do with holy magic in a land we don¡¯t know anything about. Could be associated with some crazy religious cult or some weird god.¡± ¡°Nature then?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Yeah,¡± said Adam, ¡°I think that¡¯s a good call.¡± ¡°What about your last one?¡± ¡°Way of the Fist,¡± Adam said with conviction. ¡°I feel like this one is special.¡± It was one of the few books that they had found that wasn¡¯t just a weapon skill book, but instead it seemed to be a style. Josh nodded and tossed Adam the book on nature magic and the way of the fist before he dug around for his great sword book. Adam read the descriptions again.
Book of Basic Nature Magic: Teaches the user basic nature magic
Requirements: Wis: 3 Dex: 3
Way of the Fist: Teaches the user the way of the fist combat style
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
It seemed like an interesting combination to Adam, but he watched Josh use his book first. As if on cue the book disappeared from Josh¡¯s hand. He looked forward suddenly, his back going straight and his gaze looking past Adam in a thousand yard stare. A moment later he relaxed and a grin split across his face. ¡°Holy hell,¡± he said. ¡°I know how to use great swords. Like, I saw things man. It¡¯s like I grew up training with them my whole life. My trainer was this big overlord dude. I can still feel the sting of his stick when I made a mistake in training.¡± Josh rubbed his leg absently as he spoke trying to force the phantom pain away. Adam was a little hesitant after watching what happened to Josh. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about things messing with his memories. He hesitantly picked up the book of nature magic. With a sigh he accepted the notification that asked if he wanted to use the skill book. It felt like a cold stream was trickling through his body as images started to appear in his mind. At first he didn¡¯t fully comprehend them. Then he was living the memories. There was a small sapling in a beautiful forest glade. The sapling grew rapidly before his eyes. It shot toward the sky as if it wanted to reach the heavens. It was lush and full of the greenest leaves Adam had ever seen. A voice sounded within the glade a moment later. ¡°Do you wish to learn the ways of nature?¡± asked the voice. It sounded ancient and strong. Adam looked around for where the voice was coming from. He noticed the bark was running in strange ways on the tree. A moment later two deep blue eyes were revealed within the bark. They looked down at him. ¡°Um, yes?¡± Adam didn¡¯t know why he was questioning it, but the tree didn¡¯t seem to notice. Instead, a branch moved from high above. It came down with a grace that belied the size of the tree until the tip was right in front of Adam¡¯s face. At the very end of the branch hung a golden apple. Adam just stared at the fruit. A moment later the branch shook and Adam felt the annoyance of the tree. He picked the fruit and took a bite. The juices exploded in his mouth with flavors of the best part of every fruit he had ever eaten before. Then the knowledge rushed into him. He felt the nature magic set itself deep in his stomach like the roots of a tree. It felt alive in him like a breeze on a summer day. Words came to his mind a moment later and he spoke them without hesitation. With his hand raised the magic roiled up and through his body and down his arm. Emerald leaves of glimmering magic burst from the tips of his fingers and shot toward the tree. The tree laughed a belly laugh and Adam saw the green light grow brighter and brighter until he had to cover his eyes. When he opened his eyes again he was sitting in the library with Josh across from him. ¡°Whoa,¡± he said, ¡°I think I just learned a healing spell.¡± ¡°No way!¡± exclaimed Josh. ¡°Use it on me. I wanna see it.¡± Still sitting Adam pointed a finger at Josh and recited the words. He felt the magic in his gut bubble up and race toward his outstretched arm. A moment later glistening emerald leaves of pure magic burst out and wrapped themselves around Josh before dissipating into millings of tiny green lights. Josh¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°That felt tingly.¡± Adam¡¯s MP bar dropped from 50 to 30 and a message appeared.
Warning! You have just used MP for the first time. MP stands for Mana Points. Abilities and spells require mana and if you run out you will be unable to use abilities or cast spells until your mana has recovered. The rate at which MP is recovered is based on your wisdom. You will recover 1 MP per 1 wisdom every minute.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell Emerald Leaves.
Emerald Leaves: Heal a target instantly for 50 HP
Cost: 20 MP
Cooldown: 5 minutes
¡°Do the next one!¡± said Josh. ¡°My weapon one was super sick.¡± Adam nodded and picked up the next book examining it.
Way of the Fist: Teaches the user the basics of the way of the fist style of combat
Requirements: Dex: 3 Str: 3 Vit: 3
Would you like to learn this skill? Y/N
Adam accepted the notification and the book disappeared. Instead of a small stream, a rushing river of knowledge came crashing down into his mind. For a moment he was frozen. This was unlike learning nature magic. This was so much more. A montage of images flashed before him. They were of him training with the way of the fist from childhood. His master stood before him, an old bald man with a wispy white beard that touched the ground. He stood tall and proud even in his old age. His master was hard but fair in everything. Adam had trained from sun up to sun down since coming to his master as a small child. His fist flew and kicks snapped out at training dummies, fellow students, and finally at his master in his final test. Adam needed to only land a single blow on his master to complete his training that day. He felt the sun beating down on his shirtless body. Sweat dripped to the dirt arena in buckets turning it to mud around his feet. He had been trying and failing for hours now. The entire school was there as witnesses. He wouldn¡¯t fail. He couldn¡¯t fail. His master stood before him with both hands behind his back. Like a viper Adam struck out with his fist. His master moved like water and dodged to the right. As he dodged he moved in closer and brought his knee up in an attempt to drive it into Adam¡¯s stomach, but Adam was ready. He brought his hands down and blocked the blow. His arms shook from the force, but he couldn¡¯t think about the pain because he knew what would come next. His master¡¯s head came shooting straight towards Adam¡¯s exposed face. Adam moved with pure instinct bringing up both hands palm first into his master¡¯s chin with all his strength. It felt like hitting solid stone. The crack of the blow resounded throughout the arena as a circle of dust blew up from the force. Adam felt bones in his hand crack as his master froze millimeters from his face. A smile spread across the old man¡¯s face. Then Adam was back in the library. He looked at his friend who was waiting expectantly. ¡°So?¡± asked Josh. ¡°I-I know kung fu.¡± Chapter 5: Weapons! As Adam and Josh got up from their sitting positions the library started to shake slightly. With their new bodies it was almost too easy to keep their balance as a bookshelf slid away into a wall. Behind the bookshelf was, what Adam could only describe as, a portal of swirling black and green magic. He could feel the power emitting from it. ¡°Guess that¡¯s our way out,¡± said Josh. ¡°Yep, you ready?¡± Josh looked toward Adam and a grin split across his face. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Then they were off rushing for the portal as fast as they could. They both came crashing down onto hard packed dirt as they fell over each other. The sun was shining bright causing them both to be temporarily blinded by the change in lighting. ¡°Oh my god you¡¯re so heavy,¡± groaned Adam. He was pinned under Josh who was struggling to right himself. ¡°Sorry bro.¡± Josh pushed himself up rubbing at his eyes. It took a moment but both were up and dusting themselves off. They looked around at their surroundings. They were in the middle of what looked like a medieval festival without the festivities. There were small stone huts surrounding them with straw roofs. Most had wooden windows and doors. The gray stone looked like it had been stained by the sun for a long time. The houses were set up in a circle making the middle seem like the center of the small town. A little distance away there was a wall that rose up slightly above the huts, but it couldn¡¯t have been more than 3 meters tall. It looked to be made of the same flimsy wood as the doors and windows of the huts. Adam looked back at where they had emerged and found the solid rock wall of a hut. There seemed to be no people around, but Josh spotted a figure on one of the walls. He nudged Adam just as the figure put a long golden horn to his lips and blew. The sound tore through the small village. Without warning the place was in a frenzy. People appeared from every hut, most were rushing toward the sound of the horn. Some were ushering elders and children the opposite way. Josh and Adam were wholly ignored. Adam looked over to his friend and they both shrugged moving toward where the horn had sounded from. ¡°What do you think is going on?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Probably some sort of raid. It looked like most of the people who were moving toward the wall had weapons.¡± ¡°Damn, they¡¯re just throwing us right into it.¡± Adam could only nod. As they weaved their way through the huts Adam felt like he hadn¡¯t really taken a breath since he¡¯d died. He was positive he hadn¡¯t come to terms with everything that had happened, but he was grateful that he hadn¡¯t had time to think too much. He knew it wouldn¡¯t lead to anything good, but he also knew he would have to face it one day. Luckily, it looked like it wouldn¡¯t be today. As the wall came into full view, so did the small group of villagers armed with all sorts of weapons. The man on top of the gate was holding his hands out to quiet the gathering crowd. ¡°¡ªspotted coming out of the cave,¡± said the man. Adam and Josh had apparently caught him mid speech. ¡°They took out some of our scouts and will be at the wall shortly. Prepare yourselves!¡± The group of villagers looked ragged and worn. Most looked as if they hadn¡¯t eaten a proper meal in a week. Others were visibly shaking with their weapons in hand. Adam and Josh weren¡¯t the last to arrive though. A young woman appeared, walking out from between two huts to their left. She wore similar attire to Adam¡¯s, a white linen shirt that was dirty enough to be brown at this point, brown linen slacks, and leather boots. Her raven black hair was pulled into a tight pony tail. She had eyes of piercing violet that looked up toward the man on the wall. In her hands she held a drawn sword and a round wood buckler. The villagers parted as she walked through the crowd. Adam focused on her and a window appeared in his face.
Name: Mina
Level: 2
Class: N/A
Another menu popped up right after that shocked Adam to his core.
Warning: This is your first time examining an NPC. The world of Ethera is a living world. All NPCs have their own lives, make their own choices, and grow along with you and the world. NPCs will have their own reaction to you. You share this world with them. Do what you will with this information.
That was something Adam wasn¡¯t expecting. He wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, but he knew it had some major implications. He just wasn¡¯t sure what they were yet. He was snapped back to the current situation when the man on the wall spoke again. ¡°Mina, what are you doing?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to fight,¡± she said. ¡°You will do no such thing! Go, take care of the children and elderly. Make sure they are safe.¡± ¡°No, father. These monsters have taken everything from me. My steel will taste their blood or the Earthmother will take me into her bosom. Either way I will be facing them today.¡± ¡°Please,¡± said the man on the wall. His head hung in dejection. ¡°Don¡¯t throw your life away.¡± ¡°My life? What life? I have nothing left. Now open the gate!¡± ¡°Damn, she¡¯s intense,¡± whispered Josh into Adam¡¯s ear. His whisper wasn¡¯t as much of a whisper as it was a small shout with his new voice. He was still getting used to things. The whole group of villagers, mayor atop the wall and Mina all turned toward the two newcomers. Adam slapped his hand to his head trying to make himself as small as possible. Josh just smiled and waved with a pointy toothed grin and tail waving behind him. ¡°An Overlord?¡± said the Mayor. ¡°What do the war-folk want with a village like ours?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Josh said. He was looking around. Adam thought he might have turned a shade redder than usual. ¡°Um, we¡¯re new here.¡± He pointed to Adam standing next to him. ¡°What is your business here?¡± said Mina. She moved toward us. Her posture made both Adam and Josh¡¯s back go straight. They could tell she¡¯d kill them without hesitation if they posed a threat. ¡°We,¡± said Josh backing up with his hands outstretched in a please don¡¯t kill me gesture. ¡°We, um, are here to help?¡± Adam knew his friend and he knew that was most definitely meant as a question. He had no idea what to do. Adam couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the situation. He looked up as Mina approached. ¡°We¡¯re here to help,¡± said Adam. ¡°Why?¡± asked Mina. She was face-to-face with Adam. She looked taller before, but she only came up to Adam¡¯s chin. However, the stare she gave him made her seem ten feet tall. Adam thought for a moment then said, ¡°because we can.¡± At that Mina¡¯s shoulders fell slightly. She sheathed her weapon. She looked closely at Adam staring into his eyes. Adam felt the pressure of her stare bearing down on him and he almost looked away. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ll be much help, but we¡¯ll take every hand we can get.¡± She looked back at her father atop the wall. ¡°Open the gate.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± said Josh. ¡°You got a sword I can use?¡± She looked over her shoulder at the two new faces. ¡°There¡¯s some unused gear over there.¡± She pointed toward where she had come from near another bundle of stone huts. ¡°Take what you need.¡± With that she walked away toward the gate. Josh looked at Adam. ¡°Intense,¡± was all he said laughing a little as he walked toward where she had pointed. ¡°I think she examined me,¡± said Adam as he followed his friend. ¡°What? Bro, she¡¯s an NPC.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s like what we¡¯re used to. Have you examined one of them yet?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± he said. As they moved through the crowd Josh examined one of the villagers. It was a boy that couldn¡¯t have been more than fifteen. He had a short sword and a small wooden shield. They both rattled together as he shook with nervousness. The same warning Adam saw popped up into Josh''s view. ¡°Interesting, what do you think that warning is about?¡± ¡°I think it means they¡¯re as real as us now.¡± ¡°What do you mean? They¡¯re not human.¡± ¡°Neither are you now,¡± said Adam. ¡°And we both died. We¡¯re not technically alive anymore.¡± ¡°You think too much.¡± Josh waved his hands in dismissal as a table came into view. It was a small stone slab more than a table. It was made of the same material as the huts. Atop the table lay a plethora of weapons. Swords, spears, a bow, a giant battle axe, and more lay spread out. Adam examined one of the short swords as he got close.
