by Prax Venter
The audience gasped, but the nimble young man skipped sideways in anticipation of the slice, and Jack wondered why the more experienced fighter would bring such a heavy weapon to this match.
Cabe continued to swing his two-handed sword in broad arcs and after several near misses, it became clear that he was maneuvering Jip into a corner. Jack knew that each of them would need to land several blows to whittle the few hundred hit points they each received from their Guard position, and that neither of them were in any real danger. But seeing this whistling blade come inches from the doe-eyed kid’s face was still intense.
The big man confidently brought an overhead swing down on top of Jip’s head, but the nimble fighter dashed away again- only this time, Ryea’s young string bean saw an opening and went for it.
When he stepped in to make the jab, Cabe let his massive blade fall in the sand and grabbed Jip firmly by the throat with both hands.
The audience gasped again, and Ryea stood up swiftly.
The larger man took two stabs in the gut from Jip’s sword while taking two steps toward the edge of the ring, then tossed the featherweight fighter several feet past the red line.
Jack stood too, unsure of what was going to happen next. This man was not only an experienced fighter, but cunning. He made a vow to never underestimate Townsfolk again.
“Congratulations!” Harrak shouted as he stomped into the ring with a huge smile on his face. Cabe turned to lock his dark-brown eyes on Jack before he faced the approaching Combat Master. Lex’s father seemed to like the guy, so he had that going for him, but Jack made a note to speak with him later.
Jip stood up and dusted himself off. “Aw biscuits,” he said loud enough for Jack to hear.
Harrak continued to address the crowd. “That was a decisive victory, and the kind of wit you’ll need when climbing the Tower. I am now going to promote Cabe. I’ve never done this before, so… ah- you might want to remove your armor, son. I can’t know what you’ll get as a valid type.”
The big man did as was suggested and replaced his armor with simple, woolen garments.
Harrak shrugged before tapping his finger in midair and interacted with a System Sana interface.
Beams of light burst from Cabe’s fists, and he let out a fierce bellow before dropping down onto one knee. It was the most noise Jack had ever heard from the quiet stranger.
Harrak bent over to whisper something, and the new Hero nodded, getting to his feet. Lex’s father patted him on the shoulder then held up both hands to the audience! “It worked! I’ve never heard of a Sun Striker, but I’m not surprised by anything anymore. System Sana is now one Hero stronger!”
Jack stood up and started clapping, and everyone in the crowd easily joined in with him.
“Poor Jip,” Ryea said with a pout, yet when Jack looked over the Farmer had a small grin on her lips. “I’m going to go make him feel all better.”
While Ryea went to Jip, Jack and Lex stepped down the stairs between the benches until they stepped past the edge of the Arcade’s arena. It was the first time he’d done so and noticed a blue, crossed swords icon in the corner of his vision.
Our World Arena -
No negative effects from attacking Heroes or Townsfolk.
HP will not drop below 1.
HP/MP lost will be restored on exit.
Cannot be dispelled while inside Our World Arena.
~ To the victor go the spoils!
“It’s about time you saw my custom status effect,” Alt whispered into his mind. “Also, the ability I coded for a Combat Master to promote Townsfolk into Heroes might be biased toward creating rarer Classes.”
“Lex, Jack,” Harrak said when he noticed them approaching, “did you two see that display of skill? I’ve kept my eye on him the last few days. Cabe has the experience and the discipline to do well in the Tower.”
The other combatant who’d been tossed out of the arena like a dirty pair of socks came by and offered his hand to the victor.
“I never expected you to just grab me!” Jip said. “Congratulations on your promotion, Cabe.”
The Guard shook the young man’s hand and gave him a curt nod.
Harrak put his huge hand on the kid’s shoulder, engulfing it.
“You did good, Jip. Having the courage to face this man alone is noteworthy. My promotion ability resets in 30 days. I’ve yet to decide if the next Hero will be chosen by combat, but come see me for training some time. You show promise.”
“Jack,” Ryea said in a singsong voice. “Would you please turn my brave warrior back into a Farmhand? What with all the plowin’ that needs doin’.”
“Ryea!” Jip shouted, putting his hand over his mouth.
“May I have a moment with the King?” Cabe said and his intense, deep voice was a butcher’s cleaver cutting through the chatter.
Everyone blinked at him before Lex spoke first.
“I’ll handle Jip’s Role,” she said before leaning in to kiss Jack’s cheek. “Meet me by the Deepwater Net’s table later.”
