by Pegaz
He skimmed the page for a new skill and eventually found one.
Flesh Strength - Idlers 1/99, Regeneration - 15/100, Immunity - 0/2, Placement - 0/1
Flesh Strength:
Placement: The skin is the carrier of all. It also helps in keeping the bone in place when strong enough. With this skill, if a bone manages to be broken, fractured or chipped, then the skin helps push it back in place. WARNING - Can be VERY painful.
No wonder it took me a while to find it. Normal add-ons are at the bottom, but this isn't a completely new skill. This is an add-on to the Flesh skill like Immunity. If it's the same as another add-ons, the total time needed is six days... and with half the time bonus, plus the 10s per Idler and whatever I’ve got in the Time Pool Storage... this will be over quick.
He changed the Flesh Strength skill the Idler was working on from Immunity to Placement. The timer came up as 7hr 12m which added up to 6 days initially. He instantly used the Time Pool to complete it.
Time Pool: 2hr 48m 1s
John made sure the Idler began working on the Immunity skill again. It now had 4h 1m 59s left on the clock. When he saw this, he suddenly realised he hadn't tested if the time would reset after an Idler was forced to switch tasks before completion. Thank god it didn't. Originally, this started out at six days too.
Just then, he felt a rising pain emitting from his right wrist, his chest, and anywhere else that the bear had landed on. The Placement skill must have started working, the pain increasing as the skill powered up.
Imagine this: someone or something is moving your bones around inside your body. You're fully awake and hyper aware as each nerve, tendon, vein, and ligament is either being pushed aside or pulled along, screaming out white-hot, searing pain signals to your brain. Now, imagine this pain is coming from over 90% of your body all at the same time.
It was hell on earth.
While screaming in pain so loud that he almost burst his eardrums, John’s voice started to give out. The body of the bear was being shoved aside—the force of the bones being pushed back into place was stronger than the weight of the bear, forcing it to shift ever so slightly.
He heard a horrifying array of "pops" and “cracks” coming from under the bear. He knew that must have been the bones finding their way back into their proper sockets. Some joints must have dislocated from the weight.
This hellish torture dragged on for five more minutes.
Each and every millisecond felt like years.
John was at his limit.
As the fiery embers of pain subsided, he was quaking as an endless flood of tears tore down the raw sides of his face. He had no will to fight them. Chest shuddering in a desperate attempt to catch his breath, John let himself feel this moment of utter weakness. He was completely destroyed, both in body and in spirit.
Gradually, he built himself back up. The pain died down to a low burning, and his feeling of hopelessness quickly transmuted into a vicious rage—a seething anger that needed to be quelled. With a monstrous growl and a burst of primal energy, John reached out with his searing limbs.
Grip like iron, John tore the bear’s flesh apart with his bare hands. Chunks of meaty flesh were mutilated and discarded, pieces of the creature no longer recognisable as John lashed out. It was only a matter of time before the bear had been ripped in half.
John was free.
Springing to his feet, John’s tantrum wasn’t over just yet. He raised his foot and brought it down onto the bear’s skull, crushing it into a porridge of gore and bone. The absolute anger coursing through his veins drove him on, tearing apart the rest of the corpse until it no longer resembled any living creature.
His anger and energy spent, John paused before the scene.
A cold shudder crept down his spine, and a splash of some unidentified emotion dripped at the back of his mind. Trying to shake the feeling off, he hurried away from the scene and in the direction of the flower.
As he travelled, he let his mind wander. Without question, he needed to get back to the guild to see if there were any training courses he could partake in. He had the strength, but didn't know how to use it whatsoever. Perhaps, if he had trained and got familiar with different survival tactics, he wouldn't have got flattened by the bear. Fighting experience would be a plus too.
Still a bit ticked off, he managed to get to the area on the map marked by a yellow exclamation point. Looking around, he found nothing. About ready to give up, his eye suddenly caught on a small hole with about half a foot wide opening. It was below a small boulder to his right.
At any other angle he would have missed it. Cautiously, he approached the opening. Upon getting close, the edges of the opening trembled under his weight. Small pieces began caving in, and John paused to wait until the pieces had settled. When all seemed safe, John peered inside the opening.
It was a small, trench-like pit. Only two feet wide and roughly six feet long, at a quick glance there were about six black flowers on top of what looked like a giant boulder buried part-way underground. The flowers were in the shape of pentagons, the petals had straight edges which were painted black. At the centre of each flower was a small, silver orb.
This must be the flower! There are one, two... eight flowers total. If the guy who wants this flower could buy all eight at £75 a pop, that’d be £600! I could afford the inn for a while! Let's just hope he wants them all, then.
The good news considerably quenched his previous anger. He hopped down and plucked all eight flowers, putting them in his bag. Securing his package he climbed out, checked the compass' direction and started on his way home.
Even though it was getting late, he could still make it to the town by nightfall. He just hoped that the guild was open twenty-four hours a day.
On his way back, he switched between walking quickly and jogging. He kept at a somewhat leisurely pace though, keeping his stamina usage as low as he could without losing time.
