Shade's First Rule

by A F Kay

  Ruwen took the smooth stone from her and ran his thumb over the etched red triangle reverently. He opened his band and carefully placed the stone into his inventory.

  Big D held up the second stone. It had what looked like an ear in the middle of a blue circle.

  “Abilities are different. You need to take this to any statue of the Goddess Uru and press it against your chest. Ask for her blessing, and your ability will be unlocked. The higher-level abilities require elaborate ceremonies. When the color fades, you know it worked.”

  Ruwen carefully took this stone as well. He traced the blue circle and then placed it in his Inventory. While things hadn’t gone as he’d imagined, Ruwen was grateful for the help and power he’d just been given.

  “Thank you, Big D. I’ve waited a long time for this day.”

  She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I can tell you’re disappointed, son. But life has taught me a valuable lesson. Never confuse power with size or silence for acceptance. Everyone underestimates us, dismisses us, and takes us for granted. If you open your eyes, you will see the truth. Change is coming. In fact, it just arrived.”

  Big D laughed and then held out her arm and Ruwen took it.

  “Well met, Ruwen Starfield. Uru has truly blessed the Lodge today.”

  Ruwen didn’t know what Big D had planned and that worried him, but feeling wanted and validated made his chest warm. He had never given Workers a second thought and had in fact been one of the people Big D had just described. But now that he’d been forced into their world, he could see that he’d been wrong.

  “Well met, Big D.”

  She let go of his arm. “See you back here tomorrow morning at seven. Please don’t burn the city down tonight.”

  Chapter 6

  Ruwen exited the Lodge on the north side and crossed the busy street that circled the large building. He glanced at the time above his map and was shocked to see it was almost eleven. A headache had formed, and his stomach felt like he’d swallowed an acrobat. Food carts lined the road each with a painting or chalkboard detailing their options. The city provided food for everyone, but it was basic and bland. Street vendors were common all over the city, but Ruwen rarely went. His family never had a lot of extra money.

  He walked slowly, studying the pictures, his hand clutching his stomach. He opened his band and reached into the top, not wanting to risk the bottom until he had more practice. He removed three coppers and bought a small loaf of bread with pieces of grilled fish stuffed inside.

  As he ate his sandwich, he caught sight of the two Workers he’d seen that morning. He knew it was them because they both still wore their scarves. Odd now that it was warmer. Maybe it was some sort of fashion thing. They were probably finished unloading the wood from this morning and here at the Lodge to find more work. He felt terrible for dismissing them this morning. Now he was one of them.

  With his stomach finally quiet, Ruwen walked toward the library. Later today, he would force himself to face Librarian Tremine and complete his quest, but first, he would go to the park next to the library. The park had a statue of Uru he could use to activate his ability runestone, and there was also a stream. He could learn and the practice his Campfire spell there. The long cooldown of the spell made him sad. He could finally cast a spell and use his Mana, but the only spell he knew had a thirty-minute cooldown.

  As Ruwen walked, he brought up his Profile again. The tabs for Abilities and Spells were still blank. He would fix that as soon as he reached the park. The Skills tab had both his Disguise level one and Deception level two listed. He grinned at seeing the two entries. He cycled back to his Profile and frowned. The description next to Hidden Class, Root, looked a little different. It almost appeared like it could be selected. He focused on it.

  Another display appeared. One Ruwen had never seen in any of the books he’d studied. He strode to the side of the road where he could stand out of the flow of traffic. The display looked like a bigger version of the tree icon he used to access his Profile. The large tree filling his vision had six branches, each forked from the central trunk and ended in one of the six Class symbols.

  The only branch with any color was the first one, a deep brown, and it ended in a pair of clasped hands. Hands were the symbol of the Worker. The next branch ended in a brain, and when he focused on it, the entire branch turned the black of the Mage Class. A notification appeared.

  Root Class: Access to any Branch

  Warning: Choice is permanently bound to current body!

  Do you wish to assign Root to Mage?

  Yes or No

  Ruwen stared at the notification. He read it three more times and then carefully selected No. His mind had gone numb. Hope had surged in him, but he wanted to make sure he understood what was happening. He had never read or heard of anything like what he was seeing. He didn’t want to make a mistake.

  He focused on the next branch, which ended in a pair of eyes. The green color matched that of the Observer. Ruwen received the same notification as before. But this time he could assign Root to Observer.

  The next branch turned white and ended in the Order Class’s heart symbol. The Fighter’s symbol was a body with a shield for a head and swords for arms, all the color blue. The last was a mouth, the Merchant Class, the whole branch red. Each gave him the same notification. Only the assignment of his Root Class differed.

  It appeared to Ruwen like he could choose to be any Class. He closed his eyes and took ten deep breaths to try and calm himself. He had experienced so much disappointment today he wanted to be sure. He couldn’t bear if this were some mistake because his revival happened too quickly or some other stupid reason.

  He accessed his log and went back to when he had accepted the quest that had unlocked this class. He reread the log entries:

  Ting!