Bronze Short Sword: A bronze short sword.
Rarity: Common
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
He checked another one.
Simple Wooden Bow: The simplest of bows.
Rarity: Common
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
Wow, thought Adam, these descriptions are really helpful. ¡°Hmm,¡± said Adam, ¡°looks like I could use any of these. It doesn¡¯t say it requires any kind of melee or ranged skill.¡± ¡°Interesting, I guess the books were just to give us an edge.¡± Josh moved to the table and picked up a simple looking great sword. Its blade looked about as tall as Adam, but it was as thin as a normal sword. As Josh held the sword a new menu appeared in his view.
Would you like to equip Bronze Great Sword? Y/N
Josh¡¯s eyes grew wide. After he accepted the prompt another menu appeared showing a humanoid outline with slots for equipment. It looked exactly like the games he and Adam had played so much. He looked below and saw what he expected. An inventory. Once he saw it the knowledge of how to use it popped into his head. Like the world was waiting for him to discover it before it let him remember how to use it. ¡°We have an inventory,¡± he said. ¡°What?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Watch.¡± Josh mentally moved the sword to his inventory and it disappeared from his hands. It wasn¡¯t anywhere on his body anymore. It was just gone. He then equipped it again, but this time it was strapped to his back. At least it looked like it was strapped to his back. When he turned around Adam saw that the sword was not in fact connected to anything on his friend. Instead it seemed to float slightly off of his back as if it were being held up by an invisible force. ¡°Holy hell,¡± said Adam. Then the knowledge rushed into him just as it had with his skill book. Only this time it was much quicker. ¡°I-I know how to use it too now.¡± Adam examined his inventory paged and noticed his tunic, pants, and boots were already equipped to a picture of a featureless humanoid. At the top he noticed three tabs that read outfit 1, outfit 2, and outfit 3. Below that there was a box with about twenty-five small squares inside. Adam knew what this was. That was his inventory space. He picked up a small dagger from the table and willed it into this inventory. The first space was filled. He took it out and put it back on the table. ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re connected or something. As soon as you learned about the inventory it popped up for me.¡± As if on cue, a new notification appeared in Adam¡¯s view.
Would you like to form a party with Josh Weston? Y/N
¡°Huh,¡± said Adam before he accepted. Josh then received the party request and accepted. Two small windows appeared the the top left corner of Adam''s vision. The two could now see each other¡¯s current HP and MP as well as the other¡¯s names hovering below their own. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we pick new names?¡± asked Josh. As soon as he thought about it, yet another window appeared in his vision.
Would you like to change your name? Y/N Warning: you may only change your name once within this world.
¡°Never mind, looks like all we need to do is think about it and we can change it.¡± Adam thought about it for a second before the window appeared before him as well. He thought for a moment before choosing to accept the name change. He decided to change his name to just his first name: Adam. Simple, easy, and efficient. Luckily for them this new world seemed to work exactly like most games they had played. Except for the fact that they were physically there, most of the game systems came easy for them. Josh ended up using only his first name as well. It just felt too strange to change their names to their game personas when it was actually them in the world, but using their last names also felt wrong. With all the new information flooding in Adam had wholly forgotten about the NPCs and the goblins apparently coming for the village until the gate started to open. The creaking wood bellowed across the village causing all the hustling and bustling of the villagers to quiet completely. Josh looked over toward the opening gate and unlatched his great sword from his back. Josh¡¯s stance instantly changed as he bent his knees and held the sword with practiced ease. He swung it through the air in an intricate combination of slashes like he had practiced his whole life. Adam looked across the table. Nothing seemed to call to him until his eyes fell on a pair of gloves. He knew what they were without even examining them. He had trained with them for years, or at least the Way of the Fist skill book he used made him believe that. They were weighted gloves. These were made mostly of leather with an iron plate on each forearm. There were also small spikes on each knuckle that were sure to inflict some nasty damage. He ended up examining them just to see.
Pair of Simple Weighted Gloves: A simple pair of weighted gloves. Able to block some incoming attacks with forearms.
Rarity: Common
Requirements: Str: 3 Dex: 3
He pulled them on and flexed his hands. Surprisingly they seemed unencumbered by the devices. The gate finished its awful screeching and was now fully opened. Adam could see Mina at the very front of the group of about thirty villagers. Outside was a massive flat valley full of lush green grass. Beyond that Adam could see a mountain range covered from base to peak in forest. Even from so far away Adam could tell the trees were massive. From the peak of the mountain bellowed black smoke so thick it looked like oil. It was an ominous scene on its own, but it was made even worse as Adam saw dust rising from the valley at the base of the mountain. It must have been two kilometers away, but even from that far he could see the cause. Goblins. A group of at least a fifty were racing toward the small village with weapons raised and battle cries upon their lips. ¡°Are those what I think they are?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Yep,¡± said Adam. ¡°It feels almost like I know them instinctively. I can also feel their aggression.¡± ¡°Same, it must be something with the world.¡± Adam and Josh stood watching the oncoming army goblins as they raced toward the village. Reality came crashing down on both of them at the same time. They were about to have to fight these actual monsters. If they didn¡¯t they¡¯d die. Again. Yet, for some reason Adam didn¡¯t feel scared. Instead his body almost shook with excitement. He could feel Josh¡¯s excitement as well. Something had changed and it was just starting to peek through both of them. Before Adam had lived his life like everyone else. His life was predictable. Certainly unpredictable things could happen, but all in all the world was what it was. You worked, you lived, and you died. He could have become famous, joined the military, had a family, worked at a gas station for twenty years, or done a million other things. A million predictable, normal things. This though, this place was one where he would wake up everyday not knowing what would come next. There was suddenly no limit to what he could do, and he felt it deep in his soul, and when this was over he¡¯d be able to do it all again, forever. Adam turned to Josh and he saw it in his friend¡¯s eyes. It was the same freedom that Adam felt. This was their world now, and they were going to see just how far they could go. Without another word they charged toward the oncoming horde. Chapter 6: Goblins, Goblins, and More Goblins! ¡°Holy hell,¡± said Josh as he ran toward the small approaching army. ¡°My body feels amazing. I feel like I can run forever. This is insane.¡± ¡°And we¡¯re fast. Look, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Adam pointed with his gloved hand toward the oncoming horde. It was less than 200 meters ahead now. They had been running for less than five minutes and not even at full speed. Ahead of them the villagers and Mina came to a stop. There was no military formation in the way they stood. It was just a group of villagers haphazardly grouped together to defend their home. Mina unsheathed her longsword from its scabbard on her hip. Her round, wooden shield was strapped to her other arm. She held the sword high as the other villagers drew their weapons. Josh looked down at the great sword he was still holding from back in the village. It hadn¡¯t crossed his mind to sheath his sword. He looked sheepishly at Adam. ¡°Didn¡¯t your mom ever tell you not to run with your sword out?¡± asked Adam. He couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter. ¡°Be ready!¡± yelled Mina. ¡°Form up!¡± The villagers moved into ten columns across and three rows deep. It was practiced, but not well. Some stumbled and others visibly shook. Adam and Josh could see the lines were slightly crooked. Adam could see the goblins now. They were finally close enough and he got a good look at them. Each one was about four feet tall on average with long pointed ears. Their skinned ranged from green to brown with each sporting beady black eyes. They looked exactly like Adam expected a goblin to look except being face to face with them even so far away he could see how terrifying they really were. Some held clubs and others had wicked looking serrated blades. Their sharp teeth glinted in the sunlight. One thing stuck out to him though. Each and every one of them seemed to have black lines running all over their bodies. It made their flesh look like it was rotting. Each moved in unison as if they were one, trotting toward the villagers. None made a sound. Adam focused on one of the front goblins.
