The prompt had been clear and succinct but it wouldn’t hurt to have a second opinion from a local.
Ashera folded her hands in her lap and turned to face Hal. Her horns caught a tiny glimmer of moonlight as she moved her head. “It would be my pleasure. The primary Attributes are all paired up together in a collection of opposites, with the exception being Charisma. Strength is your physical prowess, while Vitality governs your HP and physical hardiness.
“Dexterity is the control you have over refined motor skills like juggling, moving quietly, that sort of thing, and Agility is your ability to run, jump and stay nimble on your feet as well as increase your Stamina. And finally, we have Intelligence which governs your mental faculties - up to a point, mind you - as well as magical power. Mind meanwhile, governs magical defense and your MP.”
“What do you mean, ‘up to a point’?”
Ashera tapped her chin with an index finger in thought. “You started with no stats when you arrived, yes?”
Hal nodded.
“Did you try speaking to anybody?”
“Unfortunately.”
“My guess is that the System - that is the general catch-all for the prompts and messages we receive, the governing force of our world - was enforcing your Intelligence score of one. I have seen it before, people under powerful spells that reduce a stat down to single digits. It is not a pretty sight.”
Hal blew out a long, gusty sigh. “I’ll say.”
“While it is true that raising Intelligence will help you to communicate your thoughts and ideas better, it will not make you a genius if you put a hundred points into it,” Ashera said.
“That is what I meant. Nobody knows precisely the upper limits, but each person has their own innate intellect. Raising your Intelligence until it matches it is the best any of us can do. Raising it beyond will still have valuable effects if you wish to be a mage of some sort but it does not make you ‘smarter’, does that make sense?”
Hal nodded and then asked, “And what’s Charisma do?” So far, everything was par for the course with only minimal alterations. He instantly marked VIT, AGI, and MND as important for their ability to increase his resource pools.
“That influences most of your interactions with people, how likely people will respond positively to you, or how well you get your point across convincingly.” There was no judgment in Ashera’s tone. She wanted to help.
It was a refreshing change.
Half the time when talking to other players he’d get snarky comments about how he should already know this or that. Other times they’d argue about the importance of this or that stat no matter if they were right or wrong.
It was nice to finally be able to have a helpful conversation without having to deal with all the extra baggage.
“I appreciate it,” Hal said. “Thank you. And, thanks again for the vial. You saved my life.”
Hal couldn’t be sure in the darkness but he thought Ashera blushed. Everything was washed in shades of gray but her cheeks darkened ever-so-slightly. “I am… pleased that you did not use it for the intended purpose. I must say, I never thought to use it in the way you did.”
As if talking about it reminded the System, another prompt flashed across his vision. Before Hal even read it, he suddenly felt full of energy and restored. A gold wind whipped about the camp, turning heads toward not only Hal but Altres as well. A similar swirling gold wind wrapped the young man who was turning ruby red.
Hal turned his attention back to the prompt.
Quest Complete: Break Free.
Against all odds, you managed to break out of prison. You even saved several people who were wrongly convicted, started a riot to hide your escape and buy yourself time, and mercifully spared an innocent young man’s life.
Objectives
Exit the prison of your own volition (Complete).
Additional objectives available.
Raise Improvised Weaponry by 1 Level (Complete).
Start a riot (Complete).
Rescue at least 1 prisoner wrongly convicted (Complete).
Help others to escape (Complete).
Kill only those who are a threat (Complete).
Rewards
500 Experience Points.
Sanctum-Fallwreath Reputation (Variable).
Additional rewards available.
Leadership Unlocked.
+2 Leadership.
Spell: Enchainment.
Founder Rebels Reputation (Variable).
Novice reaches Level 4.
You have 5 unspent Attribute Points awaiting distribution.
Your HP, SP, and MP are fully restored.
You have unlocked Leadership (Level 0).
Some are born to follow, others to lead. Whether intentionally or not, you have shown ambition and a willingness to direct people and walk alongside them toward a shared goal.
Your Leadership has risen to Level 2.
+1% Party damage (+2%).
+2% Leadership efficacy (+4%).
Sanctum-Fallwreath Reputation: -6,000 (Wanted Criminal).
You are now considered a fugitive from justice and will be hunted as such. Any official from Sanctum-Fallwreath will attempt to detain or kill you upon sight.
Founder Rebels Reputation: +4,000 (Friendly).
There exists an underground movement against the corrupt efforts of the current Founder. By freeing those wrongly imprisoned and sowing chaos in the Founder’s backyard, you have gained a considerable amount of reputation with the Founder Rebels.
They will treat you as a friend, fight alongside you should you get attacked, and attempt to assist you if you are in need.
You have learned Enchainment.
School: Enfeebling
MP: 23
Range: 10ft Radius
Binds target(s) with spectral chains, rooting them to the spot. Any damage inflicted upon them once bound breaks the chains. Must be touching the same surface as the creature(s).
You have unlocked Enfeebling Magic (Level 0).