  You have received Uru’s quest…

  The Strongest Part of a Tree

  Whether it is a tree, a building, or a nation, the foundation is critical for long term stability. The strongest foundations are hidden from sight. Goddess Uru has taken an interest in you and offered you a second Class.

  Beware: Friends and foes alike will resent this blessing and strive to permanently remove you from the world. Secrecy is your only safety.

  Beware: This Class obligates you to perform quests for the Goddess Uru, failure of which will result in serious consequences.

  Beware: The strength of this Class comes at a high cost.

  Reward: Root Class (Hidden)

  Accept or Decline

  He closed the log. What did “the strength of this Class comes at a high cost” mean exactly? And being permanently killed for having this seemed extreme. If he could choose a second Class, though, then there was only one choice. It is what he would’ve chosen this morning if he’d had the chance.

  He studied the tree one last time and noticed what looked to be symbols below the roots. They were faint, and Ruwen couldn’t make them out. He tried selecting them, but nothing happened.

  Ruwen focused on the Mage branch, and the notification appeared. This time he chose Yes. He held still, not sure what to expect. His heart beat loudly in his ears, but nothing dramatic happened. The only thing that seemed to have changed was now two branches were colored: the brown of the Worker and the black of the Mage.

  He closed the Root popup, and just his Profile remained open. The only thing that had changed here was his Hidden Class now had a descriptor: Root (Mage).

  Did that mean he was a Mage now? If it did, how was he going to get spells? The quest text clearly warned against letting anyone know. He needed more information. Ruwen eased back into the flow of people and headed toward the park. But this time he set a brisk pace.

  By the time he reached the park, he had figured out an initial plan. As much as he wanted to start researching what his Hidden Class meant, he needed to take care of a more practical problem. How was he going to learn Mage spells if he wasn’t part of the Mage Guild? He hoped the librar
y might have some resources, but he couldn’t count on it. The only thing he could think of was learning by mimicking what he observed. Starting tomorrow, he would be around Mages, and he might be able to watch them practice.

  The problem was he didn’t know if that was viable. He decided not to use the runestones Big D had given him. Instead, he would try to learn them from just their symbols. If he could learn his Worker ones that way, he might be able to learn his Mage spells the same way. Assuming he really was a Mage.

  The park was ringed by large maple trees, and he quickly moved toward the stream and the shrine that sat near it. The priests said Uru liked to be near water, so it made sense they had built it there. The statue of Uru was only a couple feet high and sat on a pedestal. The entire thing barely came to his shoulders. The statue had been carved from white marble, but the elements and dirt had turned it brown. It didn’t look much like the young woman he’d seen during his Ascendancy.

  He walked to the stream, opened his inventory, and removed the priest’s robe. Kneeling on the bank, he soaked the robe in the stream and then returned to the statue. He spent the next few minutes cleaning the marble figure. It felt fitting to use the priest's robe. He repeated the process a few times until Uru gleamed white again. He rinsed the dirt out of the robe as best he could and then placed it back in his bag.

  There were no benches or chairs, so he just sat cross-legged on the ground. He had a lot of questions for the goddess, but they would have to wait until the next time he saw her. Which would probably be when he died again. Since that wouldn’t be for a very long time, he hoped, he would just have to live with not knowing.

  He heard the distant laughter of children as they played in the park, but pine trees grew in a large ring around the shrine, and he couldn’t see them. The smell of the pines mingled with the heavy scent of the soil. A handful of aspen trees stood like guardians directly around the shrine, and three large maple trees scattered the afternoon light. A breeze rustled the maple branches above him, and for the first time that day, he relaxed. The gurgling stream behind him sounded like a lullaby. Yes, this had been a great place to put a shrine.

  He opened his Void Band and removed the runestones. He quickly closed the band to preserve his Energy. Placing the stones on the ground in front of him, he leaned down and studied them.

  Since he was sitting in front of Uru, he decided to try the ability runestone first. He picked up the small stone and ran his thumb over the blue circle and etched ear. His heartbeat raced. Sitting up straight, he lifted the runestone into the air like an offering to the statue.

  “Thank you for this blessing, Uru. May the words I hear with it make me a better servant.”

  Then he closed his eyes and pictured himself pressing the stone to his chest while keeping it in his outstretched hands.

  Nothing happened. He opened one eye and looked at the runestone. The blue circle around the etched ear remained. He rubbed the stone with his thumb as he thought about what to do. Maybe it was more than just pushing it against his chest but what that represented.

  He closed his eyes again and pictured himself pressing the stone against his chest. But this time, he imagined the symbol floating off the runestone and entering his body.

  His skin prickled and a sharp pain erupted in his mind. But in a heartbeat, it disappeared, and only the echo of the pain remained. He looked down at the runestone, and his shoulders slumped. The rune had kept its color. It hadn’t worked.

  A notification appeared.

  Ping!

  You have learned the Ability Hey You (Worker Level 1)

  Ability: Hey You

  Level: 1

  Class: Worker

  Effect: Understand basic commands and terms in any language.

