Birds sing me awake. The songs enter my dream. Confusion, I thought that the birds were gone. Light filters through my eye lids. Blinking my eyes open, I see a bright blue sky. Small clouds float high in the sky.
I look to my right and see that I am lying on a stone floor with marble walls surrounding me. The wall in front of me is covered with symbols that could be writing. The surface of the marble shimmers, almost like it is flowing. As I try to concentrate on the symbols, an itching builds in the back on my head. Before I can think more on this, I hear a moan from my left.
Setting up. I turn to see Todd rubbing his eyes. "Man did that suck. My head is killing me. OW, why is my hand burning?"
"Dude. Forget your hand. Look at your arm." Before my eyes, Todd's bicep is swelling. I scoot away as Todd begins to inflate. "What the hell?" Todd stares at his arm. The muscle bulges. His pecs stretch the fabric of is shirt. A pop draws my eye to his pants. The seams are beginning to give.
Todd has always been buff. He stands a few inches over six feet and usually weighs in the two twenty range. Buff, but not bloated.
But now Todd looks like the cover of a barbarian novel. Todd stands and flexes, "This is, wow, this is cool. And better, I stopped hurting. I wonder if I am stronger?"
We look around the room we are in and see nothing. There are four walls, one door and no roof. All four walls are covered with the strange symbols. Seeing nothing else, Todd approaches me. "Hang on." And lifts me by my armpits, like I weigh nothing.
"OK, put me down. I am not a free weight." I am uncomfortable, not at him lifting me, but by how easy he did. I bet he could lift a car.
"OK, you are strong, but that is not what is most important." Todd looks at me like I am crazy. "Where are we, and how did we get here?"
"Ya, I was smoking, then the sky flashed, and...." He wrinkles his brow. "Your dad grabbed us and brought us here. I think it was him, you started to fall away. When I couldn't reach you, dad grabbed both of us and led us here. At least if felt like dad. You know how he would put his hand on your shoulder and look at you like he couldn't be prouder? That I s what I felt."
"Ya, I know that look. But I don't remember anything after starting to fall. Well. I remember a warm feeling.""
"Maybe you pulled the full helpless maiden and fainted. Oh Todd, help me, I am so helpless. I need a strong man to take care of me. I am only a nerd." A superhero pose follows.
Not to be outdone, I swoon. Sobering, "I guess that means that dad did die, and we are here. Where is here?" The door catches my eye. "Guess we can do the obvious and try the door."
Before I can grasp the handle, a pain shoots up my spine and into my head. Heat begins in my toes and fingers. My heart thumps once super hart and stops.
Every nerve in my body explodes. Fire becomes my life.
"SEE"
That one word invades my being. I forget about the pain. The only thing I know is the word "see".
I come too on my knees. The pain has left as fast as it came. I stay on my knees as the sensation passes.
"Jon, what was that? You stiffened, then fell down." Todd reaches to me.
"Pain suddenly hit me, then went away. Like I was on fire for two seconds." I open my eyes and look at Todd.
"WHAT THE?"
Hovering over Todd's head is:
I blink twice.
I rub my eyes.
I shake my head.
I feel stupid, this is what every anime character does when seeing something new.
"Todd, do you see anything above your head?"
Todd looks up. "No, what's up there? I just see clouds"
I reach up and my hand passed through the hovering text. "It says your name and human hero. The words are just floating there."
"Like one of those games you play? Dude, since I turned into a stud, maybe you will turn into a chic."
"Ya, just like that. Hero? Must be why you swelled up like a superman. I had better not turn into a maiden. Now." I concentrate on the name and the text changes.
"Huh, I think we are in a place called Dantellia, I can see a bio for you. Apparently, you are very caring. How sweet. Stay still. I wanna look at the hero title." I read out loud.
"Well, I guess it's official, I got to save the world. First things first, let's get out of here. Try the door." At Todd's suggestion, I grab the door handle.
I know that I am not super buff, but still, I should be able to open a door, the door doesn't budge. Maybe it is locked from the outside? I see no lock, or even a latch on this side.
