《To craft a chance》 1 - Jenny Jenny loved those first moments after waking up. That hazy feeling of the world solidifying around her, before normal life intruded. She clung to that drowsy half-awake feeling for as long as she could, luxuriating in the peace of the morning. Or afternoon on bad days. She¡¯d tried therapy for a while, before it became too much of a financial burden to continue. Her therapist had asked if she had any problem sleeping, and Jenny had confidently replied no, not at all, she could sleep for fourteen, even sixteen hours if she had nothing else going on. She was almost proud of it. But that was ruined by the Therapist¡¯s look of shock, ¡°you don¡¯t think that sleeping for fourteen to sixteen hours is a problem?¡± she¡¯d asked. Right. That¡¯s true - most people don¡¯t do that once they¡¯re over the age of two. Short-lived therapy aside, Jenny thought she was mostly fine. Apathetic maybe. Isolated for sure. Occasionally struggling with crippling anxiety and bouts of depression, absolutely. But still fine. Ish. Well, functioning at least. She had a job (part time) which paid for her flat (a tiny mess). She spoke to her mum once a week (unavoidable) and texted with some friends from uni (enough to trick them into thinking she was living a normal life). The problem was, Jenny felt like she had no reason to not be happy. She was incredibly fortunate and had been raised with love and given every opportunity to succeed. She was clever, talented, physically healthy, and grew up in a comfortable middle-class family. Literally won the lottery of birth circumstances. And yet, despite all that, at 26, Jenny was done. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. According to her mother, the choices she had made since leaving university were foolish to say the least. Going abroad to teach English was, at best, meant to be a sort of post uni gap year. Four years later, Jenny had found a balance of working enough hours to be able to afford to live, and then added an extra half day as a financial buffer. She considered that a success. Her mother however insisted that she should return home and get a proper job, and a boyfriend, and friends, and group hobbies. An adult life. The mere thought of it made Jenny¡¯s scalp itch. In as much as she liked anything, she liked her life, her routine. It was peaceful. Jenny had tried so hard and done so much as a child and teenager that she had run out of fuel. This was what she could manage, so this was what she did. Her flat was a whirlwind of books, plants, both alive and dead, half-finished projects of every kind; drawings, embroidery and origami lay interspersed with sheet music, unopened mail and unmarked homework from the language school. The mess didn¡¯t bother Jenny. The tiny kitchen and bathroom were both clean, and that was what mattered. It was what made her realise something had changed when she woke up that morning. Instead of the calming chaos she was accustomed to, Jenny lay in an unnervingly clean, empty, white room. Am I in hospital? She thought. What could have happened? She wiggled her toes. Everything feels normal and I can¡¯t see any tubes or equipment. Jenny heard a soft chime and sat up in the pristine white bed. She pressed her back against the wall and clutched the sheet up to her chin as a glowing white orb materialized in the centre of the room. The chime sounded again, and a soft female voice filled the space ¡°Welcome, Jenny, to The Place Between¡± 2 - The Place Between Jenny sat in stunned silence, staring at the glowing orb which was pulsing with light. ¡°Jenny?¡± the voice (the orb?) prompted ¡°What is thi¡­? Where did you¡­? How is thi¡­?!¡± Jenny stammered. I¡¯ve finally lost my mind completely she thought. ¡°You haven¡¯t lost your mind; you are merely moving into the next stage of your existence. That is what this place is for¡± replied the voice. ¡°I understand this is a lot for you to deal with, but you should be very honoured, it¡¯s rare that one of us comes in person to speak to a soul in transit¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not here in person, you¡¯re a glowing blob and did you just read my mind?¡± Jenny was starting to panic. ¡°Does this mean I¡¯m dead? You said I¡¯m a soul, right? Does that mean this is the afterlife? What happened to me? I just don¡¯t understand...?¡± ¡°Enough!