Name: Corrupted Goblin Warrior
Level: 1
He examined a few more of the goblins and found them to be all about the same. The monsters were still charging toward the group and were closing in on the villagers. ¡°Archers!¡± yelled Mina. ¡°Ready!¡± The second line of villagers moved forward all with long bows raised. ¡°Hold!¡± The archers all had bows ready and arrows knocked. They held the bows pulled back with ease which Adam thought was a little strange. He could have sworn he¡¯d read somewhere that holding a bow like that was really straining. The villagers however, showed no sign of difficulty holding the bows fully drawn. The goblins were now less than 100 meters out. Adam could do nothing but watch as the monsters charged without abandon. Their black, soulless eyes, prominent to his enhanced eyesight now. His new body was really amazing. ¡°Fire!¡± Arrows loosed in unison and Adam watched as the first few goblins dropped to the ground and were trampled by their companions. ¡°They¡¯re going to get overrun,¡± said Josh. Just as Adam was about to agree Mina let out her next command. ¡°Shields!¡± she yelled. The first row stepped forward and on to their knees. Each and every one of them had a small round shield strapped to their arms. They were crooked for only a moment before all touched their shields together. The archers, at the same moment, moved back two steps and began releasing arrows over the heads of their companions. Finally, the third row moved up setting their shields on top of the others taking a knee creating a makeshift shield wall. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The arrows tore through the goblins, cutting their numbers by a third before they slammed into the shield wall. The sound of the clash was almost deafening as screams and battle cries wholly enveloped the battlefield. Adam and Josh saw what the others couldn¡¯t. The goblins numbered too many and their shield wall was just a straight line. Some of the goblins were spilling over and starting to attack at the flank of the villagers. ¡°You thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡± asked Adam. Josh looked over at his friend with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s time to grind.¡± Adam flexed his fist where his gloves were still on his hands. Adam felt the knowledge of the way of the fist rush back to him as he charged toward the goblins trying to flank the villagers. One with a jagged short sword noticed him and turned. The top of the monster¡¯s head came up to Adam¡¯s chest. Its mouth was slightly slack and black drool dripped out. Adam was shocked for a moment at the sight and the goblin slashed at his waist. Without thinking Adam reacted. He blocked the sword with his right forearm where the metal plates were and shot his fist out in a jab at the goblin¡¯s face. It was so fast that Adam wasn¡¯t sure he had even punched until he saw a green bar appear above the goblins head. It dropped down to about 70 percent. The goblin looked dazed and Adam didn¡¯t hesitate as his fists shot out again this time with a combination of left and right jabs. The goblin¡¯s green bar fell rapidly turning yellow, then red, and finally it blinked away as the goblin dropped to the ground. Dead. Adam didn¡¯t have time to think about it as another goblin came rushing at him with a club raised overhead. Adam tried to bring his arms up to block the blow, but he knew he was too late. Then, Josh was in front of him with his great sword as he blocked the club. The goblin screamed in anger. The first sound Adam heard from the monsters. Josh pulled the sword away. As he did the goblin attacked again, but Josh was ready. He parried the blow with a swing sending the club flying from the goblins hand. He then reversed his swing as if the sword weighed no more than a feather. The sword slid through the goblins neck lopping off its head with one clean strike. ¡°This is awesome!¡± yelled Josh as he weaved back into the fray. The battle lines were now wholly dissolved and the fighting was frantic and spread out into small fights rather than a large-scale battle. Adam hardly had time to think about what was happening as goblins were all around trying their hardest to kill him and the villagers. He saw some villagers fall, but he noticed more and more goblins on the ground. He noticed the young boy from the village, so full of fear, holding on for dear life to his small buckler as two goblins pounded on it with clubs. Adam charged toward them. The goblin¡¯s backs were to him so he used the element of surprise to its full advantage. As he came upon them he pulled both hands together and smashed down on the first goblin¡¯s head. Adam saw the monster''s health bar disappear as it crumpled under the blow in one hit. As the second one turned to see its dead friend Adam threw an uppercut under its chin. The goblin flew a foot into the air before it crashed to the ground, dead, next to its companion. ¡°T-thanks,¡± stammered the boy. He got up and picked up his sword that had fallen next to him. ¡°They were about to kill me.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± said Adam. He looked around the battlefield as the fighting was dying down. It had ended almost as quickly as it started. The goblins didn¡¯t seem like much of a match even for villagers. As the last scream of a goblin sounded Adam could see the fight was truly over. Of the thirty villagers it looked like only five didn¡¯t make it. Nearly fifty goblins lay dead on the ground with black blood oozing from their wounds. Josh came running up a moment later. His swords were covered in the green blood of goblins. ¡°I got four,¡± he said with a smile. It looked terrifying with his sharp teeth and horns. The blood smeared across his face didn¡¯t help. ¡°Three for me,¡± said Adam. ¡°You think we¡¯ll get experience points like in games?¡± Just as he said the words the battlefield erupted into blue crystals. They flew around everywhere rushing into different people. It was like a crashing ocean of jewels. As they flew into Josh and Adam a notification window appeared.
You have received 350 experience points!
You have reached level 2!
Chapter 7: Level Up! A slew of notifications popped up in front of Adam after his level.
Your attributes have increased by 1 point.
You have gained 5 unallocated attribute points.
Your hand-to-hand skill has increased to level 4.
You have received: Goblin Heart x2, Goblin Tooth x5, Small Soul Crystal x3
You have received a quest: Find the cause of the corruption - Find the source of the goblin''s corruption and extinguish it.
You have a new ability to choose!
An ability, Adam thought, now that sounds interesting. As he thought about it a new menu appeared and before him were two choices.
Power Strike: Increase the damage of your next strike significantly. The effect last for 1 minute or until used whichever comes first.
Cost: 10 MP
Cooldown: 1 minute
This one seemed pretty normal to Adam and he quickly checked his other choice.
Combo: Strike out in a 3-hit combination dealing slightly increased damage with each landed hit. If all three hits land, increase your speed by 25% for 30 seconds.
Cost: 15 MP
Cooldown: 1 minute
Whoa, Combo seems pretty sick. Adam¡¯s mind raced as he read the last part of the skill description. Images of punches coming so fast they were nothing but blurs to the untrained eye, thousand-punch combos decimating his enemies, and speeding through the battlefield like a bullet. His decision was made at that moment. He chose Combo.
Congratulations you have learned Combo!
A rush of knowledge flowed into him and he saw how to use the skill. He had only to think about it and it would activate mid punch allowing him to follow up and get the bonus if all three hits landed. Adam willed the rest of the notifications away and opened his inventory. He saw the goblin pieces stacked in the first two squares. It looked like space was limited, but for now he had plenty. He mentally chose one of the hearts bringing it out of his inventory to examine. A black heart, oozing even darker blood, appeared in his hands. He dropped it on instinct. ¡°Gross,¡± he said. He wiped his hands on his shirt trying to get the black gunk off. Josh came jogging over. ¡°Yo, is that a goblin heart?¡± ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think it was going to be an actual heart. That¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°Can I have it? I need it for something.¡± ¡°Um, yeah of course.¡± Truthfully Adam was glad to be rid of the thing. He was curious though. ¡°What exactly do you need a goblin heart for?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± said Josh. With a devilish grin he pulled the heart into his inventory. ¡°Did you level up too?¡± ¡°Yep, level two. Did you get a skill?¡± ¡°Hell yeah I did. Power Slash for me. I¡¯m about to slice and dice some baddies bro.¡± ¡°I wonder how much experience points we need for the next level,¡± said Adam. ¡°Looks like a thousand total. You can see it on your stat page.¡± Adam thought for a moment about what Josh had said. He waited for only a second before the page appeared.
Character Statistics
Name: Adam
Race: Human
Level: 2
Experience: 150/750
Class: N/A
HP: 60/60
MP: 60/60
Attributes: Str: 6 Dex: 6 Int: 6 Vit: 6 Wis: 6
Unallocated Attribute Points: 5
Skills: Hand-to-Hand: 4 Nature Magic: 1
Abilities: Combo
Spells: Emerald Leaves
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Adam had actually forgotten that he had the spell. He hadn¡¯t even taken a hit from the goblins and the fight was over so fast. This was seeming more and more like a starter zone he was akin to. He noticed Way of the Fist had been converted to Hand-to-Hand skill. He wondered what would happen as it leveled. He had a thought then. ¡°Hey Josh, did you take any damage in the fight?¡± ¡°Um,¡± Josh said, ¡°yeah.¡± He looked a little embarrassed. ¡°One of them smacked me in the ribs with its club. Hurt like a mother for a second, but it only took about seven points from my HP.¡± ¡°Are you still missing some?¡± ¡°Yeah, looks like another four left to regenerate still.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to try casting my healing spell on you.¡± When Adam had used the skill book he had the knowledge imparted to him on exactly how to cast the spell. He closed his eyes for a moment feeling within himself. He felt the pulse of life in his core. He reached inward and willed it to move up through his body and down his right arm until it reached his finger tips. Then he released the spell as he focused on Josh. Floating green leaves appeared from his finger tips glowing with a vibrant light. They moved through the air directly to Josh flipping and twirling in the air as they traveled. As they reached him they burst into tiny little green specks that were absorbed into Josh¡¯s body. Adam watched as his friend¡¯s HP bar rose to full. He had completely forgotten the party menu. He¡¯d have to keep an eye on that from now on. ¡°Thanks bro,¡± said Josh. He went back to doing what he was doing before which Adam assumed was looking at his character statistics page. He had a slightly glazed-over look in his eyes as he stared at nothing. The entire process took less than a second. Adam felt the healing energy reforming in his core and he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to cast the spell again until the minute cooldown had expired. He also saw his mana drop from 60 to 40. Another notification popped up in his vision.
Your Nature Magic skill has increased to 2
So, attributes aren¡¯t the only thing that will affect spells and skill, thought Adam. He now had two skills on his character statistic page. Hand-to-Hand and Nature Magic. He looked at his attribute points and reflected on what he had learned. He felt the power of his punches. They were well above what normal humans could accomplish. If he¡¯d have to guess he was probably on the level of a professional boxer in pure strength just from his starting attribute being a five. The same went for dexterity. He had reacted to this goblin¡¯s sword with ease. He had also enjoyed the fighting style. He could see the potential, but Emerald Leaves couldn¡¯t be ignored either. The ability to heal oneself and others was going to be super important in a world where death meant never returning. So, he was completely stumped as to where to put his attribute points. He decided, for the time being, to just save them. Josh on the other hand. . . ¡°Finished,¡± said Josh. A triumphant smile was plastered across his demonic face. ¡°Finished with what?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Points bro, 2 in strength, 2 in vitality, and 1 in intelligence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saving mine for now.¡± Josh laughed. ¡°Of course you are.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± said Adam, looking hurt. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°You¡¯re literally the guy who will save a random chicken egg in a game all the way until you beat the final boss thinking it might have some use in the future. Only to find out it was just a damned chicken egg the whole time.¡± ¡°Yeah, but what if it was a magical chicken egg that hatched into a dragon-chicken that would have helped me defeat the boss.¡± ¡°Did it ever?¡± asked Josh. ¡°Not yet,¡± said Adam, ¡°but you never know.¡± Josh only sighed as he knew the argument was moot. His friend was more stubborn about this than a toddler refusing to eat vegetables. Adam would share anything and everything with Josh, but he wouldn¡¯t use something on his own unless he knew he absolutely wouldn¡¯t need it later. Adam opened his inventory once more. He had just remembered the soul crystals. He looked and didn¡¯t see them at first glance. His eyes drifted around until he spotted something new. There, at the bottom of the inventory box, were three images of crystals in descending order by size. The last one had the number three next to it. He pulled at it with a mental command. Three crystals fell into his hands. They were no bigger than fun sized candy bars. Each stone was a kaleidoscope of colors as they glinted in the sun. Adam focused on one of them until a window appeared.
Small Soul Crystal: These crystals are an integral part of Ethera. They are used in every craft, and are also becoming the base currency for the world. Soul crystals come in small, medium, and large. They will stack endlessly in your inventory. You may combine one hundred small crystals to create a medium crystal, and another one hundred medium to make a large. You may also break the crystals down from large to medium to small and receive the opposite ratio.
¡°Yo,¡± said Adam, ¡°did you get some small soul crystals?¡± Josh looked over from where he was staring off into space. A crystal appeared in his hand. ¡°This?¡± ¡°Yeah, looks like those are currency in this place or at least will be the main currency.¡± ¡°Used for crafting too.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Adam said. ¡°I wonder what professions there are and how we get them.¡± ¡°Who knows. Did you get that quest about the goblins and corruption?¡± ¡°Yep, looks like that¡¯s our first task. Should we ask if anyone else wants to join?¡± ¡°Like who?¡± asked Josh. ¡°The NPCs?¡± ¡°Yeah man, like I said. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re like normal NPCs. The nexus said that they are living in this world with us.¡± ¡°If you think it¡¯s worth a try then go for it,¡± said Josh. The villagers were starting to head back. They trudged half-heartedly, some with their weapons dragging and others dropping them all together. They looked defeated already. All but one. Mina stood staring toward the mountain that the goblins came from. Her back was turned as Adam approached. Adam cleared his throat as he came up close. ¡°Um, hi.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± There was nothing but steel in her voice. She didn¡¯t even turn around. ¡°Well,¡± said Adam, covering his eyes from the sun that shone down. ¡°My friend and I got a quest to find the source of the goblin corruption and we¡¯re wondering if you got the same quest.¡± Mina turned on him and moved close. ¡°I do and that is where I¡¯m heading now. I shall be their deathbringer or they shall finally take what¡¯s left of me.¡± ¡°Do you mind if we tag along?¡± asked Adam. He regretted his decision the moment the words left his mouth. She seemed crazy, but a tank was a tank, and from what Adam saw she fit the role. ¡°It will most likely mean your death.¡± She finally turned to face him. ¡°I think we¡¯ll try to avoid that, but we¡¯d like to join you if you¡¯re heading up the mountain.¡± ¡°Who exactly are you two?¡± Adam wasn¡¯t sure where to start so he decided the truth about the nexus and everything would be the easiest. ¡°We come from a different world. One where¨C¡± he was interrupted by a screen blinking in his face.