"Watch out little man!" Todd strides to the door, grasping the handle, he puts his weight into the pull. With a snap, the handle flies off.
"Now ya done it. Even if you are a super stud, that door looked solid." I know Todd very well, this will only serve as a challenge. With a smile that melted the hearts of a thousand girls, Todd roars. A fist strikes the door.
The door explodes off the hinges and flies away from the wall. A wet squish sound can be heard as it flies away. A tree stops the flying wooden door.
The view outside the door is green. Lush grass lays in the few yards between the building and the tree line. The scene can only be described as picturesque. If I were to guess, it would have to be early spring.
Shock freezes us as we see that the door lies on top of a body. No text appears above the body, from where we stand, all we can see are the bottoms of the feet. Before we can react, a figure runs from just outside of our sight to the right of the door. It rushes to the figure and pushes the door to the side.
The figure is about Todd's height. A tail hangs to the ground. The pointed snout speaks to the downed figure. I cannot make out what is being said. I decide to read his name.
As I watch the lizard-kin speak rapidly, I take in more details. The exposed body is covered by scales of green fading to a tan. Thin hair the color of moss grows from the scalp. Long thin fingers ending in claws frantically try to wake the downed figure. Leather armor stops at the arm and is covered in intricate scroll work. The legs are uncovered, with just a loincloth covering the midsection. A long spear lays on the ground, where Malfor dropped it.
"Oh crap, what in the hell is that?" Todd stands dumbfounded. The appearance of the lizard-kin is as shocking as the super strength. "Uh, dude, I'm really sorry..."
A golden glow begins to emit from Malfor's hand. He holds the hand of the downed figure for a few heart beats. Bowing his head, he gently places the hand on the figure's chest. Malfor spins, scooping up the spear and launches himself at Todd. I am to close for my comfort. I dive aside as the spear impacts Todd in the chest. The Lizardkin lets loose a deep cry as he stabs Todd.
"NO!" Frantically I crawl to Todd. He just stands and stares at his chest.
The spear drops to the ground. The bent blade is smudged with the faintest bit of blood. Astonished the Lizardkin jumps back, speaking more in the unknown dialect. I see what he sees, Todd barely has a scratch.
Todd feels his chest and looks at his hand. "DUDE!! Did you see that? I have skin of steel." I might be a little jealous.
"Maybe it is because you are the hero?" As I respond to Todd, I catch movement from the corner of my eye. I tap Todd's leg. "To the right."
We see two beautiful women exit the tree line. The first is covered in heavy metal armor, and almost as tall as Todd. A bloody long sword tightly gripped in her hand. Long brown hair hangs past her shoulder. The armor is clearly old and very worn, but well maintained. Light tan shirt and breeches are under the armor. The bright blue eyes scrutinize us from a strong brow, as she approaches. Her demeanor screams dangerous.
The limping, second girl is very small. At least a foot shorter than her companion. Sharp features glare at me and Todd. The fine light brown hair is braided around her head. Unadorned brown robes are tearing around her right leg. In her hand is a long staff. The gaze is so intense, I feel I can see electricity in her light brown eyes.
The paladin approaches us as Darcelia slowly makes her way to Malfor. Unintelligible words come from Alexus. She is pointing at the downed body speaking harshly. She whirls to us. The sword held at the ready. "^&*@ 6r&^ @!#%% *^$&" She takes a step in our direction.
"Whoa, whoa, hold up. We didn't know he was behind the door." Todd holds up his hands as he tries to reason with the paladin.
She stops and pulls her pack from her back. Reaching in, she pulls out a scroll. "%#^&* T#^&$ *(&^# &#$%^& &%$$" The scroll dissolves into white light, and a warm tingle emanates from my chest.
"Now you can understand me." Alexus voice snaps. "Why did you kill our comrade?"
"Wait, how was I to know he was behind the door, the handle broke, so I knocked it down." Todd responds quickly.