Although he found no trouble along the way, his mind dwelt over the past events of the day. He grimly recalled his promise. It might have said it out of pain and anger, but some primal force deep inside of him wanted him to keep his word.
On his way back to the town, the Flesh Strength skill finished levelled up to Level 16. John looked at the new timer as it showed 14d 5h 20m.
When he arrived in town, it was 10:15 pm. The city gate was still open, and the guards were standing, half asleep. John walked through the city gate and headed straight for the guild, hoping it was still open. If it wasn't, then he'd have to sleep on the ground somewhere outside… What a pain.
An idea struck him, and he twisted his mouth into a grimace. Maybe if he was really desperate, he could beg the inn manager for a free night and pay in the morning.
Chapter 15
Start with the Basics
To John’s relief, the Guild Hall was still open. As he walked in, he noticed there were only eight people inside, including the staff. He walked up to the only quest counter open, a proud smile painted across his face.
"AAAHHHH!"
John came to an abrupt stop and snapped his head in the direction of the scream. It was a young woman. At her feet was a mess of paper that John assumed she’d just dropped. It took him a moment to realise that she was staring directly at him, a look of pure horror on her face.
Still a little sceptical, he pointed at himself as if to ask the woman “I don't look that bad, do I?” but before he could get any words out he suddenly remembered that he still needed to check his reflection out. Could it be that all the recent modifications to his new body had made him so hideous that it caused this young lady to freak out? The last thing he wanted was to be a walking freak-show.
A middle-aged man rushed down from the second floor at the sound of the scream. Rubbing his temples, he observed the scene and deducted what happened.
"Rene, he's only got blood on him,” the man’s tired voice called out to the woman. “It's normal for adventurers to come back like that. You
need to get used to sights like this, or else you won't be able to work here."
The middle-aged man’s words calmed the lady down. Realising his mistake, John slapped his forehead. That's right! He was still coated in the bear’s blood. By now it had dried, but he still must have looked like a bloody massacre.
Sighing, he carried on to the quest counter.
"Hi, I'm here to turn in the quest for finding a Black Petunia Flower. I would also like to know if the person who commissioned this would like to buy more than one flower."
"Let me check the records."
The man behind the counter was unbothered by John’s appearance. He pulled out the folder from under the table and started flipping through until he stopped on a page and started reading.
"The quest is the Guild's itself, so it's repeatable. We buy as many as you retrieve.”
"Great, I've got eight."
"Eight!?" From all around him, John saw the staff workers turn their heads in shock.
"Ah, sorry,” the man behind the counter regained his composure. “It's just shocking for so many to be found during this time. Typical, throughout the month, we usually manage to buy just one."
"Oh... Do I get a bonus for selling in bulk then?" A grin spread across John’s face. He was only half-joking.
Stunned once again and not knowing how to answer, the man at the counter lowered his head to read the quest information in search of the answer.
"Certainly, since you found a group of them, we'll give you extra for buying in bulk. If I remember right, it's £75 a flower that would be £600 at normal price. We'll buy all 8 and give you £700 total. How's that sound?"
The voice came from behind him. John turned around and saw it was the middle-aged man from earlier. Getting a better view, John estimated the man to be about six and a half feet tall. He had to look up slightly to make eye contact.
Broad shoulders, black hair and eyes, bumpy nose, and thin lips. In addition, the man had a scar that led from his forehead across his left eye down to his neck.
"Thank you, Mister...?"
"Sorry, forgot to introduce myself,” the middle-aged man smiled warmly and extended a handshake out to John. “My name is Tom Yale. I'm the guild master of this town."
John shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, my name’s John. Thanks for buying in bulk too. Sorry about my current look, I didn’t mean to scare anybody. At the Loose Forest, I had a run in with a 'soon to be extinct' Continuous Bear. It was a bit of a blood-bath."
"No problem. Most adventurers don't get changed till they reach their inn's room then wash up, so all the staff should be used to it. Rene here just started this past week, and we put her on night shifts to let her gradually get used to the sight of blood. She's still got a long way to go."
"Haha, no problem. While I've got you here though, could you tell me if the guild has any training programs for new adventurers? Something to teach them how to better survive in the world?"
"Ah, yes. The guild offers Swordsmanship, Group Tactics, and Survival courses. What type were you looking for?"
"Hand to hand combat, mainly."
"Hmn, now that's a rare form of fighting. Let me think... There is one guy who practices the martial arts. It’s the same art that our people were taught by Siders dating back to a few hundred years. This man’s name is Robert. Whether he'll teach you or not is its own problem, though. He's not a staff member of the guild, so he's under no obligation to pass his arts down. Here, I'll write his address down for you. At the very least, you have a chance he'll accept. Just be prepared. It might cost you."
"Thank you!” John bobbed his head graciously. “I'll hand in this quest with the flowers and wait for you, then."
Tom smiled and nodded then walked back to the second floor. As stated, John handed the eight flowers in, along with his ID card. The man behind the counter picked them up and walked to the back. He passed out of view through a doorway, shutting the door behind him.
A few minutes later he came back and put a bag on top of the counter. "Inside of this pouch are sixty-nine Platinum coins and ten Gold coins totalling to £700. The quest has been registered as complete and added to your record."