Warning: This NPC¡¯s level is too low to comprehend this information without interfering with their mental wellbeing. Once NPCs are level 30 or above they will be able to handle such information due to natural attribute increases. For the time being they will not be able to understand anything you say relating to the Nexus.
¡°What did you say?¡± asked Mina. She looked as confused as Adam felt. ¡°Um, w-we¡¯re not sure how we got here actually, but we¡¯re here now and willing to help.¡± Mina nodded. ¡°Keep your secrets then. You fought well enough. Let us be on our way.¡± Adam sent a party invitation to Mina and she accepted. Her name, HP and MP bars showed up in the top left of his view. He noticed her hit points were much higher than his sitting at 120. It confirmed his suspicion that she was headed down some sort of tank path, or at the very least she¡¯d be able to take a lot more hits and he and Josh at the moment. ¡°So,¡± said Josh. He had finished looking at his stat page and came jogging over. ¡°We going to kill some more goblins?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Mina. ¡°Do you guys mind if I summon a demon first?¡± Josh was sheepish as he looked between Adam and Mina. ¡°What do you mean ¡®summon a demon¡¯?¡± asked Mina. ¡°I¡¯m going to summon a¨C¡± Josh stopped speaking and stared off into the distance with the increasingly common stat page look on his face. ¡°Lesser underworld spawn.¡± Mina looked between the two. ¡°You two seem like an odd pair.¡± ¡°We are,¡± they both said simultaneously. Josh took that for confirmation and moved toward a clear area of short grass. Adam and Mina stood by while he worked. Josh pulled out one of the goblin hearts and held out in front of him with one hand. He then proceeded to crush it making black goop leak out across the grass. Where the blood fell the grass turned dark and withered as if burnt. A moment later Josh pulled out another heart and continued his work. After the fifth heart ran out of juice there was a clear image in the grass. It was in the shape of a circle with lines running throughout in a complex, flowing pattern that Adam knew Josh must have learned from his demonology book. He was never much of an artist. Josh stood on the outside of the circle and raised his hands to the air. He started to speak in a language that Adam didn¡¯t recognize. It was guttural and echoed through the clearing like it was being amplified. The circle flashed a bright red in an instant and black smoke bellowed from within. The circle contained the smoke with ease making it shoot straight up to the sky in a cylindrical mass. ¡°WHAT MORTAL DARES CALL ME FROM THE PITS OF THE UNDERWORLD!¡± screamed a mountainous voice. It made the ground underneath shake and Adam and Mina struggled to stay standing. Josh finished his incantation dropping his arms. The smoke dissipated as fast as it had arrived. Mina had her sword drawn ready to fight, and Adam stood next to her crouched in a fighting position. As the smoke cleared the booming voice was revealed. In the middle of the circle, standing no more than a foot tall, was a teddy bear. It was brown with black buttons for eyes. The bear¡¯s hands, feet, and belly were all a beige color with a shiny black ball for a nose. It had a red mohawk sticking out of the top of its head, a small yellow backpack strapped to its back, and the only intimidating thing about it was its mouth which had two rows of sharp teeth. ¡°It¡¯s so cute!¡± Mina squeaked before she covered her mouth. Adam looked over to see her cheeks were red. ¡°I AM DROX THE CONQUEROR,¡± yelled the Teddy Bear. ¡°AND I AM NOT CUTE!¡± Its little arms that ended in soft round circles were waving in the air in anger. Chapter 8: Contracts Drox the demon teddy bear banged his hands on the circle in frustration. Every time he hit the ring a semi-transparent barrier would flash red. Josh sat on the other side cross legged so that he was almost eye-to-eye with the small bear. ¡°Let me out of here you foolish overlord!¡± Drox had stopped screaming after the first hour and decided to just speak normally. His voice still sounded like two mountains colliding together, but now it was at a volume that was reasonable. ¡°So,¡± said Josh, ¡°you ready to make a contract then?¡± Adam had seen this before. Drox would demand freedom and Josh would ask for a contract. The bear would refuse and start pounding away at the circle again. So, he just closed his eyes as he waited splayed out on the grass. Mina sat next to the circle glancing at Drox every so often. ¡°A contract with you? My pinky had more strength than you before I had seen my tenth winter.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have pinkies,¡± Josh pointed out. ¡°I did once,¡± said Drox. He flopped more than sat on the ground as his fluffy head sagged. ¡°I was a great conqueror in my time. I fought battles, took land, and toppled kingdoms.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± asked Josh. He felt himself grow excited. This was how he could finally get a contract out of Drox. The knowledge the demonology book had passed on to him had shown him what had to be done. He had to get the demon bear to accept before he decided to just go back. If he had a higher skill it would be easy, but the first time was apparently always the hardest. He¡¯d need to convince Drox to contract with him rather than force his will upon the bear. ¡°A damned witch snuck into my camp whilst I was asleep,¡± said Drox. ¡°She tore my soul from my body and shoved it into a child¡¯s toy before killing me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen magic?¡± asked Mina. She would have long grown past the point of waiting if Drox wasn¡¯t so cute. ¡°Of course! Most people have some sort of magic, fool girl.¡± ¡°Only in stories,¡± said Mina, ¡°possibly once again with the appearance of such monsters.¡± Drox looked over to Mina. The small buttons he had for eyes visibly grew giving him a shocked appearance. ¡°What do you mean only in stories? And what monsters?¡± ¡°I mean there has not been magic in this world since the gods vanished. It must have been close to a thousand eras ago.¡± ¡°By the gods.¡± Drox¡¯s voice cracked a little. ¡°What era is it?¡± Josh looked at Mina which she thought was a bit strange before she said, ¡°It''s the Ninth Era of the Dead Gods.¡± "How far back was the Era of the Bloody Kingdom?" Mina put a hand to her chin and thought before she spoke. "Five hundred and fifty cycles past. I remember that one from the stories. Magic was prevalent in that day." Drox flopped to the ground and looked up toward the sky. His breath came in choked gasps. ¡°Over five hundred cycles I¡¯ve been down there. It felt like an instant, but. . .¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long time,¡± said Josh. ¡°Do you really want to go back down there?¡± Josh motioned down with his thumb. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I do.¡± ¡°So, a contract then?¡± ¡°Everything and everyone I know is gone.¡± Josh winced at the statement. He could see the pain painted across the bear¡¯s face. Drox was truly saddened by the knowledge. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯d let you out if I could, but that¡¯s not how this works. Either you make a contract, you head back down on your own, or I have to dissipate the summoning circle which will send you back down when it¡¯s gone. There is no way to free you.¡± Drox sighed and looked toward Josh. Josh was sure he saw the bear wipe a tear away from his eye. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s make a deal. You promise to help me get my body back and I¡¯ll be your familiar.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± said Josh. With that the light from the circle vanished. Drox stood up on his small fluffy legs and walked over the line of withered black grass without any resistance. In front of Josh a new notification popped up letting him know he¡¯d gain a new quest.
New Quest Received: Help Drox get a new body.
¡°That¡¯s it?¡± asked Adam from where he was laying down. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± said Josh. ¡°Drox is bound to me now until I release him, he dies, or I die. Looks like I got another quest too. Need to help Drox find a body.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so lucky,¡± said Drox. He did not sound happy. Adam stood up and stretched. He noticed his party menu in the top left corner now showed Drox right below Josh as if they were connected.
Name: Drox
Level: 1
Class: N/A
HP: 50/50
MP: 100/100
Josh''s Familiar
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Drox¡¯s HP was 50/50 and his MP was 100/100. Adam thought that was an interesting starting combination as he hadn¡¯t seen any of the races start with 10 of any attribute. ¡°Drox, do you have a stat page?¡± he asked. ¡°What¡¯s a¨C¡± Drox was interrupted before he could finish his thought. He started to scream and run around flailing his arms. ¡°What evil magic have you cast upon me?¡± he wailed. ¡°Relax,¡± said Josh, ¡°that¡¯s what Adam was asking about. It shows your attributes and other information. Just use your mind to make it go away.¡± Drox stopped running around in circles and put his fluffy paws on where his knees would be as he panted for breath. ¡°Ah,¡± said Mina finally understanding, ¡°this all showed up about the same time the goblins did. Nobody knows where it came from, but when it appeared everything changed. I felt a rush of power like nothing before. My senses were clearer. I had strength like I couldn¡¯t believe. I could lift a sword as if it were the fallen feather of a bird. Then the goblins appeared. When we pushed back one of the first attacks, those blue crystals swarmed into my body. It said I gained a level and I had points to spend. I used what I had for strength and stamina.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very interesting,¡± said Drox as he put his paw up to his chin in a thoughtful motion. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me all of the sudden everyone has all these numbers and they mean more power?¡± ¡°Seems that way,¡± said Mina. ¡°If the gods have vanished but this magic is here then that means she has returned.¡± ¡°Who?¡± asked Josh. ¡°The creator of all things. The true goddess. I know only what the legends say. She was locked away for eternity. No one knows why, but eternity seems a lot shorter than I think anyone expected.¡± Drox let out a rumbling laugh. Adam felt like he understood. He had seen the woman in the crystal from the trailer. It seemed though that the NPCs were thrown into chaos in the last week. They¡¯d have to discover everything together it seemed. He liked that idea the more that he thought about it. Exploration and adventure would be the key to success in this world. The idea made butterflies swarm in his stomach. A smile crept across his face. This was exciting. ¡°Do you two have any skills or anything?¡± asked Josh. ¡°I have demonology and great sword skills. I also just picked up Power Slash from leveling up. It¡¯s an ability that will increase the damage of my next sword attack.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mina said as she nodded. ¡°We should understand each other¡¯s fighting capabilities. I have a one-handed sword skill, a shield skill, and something called leadership. I also got an ability when I reached level two. It is called Taunting Shout. I can force monsters to attack me for a time.¡± ¡°Nature magic for me and hand-to-hand skill. I have an ability Combo that lets me increase my speed if I land three hits in a row when activating it. I also have Emerald Leaves which is a healing spell.¡± Mina¡¯s eyes were suddenly on Adam. ¡°You have a healing spell?¡± ¡°Yeah, it heals someone for 50 HP, but it has a five minute cooldown.¡± ¡°Take care to use it wisely. It could save a life.¡± ¡°Whoa! What the hell is that?¡± asked Josh Adam and Mina both looked over to see Drox holding a massive tome. The thing was at least as big, closed, as the bear was tall. It was made of black stone with red lines running like veins of molten lava. The small rivers of red seemed to be moving as Drox opened the book. ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± said Drox, ¡°was in my pack.¡± He pointed toward the impossibly small yellow backpack that was at least four times smaller than the book. ¡°Says here that it¡¯s called a Grimoire of Fire. What do you mean ¡®do I want to equip this item?¡¯ I¡¯m already holding the damned thing you foul magic.¡± Drox started waving his free hand around his face. ¡°Just accept with your mind,¡± said Josh. Drox¡¯s eyes glazed over for a moment before he snapped back to reality shaking his little bear head back and forth. ¡°What in the smooth fiery ass of the Demon King. Something is messing with my head!¡± ¡°That seems to be how we learn now,¡± said Mina. ¡°When I gained the Taunting Shout skill a rush of knowledge on how to use it rushed into my thoughts.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± said Adam, ¡°same thing happened to both of us.¡± Drox shot a glare toward Josh. ¡°You could have warned me ya son of a goat.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± said Josh putting his hands up in surrender, ¡°nothing like that has happened to us when equipping something.