The Bastion locked her golden eyes on Cabe, and the glance conveyed a clear warning. The quiet new Hero had the wherewithal to understand and the grace to bow his head to her.
Once the others had left, Jack began walking toward the back of the Arcade where there were fewer people.
“I really enjoyed how you approached that fight,” he said over his shoulder. “You came prepared, you had a plan, and you executed it flawlessly. I have no doubt in my mind that Harrak is right about how you’ll handle yourself in the Tower.”
Cabe said nothing as he followed Jack toward the map of System Sana.
“Do you want to see his Class abilities?” Alt whispered in Jack’s mind.
He sent back a mental affirmative, and the information panel faded into focus within his vision.
PATH: Martial Master [1]
► Deadly Force [Passive | Cannot equip Weapons | Unarmed Damage = Total Defense]
~ Your will to protect this world makes you unstoppable.
PATH: Siphon [1]
► Fusion Fist [Activated | 1 MP | Next Unarmed Attack Heals 1% of Dmg dealt]
~ Take back what was taken. Returns at least 1 HP.
“Whoa, that’s crazy,” Jack muttered and stopped halfway up the arena’s stairs. “A Sun Striker looks awesome!” He turned to glance at Cabe to see a large drop of liquid fall from one of the stoic man’s dark-brown eyes. It was as if a statue was crying.
“Jack,” he began quietly, “I must first tell you that I was bade by Andor to stay and report what abominations transpired here.”
The two men had left the effect of the arena, and Jack suddenly had a horrible feeling creep into his gut. His scabbard’s physicality slider had been set to 0 for the night, but he subconsciously phased it back into existence.
Cabe glanced down at the appearing weapon and took a slow step backward. He continued calmly.
“I understand your reaction, but do not misunderstand me. Only a fool could see you as someone in league with Demons. That you can see into my very being and know these Hero abilities that I’ve told no one… It is comforting. I need you to understand that I believe in your ambitions.”
Jack let out a breath and relaxed.
“Thanks, Cabe,” he said, continuing toward the world map. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we need people like you to help make this world truly ours.”
“Andor was convincing,” the new Hero continued. “A part of me still believed that you would somehow use your powers to interfere with the match. Show favoritism. You did not.”
“No.” Jack shook his head. “This is way too important to think that I know best about everything.”
They reached the flat panel display of System Sana from above the clouds, and Jack held out his hand to the mostly black image.
“Do you know what this is?”
“I’ve been told it is our world,” Cabe said with reverence. “As a Townsfolk, I dedicated my life to
defending against the Demons from a young age. I was trained hard to believe it was all I could do. My mind now feels exactly as this magic vision shows. A fraction of clarity surrounded by vast, obscured potential. It is my purpose to actively clear this world. With my fists, I will take back what was taken.”
The guy was intense, but also appeared to have had a rough life. A lot of people had… and each one of them handled it differently. The thought made Jack wonder how much damage Andor was doing out there among them.
Jack decided it was time to make a trip across the Endless Sea to see these other Towns for himself. Some of the ship captains had added to the paper map Jack was keeping in the meeting room, and he had a vague idea of what the world looked like under this dark shroud. After dealing with whatever Pinefall threw at him, they’d try and plan a route… but that was a task for another time.
He turned back to Cabe. “Learn from Harrak, climb one Floor a day, and above all else, stay alive.”
The thickly muscled Sun Striker nodded sagely. They stood quietly gazing over the mostly blank world map before shaking hands and parting ways for the evening. Cabe to the Inn for his first Rest Bonus, and Jack to his pro-gamer wife waiting for him to challenge her high score.
Later that night, under the covers in his massive bed next to the warmth of his queen, Jack lay awake, his mind spinning with all the ways he could try to cheese System Sana. He was fantasizing about a grand speech he would give to the (as-of-yet) unconfirmed people of Pinefall. He produced some custom, official document from a pocket for their Mayor to sign. A written declaration of Jack’s intent. The elaborate train of thought hit a switch in the track and slowly curved toward the original 13 crewmembers that came before him. Weren’t they futuristic scientists? Why didn’t any of them discover the exploitable possibilities of this world?
