Changing World- The Beginning

by Sergei Katz

  You have completed the hidden quest called “Protecting the Nest”. The quest of “Choosing Someone Worthy” is open to you.

  You have completed the quest of “Choosing Someone Worthy”. Your relationship with the “Copper Winged Birds” is one of friendship. To reach the reputation of Trust: (unavailable).

  The Copper Winged Bird will permit you to select him as a Totem or spirit guide. You can have only one creature as a Totem. Consider your decision carefully, as it's impossible to break the connection with the Totem afterwards.

  “Wow! So that was my Quest! I have followed it all the way through without even knowing about it. Regarding the Totem, my decision was quite straightforward already...” — I confirmed my decision without blinking.

  As soon as I confirmed my decision, I felt an unbearable pain in the chest, as if a pattern of some sort had been etched into it with a tip of a blade. Unable to withstand the pain, I passed out. I wasn’t sure for how long I lay unconscious, but during that time, my friendly Copper Wing managed to finish off the two fruits that I had left for him and tidy up the nest site. It was difficult for me to describe exactly what had changed, but the nest definitely looked tidier. Another change awaited me on my palm: the Copper Winged one had placed a teardrop stone in my hand.

  Having found your Totem, you have achieved the reputation of “Close in Spirit” - this achievement gives you the opportunity to learn (unavailable).

  You are the first Newcomer to choose a bird as a Totem, and you have obtained the reputation of “Friend of the Feathered”. Nobody that chooses a bird as a Totem will be able to declare you a “Sworn enemy”. You will have access to unique quests related to birds.

  You can use the power of the Totem while at least one of the representatives of this type of bird remains. Your Totem is a “Copper Winged Falcon”. There is only 1 in this world.

  The power of the Totem will grow, and the bonuses that you receive from it will also grow along with it.

  Your totem is at the “Beginner” level. Current bonuses connected to this Totem are:

  +10% to “Speed”;

  +10% to “Evasion from attacks”.

  “The bird tricked me! He pretended as if he was doing me a favor by allowing me to choose him as a Totem, but the fact is that he needs me more than I need him...”

  You have achieved the reputation of “Worthy of Trust”. The keeper of the teardrop stone has chosen to trust you with the “Teardrop of the forest stone”. This reputation can be improved upon, for that you need to earn the trust of another 10 guardians of relics. Everyone in the world knows that no guardian will just give up what he is protecting.

  +10% increase in the chance of receiving very rare quests.

  I looked at the stone in my hand:

  The relic is a “Teardrop of the forest stone”, and it can be used in many ways.

  Then I received another message:

  For your actions during the quest, your “Intuition” ability has increased: +10% (28%).

  “Now it’s clear to me: if I undertake a hidden quest, my abilities only increase once I finish it, but I wonder why the game’s creators adopted that rule at all. Although this is quite unpleasant, at least it’s possible to work out that you are undertaking a hidden quest. I am also wondering, in what many ways a Relic can be used? Clearly they are all unique and can be used in different ways. So, if I choose a certain course of action, then is it all just guesswork? Obviously, a psychologist of some sorts was involved in this aspect of the game’s creation. You receive a reward, but it comes with a dilemma...” — I pondered to myself.

  After reading all the messages that had come through, I finally took notice of the bird, who had been wandering around impatiently.

  — Are you a male? — I decided to clarify.

  The falcon stopped in front of me and nodded.

  — What are you planning to do now?

  The falcon pretended not to understand the question, and concentrated on cleaning his plumage.

  — As I suspected, I can’t depend on you entirely. I know that you will help me, but only if it’s in your own personal interest. Am I right?

  I didn’t quite know how the Copper Winged bird managed to portray a cheeky grin on his face, but the fact was that he did!

  — What am I supposed to do with you? Now I have to protect you with my own life, when I can’t even protect myself.

  The bird came up and rubbed his head against the sleeve of my shirt. It seemed that I had just heard some words of support, even though the falcon hadn’t made a single sound. Also, I found it most unusual to see a falcon moving on foot, and not using his wings.

  — Okay, I think I need to go back to the original plan and tame the creature from the clearing. Are you ready to leave the nest?

  The falcon nodded confidently.

  — Then let’s go!

  This time the bird shook his head in disagreement.

  — Is there anything else I need to do? — I asked.

  This time there was another positive response.

  — What do I need to do?

  The bird flew to one of the branches and pecked it.

  — Do I need to rip that off and take it with me?

  The Copper Winged bird nodded in agreement.

  — I have room in my bag, so why not take it? The tree is noticeable, and you never know how useful it could be...

  In truth, from the very beginning I wanted to pick some leaves from the tree anyways, because they were so interestingly shaped, but I didn’t want to offend my Totem. Everything had worked out in a completely unexpected way! I carefully cut off the branch with my leaf sword and put it in my bag. The falcon had already flown to the side and pecked at a new one, so I gathered up fifteen branches. Then, with my Totem’s agreement, I collected one hundred and twenty leaves: that was the exact amount that would fit in one compartment of my bag.