¡± Drox looked back down at the book, studying it intently. He flipped through a few pages nodding to himself. Adam had to admit that watching a mohawk sporting teddy bear read was very adorable. A moment later Drox looked up and said, ¡°It seems that this Tome of Fire grants me a skill with the same name and allows me to cast spells from the book. As the skill levels up new spells will appear within the book. For the moment I have Fire Bolt.¡± ¡°That¡¯s freaking sweet,¡± said Josh. He went to look at the book over Drox¡¯s tiny shoulder. Drox put the edge of the book into his mouth. A moment later he turned a spit making hacking noises. ¡°That is not sweet at all.¡± ¡°I meant that¡¯s very cool.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t cool. It felt like fire!¡± ¡°I mean it¡¯s interesting,¡± Josh sighed. ¡°Then say that you horned gorilla!¡± ¡°We should get moving,¡± said Mina. ¡°The goblins have been coming from near the top of the mountain according to the scouts. That¡¯s at least a day''s travel through the forest.¡± She looked down at Drox looking like she wanted to say something. Instead she started off toward the forest covered mountain. ¡°What¡¯s a goblin?¡± asked Drox. His book had vanished back into his backpack. ¡°Little green demons with sharp teeth and long pointy ears,¡± said Josh, making scary goblin faces towards Drox. ¡°So, a sick Rinklin. Got it.¡± The rest of the group started off after Mina toward the smoldering forest covered mountain that had continued to spit out black smoke like a lavaless volcano. It didn¡¯t take long before Adam, Josh, and Mina had outpaced Drox. His small legs just couldn¡¯t keep up with the other three. They stopped and waited for him to catch up. He came huffing and puffing up to the group. When he finally made it he put his little fluffy paws on his legs where his knees would have been if he had any. His bright red mohawk and little yellow backpack stood out against his brown body. ¡°Um,¡± said Mina. She was looking toward the mountain, but kept sneaking glances toward the bear. ¡°Do you want a ride?¡± Drox looked up at her. He smiled before saying, ¡°Yes lass that would be great.¡± *** Deep within the canopy of the massive forest that covered most of the steep, smoldering mountain there was movement. It was slight and almost unnoticeable, but the movement continued until a small green-skinned goblin descended. It rode a vine down as easy as if it were walking. The goblin in question did not have the same black corruption the others did. Instead it¡¯s skin was clear and the color of summer grass. It could have easily been mistaken for a tall child except for the skin and pointy ears. The goblin wore pants and a vest of tough brown leather. Despite coloring of his clothes everything about him was of the forest except his eyes. They were as blue as a cloudless sky almost to the point of shining in the shade of the forest. As the goblin hit the ground without a sound he let go of the vine. The soft forest floor beneath his bare feet still felt alien to him. He wasn¡¯t used to the forest no matter how natural it became. He wasn¡¯t opposed to it, but it still took some getting used to. Around his neck sat a small stone whistle. It was one of the only things he had left of his home. He brought the whistle to his lips and let the sound ring throughout the empty forest. The sound was so high that even his ears weren''t able to pick up the tone. But the birds and insects that filled the forest with the noise were instantly quieted. When he dropped the whistle he waited. A moment later he heard a howl split through the silence. A smile split across his face as he raced toward the sound. It was time for him to find a pack again. Chapter 9: Forest and Fights It took the group less than an hour to run through the valley to the base of the mountain. Adam was surprised at his body''s capabilities. The hour run was smooth, he never felt out of breath, and he didn¡¯t even sweat. He could feel deep down that he would still get tired if he pushed himself, but it would take much more than a normal human. The group slowed as they neared the forest that covered the mountain. The trees were the biggest Adam had ever seen in his life. Each one was big enough around to carve out a small house, and tall enough to put a small building to shame. The bark of the tree was a deep brown with leaves as green as shinning emeralds. He felt a slight pull toward the forest from the pit of his stomach. He could feel the nature magic inside him reacting to the place. ¡°Those trees are huge,¡± said Josh. He was craning his head back looking toward the top. ¡°Everything has changed,¡± said Mina. Her voice had an edge of bitterness to it. ¡°Even the trees. We should take care from here on out. The forest has monsters now. Some of our scouts have heard strange howls and cries. A few haven¡¯t returned even when far away from the area the goblin patrols.¡± When Adam stepped into the forest with his group it was like the whole world changed. The forest canopy covered the world completely. The sun, being at its peak, just slightly showed through the leaves giving the place a magical warmth. The ground was incredibly soft and Adam sunk in ever so slightly with each step. He took in a deep breath through his nose. His senses were filled with the smells of tree bark, leaves, and moss. It was slightly damp and his memories came rushing back. He was a kid again running through the woods near his house. Playing with nothing but sticks and his imagination. No childhood is without pain, but the smell of this place brought him back to a place of happiness. For the briefest of moments he was completely at peace and at the same time he longed to go back so bad it hurt. The memory faded in less than the time it took to blink. He smiled at the bittersweet feeling. It brought him comfort even if there was a longing to go back. It made him feel like himself again for a moment. It made him truly believe that this place was real. That he was real. He wasn¡¯t some carbon copy AI or something. It was really him in here. ¡°Hey Mina,¡± said Adam. He looked over toward the woman as they walked. ¡°Would you mind telling us about the day the world changed?¡± Adam chewed on his lip for a moment trying to find a good reason for him and Josh not knowing what happened. ¡°It¡¯d be nice to hear another person''s view.¡± Mina took a deep breath as they walked through the forest. Drox sitting on one of her shoulders looking down expectantly. ¡°It was a night of celebration. It was the night I was wed to the other half of my soul. She was my everything. She was loved by the village for as long as I could remember but she shared her heart with me alone. The drinks flowed, songs were sung, dances were had, and lips met. The entire village celebrated with us for the entire day.¡± Mina¡¯s voice didn¡¯t falter in the slightest. It was as if she was living the moment again. She continued, ¡°That night I was the happiest I had ever been. One moment we were all dancing and drinking beneath the stars. The next moment there was a light as bright as Orus¡¯s sky orb except it came from everywhere. Instead of the warm glow of familiarity we were met with an endless river in the sky. ¡°The crystals floated in numbers so vast I do not know that anyone can count that high. As we watched, cowering where we could, the crystals descended. It was a violent thing. Like the wrath of the gods had been building for thousands of cycles. ¡°That is when the screams were the only sound left. Everyone was running, trying to get away, but the crystals were impossible in number. I took her by the hand and we ran. We ran as fast as our feet would carry us, but it was for not. As the sky fell we held each other in the middle of the village until our inevitable end came. ¡°The crystals started to land then. One hit me almost as soon as they reached the ground. Instead of the pain I was expecting I felt strength like I had never felt before. It was like jumping into a freezing cold river and then into a hot spring a moment later. I was full of life. My vision was sharper, my breath came easier, and I felt amazing. ¡°I looked around still clutching my love. The other villagers were absorbing the crystals as I had. They had a slight glow to them right after. I could visibly see the changes in some. Elmer, who had lost one of his legs when he was a soldier, suddenly sprouted a new limb like a tree. Others who were sick or old had new vitality. I looked down at my love to see her glowing slightly with a smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. ¡°It wasn¡¯t long before the messages appeared. We gathered and discussed the night away. It felt like only a moment before the great orb of Orus blessedly rose from behind the peaks. That¡¯s when the goblins first attacked. We did not have walls before. We had no need. We were farmers, shepherds, and normal folk. We were protected by the mountains and the kingdom. They came in like wolves to a herd of caged sheep. We lost more than half of our number before we were able to run them off. Aponi, my love, my everything, was taken from me that day. She fought tooth and nail as I was frozen in shock by the monsters that had invaded. She died fighting and I could only hold her and cry as she let out her last breath.¡± Everyone had stopped walking long ago. Adam hadn¡¯t expected such a tale, but it was something he¡¯d never forget. He saw the tears on Mina¡¯s cheeks. He understood her hatred now, her bitterness. This change wasn¡¯t some great adventure for the NPCs, no, the people living here. At that moment Adam felt like shit. He looked over to see Josh wore a similar expression as he felt. This wasn¡¯t just some game. This was a living, breathing world, and everyone here was part of it now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry lass,¡± said Drox as he patted her on the shoulder. ¡°That is why I will slay every goblin in the valley or die trying. I will never freeze again. I will act.¡± Mina seemed to be talking more to herself than anyone else. Adam decided to change the subject before Mina asked about their experience during the change, or which they were not actually present in this world. ¡°Do you know where they¡¯re coming from?¡± ¡°Near the top of the mountain. There is supposedly an entrance to their home there. The scouts that came back reported, but we stopped sending groups out when our numbers began to drop. I know nothing more than that.¡± The group started moving again. The incline up the mountain was almost unnoticeable. Adam thought about it for a moment and decided he would most definitely have been huffing and puffing at this point if he was back home. Josh walked in front of Adam with his sword magically floating on his back and tail flicking behind him. That made Adam realize his weighted gloves were still equipped. He mentally opened his inventory and took them off to see that they moved from his equipment screen down to his inventory taking up one of the spaces. He sighed and put them back on. He thought he¡¯d be able to sheath his gloves somehow, but he realized he was being stupid. Gloves couldn¡¯t be sheathed; they could be worn or taken off. Adam ran right into Josh just as he closed his inventory screen. His head smacked into Josh¡¯s great sword with a clang. ¡°Ow,¡± said Adam as he rubbed his head. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± ¡°Shhh,¡± said Josh. ¡°I think I heard something.¡± That¡¯s when Adam realized the forest had gone quiet. Not just from the lack of their footsteps, but the insects, the birds, the natural sounds of a forest were gone. Something had made them go silent. Adam felt a slight tug on his body. It felt like a rope trying to pull at him from every angle. He looked down to make sure nothing had actually wrapped around him.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. A shriek shot through the forest that sounded like metal knives grinding against porcelain plates. It was followed by a series of clicking and rattling that made Adam¡¯s ears ring. He looked over to see Josh and Drox both covering their ears. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± yelled Josh. ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± said Drox, ¡°but it¡¯s not good.¡± Drox jumped down from Mina¡¯s shoulder. He had pulled off his little yellow backpack and unzipped it. Out of the bag he pulled the fire grimoire that was far too big to fit in the small pouch. The book was comically big compared to the bear but he held it up with ease. Everyone spread out into a small square. ¡°Watch out!¡± yelled Mina. She was looking toward where Josh was. Josh pulled his great sword from his back just as a blurring black form blazed toward him from the left. The mass of feathers slammed into Josh just as he pulled his sword up to guard. Even then, he was pushed back pulling up the forest ground as he dug his feet in. Josh was frozen in place for a brief moment as the attacker came to a stop in front of him. It was like time slowed down every so slightly as Adam inspected the beast.
Name: Juvenile Harpy
Level: 3
Fast and savage the Juvenile Harpy does not think before it attacks. With claws and talons to rival swords they are a fierce foe. Luckily they cannot fully fly like their adult counterparts, but they can glide and glide fast.
