Changing World- The Beginning

by Sergei Katz

  I found it odd that the description on the crystal spoke of a place in the territory of the Fairies, and I thought it would be in the forest. I completely forgot that the cave was also there. Therefore, my hopes of a quick win in the game vanished before my eyes.

  — So ... — I decided to bring the Voice of the Cave back from its reverie.

  — Oh, right! — The Voice of the Cave responded cheerfully.

  Every time I spoke to it, it was only its opinion that mattered. So, I needed to be at the top of my game, because gaining a class was extremely important to me, and a mistake could cost me dearly.

  — I don’t understand how it happened that you weren’t assigned to a class. Usually this happens on the same day or the next day after arrival. — The Voice was confused.

  I had to briefly describe how I left the clearing without the Basic Vorto, and then explain how I eventually got one. Throughout telling the tale, my Copper Wing was looking at me, begging to get this over with, so I reduced the entire narration to three minutes.

  — Wow! — The Voice of the Cave laughed so hard that small stones fell from the walls of the cave. — Oh, I'm sorry that this is to be our last meeting ... Although, perhaps...

  I felt that the Voice in the Cave was hesitating.

  — Forgive me, — I said to the Voice. — But my Copper Wing feels uncomfortable here, so can we just quickly choose my class?

  — Oh, I'm so absent-minded; I did not notice that at all. Let's help him. — As soon as the Voice in the Cave said this, the roof above the cave disappeared.

  My Totem, still not believing his luck, spread his wings and shook them, as if throwing off his bad feelings. Then he took off confidently and started soaring above the cave.

  — Now let’s get back to your class, — said the Voice in the Cave cheerfully. — Now you must choose your path.

  Three figures wearing Trench Coats appeared in front of me. The first one was dressed in navy blue, and colored with unusual patterns. The patterns moved back and forth. As soon as I started to look at it, the inscription “Explorer” lit up over it. My desire to know what this was all about increased the Coat in size; it opened up like the wings of a bird, and a text bearing a description appeared.

  “Explorer”. This path is chosen by those to whom knowledge is the most important thing. Those who have chosen this path are not interested in the search for power; they don’t need a sword, as they are driven by a search to find something never seen before. This path is suitable for artisans and scientists, traders and artists.

  The path of the Explorer allows you to move around the world without fear of being attacked by other creatures or monsters. You will have access to special quests and events, allowing the study of the languages of different races, creatures and plants. You will have the opportunity to participate in any tournament or competition, if participation doesn’t require someone to be injured or killed.

  Clearly, this path wasn’t for me. Of course, it's interesting to explore such a beautiful and multifaceted world, but personally I liked the adrenaline rush from fighting. So to limit myself only to research in such a game wasn’t for me.

  I looked at the next Coat. There was the image of a sword and a bow on this Coat. Incredibly beautiful in its simplicity and deadliness. The artist had been able to depict these two weapons to perfection.

  “The Warmaster”. This is the path for those who just live for battle. Those who crave danger for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and without it, a warrior’s life would be boring. This path can suit all combat classes, and it can also be chosen by those who like to hunt for treasures and rare objects.

  The Warmaster's path allows for PVP, or Player versus Player, with any warrior anywhere, except for a few zones in which PVP is banned altogether, such as cities, festivals and so on. It allows for participation in combat tournaments and competitions, and all types of military conflicts. It also gives access to Warriors' unique quests and events.

  This was much more suitable, but to be honest, I had absolutely no interest in PVP. So, what was the final choice? Surely, something in between. I looked at the last Coat.

  “The Seeker”. This path is ideal for those who like to travel, but are prepared to fight if need be. It’s ideal for those who find it more important not just to fight everywhere and always, but also have the ability to choose when to think, and when to wave a sword. It is for those who value both strength and mind equally. The Seeker's path is suitable for all classes without exception.