¡± The orb interrupted, growing larger and brighter, ¡°Enough questions! Earth souls are so needy! Listen to me. Yes, your former life on earth has ended. You died in a heroic manner, which is part of the reason why I am here. You were returning from the supermarket with a surprising amount of cheese, a pack of pita bread, two jars of chickpeas, four rolls of toilet paper, and a snickers, when you were killed in a car crash.¡± That doesn¡¯t sound heroic, but that sounds like my shopping list thought Jenny. ¡°The heroic part is that you pushed a boy out of the way of an oncoming car. You¡¯ll be pleased to hear that he is fine and should go on to live a full life thanks to you.¡± Jenny twisted the sheet in her hands nervously, ¡°I¡¯m sorry this is just a lot for me to take in. So, I¡¯m dead. Finished.¡± She looked up at the orb, ¡°What happens next? Afterlife? Eternal peace? Re-incarnation? I¡¯m not religious but I¡¯m willing to adjust my beliefs if that¡¯s required.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Yes, well most human beliefs are incorrect. Souls generally dissipate into the ether after death. But sometimes, when a special soul comes along, an overseer like me can step in. You are a soul full of potential, and you lost your life before your allotted time due to a heroic action, therefore I have deemed you worthy and will transplant your soul into a world in my demesne. You shall take up my mantel and become a great hero.¡± Jenny¡¯s scalp started to itch. ¡°Hang on, what do you mean a hero? I¡¯m not cut out for that kind of thing; I think you¡¯ve made a mistake. I¡¯m not some kind of hero. You¡¯re making it sound like I need to be some kind of knight or paladin and that is really not for me. I am not a fighter, and I really don¡¯t respond well to authority. If I¡¯m going to be in some kind of fantasy game world, I¡¯d rather be a craftsman or a village healer or something, nothing high profile!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, you¡¯ll learn new skills and work up to being a hero. It is a critically important role; the world is imbalanced and requires strong mages on the side of light. Your soul fits the profile and that is rare. Frankly I am disappointed in your attitude. I am here before you go into the transit chamber to offer you guidance and lead you to choose the skills and gifts that will serve our purpose the best and you are being churlish and immature. Jenny shrank back on the bed, startled by the sudden pressure in the room, as if lightning were about to strike. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just¡­I¡¯m not what you¡¯re looking for.¡± ¡°Well, you are what I have. So, enough foolishness! Now concentrate, we don¡¯t have much time before you need to enter the chamber and make your decisions. I cannot join you, as the choices must be made of your own free will. Once you are reborn, I can assist you to a certain degree. In order for that to happen you must choose Apostle of Light as your title. As a Transferred Soul, you can choose three titles and a variety of skills will open up for each title. Hero should be your second, and for the third I would prefer Battle-Mage, but if you must be difficult then I suppose you could take Healer. The skills are fairly self-explanatory, as for your appearance, I would recommend either full elf or demi elf as they have the highest innate mana. I do prefer my followers to be golden haired, but I will not insist upon it. My time is up. Remember what I said, Jenny. I suspect you will not remember this meeting until you come of age. Do not let me down!¡± With those final words the orb shrank down to a spec and then disappeared. Jenny sat in shocked silence in the blank room as her mind churned through the information that had just been dumped on her. That was awful, there is absolutely no way I am going along with all this. All I ever wanted was a quiet life. An Apostle-Hero-Mage?! Fat chance! How can I get around this, do I just pick the opposite of what she said? Dark apostle? No, that could definitely backfire. I suppose I will just have to see what¡¯s available and go with things that seem normal. Maybe I can be a craftsman! That would be nice. Stupid ball of light. Why did I catch her fancy? In what world am I the one you pick for this kind of thing! Jenny¡¯s considerations were interrupted by a metallic clunk and the wall across from her sank down into the floor, revealing a dark room with a large screen upon which was written in large blue letters, DON¡¯T BE SCARED. 