When defeating your enemies isn’t enough, Enfeebling Magic is there to cut the strongest enemies down to size and to make the weak grovel in fear. Enfeebling focuses on crippling opponents in as many ways as there are seconds in a day.
That was a lot.
Hal reread the prompts several times, hardly noticing that a commotion was brewing across the dark camp. Now that the golden wind of Leveling Up was gone, Hal could hear the voices of several people talking excitedly.
Apparently, it paid quite well to undertake Quests. Not just for the large amount of EXP but for the hidden bonuses.
He wondered if he received a chain-based spell because of his choice to use the chain as an improvised weapon?
Originally, he was going to finish DEX to 5 points and then do VIT next. But with his new spell, he decided to split his remaining 4 points between VIT and MND instead. He was more than a little eager to try out magic.
Actual magic.
As soon as Hal deposited the points into DEX, VIT, and MND his awareness expanded. The small blue bar of MP in the bottom-left quadrant of his vision flashed and grew ever-so-slightly.
It was only slightly smaller than his SP gauge, and quite a bit larger than his red HP bar which equally flashed and grew to match his MP.
While he felt more mentally centered after increasing his MND, his body filled out as he put the two points into VIT.
At 3 VIT he felt a little more solid. There was no better way to put it.
He was slightly less lean but not because he gained fat, his body was just sturdier.
Having such low VIT, and by extension HP, was worrying. If the world thought 1 was exceedingly low, then he feared that even a simple splinter might prove fatal from an opportunistic infection.
At the same time, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving MND at 1 either. Both for its protective effects from magic but also to increase his MP and MP regeneration.
Would his mind break from being on the receivi
ng end of an enfeebling spell at 1 MND? He wanted to avoid that.
His compromise was a slightly weaker mental and physical protection, instead of an average score for one and a glaring weakness for the other.
[Status]
Hal Williams
Level: 4
Next Level: 265/1,050
Classes
Novice: 4
Resources
HP: 60/60
SP: 75/75
MP: 60/60
Attributes
STR: 5
VIT: 3
DEX: 5
AGI: 5 (+1)
INT: 5
MND: 3
CHR: 1
Regeneration
HP/hr: 10.3
SP/hr: 14.1
MP/hr: 11.3
Resistances
Fire: 0
Ice: 0
Wind: 0
Earth: 0
Lightning: 0
Water: 0
Light: 0
Dark: 0
Defensive Properties
DEF: 0
MDEF: 0
Insulation: 4
Class Affinity
Thief: 35%
Survival Skills
Stealth: 1
Darkvision: 1
Perception: 1
Investigation: 1
Combat Skills
Improvised Weaponry: 1
Magic Skills
Enfeebling: 0
Crafting Skills
Social Skills
Leadership: 2
Persuasion: 1
Ashera watched him with a patient smile. It would have been obvious what he was doing, he figured. This was their reality and people Leveling Up with glowing gold wind must be a pretty common occurrence.
Hal rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, but as you were saying earlier... I’m glad I didn’t use the poison on myself too. I did think about it. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
Ashera nodded knowingly. “What you did was braver by far.”
A jaw-creaking yawn reminded him just how tired he was. Despite the Level Up that had suddenly filled him with such energy, he was still bone-weary. Even the thought of his lumpy bed back in his rundown studio apartment made his heart ache.
Compared to the beds he’d slept on here, it was heaven.
Somebody started a campfire nearby and Hal raised a hand to block the light that suddenly stung his eyes after being submerged in the dark for so long. But as soon as the warmth washed over him he felt much better.
You gain the effect of Camping.
+325% HP Regeneration.
+325% SP Regeneration.
+325% MP Regeneration.
+250% Healing effects.
Duration: While Camping.
A hand fell gently upon his shoulder. When he turned, he found Ashera smiling at him. “You get used to the darkness in time. Your darkvision will level up and the shift won’t bother you so much. You’ll see.”
I’m not sure I want to adapt… but I have to admit the world is growing on me. As much of a rocky start as I’ve had. And I have magic. Maybe I can test it out before I go to sleep. That way I’ll recover my full MP by morning.
Elora stalked over, dragging Altres along with her. When Hal had seen him last he was turning red from what he thought was embarrassment.
Now that he could see the man in the light of the campfire, he realized the truth of it. Altres’ very skin was red. His eyes were completely filled with a glowing lilac hue. His dirty, tousled black hair hung in bands around a pair of crimson curving horns as thick as Hal’s forearm that swept back from his forehead.
But most telling of all was the thin, whip-like devil tail that shifted around nervously behind him.
“I can explain,” Altres said, seeing Hal’s expression.
“You look like a Tiefling,” Hal blurted out. It was the first thing his mind connected to. The crimson red skin, the horns, the tail, glowing eyes, and if Hal leaned to the side he could just make out the pointed ears as well.
Altres visibly relaxed. “So you’re more knowledgable than some of your companions! Good, good.”