  The Seeker's path allows participation in all types of PVE (Player versus Environment) activity. It allows participation in combat tournaments and competitions, and in military conflicts of all types. Access to quests and unique events are available to Seekers.

  Well, in my case, the choice was simple. I reached out and touched the Seeker's Coat. As soon as I did, the Coat disappeared from my eyes, and in a moment I felt it over my shoulders.

  — That was quick, — the Voice of the Cave grinned. — Although from the very minute you arrived, I knew which path you would choose. So, now for the most interesting step.

  In front of me appeared a list of many classes. Each class was represented by a beautiful icon and name, and if I wanted to learn more about the class, the icon came closer to me, and a detailed description unfolded before my eyes. I scanned through the classes closest to my field of vision: everything was there, from an Archer to a Poet. My gaze moved from one class to another, but more and more new things appeared.

  — Can I ask you to show me only those in which agility is important?

  — Of course. — There was a sense of joy in the Voice.

  The list changed, but it was still huge, it's just that all the magic classes and classes in which strength or other abilities were important had gone. However, after the change, there were choices of thieves, ninjas, light warriors and all sorts of archers in front of me. I opened up a couple of classes that interested me, but I didn’t find anything that appealed to me in particular.

  The whole time I was studying the classes, something was bothering me. I knew that something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t work out what it was exactly. I started looking at the new images floating in front of me with text. My eyes were sliding back and forth, but nothing attracted me.

  “There's something wrong here!” — I worked this out for myself, and my intuition also woke up, as if deciding to confirm what I was thinking.

  Strangely, the ordinary classes: the Gladiator with two sword blades protruding from one hand grip. There was a Light Cavalryman, similar to a Mongol, sitting on some animal with a bow in his hands. Not far from them was the Spartan, a Greek warrior in a helmet with a round shield and sword. And then I got it... Eureka! The distance between the Spartan and the Cavalryman was greater than between the other classes.

  I began to carefully examine this area:

  — Found it!

  In front of me appeared the image of a strange warrior dressed in a colorful suit. He had some kind of weapon in his hands, but I couldn’t see what it was.

  Your “Attentiveness” ability has increased: +1 (25), and moved to a new level. There is a bonus for each 1 point of Attentiveness:

  2.5% to finding hidden items (62.5%);

  1.5% to finding items hidden by magic (37.5%);

  0.5% to finding hidden items with the help of magic or magical devices (12.5%);

  0.2% to the understanding of hidden motives (5%).

  Achievement: “You are Top of the Tree”. You are the only one of the 10 Newcomers to reach the first level of 25 points in four abilities. This achievement opens up access to unique quests.

  — Wow, you turned out to be the best of the rest. Now it’s time for you to choose three basic abilities, — the Voice told me.

  The new message that appeared in front of me repeated what the Voice in the Cave had already told me.

  Choose three abilities out of four. The selected abilities will increase 150% faster. The bonus from thes
e abilities is increased by a factor of 1.5 points.

  “Wow, that’s impressive! It definitely must be Dexterity and Reflexes: by making them my mainstay, I can take my strikes to incredibly new heights. Now, Luck or Attentiveness ... I want both of them, but, alas, I can only choose one. And although the bonuses that come with Attentiveness are very impressive, you can never have enough Luck, so ...” — I confirmed my choice.

  The basic agilities chosen are: Dexterity, Reflexes and Luck.

  The Voice in the Cave continued:

  — Now let's get back to your class. I do not understand. How do you have a Basic Vorto of five runes? — The Voice was shocked. — Did I miss a message from the world? Possibly so ... but I’m surprised that I didn’t manage to figure it out straight away! You got this Vorto from four runes, and the second word is compatible with any number of runes, but yet, you still have five...

  The Voice seemed to be incredibly impressed.

  — You found one of the hidden classes. Usually they appear in those who already have three fully mastered simple rune words and come in order to improve their class, take an additional one or choose a new one. But the presence of five runes in your Vorto, coupled with the late choice of class and high attentiveness allowed you to find one of them right now.