  Type: Self

  So, it looked like he had learned the ability. He hadn’t actually used the runestone, so it made sense that it remained active. Here in the park, though, there was no way to test it for sure. He would probably have to go to the Trading Hall and see if he could find some foreigners. Or he could ask Tremine at the library. The head librarian knew a lot of languages. Ruwen wasn’t looking forward to how disappointed Tremine would be that Ruwen had Ascended to a Worker.

  His feeling mixed, he placed the runestone back on the ground and picked up the Campfire runestone. The red triangle seemed like a warning.

  Lifting the stone toward Uru, he repeated his thanks.

  “Thank you for this blessing, Uru. May those that warm themselves around this fire serve your needs.”

  It was much easier to be humble when you had just met the goddess responsible for your power.

  Using his newfound process, he closed his eyes and imagined the red triangle floating off the stone and entering his forehead. He pictured his mind splitting open, the red triangle entering, and his mind closing around it like a trap.

  His mind erupted in flames, the inside of his skull burning hot, but before he could even move, the sensation disappeared. Looking down at the runestone, he confirmed the lines of the triangle were still red. Just like the ability stone, it had kept its power. A new notification appeared.

  Bing!

  You have learned the Spell Campfire (Worker Level 1)

  Spell: Campfire

  Level: 1

  Class: Worker

  Effect: Create small magical campfire. Adds 5% to Energy, Mana, and Health Regeneration to all within 3 yards.

  Cost: 150 Mana

  Type: Area of Effect

  Casting Time: 5 seconds

  Recovery: 30 minutes

  Duration: 1 hour

  He closed the notification. Campfire was something he could test.

  He placed the two runestones back in his Inventory. The ground was covered in dead leaves, pine needles, and small branches. Standing up, he cleared a six-foot area with his foot in front of the statue. Big D had told him to be cautious, and he didn’t want to burn the entire park down.

  Stepping back, he stared at the brown circle he’d made. Big D had said to picture the symbol of Campfire in his mind and push it to where he wanted it to appear. Taking a deep breath, he filled his mind with the red triangle and then imagined it in the middle of the circle he’d cleared. But nothing happened.

  He rubbed his temples. Had he done something wrong? Was he following Big D’s directions? He thought back to what she’d said. She had also mentioned he might need to trace the symbol in the air until he got used to using it. He didn’t want to do that, though. Mages that had to speak or use gestures to use their magic were considered inferior. Workers probably didn’t care, but he didn’t want to be a weak anything.

  He tried visualizing the triangle again and pushing it into the world, but nothing happened. What was he missing? Pushing it into the world must be more than just visualizing it somewhere. Maybe he needed to add something from himself?

  There were very few books on the actual process of using magic. It seemed that, for most people, it happened at an intuitive level, and they couldn’t explain it. That had bothered him as he liked to understand how everything worked. He remembered reading a book that had talked about the connection between the caster and their magic. It had been a religious book and focused on how that connection symbolized our connection with Uru. It had been a terribly dry read, but maybe the author had given him a clue.

  This time, when he visualized the triangle, he imagined a thread connecting back to his forehead. He felt part of himself flowing down the connection. After a few seconds, power surged down the link, leaving a cold emptiness in his mind. The red triangle on the ground flared brightly.

  The number one hundred fifty flashed on his Mana bar, and it pulsed an angry red. A small square depicting a falling figure appeared under his status bars as the world spun, and he fell to the ground. A two briefly appeared over his Health bar. Ruwen focused on the small square and saw it was a Vertigo debuff, which caused his Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom to be halved.

  A notification filled his vi
sion.

  Critical Alert! Mana pool below 10%!

  He dismissed it and opened his log.

  You have cast Campfire (Worker Level 1) for 150 Mana.

  Critical Alert! Mana pool below 10%!

  You have Vertigo!

  You have struck the ground!

  You have taken 2 damage

  Laying on the ground and too dizzy to move, he noticed a small square campfire at the top his vision and smiled at his first buff. Ruwen focused on the real fire he’d created, and his smile turned into a grin. He had finally cast a spell. He had used magic! His whole body felt warm, and he realized it wasn’t only from his success. Every second, his log was being updated.

  You have regained 8 Mana [(0.25% * 160) + (5% * 160)]

  You have regained 5 Health [(0.20% * 100) + (5% * 100)]

  You have regained 12 Energy [(1% * 200) + (5% * 200)]

  He closed his log, opened his Preferences, and set all notifications to Minimize. At first, everything appearing in front of him had been interesting, but it had become distracting. Now, most prompts or notifications would stay out of his field of view until he wanted to read them.

  The Vertigo debuff disappeared, and he pushed himself to a sitting position. It pleased him how fast his Mana bar refilled while sitting by the fire. The fire gave off warmth but no smoke, and he could faintly hear crackling and smell burning wood. He stretched out his hands, and the closer they got to the flames, the hotter it got. It really did look and feel like a real fire.