The monster had three wicked claws on each hand a foot long. Adam saw that its arms were connected to wing-like webbing that looked like those wingsuits covered in massive feathers. Its talons were equally long and sharp as it stood on two legs. The harpy¡¯s entire body was covered in black feathers up to its neck. The head of the monster was eerily human with long, flowing white hair and the sharp face of a woman. It screeched at Josh and he flinched back from the sound. Adam felt a wave of dizziness overtake him at the noise. He saw Josh¡¯s guard falter and the harpy attempted to strike at him with one of her taloned feet. Adam moved toward his friend, but he wasn¡¯t close enough. A ball of fire the size of a watermelon slammed into the harpy exploding in a burst of flame that engulfed the monster like napalm. The harpy tried to screech again, but the flame rushed down its throat as it opened its mouth. It dropped to the ground in a smoking black husk as the fire went out as fast as it had come to life. Adam and Josh looked over to see Drox smiling with his oversized book out in front with one of his small furry paws extended toward where the harpy had been. It looked like the bear¡¯s paw was slightly singed black. Adam saw Drox¡¯s MP fall by 50 points in the corner where his party menu was displayed. Another screech rang out followed by an echoing chorus. In a flurry of motion harpies attacked from all angles at the group, and the battle truly started. Adam felt the harpy before he saw it. His instincts screamed at him as he pulled his arms up as if to block a punch. These beasts seemed to glide across the ground rather than completely fly, but they were fast and powerful. Massive harpy claws raked across the iron plates on Adam¡¯s forearms. It sounded like metal on metal grinding together. He knew if those claws got to him he would be in serious trouble. The force of the hit sent him sprawling into a nearby tree. The harpy was upon him again almost quicker than he could react. He brought up his hand shielding his face as claws came down on him. A fireball shot out and engulfed the mass of feathers before Adam¡¯s eyes. He barely had time to get to his feet before another harpy came flying out of the darkness. This time he was ready though. He put his back against the tree and planted his feet into the ground. The creature didn¡¯t slow as it approached and at the last moment Adam jumped out of its path. The harpy slammed into the tree stunning itself for a brief moment. He knew deep in his gut that this was an opening and he could take advantage of it. Flashes of the training he had never actually done came in waves across his memory. He stepped forward quickly and whipped a backhand blow out with a snap that cracked the air. Just before the hit landed he activated Combo. His fist connected with the harpy¡¯s face crushing its nose and spraying blood onto his arm. He heard a slight chime like a small bell ringing in his head as his hit landed. The harpy reared its head back and tried to screech, but Adam threw a quick jab into its throat. Two bells chimed in his head this time. The hit landed with a crunch and Adam felt the impact. He could feel that it was more powerful than the first. The Harpy gasped and Adam threw a haymaker from the right before it could recover. The blow sent the harpy crashing through the forest like a ball of feathers and blood. The third bell chimed in his head and Adam felt his body change. It felt like he¡¯d just drank twenty cups of coffee before slamming five shots. The world looked suddenly sluggish like he was drunk, but he felt like electricity coursed through his body. The edges of his vision were slightly blurred, but when he focused everything snapped into place. He could see everything moving just a little slower in his vision. The harpy that Adam had sent flying was charging back toward him in a mass of blood and claws. It had a blinking health bar that was all but empty. Adam smiled and readied himself. At the same time that Adam was attacked Mina had planted her feet and drew her sword. Her shield, as always, was attached to her arm. She brought up her short, round, wooden buckler and prepared for the impact. The harpy appeared as if on cue as it rammed straight into her shield without abandon. It abruptly bounced off as if it slammed head first into a wall. Mina moved in with an overhead chop. The movement was quicker than the harpy could recover and the sword split the beast down the middle of the head. Blood shot to the sky like a geyser as the monster fell to its knees dying. Josh was less fortunate as two harpies came at him with fierce determination and hate in their eyes. He could feel them before he saw them. He met the first as it came barreling out of the darkness. They clashed with swords and claws deflecting and parrying like long time warriors. Josh was quicker though and he knew it after the first few blows. The harpy overextended with a swipe and Josh saw the opening as clear as the sun on a cloudless day. Josh activated Power Slash. The edge of his sword glowed with a hazy blue. His sword flashed and the harpy¡¯s head was freed from its body in one motion. He smiled as the second harpy¡¯s claws raked across his back leaving massive rents in his body and ripping his shirt to pieces. The pain was so great that Josh¡¯s vision went black as he fell to the ground just as a fireball engulfed his attacker. Adam watched it happen and knew he wouldn¡¯t make it in time, but he wasn¡¯t without the ability to help. As the claws of the monster tore at his friend¡¯s back he felt for the magic of the Emerald Leaves spell deep in his stomach. He pulled it out and casted it toward his friend. Adam watched the ethereal green leaves shoot toward his friend as Josh¡¯s HP dropped. The forest was lit bright with the green glow as the spell rushed for Josh. The emerald leaves reached Josh as he hit the ground. His health was dropping rapidly as blood flowed from his wounds until the magic reached him. Adam couldn¡¯t wait to see what happened next as his attention was turned back to the harpy coming for his face. The flying monster was clear in Adam¡¯s vision. The forest surrounding it was blurred. Adam was hyper-focused on the beast. He felt that it was the extra speed rushing through him that made it possible. The harpy tried to screech but its throat was crushed and all that came out was a small rattling. Claws flashed, but Adam saw them coming slow enough for him to block. It wasn¡¯t that it was slow, but instead Adam could see the hit coming much clearer than before. He brought his forearm up and metal met claws as he blocked. The creature¡¯s other hand came flashing down and Adam brought his fist and slammed it into the incoming claw. He watched the bone of the monster shatter into pieces. Adam took advantage of the moment and cocked his fist back and shot it out again draining the last of the harpy¡¯s heath points. Josh¡¯s eyes shot open as the energy coursed through his body like a soothing river running through his veins. He felt his wounds close and pushed himself up just as the others ran toward him. He actually felt pretty good all things considered as he looked at his health points that were back up to 60. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Adam as he made it over to his friend. ¡°Yeah, I think so, but I think I might have been done if not for that spell of yours.¡± ¡°By the gods lad that was a close call,¡± said Drox. His book had been put back into his little backpack and he was looking up with concern at Josh. ¡°You should be more careful. I¡¯m not too keen on going back to the underworld so soon.¡± Josh looked down to see his shirt fall off in pieces after being shredded by the claws. He looked like some sort of demon action figure with his perfectly chiseled body. He sighed. ¡°Anyone got an extra shirt?¡± The group of dead harpies burst into thousands of tiny blue crystals and the party was hit with a slew of notifications as the gems rushed into them. Chapter 10: Up the Mountain and Through the Woods Drox screamed as he ran. The high pitched noise that came from the little bear was very shocking as his voice was usually so deep. He tried his hardest to get away from the incoming gems, but they found him as he jumped behind a giant tree and pulled himself into a fluffy ball covering his head. Josh just laughed as his familiar ran instead of letting him know the flying gems were a good thing. As the gems finished being absorbed into the group, Adam was met with a heap of notifications.
You have gained 800 experience points
You have reached level 3!
You have gained +1 to all attributes
You have gained +5 free attribute points - You have 10 unspent attribute points
Your Hand-to-Hand skill has reached level 8
Your Nature Magic skill has reached level 5
You have received: Juvenile Harpy Feather x5, Juvenile Harpy Talon x2, Small Soul Crystal x4
You have a new ability choice available!
Adam looked around and saw that everyone else seemed to have received some things as well since they were all staring off into space. Even Drox had stood up and was looking around while waving his paws around his face. ¡°What is a level?¡± Drox yelled. ¡°And why in the hells are all these numbers in my face!¡± ¡°It¡¯s what we were talking about earlier,¡± said Josh. He walked over to where the bear was still flapping his paws around his face like he was trying to swat away insects. ¡°It seems to function on thought or will or something. Just think about making the windows close.¡± ¡°What window? There¡¯s no house around here.¡± ¡°I mean to make all the numbers go away,¡± said Josh as he put his hand in his face. ¡°Oh,¡± said Drox, looking surprised. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Now, try to bring them up again.¡± Drox actually squeaked with joy, making Adam wonder if he was a squeaky bear of some sort before, as he opened and closed the menu in front of his face. Josh assumed that he had the hang of it at that point as he couldn¡¯t actually see the stat page for others. Adam saw the new skill notification and willed the window to open. A menu of three choices popped up this time and he was intrigued instantly as he checked out his choices.
Healing Specialist - Passive - You have healed your allies and understand the importance of the ways of a healer. Increases healing to self or others by 10%.
Armor Breaker - Passive - Armor is not the friend of fists. Your hits will slowly pound armor into dust. Your hits will now do increased damage against armor.
Fleet Footed - Passive - You are sure of foot in fight or flight. Increases the speed at which you can move by 5%.
This was not an easy choice or an obvious one. He¡¯d always been able to follow some guide on meta builds before, or he could look up the highest damage online for his class. Now, though, he had to choose without any sort of idea. He had to change his mindset. This wasn¡¯t just a game, but his life now. He thought about what would serve him best not just in a quick fight, but his life. Healing Specialist seemed like it could be very powerful, but it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to focus on. So, he put that out of his mind for now. Armor Breaker and Fleet Footed were the two he really had to choose from, and the choice was pretty easy the longer he thought. Five percent seemed like nothing, but over a lifetime it would be immeasurable. He had yet to encounter anything with armor, and he figured he would be able to just choose to hit around it or hit hard enough that it would break on its own. Adam had made up his mind and chose. As he made the choice he felt the skill bloom inside of his body. It was miniscule, but he felt just the tiniest bit lighter. He smiled as the warmth of the new skill spread through his body.
Congratulations you have learned Fleet Footed!
Adam looked next at the notification about his unused attribute points. He knew it was time to put some points into things, but he still wasn¡¯t sure which direction he wanted to go. So, he pulled up his stats and looked them over.