  In front of me again appeared a list of classes, in the very center of which was the strange warrior that I had seen recently. All of his attire consisted of colored patches, and he gave the impression of being potentially dangerous. It was unlikely that anyone would dare to underestimate the strength of such an opponent. I mentally asked for more information, the display increased in size and moved to the background. Then, in an intricate emerald frame, a text appeared:

  Harlequin (Unique). Warrior-comedian: his style is all about tricks and specialist stunts. Representatives of this class are guests in our world, and they have love for travel and adventure. Usually the Harlequin is a lone soldier, but sometimes his charm and skill are so strong that many followers gather around him.

  Each Harlequin has its own unique style and can choose any of the existing types of weapons, and if need be, create its own type of weapons.

  Take note: this class is unique. Unique classes can’t be improved upon, or replaced, and they can’t be added to another class.

  “This class is just what I’ve been looking for!”

  The only thing that bothered me was the note. I had no clue what to expect from this class. I didn’t even understand whether it was a mage or a warrior. It's like buying a cat in a sack, and you only knew if what you had bought was alive when the cat meowed.

  Then I thought: “If I don’t take a unique class, then I'll regret it for the rest of my life. So, it's decided!” — and I quickly confirmed my choice.

  Congratulations on the choice of a unique class!

  The class you selected should have a specialization in armament. Please choose your weapon.

  Warning: Once you have chosen your weapons they cannot be changed for this class.

  Here was the first catch: I could only use one type of weapon. In front of me appeared a display with images of many types of weapons. Even the swords were divided into different types. My eyes couldn’t take it all in.

  “I don’t even know which sword class my Leaf Sword belongs to.”

  — If you don’t want to bother yourself, — grumbled the Voice of the Cave, — then you can simply take the weapon in your hand and declare it the weapon of your class.

  — Well then! — I quickly took out my sword and confirmed my choice.

  Congratulations! Now you are a full-fledged resident of this world:

  The chosen Path is that of a Seeker.

  Selected class: Harlequin (Unique).

  The chosen type of weapon is Alive.

  — My weapon is Alive! BLEEP! What the hell is going on here? It would have been nice if I had been warned beforehand!

  — I… tho…thought... that you were choosing such unusual and powerful weapons on purpose... Even your pet, when it turns into a sword, also belongs to the class of “living weapons” ... — stammered the Voice of the Cave.

  — I see, — I sighed. — So, if I had taken a different choice, then I wouldn’t be able to use Morph as a weapon.

  — Well, yes, — my so-called benefactor informed me more confidently.

  — In that case, thank you. It seems that I overreacted. I'm sorry for shouting.

  — It's okay, don’t worry about it.

  But by the tone in his voice, I knew that the Voice in the Cave was offended.

  — Let’s keep going...

  The Voice in the Cave interrupted me:

  Well, we have finished the choice of your class, and you’ll figure out the rest of stuff with your abilities and runes yourself.

  There was a flash of light, and once again I found myself back in the hollow with the rest of my crew.

  CHAPTER 26.1:

  SONS OF THE DESERT

  It seemed that the Voice in the Cave was seriously offended by me, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I could only hope that my diplomatic blunder wouldn’t be repeated in the future, and I would look for a way to make things right between us. I had no scale of the relationship between us, but there were so many things that were hidden from me in this world, that I wouldn’t be surprised if I truly had some influence, but I wasn’t allowed to know about it.

  Looking around, I noticed that the hollow was still strewn with corpses.

  “Well, makes sense, since I didn’tt take the time to collect the loot from them, because I was too busy concentrating on the search for a class... I have no idea how long the corpses are going to lie here for until they disappear...” — I decided not to risk missing out, and rushed over to the defeated opponents. The result of the search gave me a dozen claws, many pieces of leather and almost a hundred pieces of tough wool. An earring-shaped pendant fell from Roar’s ears, the properties of which said that the wearer would get +20% to damage when biting. Such jewelry didn’t appeal to me - I didn’t bite when fighting.