  Unfortunately, at this stage I didn’t know the name of the tree, or what I could do with its leaves and branches. When I finished ripping off the parts of the Copper Winged bird’s family tree, I climbed down. Strangely, the corpses of the murdered Werewolves and Osprey had already disappeared, so this time I left empty handed loot wise.

  Looking at the Totem hovering next to me, and making sure that he was really ready to leave, I headed for the Moon glade.

  CHAPTER 10:

  FOREST ETIQUETTE

  At this point, while walking through the forest, I noticed many more details around me: the forest was amazing! How didn’t I notice all of this before? Here and there I came across different creatures: from flying squirrels-like animals to common hedgehogs. I was also able to detect many new unknown plants that I hadn’t noticed before, but unfortunately, ninety-nine percent of them were absolutely useless to me.

  However, I did stumble upon a bush that was covered with berries, which looked like grapes, only they were coral colored with blue veins, and I sensed that these could be useful to me. To tell the truth, the falcon discovered the bush: he shouted out and instantly dived in to help himself to a treat. He began to peck away at everything within reach as fast as he could. Sadly for him, his stomach was small: the bird's eyes showed a mix of a desire to consume more and a disappointment that he was already full.

  The falcon flew towards me, and for a brief time, I was watching as my Totem was flying between the trees as somebody who was very drunk. Finally, he realized that he couldn’t fly properly, but the bush was obviously closer to him than I was. The Copper Winged bird turned back and landed next to it. Then he looked at me hungrily.

  — Are the berries really that delicious? — I asked.

  As I expected, he nodded in affirmative.

  — Let’s see... — I went over to the bush and picked a couple of berries. — Now let’s try some... Wow! They really are delicious! — I tore off a whole bunch.

  The “Chewy Berry”. Used in potions and cooking. It is edible raw. The Chewy Berry is widely used, and they are a particu
lar favorite of almost all birds.

  — Now I get it. Okay, if it’s such a tasty and useful fruit then we'll collect as many as we can, — I promised the falcon.

  Fortunately for my Totem, there were a dozen more of these bushes nearby, and since a single compartment in my bag could hold a hundred and twenty fruits, I filled up three of them. After that, ignoring the pleading looks from the bird, which was ready to live the rest of its life in here, we continued on our way. I threatened it that if the badly-behaved bird didn’t follow me, then I would burn down all the bushes. Looking me in the eyes, the Totem understood what I was telling him, even if he hadn’t quite sobered up yet. Wobbling around unsteadily, he hurried along after me. It was a good thing that the falcon didn’t know that I had never even started a fire in this world, and I wasn’t even sure if I could do it or not.

  Around lunchtime, as I approached another meadow, I thought I could hear the faint sound of running water. It suddenly dawned on me just how thirsty I was! I had survived without water for several days, just like a long-clawed ground squirrel.

  Enchanted by the sound, I followed it to its source, and I found myself by a forest stream. As I studied it a little longer, a name appeared: the “Sparkling River”, although it was more like a stream. My Copper Winged bird was flying above me, so he spotted the little river before I did. He drew my attention to it with a squawk, and he pointed out one of the tree branches.

  — Obviously, you do not want to go there.

  The falcon nodded.

  The river’s name was a perfect choice: the whole river shimmered with different colors and sparkled in the sunlight. Even from a distance I had to cover my eyes with my hand from its reflection, so I wondered what could happen when I got even closer. However, my thirst still drove me to the river. The reflection from it was cutting mercilessly into my eyes, bringing me to tears. I closed my eyes, made a cup from my hands and feeling around, I scooped up a little water. The water was very cold and incredibly tasty.

  You now have the “Surviving Without Water” ability. This achievement is part of rare abilities. You can survive for more than a week merely from the moisture contained in plants and fruits.

  “That’s impressive, but what else does it give me? Also, what other abilities are needed? Of course, I understand what it’s like to live “without food”, but I don’t want to go hungry for no good reason. So, the analogy is that this reward should give me the ability to survive without water for a week!”

  I waited for a while, making sure that there were no harmful side effects from drinking the water. Still keeping my eyes closed, I bent my head down, and began to drink directly from the river. After drinking my fill, I got up and was about to leave. However, my intuition woke up: I was literally pushed back towards the river. I still didn’t understand why this was the case, because I hadn’t learned how to listen to my intuition yet.

  — Okay, whatever you think is the right thing to do!

  I squatted down and, hoping for an enlightenment, started running my hands over the smooth surface of the water. When my hands became accustomed to the cold, I started playing with water, scooping it up and letting it run through my fingers, for the sake of trying something new... Suddenly my hand hit something. I was so surprised that I almost fell into the river.

  —Well, what do we have here? — I carefully extended my hand towards whatever was there, and started feeling around until it came to rest on some sort of a stone.

  My Intuition was ecstatic.

  “This must be some kind of madness! It seems like some kind of animal is living inside me! Maybe I am going mad. It's a good thing that I still remember that I’m actually in a game ...”