3 - Decisions ¡°Not sure that message is having quite the effect you intend¡± murmured Jenny as she wrapped the sheet around her shoulders and slid off the bed. It didn¡¯t give her much protection, but she was wearing raggedy pyjamas and no bra, so every extra layer of clothing made her feel better. Even if it was just a sheet cloak. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe this is happening¡± she sighed as she crossed the threshold into the dark room. ¡°Here goes nothing!¡± YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO BE REBORN IN A NEW WORLD. CONGRATULATIONS! As the new words appeared on the screen, a small firework went off in the background. Wow, who made this, an eight-year-old?¡± thought Jenny. YOU WILL NOW CHOOSE TITLES AND SKILLS THAT WILL SERVE YOU IN YOUR NEW LIFE. TRAVELLING SOULS RECEIVE SEVERAL ADVANTAGES SO USE THEM WELL. YOU MAY CHOOSE THREE TITLES. THE FIRST TITLE IS RELATED TO YOUR PURPOSE. THE SECOND TITLE TO YOUR OCCUPATION. THE THIRD TITLE TO YOUR MAGIC. CHOOSE WELL. Okay so this is happening, Jenny gulped when suddenly the entire wall was full of lists of titles, it was completely overwhelming, she felt dizzy even trying to read them. What do I do, how I am supposed to choose titles that will somehow guide my new life. I know nothing about where I¡¯m going, Will I be a baby or an adult when I get there. I am missing some seriously important information. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the baffling quantity of options she was facing. So, I know I don¡¯t want to do what the orb wants, so that is step one. I am going to build a life for myself, I will find skills and titles that will help me. I am going to be alright. I want to live a quiet life where I make things and read and sleep. I am going to choose my own path. Jenny gave herself a mental shake and took a deep breath before opening her eyes and staring up at the lists in front of her. A huge number of gods were listed, covering every aspect of life, but there were several god-free options that seemed vaguely promising: Scholar, Creator, Artist. But then she saw it, Maker. That seems like a good one, creator could be too impactful, but making things, that surely would lead to craft skills! She scanned further down the list, there were several intriguing options, but Jenny was wary of anything that could lead to unforeseen difficulties. She nodded and reached up to try and tap on Maker but nothing happened. Voice activated perhaps? She thought. ¡°Maker¡± she said softly, ¡°I choose Maker.¡± FIRST TITLE MAKER, PLEASE CONFIRM. ¡°Yes, Maker.¡± CONFIRMED. CHOOSE SECOND TITLE. TITLES CAN BE FILTERED. ¡°Oh, that is helpful¡± muttered Jenny as a new wall of text appeared in front of her. ¡°Filter all craft related occupations please.¡± She was very surprised to see a single word appear in front of her. Crafter. Well, I suppose that makes that choice easier thought Jenny. I suppose you can get specific in the skills section. Hey, it works for me! ¡°I choose Crafter¡± she declared. SECOND TITLE CRAFTER, PLEASE CONFIRM. ¡°Yes, Crafter.¡± CONFIRMED. CHOOSE THIRD TITLE. The list was shorter this time. Various kinds of Mage, Elementalists, Summoners, even Necromancer was an option. Ok, so this is where it gets tricky Jenny frowned at the list. Everything seemed potentially dangerous. I could pick healer, but since the bitchy orb said that was an option that makes it much less appealing to me. She pondered. Druid? That would be nature magic I suppose. Or some kind of animal magic. Ugh, I really don¡¯t want to be drafted into some kind of war, and any of these powers could be used like that. She stared at her options, growing increasingly annoyed. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t met that orb, I would be so excited to try one of these. Maybe Healer, or Elementalist. But now I am so loath to choose something that could be used against me...¡± she trailed off, glaring at the list. She read through it a few times. Ok it has to be generalist. That must be the least interesting option, I don¡¯t see what else I can choose. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Generalist¡± Jenny said sullenly. THIRD TITLE GENERALIST, PLEASE CONFIRM. ¡°Generalist.¡± CONFIRMED. MAKER, CRAFTER, GENERALIST CONFIRMED. ASSIGN ATTRIBUTES. YOU HAVE TEN ADDITIONAL POINTS TO ASSIGN.