  — Little Morph, this is for you! — I handed him the pendant, but the cunning creature pretended that he wasn’t there, and he ran away, obviously not having a slight desire to be involved. I mumbled: — Well, okay, I'll sell it or exchange it for something else then.

  I discovered another unusual trophy from the werewolf’s body, whose claws had started glowing during the battle. I had also collected claws from him before, but blue ones. According to the display, these ones differed from the normal claws only by a line of energy in the claws, indicating the possibility of using them as a special ingredient. The information regarding what sort of an ingredient that was, how to apply it and why it was special, was, as usual, not available to me.

  Having finished with the werewolves, I headed to where I wanted to find something out of the ordinary. So far, the game hadn’t given me anything special from my battle finds, but here I was, hoping for a serious breakthrough. I wasn’t surprised that my Phasm had managed to impress me once again. Next to the red-headed corpse of his recent enemy the proud Phasm was sitting.

  — You are a hero! — I praised the pet. — If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had time to stop him.

  It was the truth, and we both knew it.

  — I hope you're not afraid of dying anymore?

  Morph showed by his whole demeanor that at this point he would be fearless in any battle.

  — That's fine, but we'll make a fighter out of you, so that you don’t have to die.

  Little Morph nodded happily and ran off to explore the hollow.

  — So, let's start by seeing who you were, — I said aloud to the red-headed corpse, looking at him.

  The inscription above the corpse read: “Cursed Dark Shadow”.

  What kind of strange Shadow was this: was it a class, a nickname or something else? So far there were more questions than answers. It was unclear how he was associated with the Faith of the Werewolve
s. I took a closer look at the boy’s corpse: the clothes were simple, peasant-like. I couldn’t really identify what the color of it was: sometimes I thought it was similar to dust, and sometimes not. On the nape of his neck I noticed a spot and, moving the hair, I looked at it more closely. The spot was a tattoo - a strange bloody colored flower patterned like a rose. Each petal had an edging, similar to a razor blade, but instead of a stem it was like a fountain pen in the form of a black scaly creature, from which an agate glow emanated. The flower rested on the creature's muzzle, as if absorbing it. And instead of a tail there was a feather.

  “Now this is getting interesting ...” — I thought, but accidentally touched the tattoo with the tip of my finger. The body of the redhead literally melted away before my eyes, leaving behind only the short knife, which really upset me: “What the BLEEP just happened... It looks like I’ve come across some sort of a secret society.”

  The incoming messages seemed to confirm my thoughts:

  The “Enemies of the World” quest has been updated. You have discovered a secret society and their secret sign. Learn the name of the organization and their goals.

  I picked up the knife.

  The “Knife of Chaos” is a short bronze knife. Damage: 15-25 life points. 40% possibility of “Corrupted Blood”. 15 seconds of healing treatment only works 10% of the time.

  Sadly, the knife was of little use to me, unless I used it as a throwing knife. However, if I decided to sell it, then I’d get a good price for it. Still, I was curious about the knife’s potential...

  Morph, who had just returned from his wandering around the hollow, was told to go and help my Copper Wing with hunting, and I went to prepare a fire for the night, thinking: “Today we'll spend the night here. This will give me some time to sort out the runes and the Vorto, and tomorrow I will take my pets back to the tavern. I’m done here.”

  The night passed calmly, as the Copper Wing and I took turns on guarding the place. I even managed to invoke the “Wild Defense” spell, using local poisoned acorns as an ingredient. The effect was truly different: an uninvited guest would lose his sight and smell for 5 seconds. This, however, also perfectly suited this spell. I still didn’t really understand what the Vorto was all about just yet, but at least I had figured how the ability system worked. I decided to postpone making my next decisions until the morning, to have fresh head while making them.