“Wait, you’re actually a Tiefling?”
“You don’t need to act so surprised,” Altres chided, pulling his arm from Elora’s grip and smoothing his filthy rumpled clothes. “We’re quite rare, it is true, but I only hid my identity because of this very reason.
“And then without the magical ring that I used to place myself in a normal human guise… well, I couldn’t have guessed that Leveling Up would rid me of the enchantment! I assure you, it was as much a surprise to me as anybody else.”
Elora agreed with a nod. “He did seem surprised.” Though she now looked at the man mistrustfully.
Hal, on the other hand, couldn’t stop grinning. Magic was real. Tieflings were real. What other wonders did this world have hiding around the next bend in his path?
“I still stand by what I said,” Hal said, looking from Elora to Altres’ true form. “I trust him.”
Altres visibly relaxed and gave Hal a nod of thanks, sitting down next to him. “I knew you were an excellent judge of character when you chose to pull me from the depths of that dank prison.”
One of the Rangers came over and passed around cups of delicious cold mountain spring water, strips of jerky, and some fresh flatbread smeared with a cold cheese spread. It was a lot like cream cheese but with a citrusy tang.
You eat [Ranger’s Repast].
+5% HP | +10% SP.
+10% SP Regeneration.
+2 DEX | +2 AGI.
Duration: 4hrs.
“Woah, I get stats for eating?” Hal asked, astounded. “Why didn’t I get anything before now?”
Altres nudged him gently in the ribs and turned his glowing lilac orbs toward him. “Huh, so you really aren’t from around here. Allow me to explain! Only decent food has any effect on stats. The better the food’s quality and the skill of the one who cooked it, the higher the bonuses.
“You notice how, as a Ranger dish, it improves the characteristics that best suit their type. Dexterity, agility, and stamina usage. Everything a growing greencloak needs to stay healthy and strong.” With a wink, he added, “And far removed from civilized society.”
“And how is it still cold?” Hal asked.
Several hooded faces turned from their meal around the fire to look at him. One of the Rangers spoke up before Altres could. “We have a permanently enchanted storage pouch that keeps everything cool and arrests rot. Useful for long forays into the Wilds.”
He should have known it was magic.
That got him thinking. If magic could make a miniature refrigerator that didn’t need electricity, what other things could he create with magic that had relied on complicated technology back home?
While everybody ate in relative quiet, save for the dull roar of flames and the crackle of the logs, Hal looked at improvised crafting:
Improvised Crafting (Trait).
Improvised Crafting allows you to outfit any item with atypical ingredients, gaining the ability to swap out one ingredient for a similar type, resulting in a different finished product.
That was interesting. Hal had taken to crafting in most MMORPGs like a fish to water. It was usually his bread and butter in those games. He usually rushed to make high-tier equipment and be one of the first people to sell it.
Considering he wasn’t in an MMORPG, and that this world had been going for a very long time without him he doubted he could replicate those achievements.
Better to focus on staying alive first, though he couldn’t help but let his mind wander a bit.
One of the most annoying issues was running out of a specific material and it seemed like the improvised crafting trait would solve that. He immediately thought of a variety of replacements that he’d like to try out once he had a safe workshop to tinker around in.
After a quick look at his skills, one thing Hal did notice was that he had nothi
ng for Sword. It seemed merely holding a weapon wasn’t enough. He had to actually use it. It made a certain sort of sense.
Hal turned his attention back to the group before him. For the first time, he focused on each of them. Not the typical manner in which he found himself tentatively ignoring people around him like he was on the bus, instead he really looked at each of them.
Altres was sharing a story about something called a karak and a cart of dwarves trying to tie its barding on. Hal didn’t understand much of what he was saying but many of the Rangers around the campfire were giving appreciative chuckles and nodding along, clearly entertained.
Most of the Rangers wore nearly identical forest-green cloaks. All of them seemed to be exceptionally skilled with the bow and were able to flow through the forest like a whisper of wind.
He hadn’t been sure they were staying with them at all until Elora had called to set up camp and they simply appeared. In the firelight, their faces all had smooth flawless skin. Not at all the weathered features of people who frequented the outdoors.
More than a few sported the telltale pointed ears of elven descent.
These were people who could probably live out the rest of their lives happily without any home or town. Which begged the question: Why were they sticking around? A question Hal suddenly needed answered.
He wished he could talk to Elora alone.
Hal cleared his throat and looked at Elora. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I’m on the run as a wanted fugitive of Sanctum-Fallwreath,” she answered bluntly, tearing off another strip of jerky with her teeth. “And because it’s the right thing to do.”
“But why did you bother to save me? I’m not important. Not a noble or some preternaturally strong fighter. I’m just… me.”
Elora motioned at the Rangers and each of them pulled down their cowl, revealing what Hal already spotted. Fair features with pointed ears and beautiful jewel-bright eyes. Elves. She motioned to everybody else. “Notice anything different?”
Beastborne- Mark of the Founder Page 11