STRENGTH 10
INTELLIGENCE 10
DEXTERITY 10
CHARISMA 10
LUCK 10
Ooh now it¡¯s getting good! Thought Jenny. I wonder what the average is. Is it normal to start at ten points or is this already boosted? They are all important traits. I need dexterity and strength for crafting, along with intelligence. Luck is always good. Charisma is mostly irrelevant for me, so I¡¯ll ignore that one. Two to each of the others? Then maybe the last two to intelligence? Or luck? But how do you quantify luck? Lucky for who? Me hopefully, but still¡­ Jenny stared at the list as she tried to guess what distribution would serve her best in her new life. ¡°Four points to luck.¡± She decided. ¡°Two points to strength, intelligence and dexterity¡± She finished. Hoping her stats would keep her safe. The numbers on the screen changed accordingly. PLEASE CONFIRM ATTRIBUTES. ¡°I confirm¡± CONFIRMED YOU WILL NOW CHOOSE SKILLS ACCORDING TO YOUR SECOND AND THIRD TITLES. YOU WILL CHOOSE A TOTAL OF SIX SKILLS AT THIS POINT. AT LEAST TWO SKILLS FOR EACH TITLE. SHOWING ALL RELEVANT SKILLS. Once again the wall was filled with options and Jenny took a step back to try and take them all in. ¡°Filter skills for Generalist¡± she requested. The list halved. Two of these to start with. Let¡¯s see what we have. I don¡¯t want anything too powerful or flashy, but it would be good to get something useful here. She went through the list carefully, there were many options that seemed powerful, each specific element was listed, along with animal taming, summoning, cleansing and battle magic. I don¡¯t want these she thought, searching the list further, Aha! Appraise, I¡¯ve seen that in books, that always ends up being useful. I¡¯ll definitely take that one. Now time to find my second option. Jenny was tempted by several of the options on the list but restrained herself. Daily magic. That will hopefully cover the basics. Daily magic and Appraise, I¡¯m happy with those. They seem a bit boring, but I¡¯d rather be safe and inconspicuous. ¡°Filter skills for Crafter¡± The list changed and Jenny smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. Ok so I want everything on the wall. But I can choose up to four of them that¡¯s still awesome! Ok immediate frontrunners, woodwork, metalwork, artist. I¡¯m not sure about the sewing options, I never really managed to finish my sewing projects at home, but maybe a general needlework skill would be worth having, if nothing else I could make my own clothes. Hmm Stonemason? Architect? Blacksmith? Also very interesting. I never got to try those before, maybe this is my chance! Wild Crafter? I wonder what that could be. Mage Crafts is going to be a definite no for me. Same with Rune Craft and Body Craft. Culinary crafts, is that cooking or making pots and pans, how strange! Some of these skills are much more specific than others. Presumably jewellery making and blacksmithing both come under metal working even though they are also listed as separate skills. Jenny was bouncing on her toes in excitement, overwhelmed by all the delights on offer. ¡°Ok I¡¯ve got it¡± She declared. ¡°Daily Magic, Appraise, Woodwork, Metalwork, Artist, Needlework. CONFIRM SKILLS; DAILY MAGIC, APPRAISE, WOODWORK, METALWORK, ARTIST, NEEDLEWORK. ¡°Confirmed¡± Replied Jenny, grinning. YOU WILL CHOOSE YOUR RACE AND APPEARANCE. A list of species appeared on the screen, each one accompanied by a small picture of Jenny as that species. The majority were at least half human, the other races being elf, dwarf, beastkin, dryad, merfolk, and demon. She was drawn to the demi beastkin, smiling at the idea of having fluffy ears and a tail. But eventually she decided. ¡°Demi Dryad¡± she said. The other options vanished from the screen, and she was left looking at herself as a half dryad. Her appearance didn¡¯t change much, she was the same height and had the same shape. Her curly hair had slightly darkened to a chestnut brown and her eyes had changed from blue to a beautiful emerald green. Jenny pulled a face and laughed at her new self as it copied her. CONFIRM RACE, DEMI DRYAD. ¡°Yes, I choose Demi Dryad¡± DO YOU WISH TO MAKE ANY ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO YOUR APPEARANCE? Jenny frowned at her reflection, remembering a lifetime of insecurities. She¡¯d always been tall and sturdy. And although as an adult she had managed to let go of a few of her issues, she was only human. I could change, she thought to herself, make myself smaller and slimmer, with a straighter nose. Ditch the freckles and the knobbly knees. Have glowing skin and silky hair. She looked doubtfully down at her body, still wrapped in the sheet, and then back up to her reflection. Her hair looked shiny and healthy, she looked strong and well. She liked her freckles and her nose had character. I feel like me, she thought, I think that¡¯s important. Everything is changing, I don¡¯t want my reflection to be a stranger too. ¡°No I don¡¯t¡± She responded, shocked at her own assurance. FINAL CONFIRMATION RACE DEMI DRYAD TITLES MAKER CRAFTER GENERALIST SKILLS APPRAISE DAILY MAGIC ARTIST METALWORK NEEDLEWORK WOODWORK ATTRIBUTES
STRENGTH 12
INTELLIGENCE 12
DEXTERITY 12
CHARISMA 10
LUCK 14
¡°Yes I confirm.¡± CONFIRMED Everything went dark.