  — All right, let’s not worry about all that, — I reassured my intuition. — I get it: we need these stones.

  I began to systematically move my hands along the bottom of the river, collecting the stones. Falling into a rhythm, I switched off my conscious thought, and did everything on instinct. At one point, I held a stone in my hand, but I couldn’t add it to my collection in the bag.

  Your compartment is full!

  “How many stones have I already collected? Not to worry, the main thing is that my bag isn’t overloaded, but if I find something more important, then I'll throw them out,” — I decided.

  All wet and tired, I walked away from the river. My feathered friend was sat calmly on a branch and preening its feathers.

  — You are one lazy bum! You should have been flying around searching for something interesting! — I scolded the bird.

  The falcon pretended not to hear, but looked at me with interest, as if to ask “what’s next then?”

  — Okay, I don’t think we are far from where I want to be. Let’s go. I'll show you a nice meadow.

  As I expected, half an hour later we were at the edge of the lunar meadow, only this time on the opposite side of the large tree, with the Fiddle mushrooms growing on its trunk. I got the impression that this was the only tree in the vicinity that they were growing on.

  Your “Intuition” ability has increased: +1% (29%).

  “That message confirms my suspicion. Now I don’t even need to check it myself. Intuition is a really cool thing. Only I have a suspicion that, thanks to it, I will have many more adventures, and end up falling on my ass many more times ...” Before I had time to contemplate my potentially problematic future, a new message popped up:

  Your “Intuition” has increased: +1% (30%).

  “The developers of the game have quite a sense of humor! Who would have thought? Even the fact that they managed to include such an option makes me want to laugh!” — I chuckled.

  This time the meadow was full of life. Alphiners of all sizes and colors were engaged in amusing themselves: some played with each other, some chased butterflies, and a couple simply lay carelessly on the grass. They had noticed me a long time ago, but completely ignored me.

  I looked around and identified the small creature that I had met on my last visit, so I headed straight to him. He was one of the Alphiners playing around, chasing his friend. When I approached, the Alphiner pretended to just notice that I was there, and gave me a questioning look, as if saying “We're playing here, so why did you come?”

  I silently took out a couple of Haiku fruits that had been in my bag ever since the visit to the cave. Just like last time, I offered the creature both of the treats on the palm of my hand.

  My Copper Winged companion, who hadn’t yet decided how to behave in this situation, was flying around in circles, observing what was happening below on the ground with curiosity.

  Sniffing the air, my old friend looked at the fruits with interest, but he was in no hurry to try them. However, its play friend didn’t possess such self-control. He could smell the delicacy, and he came closer to the palm of my hand, preparing to snatch one of the fruits. Realizing that being cautious was not in his favor in this instance, my old friend also instantly shortened the distance between us, and he was lucky to pick up the last fruit before it was too late.

  I had plenty of Haiku, so I just put all of them in a pile at my side. The creatures in the meadow realized that they were in no danger, so one by one they slowly approached and joined the feast. I was already able to stroke and play with almost all the animals in the meadow, without any fear. Some of them tried to knock me over, and playfully nibble at me, and some of them even rolled over to have their bellies scratched.

  We were all having fun, but suddenly everything changed. There was a tension in the air: I looked around the meadow and saw a new creature. This was clearly the leader of the pack. It was copper colored and one and a half times larger than any other Alphiner present in the meadow. This creature was also different in a sense that its tails looked a lot more dangerous. They looked like two whips and a decently sized hammer.

  “Just look at that! What a potential pet that would make! This makes my decision easy!” I thought presumptuously.

  The pack leader was app
roaching me with a formidable look about him. He clearly didn’t share my optimism regarding our future friendship.

  You have received too much attention from the Alphiner pack from the enchanted forest of the Celestial Fairies. The leader of the pack exercises his right to invite you to a fair fight. In the event that you refuse, your reputation with the pack will change to Distrust.

  Do you agree to the combat?

  — Of course. It’s not like I have a choice at this point! — I had no intention of losing my hard-earned friendship.

  “The real question is what exactly constitutes a fair fight?” — The thought flashed through my mind.

  The rules of a fair fight: one-on-one combat. The use of any kind of weapons, magic, elixirs and amplifications are forbidden. Also, during the combat divine powers do not work. The fight will begin in 2 minutes.

  “Wow, that really is a fair fight.”

  I put my sword away in the compartment in the bag that was now empty of Haiku fruit. I took the bag off as well, throwing it on the grass. I took off my shield protection and threw it down on the grass next to the bag. That was all the weaponry that I was carrying. I had no magic knowledge at all, and none of the other things mentioned either.

  — Okay, you with the big tails, let's fight.

  I heard a sound of a gong, and the big Alphiner was in front of me already. One of his tails cut me with a single swing. As I lay on my back looking at the sky, the hammer tail swung at my head. It's good that my “Sliding Movements” ability worked, and I managed to roll out of the way. I jumped to my feet and, seeing the shadow of the third tail coming at me, I dodged to the left to avoid the impact.