"How can someone break an ironwood door with just bare hands?" Her eyes are drilling holes into Todd. "Speak the truth!" She turns to me.
"Todd punched it, and since he is the hero, he is strong enough to obliterate it." CRAP!! I didn't want to say that. We shouldn't go around telling everyone Todd is the hero.
"Todd, what an unusual name. And you are?" Her gaze drills into me. I feel weak to her wrath.
"I am Jon, I'm not a hero I am..." What am I?
lvl 1 Job: Porter
Experience:0 Age: 22
HP:9/9 Spouse: none
MP:12/12 Children: 0
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 9
Vitality: 9
Intelligence: 12
Charisma: 9
Skills:
Analyze
Leveling
Storage-small (200 pounds)
Electrical Engineering-70/100
Cooking- 20/100
...
With a sigh, "I'm just his porter." I will have to check this out more later. "So, I take it that was a magic scroll?"
"Yes, we were informed that the hero would be appearing, so I brought one. It is known that the hero does not speak our language. I did not know that the hero would be accompanied by a useless follower. Do you provide other services beside carrying the hero's equipment?"
"She totally just asked if you are my bitch." Todd begins to laugh so hard he must bend over.
"No, I am just his brother. I didn't get to be the hero." My cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"You kill one of our companions, and you dare laugh." Darcelia stalks up to Todd. The rage emanating from her is uncomfortable.
"I, uh, sorry." His whole body droops. "It was an accident. I always make inappropriate jokes and laugh at the wrong time. This hero thing is new to me. I didn't know how strong I got. What is his name?" Shame replaces the smile. He approaches the body. The realization that he killed someone grows.
"Drag. He was our woodsman. He helped guide us through the cursed woods. We actually did not know him for long. We hired him to lead us here. His village is close by." Alexus answers, then begins to walk to the body. Malfor steps back and kneels.
"Since you are here, you will join us in sending the soul on." The look on our faces made her pause. "It we do not send the soul, he will rise after dark, as a dark shade. I do not want him to have to die twice in one day."
Darcelia leads me to Drag's body and has us kneel with the others. Moving next to Alexus, Darcelia kneels and bows her head.
"Before that, I need to fix your leg. The goblin spear pierced deep." Alex touches the injured leg of Darcelia, and golden light emits. The wound closes, and the skin smooths out.
Satisfied, Alexus begins to chant. A glow surrounds Drag.
As Alexus chants, I begin to think about the lines on my status. The one most intriguing is,
Whoa, that is strong. I may not be as strong as Todd now, but wait. One day I will catch him.
I am about to close my sheet when
The porter also has access to the storage. Storage is a sub space within the body. The storage will grow with the porter> Now that is cool. I concentrate on storage and I can feel it open. Currently there is only a scrap of paper. I remove it and in English, I read: Good luck! I'm rooting for you! D Well, at least someone is. The chant ends, and I close my sheet. When I get the chance, I will have to look at everyone's stats. I open my eyes to see a faint ball of shimmering colors rise from Brag's forehead. After a second it is gone. "It is done. I could have just cast the spell, but I felt that the traditional prayer was appropriate. Thank you all. Since it is too far back to the river, we shall stay inside this hut. I can protect a building of this size. I suggest we eat and relieve ourselves before dark. I feel the Darkness will rise tonight." "Let them come. I will give them rest!" Malfor speaks where we can understand for the first time. He looks at me, "Come, we will find game for dinner." He reaches to his waist and pulls a sheathed dagger. Tossing it to me, "Use this. You can't die yet. You are supposed to save us." He turns and walks to the tree line. "Be careful, Jon. You aren't the hero." Todd cheerfully jeers me. "Don't look so happy, you get to help me find wood to start a cooking fire." Darcelia, grins wickedly. Scary thoughts race through my mind, as I follow Malfor. I hope he isn't planning to kill me. Malfor walks a very steady pace. Trees seem to move out of his path but impede me. He does not wear anything on his feet, resulting in less noise. I am in my sneakers, but I seem to be making a lot of sound. "You, human, are making too much noise. We will never find game." "Sorry, I have not