“The simulation was considered fragile,” the ever-present Alt answered telepathically. “My first universes were ignored by the Corruption, and those ‘futuristic scientists’ believed System Sana was a delicately balanced trap. They were afraid they’d shatter the reality if they didn’t play along. Then you came in and started messing everything up in the best way possible. There is also the chance that when Velintanna gave herself to the Corruption, she also provided it with more creativity or new options. I still have no data on her actions after being converted.”
Jack had mostly forgotten she was out there. It didn’t matter. He was uniting this world against its infestation and told himself that was all he needed to worry about.
Yet it took much longer than he had wanted to fall asleep.
Many Heroes and Townsfolk packed into the Eye o’ the Storm the next morning before their expedition back out into the unknown. Jack hoped it would be a diplomatic meeting, but he was expecting anything. Outside the Tower was one big Floor 0 with monsters and Bosses, and he would treat it as such.
The plan was for Jack, Lex, Haylee, and Kron to move South after dropping Farah and the change of guards off at Emberstone, but Harrak stood waiting for them wearing a new heavy cloak as they neared the Wall.
“Father?” Lex said when they approached him.
“I’m coming south with you.” The steadiness in his eyes made his intentions clear. “I might know the leader of Pinefall and can provide some credibility for some of our wild claims. But it’s important for me to see the world for myself again. To get a feel for the land. The Captain of the Guard and his wife Irun have things covered on the Wall.”
“Then I am coming as well,” Cabe said from behind. “I was given an order from the king to learn from Harrak.”
“That wasn’t an order,” Jack said, “but your best way to help would be getting your Hero Level up. Maybe when we get back in a day, we’ll walk you through to at least Level 25.”
“Why don’t I take him?” Farah said, appraising the sharply chiseled Cabe. “Maybe those two new kids, too. The boy and the Nature girl. Level ‘em up at Emberstone and practice environmental abuse.”
“I like it,” Jack said. “Great use of time while we scout. If we find Corruption there, we will need experienced Heroes to assault an older Dark Tower.”
Once everyone was gathered again, Jack and his party of 8 Heroes and 5 Townsfolk stepped out onto the only road out of Blackmoor Cove. They were strong, and they were becoming many.
They were ready to take back what was theirs.
THE END
of
Irrelevant Jack III
Expect Part IV by July 2020
Please tell the world what you think and leave a review! Just typing “I enjoyed this,” is more than good enough to help others find this tale and, in turn, help me dedicate all of my time to crafting more adventures.
In the process of exploring this virtual world with the characters of System Sana, I realized that their story would need more time to breathe. I had planned on four books, but it is looking like Irrelevant Jack will be five- maybe six books long. I know how it’s going to end, and there will be an end, but I can’t wait to see what happens along the way!
As always, I appreciate each and every one of you reaching this point.
~ Prax Venter
Jack’s equipped items at the end of Irrelevant Jack III
Main Hand: ARV Alternis - [Sword | Value: 90,519/250,000]
| Dmg: 157 |
| Def: 33 |
| Hit Chance +0.17 |
| Crit Chance +0.28 |
| HP +62 |
| MP +105 |
| Dodge +55 |
| Magic Power +19 |
| 25% chance to heal 5 HP on kill |
| +8 Mana on Floor Transition |
| +2 Sneak |
| Movement Speed +0.07 |
Off Hand: Mote of Sunlight - [Off-Hand | Value: 220]
| +20 fire damage to all attacks |
| Max MP +48 |
| All Coins found multiplied by 22% |
Chest: Wither Wolf Coat - [Chest | Value: 220]
| Def: 90 |
| Max HP +178 |
| Max MP +35 |
| Dodge +32 |
Legs: Pants of the Monkey- [Legs | Value: 230]
| Def: 92 |
| Max HP +160 |
| Dodge +50 |
| Movement Speed +0.02 |
Feet: Slate Suede Shoes - [Feet | Value: 215]
| Def: 70 |
| Max HP +142 |
| Dodge +46 |
Gust Gloves - [Hands | Value 240]
| Def: 72 |
| Max HP +150 |
| Max MP +30 |
| Dodge +31 |
| Movement Speed +0.05 |
~ Your fists become a flurry
Head: Boiled Skullcap - [Head | Value 234]
| Def: 33 |
| Max HP +90 |
| Dodge: +15 |
Ring:
Ring:
Amulet:
Decorative Chest: Gray Rokka Cotton Tunic - [Chest | Value: 190 | Def: 0]
Decorative Belt:
Decorative Cloak: Fur-lined Cloak - [Value: 75 | Def: 0]
Decorative Hat:
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