Character Statistics
Name: Adam
Race: Human
Level: 3
Experience: 200/1000
Class: N/A
HP: 70/70
MP: 70/70
Attributes: Str: 7 Dex: 7 Int: 7 Vit: 7 Wis: 7
Unallocated Attribute Points: 10
Skills: Hand-to-Hand: 8 Nature Magic: 5
Active Abilities: Combo
Passive Abilities: Fleet Footed
Spells: Emerald Leaves
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He knew that keeping his points was going to be detrimental for him. He saw how hard the harpies hit, how fast they were, and how little mana he actually had. If he ever got another spell, which was very likely, he¡¯d run out of mana fast. Adam decided that Dexterity would be very important for his build as well as strength and vitality. If he was going to be in melee combat he¡¯d need to take a hit at some point, hit hard, and hit fast. For the moment he had one spell and it wasn¡¯t something he saw himself focusing on, but instead just an emergency backup. If he got something interesting in the future he might think about more points in wisdom or intelligence, but for now he chose to ignore them. With ten points to distribute he added three to strength, three to vitality, and four to dexterity. The moment the points were allocated he felt the attributes bolstering his body. He felt the change to his body instantly. The muscles in his body all tensed up for the briefest of moments and when they relaxed he felt euphoria rush through his entirety. He knew that he was faster, stronger, and tougher. He felt it. It was strange to Adam that he hadn''t felt this way before while leveling or when he first came to this world, but it could have been any number of reasons. Maybe the one point each level was small enough not to notice, or maybe his body adjusted because every attribute was increased at the same time. There were a million reasons why or why not, but Adam didn¡¯t care about a single one at that moment. All he cared about was chasing this feeling again. Josh noticed the stupid grin plastered across his friend¡¯s face. ¡°Finally put your points in?¡± he asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me it felt this good?¡± ¡°Would it have mattered?¡± Adam looked away, ¡°no, probably not. Did you get a passive skill?¡± ¡°I did!¡± Josh exclaimed. ¡°Mine¡¯s called Relentless Striker. If I hit the same target I¡¯ll do increased damage to them for each time I hit them without switching or missing.¡± ¡°That sounds pretty amazing. Mine increases my movement speed by 5%.¡± Josh¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°For everything?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Adam smiled. He knew that his friend would understand. They had both played far too many games to discount movement speed and it not being dependent on combat or not was insanely powerful. Adam didn¡¯t underestimate Josh¡¯s choice either. His friend was easygoing, aloof at times even, but the man had an absolutely uncanny ability to strategize. Playing any kind of tactical game against him was just asking to lose. Funniest thing was, he hated chess. Adam never really understood that, but it was what it was. The group started moving again as Mina and Drox explained their new abilities. Mina had also reached level three and got an ability that made enemies passively focus on her more. Drox seemed to work a little differently than the rest of the group. He said he got a notification that his book had a new page. When he turned to it he found a new spell called Flame Shield. It said that he could cast it on himself or an ally and a shield of flame would block incoming attacks for a time while burning the attackers. The sun was starting to set as they made their way up the mountain. They came to a small clearing in the forest where a tree had fallen. Mina stopped and turned to the others. ¡°We should camp soon,¡± she said. ¡°We do not want to walk through his place at night.¡± ¡°How much further do you think before we reach the goblin caves?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Half a day''s journey, maybe less. We are still adjusting to our new bodies. The scouts were not as fast as we are now. It seems that every single point makes us a lot faster.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually kinda hungry,¡± said Josh. ¡°Do you have any food?¡± As if on cue Josh¡¯s stomach rumbled loud enough that it sounded like rocks falling down a mountain. His red skin seemed to get a little brighter. It was made all the more obvious with his lack of shirt. ¡°Yes,¡± said Mina, ¡°let us make a fire and we will eat.¡± Josh and Adam were put to work gathering sticks as Drox went over to the fallen tree and sat on it like a bench. Mina joined him as she started to pull some things out of thin air. ¡°You have magic too?¡± asked Drox ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Where are all of those things coming from?¡± ¡°It is something that came with the change. I believe it is called an inventory. At least that is what it tells me. Do you not have one?¡± Drox waved his little paws around his face for a bit and exclaimed, ¡°I do! Looks to be some items in here from the last fight.¡± A massive harpy feather appeared in his hand a moment later. He gripped it between his paw for a moment before it disappeared. Next, a small soul crystal was in his hand. It fell to the ground as he tried to get a grip on it but failed. Josh and Adam came back with arms full of sticks. They dropped them in the middle of the clearing in a pile while Drox tried to pick up his soul crystal. He couldn¡¯t get a grip on it. His fluffy paws just kept dropping the smooth crystal. ¡°Let me help,¡± said Josh. He moved over and picked the crystal up. He laid it gently into Drox¡¯s outstretched paws. The bear pushed his paws together to hold the crystal between them. He looked deep into the swirling galaxy within the small stone for a while before it disappeared into his inventory again. Mina bent down next to the pile of sticks with some leaves. She had a flint and steel trying to spark a fire to life. Drox cleared his throat at the sight. ¡°Do you mind if I have a go, lass?¡± Mina looked up at the bear and down at her flint and steel. ¡°Can you, um, hold them?¡± The bear let out a laugh, ¡°I won¡¯t be needing that.¡± He pulled out his book and Mina understood. Josh, Adam, and Mina moved back from the pile of sticks. They kept moving back until they were almost all into the woods. Drox, massive tome in hand, pointed his paw toward the makeshift campfire. He muttered something under his breath and a fireball shot out of his hand. It was about the size of a baseball and it traveled with speed that would match an MLB pitcher. The fireball hit the pile of sticks and exploded. In a burst the clearing was filled with smoking sticks, flaming leaves, and ash. As the smoke settled a blazing bonfire was left in its wake. Drox whistled as he sat on the fallen tree like a bench. His face was covered in ash to the point he looked like a black teddy bear instead of his usual brown. His mohawk was even smoking slightly. He put his book back into his backpack as the others came out from hiding. ¡°Geez Drox,¡± said Josh. ¡°I think you woke up the whole forest.¡± ¡°Good,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯ll know to stay away.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± said Mina, ¡°I do not believe anything will be bothering us for a while after that.¡± ¡°That spell seems extremely powerful,¡± said Adam. He came and sat down on the tree next to Drox and the fire. ¡°It is lad, but it¡¯s expensive. Before I leveled I had two casts in me before I had to wait. There is also a cooldown of¨C" Drox pause for a moment before continuing as he check the skills description. "Two minutes. I don¡¯t know what that means, but I can feel that after I cast the spell I have to wait. When it¡¯s ready again I can feel it in my bones.¡± ¡°You have bones?¡± asked Josh. ¡°You know what I mean you son of a goat.¡± Josh laughed. ¡°Minutes are a measurement of time, but if you can feel when your spell is ready again then it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He came and sat down on the ground leaning against the tree. The fire felt warm on his skin. Josh knew then, no matter how close he got, it wouldn¡¯t get uncomfortable. He could probably even touch the fire without any issues. Mina was on the opposite side of the three on the ground. She sat cross legged near the fire staring into the flames. Josh¡¯s stomach rumbled again. Everyone heard it, even over the crackling and snapping of the fire. This seemed to snap Mina out of whatever she was thinking. She pulled some dried meat out of her inventory and tossed it over. Josh caught the meat and passed some to Drox and Adam before he started munching away. Adam, on the other hand, stared down at the meat for a moment trying to examine it.
Simple Sheep Jerky: dried meat made from a sheep. This simple dish will fill up any adventurer in a time of need. It will also grant +1 vitality for four hours.
¡°Whoa, did you know this gives buffs?¡± ¡°What?¡± asked Josh. He looked down at the half eaten meat. ¡°Wow that¡¯s sick.¡± ¡°Yes, food seems to give a boost to certain attributes for a limited time. Depending on the meal or drink the boosts are different. We have not discovered much though as everything is so new. This was actually jerky before the sky fell. Even it changed. I also do not understand how long four hours is, but you can feel the effect and you know when it is getting close to ending.¡± Adam nodded and bit into the jerky. It was dry and chewy, but seasoned well. He had no desire to explain hours, minutes, and seconds to anyone. He didn¡¯t even know if time worked the same here. He had a feeling the cooldown timers were just so people like him could understand. The natives of this world had already adapted by feeling the internal cooldowns and timers. The group sat together and ate while the sun disappeared. Mina volunteered to take the first watch. Adam laid down on the ground. He had never been a fan of camping, but the cool air and the heat of the fire seemed to mingle together in a soothing warmth. He was so much more tired than he had realized and before he knew it he was asleep. Chapter 11: Skyeyes A howl split through the forest like the sun did the leaves. It woke Adam with a start. He was up and on his feet in an instant. He was acutely aware of the lack of sleepiness in his eyes and body. Instead, he felt like he had just warmed up before a workout. It was probably the best he¡¯d ever felt in his life, especially coming out of a deep, dreamless sleep. The rest of the party were also at the ready. As Adam looked around he noticed that it was indeed morning. He had slept through the night like a baby. The raging fire from the night before had been reduced to nothing but embers now. ¡°What was that?¡± Josh asked. His sword was in his hands and his eyes were darting around trying to look everywhere at once. ¡°Wolves,¡± said Mina. Her eyes scanned around as more howls sprung up all around the party. ¡°Time to fry some puppies!¡± yelled Drox with his book in the air. ¡°Bro,¡± said Josh, ¡°not cool.¡± Drox just shrugged. ¡°Wolf is a bit stringy, but it¡¯s not that bad lad.¡± Adam saw the eyes first. ¡°Over there.¡± He pointed to his left where the shade of trees were still dark in the dusk of the morning. Two yellow, almost glowing, eyes reflected back at the group. ¡°There,¡± said Drox. He pointed to another set of eyes. Two more sets glowed in the half-light of forest before they began to approach all at once. The wolves prowled into the light slowly. Two of them were as black as night and one was as white as fresh snow. It led the pack. From what Adam could remember they were at least twice the size of normal wolves. Each came up past his waist. They were spread out in a semicircle surrounding the four adventurers. Adam focused on the white wolf and was met with a notification.
Mountain Wolf: Level 3 - Skyeyes'' companion
The forest was deathly silent. No bird or insect dared to break the standoff with its singing. Instead, the wolves and the adventures were at an impasse. Just as Mina was getting ready to attack, the wolves¡¯ ears suddenly all perked up straight. Then they sat down in unison with tongues lulling out of their mouths. Adam even heard one of the black ones whine slightly like a dog begging for pets. Out of the darkness of the forest strode a goblin like none of them had ever seen. It wore brown leather pants and a tunic with strips of leather fraying off at the sides in an ornamental pattern. Adam noticed the resemblance to the other goblins he had seen before. It had light green skin like summer grass, a slightly curved nose, and long pointy ears. What stuck out though were its eyes. They were clear and blue like ice had frozen them over. On his hip hung two daggers. On the goblin they looked like swords. As Adam stared, he was met with a small notification.