spent much time in the woods. I will try harder." I concentrate harder on where I step. I am staring really hard at my feet, when I run into Malfor. He has come to a stop, suddenly. motioning to stay quiet, he slips through a briar thicket. I do not see a way to walk through, so I crawl. As my head pokes through the leaves, I see three huge wolves. The dark gray fur seems to drink in the light. As the animals rise their snouts and sniff the air, I see the ivory teeth. The canine teeth on the largest one is at least six inches long. Claws dig into the earth, as they paw in anticipation. They know we are close. Malfor crouches behind a nearby tree. Somehow, he moved without being seen. Raising the spear, he glances at me, then launches at the pack. I take the hint and spring to my feet. The closest one is focused on Malfor. I sprint, and lunge at the wolf. My blade misses at the last second, as the wolf senses my approach. The stumble that follows is all that saves my life. A snapping jaw appears in the space my head occupied a second before. I hit the ground and use the momentum to roll to my feet. I had to use this many times to avoid being tackled by Todd. Feeling movement behind me, I swing the dagger in an arc backwards. A glancing blow scratches the beast's side. The hide is tough. I spin and square up with the wolf. In the corner of my eye, I see Malfor weaving between the other two wolves. I really hope he is a good fighter. Before I can finish my thought, my opponent leaps at me. Closing my eyes and thrusting out my arm, I feel the impact. I roll to the ground and kick up. The wolf is flipped, and flies past me, taking my dagger with it. Getting to my feet takes effort. I took the fall hard. The wolf, stands and faces me. I do not see the dagger anywhere. My mind is racing. How am I going to kill this beast with no weapon? Visions of survival movies play in my mind. Todd loves movies about man versus nature. As I begin to form a plan, I see Malfor stab the smaller of the two wolves he is facing. As he does, the alpha leaps. As if taking a cue, my foe charges. It is a slow charger, when compared to the start of the fight. The beast is in a lot of pain. Even though I am not very strong in the upper body, I do have good legs. As the injured wolf approaches, I leap. Teeth snap close to my face, a tooth slides along my cheek, leaving a gash. My arm wraps around the furry neck, I throw myself away from the wolf, throwing it off balance, and landing on top of me. Will all the strength I have, I squeeze. The wolf thrashes, but I am able to avoid all of the sharp parts. We lay in a death match for several minutes, long enough to hear that the other battle is over. I really hope Malfor won. If not, the alpha will easily finish me off. The wolf finally stops fighting. I can feel the heart stop beating. I relax my hands and lay back. I won. The dead animal pins me to the ground. I hear no sound from the other combatants. The wolf on me must weigh two hundred pounds, or more. Might as will look at my sheet, while I wait to see if death is going to find me. lvl 1 Job: Porter Experience:20/100 Age: 22 HP:2/10 Spouse: none MP:12/12 Children: 0 Well, at that rate I will level up with four more wolves. I lay under the dead beast, trying to think of a way out, I hear footsteps. It must be Malfor, it sounds like two feet. A head pops over the body of the dead wolf. "At least you survived. Push this off, and we will prepare one of these for cooking. We will also pull the fangs. Dire wolf fangs are used in alchemy. We can sell them when we get to a big enough village." With Malfor's help, I get out from under the wolf. It takes almost a few minutes to prepare the alpha to carry back. I could probably use the storage, but I don't feel like it is the time to reveal it. With the wolf between us on a pole, and wolf fangs in our pockets, we make our way back to the marble building. A short way from the way, a camp fire burns. Tending the fire is a dwarf. I need to take time to look everyone over. The stats page is calling to my gamer sense. For now, I am introduced to Dolan, and I help prepare the food, Skinning and breaking down the wolf takes most of an hour. By the time we are finished, Todd and the girls return. Loaded in their arms are herbs and leafy plants. Dinner is meat packed with herbs and wrapped in the leaves. A few fruits were also found. By the time we finish eating, the sun is close to the horizon. "Please, everyone, get inside the building. I am going to prepare a barrier