"Thank you." After receiving the money bag and his ID card, John went to sit down in the waiting area. He looked around to make sure no one was watching him, then proceeded to put the money bag into his left trouser pocket.
Got to be careful of thieves from here on out.
The minutes passed and eventually Tom came back down holding a piece of leather in his hands. With another warm smile, he handed over a hand-drawn a map to Robert's house. John thanked him again and bid farewell.
Exhausted, John went back to the inn. First things first, he needs a bath. His clothes needed to be washed too. Luckily, the inn provided that service along with board.
Very much aware that he still resembled an over-ripe tomato, John walked through the inn doors with as much nonchalance as he could manage. The front desk person gawked a little but remained calm. Blood was a common sight in this world, but even then, the amount that John was covered in was enough to warrant any amount of shock.
John paid for a night. He's decided that it would be better to buy some new clothes, and the inn said they have some that he could borrow in the meantime.
Eager to rinse off, John went around to the backyard to have his bath. They used a big metal barrel surrounded by wooden fences for privacy. John got his bath ready, using the red and blue monster cores that the inn lent him for fire and water.
While he was preparing the bath, the front desk person brought him the promised spare clothes. They were virtually the same as what he was wearing before, but white instead of black. The fit was slightly looser too.
John thanked the staff worker and then climbed into the bath. Bracing himself for the warm water, he let himself soak for a moment. Bits of dried blood flaked off of him and floating around him in the water. Getting to work, he had to scrub quite hard at the dried on blood. It felt like his skin was peeling off along with the dried blood! Running his fingers through his short hair, he found that despite its short length some of it still managed to get tangled in with the blood. It was quite a pain to get rid of it all.
John had to change the water three times before he was finally clean. Finally satisfied, he got dressed and threw his old clothes into the rubbish bin. Exhausted from such a long day, John made his way back to his room and threw himself onto the bed.
Within seconds, he’d fallen into a deep and peaceful sleep.
When he woke up, his first thought struck him wide awake. Remembering his mental note from the day before, he climbed down the stairs and went to the front desk in search of a mirror. After all this time, he finally wanted to know what he looked like.
Smiling, the inn's manager explained to him that mirrors were rare around these parts. However, they were ‘a big must have’ in the capital. The manager was able to get his hands on a small mirror just a few weeks prior. With all his pride bursting quite visibly from his smiling face, he showed John the mirror.
The mirror was about two feet in height and length. It sat on a stand, with a wooden frame decorated by intricate carvings of wondrous beasts.
Although the mirror was impressive, John was much more distracted by the face staring back at him in it. Short brown hair, blue eyes, turned-up nose… It was a younger version of himself back on earth. Down to the medium-sized ears, and the downward curl of his chapped lips, his face was just like he remembered it to be. He's wasn’t particularly handsome, but a far cry from ugly too.
Curiosity quelled, John got right back to business. He wanted to go straight to Robert's to ask about the martial arts training, but instead he headed to Guild Hall. He found his way back to the second floor where he repurchased the same black trousers and shirt. This time he remembered to buy a belt, one made from thick scaly leather.
He wrapped the belt around his waist and tied it. Now he could put more items into the bag and cl
ip the water bottle onto his trousers without being afraid that they would fall. And so, after making these necessary purchases, John left the Guild Hall.
John followed the map that Tom gave him, and soon he arrived outside of what he assumed to be Robert's house. It was a two-story wooden building, nothing in particular about it screamed ‘martial arts’ but he trusted Tom’s map.
Doing away with his reservations, John walked up and knocked on the door. After a few moments of tense silence, the door creaked open. An old man with snowy white hair, bushy eyebrows, and a matching beard opened the door.
"What?" The old man spoke in a curt, rigid voice.
"Hello,” John started with some hesitation. “Tom said you know hand-to-hand combat. I'm here to ask if you'll teach me. I'm willing to pay."
"How much?" The stiffness of the old man’s reply almost bordered rudeness.
"Depends on how many martial arts you know. The more you teach, the more you get.”
"Can't teach you the secret ones," The old man started to say, but John interrupted without a moment to lose.
"Yes, you can. If you've learnt the Sider’s Martial Arts, then it's okay to teach me! You see,” John slowed his speech in anticipation, “I’m a Sider.”
This statement had the impact that John had been hoping for. The old man was stunned. He didn't move or talk for a few seconds. John could have sworn that he’d even stopped breathing.
"Didn't give you a heart attack, did I, old man?"
"Piss off. You couldn't give me a heart attack if you tried"
"BOO!"
"Take this seriously!!"
"I was just testing your statement. I'll let it go for now."
"Come inside and we'll talk more"
With that, John walked into the house. He followed Robert to the living room and took a seat. Robert pulled up a chair and sat uncomfortably close, directly in front of him.
The old man scrutinised him, squinting up at John with a spark in his eye. "Show me your ID card."
John nodded, got his ID card out and handed it to Robert. After a few seconds, Robert gave it back. The old man stood up and walked to a bookcase where he picked up a thin book. Returning to John, he handed it over to him. John opened the book and found it was a list.