Name: Skyeyes
Level: 5
Class: Beast Tamer
The goblin walked straight up to the sitting wolves and scratched the white one behind the ears. The goblin barely came eye to eye with the sitting wolves. He seemed small even for goblins. Mina moved to strike out at the goblin with her sword, but Josh put his hand out to stop her. He was positioned slightly in front of her so she couldn¡¯t get by him easily. ¡°Wait,¡± said Josh, ¡°don¡¯t you feel that?¡± ¡°I feel nothing,¡± spat Mina. Her eyes burned with fury as she stared at the goblin. ¡°Exactly,¡± said Josh. ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed? All the monsters we¡¯ve fought before. It¡¯s like they pulled at me when they attacked. Like I could feel them coming.¡± ¡°Do not speak in riddles to me child of war. Let me have my vengeance.¡± The wolves growled as they stared at Mina and Josh. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°This isn¡¯t a monster. Just look at his skin. He doesn¡¯t have any black lines. See his eyes?¡± ¡°A goblin is a goblin. Move or be slain with the monster.¡± ¡°Please,¡± said Skyeyes. His voice was high and raspy like he¡¯d smoked his whole life. He spoke with speed and fear. ¡°I am not bad. I have no corruption. I am goblin.¡± He raised his hands in the air in a peaceful motion. ¡°No fight.¡± ¡°You took everything from me!¡± yelled Mina. She moved toward Skyeyes. The wolves bared their teeth and rumbling came from their throats. Josh turned and grabbed her arm. Adam was there in an instant grabbing her other arm. She was strong and nearly toppled both of them in her rage. ¡°Everything!¡± Tears were streaming down her face. ¡°I understand,¡± said Skyeyes. His head fell slightly as his hands dropped down to his side. ¡°You understand nothing monster!¡± ¡°I understand everything.¡± He looked up at Mina with his eyes watering. ¡°Stolen. Destroyed. Taken. Gone. Everything you loved. Ripped away. I understand.¡± Mina stopped struggling. It was like the fight had been ripped from her. She fell to her knees as Adam and Joshed backed away. Painful sobs rang out through the forest. ¡°She was my world.¡± "I am sorry. It was no real goblin. Please listen. I beg you." The wolves all whined in unison. It took time for Mina to stop sobbing on the ground. Adam wasn¡¯t sure what he should do so he just sat next to her and waited. Josh led Skyeyes and the wolves over to the fire where Drox started rubbing his paws all over the now docile beasts. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Jerky,¡± Drox said. He was rubbing on one of the black wolves. He moved to the next black one. ¡°You, I''ll call Pork Chop.¡± He rubbed that one and it moved its head into his paws to get better scratchings. ¡°That¡¯s just wrong,¡± said Josh with a sigh. ¡°And you, my princess.¡± Drox strode over to the massive white wolf. ¡°I will call you¨C¡± he paused for dramatic effect and raised his hands in the air. ¡°SNOWBALL!¡± Josh buried his face into his hands at that. Skyeyes seemed to be unaffected by the names and just sat in silence, on the fallen tree, as they waited for Adam and Mina. It wasn¡¯t much longer before Mina and Adam joined without a word. They sat down in the grass surrounding the dying fire. Drox was absently petting Snowball, the white wolf, with his fluffy paws. ¡°Speak your peace,¡± said Mina. Her voice was raw and scratchy. Skyeyes nodded and began. His words spilled out as if he had just a small grasp on the language, "We come from mountain. Long, long time we live. No see outside. Just mountain. Then blue crystals fall. They crash down to every goblin. At start we thought death. Then we thought life. We all stronger, faster, smarter. Even door to outside mountain. Soon though we find other things come with crystals. Darkness. Something bad in king. He began call goblin to his room. "When goblin leave room they goblin no more. They bad. Goblin did not understand. Not until too late. We fight, but we lose. I alone escape. I am last goblin. Last real goblin." ¡°Your story does not move me, monster.¡± Mina spat the words out with vitriol. ¡°I understand. I want to kill bad goblin. All I live for is kill bad goblin. Kill king." Mina¡¯s eyes narrowed at that. ¡°You want us to help you kill your own kind?¡± ¡°They are not goblin. They are bad. Skyeyes cannot kill all. Need help. I have a pack, but not enough. I want home back.¡± He said the last words with such longing that Adam instantly understood. He¡¯d had his life taken from him as well. He¡¯d never get the chance to go back home though. It pained Adam as he thought about it, but he tried to shake off the creeping depression. Josh shot a look towards Adam. Adam thought he understood. This was most definitely for the quest they had. A guide would be invaluable. He just wasn¡¯t sure Mina wouldn¡¯t slit the goblins throat the moment she got the chance. He nodded to Josh. ¡°It¡¯s up to you Mina,¡± said Josh. ¡°If you want Skyeyes to join us I think he would be beyond helpful.¡± ¡°Yes las, it¡¯s your decision.¡± Drox was nodding as he stared at Mina. Mina¡¯s eyes were red where she had been crying, but they were hard as she stared at the goblin in front of her. It took everything she had to not think of the creature before her as just another one of the monsters that stole her love. She tried though. She looked into the eyes of the goblin sitting before her. She saw life there. A soul. It was so different then the empty corrupted bastards that constantly attacked her village, but there were still so many similarities. She let out a breath and said, ¡°We will go with you, but I will keep my eye on you. If I feel that you are leading us into a trap, or turning on us, or lying I will end you. Without hesitation.¡± Skyeyes stood and bowed slightly to the group. ¡°Thank you.¡± Adam thought it was so weird to see the goblin bow. It just seemed so out of place for goblins, but then again this was a whole new world. It was becoming more and more obvious that the nexus didn¡¯t just copy and paste generic fantasy creatures into the world. Some things were most definitely similar to fantasy and games he¡¯d seen before, but a lot was clearly different. It was going to take some time to adjust to everything, but the idea made Adam smile. Adventure was suddenly something he wanted to do. He had heard the stories of back in the day before the internet was prevalent. There used to be books people would buy to guide them through games. There were secrets only friends could share with other friends when they discovered them. By the time he was old enough to play games everything new was instantly on the internet. People made it their jobs to play games all day. They would have guides, strategies, walkthroughs, and everything out in the first week. There was no truly playing blind anymore. Not until now. Because they weren''t playing. They were living. The wolves standing snapped Adam out of his thoughts. They walked over to gather around Skyeyes. It was as if they knew it was close to time. The white one that Drox had taken to calling Snowball lifted her head into the air. A howl ripped through the early morning and it was soon joined by the other three. It was a signal. A warning. For they were about to help their master accomplish his goal. They were going to slay the goblin king. Chapter 12: Dungeon! Adam and Josh were joined by an NPC woman that seemed to have more life experiences than the both combined, a demon teddy bear who was once some great commander, and a goblin beast tamer with a pack of wolves at his command. To Adam it was unreal. It was crazy really. He was level three in the world. He had been here for maybe a full day. Everything was moving so fast. Josh nudged Adam in the side lightly trying to get his attention. He still hadn¡¯t adjusted to his new strength and Adam yelped. ¡°Ow, What?¡± ¡°Psst.¡± He tried to whisper, but was never really good at controlling the volume of his voice. It had not gotten better with his new body. ¡°Have you had the, you know, urge to go?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked Adam. The rest of the group had stopped to stare. ¡°You know, the call of nature. Drain the main vein. Take the Browns to the super bowl. Anything?¡± ¡°Ohhh, now that you mention it. No, I haven¡¯t felt the need at all.¡± ¡°What are you two yapping about?¡± asked Drox. He was riding on top of Snowball with his paws planted firmly on his round waist. He would have looked indignant if he wasn¡¯t a teddy bear. ¡°I¡¯m worried,¡± said Josh. His face looked more red than usual. ¡°I haven¡¯t had to go to, um, relieve myself for a long time.¡± Mina laughed. It was so unexpected and sudden that all the wolves'' hackles rose. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was just unexpected. We have noticed the phenomenon as well. Since the change nobody has had to relieve themselves. There seems to be no need anymore. One of our local butchers ate enough meat to make his belly swell to the point of bursting. By the next day he was back to his new and improved body.¡± ¡°Oh, sweet!¡± Josh was smiling ear to ear now. The thought of never having to go to the bathroom again was awesome to him. ¡°What else have you noticed that has changed?¡± asked Adam. ¡°Josh and I haven¡¯t been in contact with anyone since the crystals fell. Any information you can give us would be great.¡± He didn¡¯t like having to skirt around the topic, but it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t have to do it forever. He just wondered how long it''d take to get level 30 so he could tell them the truth. The group continued up the mountain as Mina talked. ¡°The villagers have discovered that you can no longer accidentally get pregnant. Both parties involved have some sort of message that interrupts them before the, um, act.¡± Mina felt her face getting hot as she spoke, but she continued. ¡°People have also discovered that doing things will grant you the skills. Such as cooking, carpentry, trading, and other things. Combat seems to give skills based on the weapon you choose. When I got my first skill in both sword and shield knowledge seemed to rush into me. I knew how to use my weapons. I was as competent as a veteran soldier.¡± ¡°So if I cook something I¡¯ll get a cooking skill?¡± asked Josh. ¡°It seems that way,¡± said Mina. ¡°The biggest change we have seen is in strength though. At least for us women. Before a man would always have more natural strength than a woman. That was the way of nature. The way of the world. Now though, it is no longer the same. A level one man and a level one woman have exactly the same strength. If they are both equally skilled they will be evenly matched. There is no longer a divide between us. But everything is so new. I think the highest level person we had was level four. They were a carpenter that kept fixing up the village after each attack. Before we started meeting the goblins in the valley.¡± That comment jogged Adam¡¯s memory. He had asked Himoka about classes and she had said they¡¯ll be offered one at level five. He looked over to Skyeyes and mentally slapped himself. ¡°Of course. Skyeyes you have a class don¡¯t you?¡± The goblin glanced back from his perch atop Porkchop. "Yes class. I was hound trainer. When crystal fall I get skill. Beast mastery. Help with hounds. Then bad goblin appear. I fight. I level. I get class." ¡°Wow,¡± said Josh, ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to have an army of demons.¡± Adam wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about an army of Droxes running around, but he didn¡¯t voice his concerns. They could deal with that if Josh actually got some demon summoning class. Instead, Adam focused almost blinding light ahead of them. He knew the forest was finally coming to an end, but the harshness of the light was shocking. He hadn¡¯t realized how much the forest canopy had blocked out the light. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The group were all trying to block the sun with their hands as they stepped out from the forest. The land was so different that Adam almost lost his footing as his feet met hard, packed dirt. As his eyes adjusted he looked around and saw they were indeed on near the top of a mountain now. The peak was maybe another hundred meters up, but in clear view. The cliffs leading to the peak of the mountain were so steep they looked vertical. All around the peak of the mountain the forest had been cleared away. There were no trunks, not roots, nothing but dirt that had been stomped and packed densely. With the steep cliffs leading up to the peak of the mountain it made the area feel like a fortress rather than a mountain. That¡¯s when Adam spotted the massive double doors literally embedded into the cliff-face. The doors we made of wrought iron and wood. They were at least ten feet wide and half again as tall. Each door had a massive knocker of iron adorning it. The knockers were shaped into the faces of snarling goblins, each clenching rings in their mouths. While Adam stared at the doors he was met with a notification.
Small Dungeon of the Corrupted Goblin King: This is a small dungeon. Parties of up to 5 may enter not including familiars, pets, summons, or companions. You may leave at any time. If you are able to defeat the dungeon boss you will be rewarded. If you leave without defeating the boss you will not be able to enter again for one month. All party members must be level 10 or lower to enter this dungeon.
¡°Do you guys see that?¡± was all Adam could ask as he stared at the doors. ¡°A dungeon,¡± whispered Josh. Skyeyes had stopped Porkchop and fell off the wolf more than dismounted to move up to the door. He moved slowly, almost creeping as if scared to disturb something. As he got close his hands went out and he touched the smooth wood. He dropped his head and put it against the wood as he spoke, ¡°I-I no understand. Door was not this when left. I-I not know what this mean.¡± He turned and looked at the rag tag team of adventurers with his eyes shining with unrealized tears. ¡°Am I alone?¡± Adam wasn¡¯t sure what to say to the small goblin. He was the strongest of them, at least by levels. They hadn¡¯t known him for more than a few hours, but the pain in the goblin¡¯s voice made him feel sick. First Mina and now Skyeyes. So much pain for these people. He felt guilty knowing that someone had created all of this. Someone had made these people suffer for no more than a playground for people like himself. For a moment he felt disgusted with himself and the nexus. The thoughts raced through his mind. He sucked air through his nose and breathed in deep. Then he released it. He wasn¡¯t responsible for this suffering. He and Josh were not the ones that created this world and they weren¡¯t the ones that caused the world to change. They were just as much a part of this as the other inhabitants of the world now. No, they weren¡¯t the cause of this, but they could be part of the solution. ¡°No,¡± said Adam, ¡°you¡¯re not alone.¡± He sent a party invite to Skyeyes. The goblin beast tamer looked at Adam as he received the message. He nodded and accepted, and Adam saw Skyeyes¡¯ name appear on the top left of his vision along with the three wolves each of which were sporting the names that Drox had given them. ¡°It says we need to be lower than level ten to enter,¡± said Josh. ¡°I mean we¡¯re lower than level ten, but like a lot lower. This might be difficult.¡± ¡°I will go. These monsters have harried my home and will not stop. There is only one thing to do.¡± Mina looked around. Her purple eyes were blazing with hate as she spit out the words. ¡°It says we can leave at any time,¡± said Adam. ¡°We could always escape if we need to.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s a month lockout bro. I don¡¯t see us sticking around here for a month.¡± ¡°True, but think about all the loot.¡± Adam had a smile on his face as he said the words. He had known Josh since they were kids. If anything would get him to go now it was the promise of fat loot. ¡°I could use a new shirt I guess.¡± Josh looked down at his bare chest. The shirt had been shredded by the Juvenile Harpy that hit him. ¡°Are we going to prattle forever out here or are we going to go in lads.¡± Drox was now standing easily on Snowball¡¯s back. His body weighed as much as a normal Teddy Bear so the wolf looked unbothered. His paws were planted firmly on his waist. ¡°How do we actually enter?¡± asked Josh scratching his chin as he looked at the door. ¡°I have an idea,¡± said Adam. ¡°Are we all ready?¡± The group all nodded and Adam moved up toward the door. He reached his hand up to the ring of the knocker and tapped it against the door. It was a gentle motion. Adam expected nothing more than a slight knock against the wood. Instead, what rang out sounded as if he had hit a giant gong with the force of ten men.
Would you like to enter [Small Dungeon of the Corrupted Goblin King] with your party? Y/N
Adam mentally chose yes and blackness enveloped him.