for the night." Alexus takes four stakes from her pack. Holding the stakes to her chest, Alexus begins a chant. White light begins to emanate from the stakes. When the glow fades, Alexus places one in each corner of the building. A shimmering wall connects the stakes. "The barrier will last for eight hours. Please rest while we can." Todd is mesmerized by the barrier, "What kinds of things do we need to watch for? If it is just more wolves like Jon and the lizard found, I can take them." This gets a sharp look from Malfor. Darcelia chuckles dryly, "The wolves will be hiding by now. The true threats from the curse wood will be appearing soon." "Let's see how you fight an enemy that has no physical body. Your fist will slip right through a mana shade. They rise from ground that has not been properly cleansed after a battle. You may not be able to see, but the land we are currently occupying was one the scene of a bloody battle. The hero of legend defeated the Dark King. Even after so long, the dark energies still reside in the ground." Malfor sneers the explanation, then digs out a blanket. Turning away from the group, he lays down and prepares for sleep. "Malfor has had much taken from him by the Dark. He is not wrong. Since the mana has thinned over the years, the shades should be the worst thing to rise. If the mana was thicker, we might have to defend ourselves against solid creatures." The edge in Darcelia's words has dulled. She seems more like a teacher now. "The reason I had to purify Brag, was that his spirit would have been entwined with the dark energies. Since he was killed today, his spirit would have been strong enough to cross the barrier. We would have had to kill him again, destroying his soul. He would not have found the afterlife." Alexus begins to build a small fire in the middle of the building. "Um..." I trail off. "Alex, just call me Alex. We haven't really had a chance to introduce ourselves properly. I am a paladin of the nameless gods. The lizardkin is Malfor. Darcelia is our elemental mage, she specialized in electricity. And Dolan is a dwarf." "Just a dwarf? I am more than just a dwarf." before he can explain further, a shriek cuts the night air. "Ah, they are here. If you wish to see, step to the door. The shades should be here soon. Holy barriers call to them." Todd fills the doorway, I squeeze in so I can also see. Since the moon is out, the trees are visible. Even though the coals from the fire are still hot, the glow is muted, like something is holding the light back. The trees begin to lose definition. There is enough light, that I should be able to see details, but I see just vague outlines. The ground has also lost any detail. "It's like something is sucking all the light from everything." Todd is mesmerized. I can only nod. I reach out, through the barrier. A buzzing runs along my arm. The air seems colder than it should be. "Careful, the shades do not like to get to close, but they can get brave." Darcelia has moved closer to us. "I don't see anything...THERE!" Todd gets excited. A hazy form has separated from the tree line. Hovering a few inches above the ground, it drifts our way. A Mana Shade attacks by draining Constitution. I person killed by this way has a 25% of immediately returning as an undead.> "Well, they have as much health as I do. If I had magic, I would say we could kill it. The thing has 95% resistance to physical attacks." Darcelia cocks her head. "How do you know that?" "He can see the bio of people. If you see him staring at you, he is either looking at your stats, or checking out your chest." I smack Todd as he grins. Darcelia recoils. "Don't worry, I would not check you out without asking first." Turning back to the shade. I consider again, "Todd, I bet you could take that thing easily. Wanna try?" "Hell ya!" With that he leaps out of the door, I follow closely behind. "Wait you two., Even weak shades are dangerous." Dolan warns, then chuckles. "Young ones never listen. At least this will be a good test to see if he is the hero." The shade senses us and accelerates at us. I pull my dagger, "Let me hit first, you will probably kill it with one punch." Reaching the shade, I swing through it. I feel extremely cold rushing up my arm. The shade seems to latch on, and I feel a weakness spread through my body. Todd grabs my collar and pulls me back, I stumble behind him. With a thump, I land on my butt. "My turn." Todd swings a massing fist. The arc blurs the air. I notice that Todd's fist has a faint red glow. The shade evaporates as Todd's fist slices through. "That was anticlimactic." Thinking about the red glow, I stare at Todd. "Hold still for a second." Maybe if I concentrate on his name. lvl NA Job: Hero Experience:0 Age: 22 HP:1500 Spouse: none MP:NA Children: 1 (Boy) Strength: 48 Dexterity: 32 Vitality: 47 Intelligence: 10 Charisma: 45 Skills: Weapon Mastery: All Armor Mastery All Mighty Blow Mighty Throw Battlefield Command: Inactive Battlefield Strategist Cooking: 10/100 Mathematician: 60/100 … Wow, no wonder. The shade didn't stand a chance. Mighty Blow, what is that. I read the explanation out loud. " I guess the combination of his strength and the magic bonus from the mighty fist, is kind of unfair. Todd could probably take on hundreds of these things. I look again at his sheet, no experience total. Does that mean he doesn't level up like me? I quickly look at my own stats. Either these things provide no XP, or Todd destroying it, took all the XP. Probably a little of both. Maybe I should suggest we go hunting these things. Na, I can't do much to them. I'd just get myself hurt. "Those things don't seem to strong." Todd is let down. "That was the weakest kind of the dark shades. They just get stronger." Only Dolan can speak. The others are staring. "Now you are talking. Alex, how do we get more to show up?" Todd is getting pumped up. Alex takes the stance of a mother scolding a kid. "You just arrived, today. Leave the fighting to another day. We should only fight when we must. If you find something stronger, I might use all my mana to heal you and the barrier will fall. You may have an easy time with the low shade, but others without innate magic, will not." "Ya, your right. It is getting late, probably should hit the sack." Todd, looks down, but I know that he does not want to endanger anyone. Snores fill the building. The marble walls are only about twelve feet each. The floor is kind of crowded. I think I am the only one awake. As silently as I can, I slip out of the door. I sneak a peek at the two beautiful ladies. Now that the rush has started to dwindle, dreams born from hours of games has started to creep into my head. I softly chuckle, time to creep later. Hesitating, to search the nearby area, I slowly creep to the tree line. After listening for a few seconds, I relieve myself. After all, it has been a whole world since I have had a chance. Apparently, everyone took care of the necessities while I was hunting. A low rustle brings me out of my thoughts. I step back and reach for my dagger. "No need for your weapon." Darcelia steps from behind me. "If I had known you needed to visit the trees, I would have accompanied you. It is dangerous out here, after all." "Oh, crap. SORRY, I thought I was alone." I fumble with my clothes. My face burns, with embarrassment. "No need to act like that." Darcelia steps behind a tree. She soon heads to the building. "Hey, wait a second." I hurry to her side. "How hard is it to learn magic?" "It takes years of intense training. You think you will be able to learn it overnight? You said yourself, you are not a hero" "No." I feel bad even asking. "But, if I am to be of any help to Todd, I have to get stronger. Can you try to help me?" Darcelia ponders for a few seconds. "I will try to help you start. I do not expect much, but so be it." Dacelia has me sit a few feet from the building. "Do you recall the feeling that got when you touched the barrier?" Clenching my fist, I bring then memory to mind. The tingle, that resembles electricity, that made the hairs on my body stand up. "I got it." "Dig deep down in your core. Find that. The mana inside of you is the raw version of the barrier. You need to grasp the mana and bring it out. When you can do this, you can bend it to your will." Reaching deep in myself, I try to imagine a ball of energy. The constantly shifting mass of energy pulses and changes colors. I apply pressure to the mass and will it out of my core. How would the mana coalesce? Would I be able to throw fire. Will I be able to freeze my enemies? Electricity to zap the bad guys would be cool, too. The writhing mass reaches my shoulder and begins to move down my arm. I hold out my hand and wait for the mana to emerge. Anticipation makes me giddy. The things I will do when I can do this. I feel a hand shake my shoulder. Opening my eyes, I see Darcelia. "You are more tired than you thought. Go back inside and sleep. We will resume training later." She holds out her hand to help me to my feet. There is always tomorrow.