by Aaron Oster
Greta staggered back under the barrage of attacks, screaming in pain as his Mana Burn and Mana Shot slammed into her one after the next. Sam cursed as he saw that she still wasn’t down and wondered what level she could be.
Was there any way for him to find out? There was some kind of analyze skill in every game, so maybe there was one in this world.
Staring hard at the reeling siren, Sam tried to picture reading her stats, saying the word Analyze in his head, over and over. Nothing happened.
“Shit!” Sam yelled, using his two spells once again. He really needed some more abilities! Two just wasn’t enough.
You Deal: -9 Damage to blue siren (Mana Shot).
You Deal: -15 Damage to blue siren (11 Mana Burn + 4 Burn Damage).
That was another thing that made no sense. When had his skills started causing so much damage? Last he’d checked, his Mana Shot did 3-5 damage, and Mana Burn did 6-8, with only a small chance of causing an additional 1-3 damage. It just didn’t add up.
“I thought I’d be nice and make your death painless!”
Sam cursed himself for getting lost in thought again and turned his attention back to the furious blue woman standing across the room. He gulped as a crackling blue light began to form over her palm, and he was fairly certain that he was about to die.
The door crashed open, and Gordon came flying in. Sam was so shocked to see him, that it took him a few moments to register that the dog’s muzzle was covered in blood.
“Gordon! What the hell happened to you?!”
“Good. I see that you have finally broken through the siren’s charm.”
“Yeah. I still remember what you called me, by the way. Don’t think I’ll forget it!”
“Excuse me! I’m busy gearing up to kill you, and you ignore me to talk to your dog?”
Sam turned back to the blue siren, who had actually stopped her attack and was glaring at him.
What a strange and fickle monster this is, Sam mused as he raised his hand and attacked her again, dealing an additional -22 damage.
“Mind telling me where you’ve been? And more importantly, why you’re covered in blood?” Sam asked as he jogged across to stand near his guide.
“I had to deal with the farmer. As it turns out, he is not really this siren’s father, but rather her familiar. She uses him to lure strangers off the road and into her lair.”
“Die!” Greta shrieked, sending twin bolts of energy at them both.
“Oh, crap!” Sam yelled, diving for the ground, and he felt the magic pass by overhead. He heard a loud crack as the bolts impacted against the opposite wall, shattering it to pieces.
“Is there any way to tell what we’re dealing with?” he asked, crawling behind the table for cover as the siren began sending off seemingly random blasts of magic.
“She is a level 7 blue siren. You managed to get her down past half of her health on your own. Nice job on that,” Gordon said, crouching on the ground near him.
Level 7? He was lucky to still be alive!
“How can you tell?” he asked, peeking out from behind the lip of the table, and seeing that the siren really was sending off random blasts of power. She seemed to be enraged, and not targeting anything specific as a result.
“You must use the Inspect skill,” Gordon replied, as though a level 7 monster wasn’t going on a rampage only a few feet away.
“Great. It didn’t work because I wasn’t thinking the right word. Stupid Overlord,” Sam muttered, peeking around the table and thinking ‘Inspect.’ A second later, a screen popped up before his eyes.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Through your intrusive staring, you have gained a new skill.
Inspect: If you stare at someone long enough, eventually you’ll crack open their minds Effect: Basic information on people, monsters, and items
“Putting aside that very creepy description, this sounds like a very useful skill,” Sam said, closing the window. Immediately, another one popped open, this one displaying the siren’s information.
BLUE SIREN
Name: Greta Level: 7
HP: 108/220
Status: Enraged
“Holy shit! Why the hell does she have so much HP? ” Sam yelled, “She’s only 4 levels above me and I only have 80!”
“Some monsters have naturally high health. Did you not wonder why her attacks caused you so little damage?”
Sam snapped his mouth closed. Now that he thought about it, a level 7 should have been able to squash him.
He then turned his eyes to the dog, idly wondering what level he was.
Why not find out?
A second later, he was able to view Gordon’s information, and was surprised at how informative it was, compared to the siren’s.
CANINE COMPANION
Name: Gordon Breed: Tervuren Level: 6 (48%) - HP: 92/120 - MP: 10/10 - STA: 187/210
Status: Unruffled Companion animals are a special breed of monster, created by our illustrious Overlord. They were created specifically to help those competing in The Rules.
His inspection of his companion was rudely interrupted as a chunk of the table was blown clean off, and he was forced to roll to the side to avoid another blast.
He quickly sprang to his feet, and used his two spells again, knocking off another -23 HP from the siren. There was now a small red bar hovering above her head, and Sam guessed that it was courtesy of his new Inspect skill. Greta fired another blast of magic, and this time he was hit. Boy, did it hurt! Sam’s entire body went numb, as though a massive electric shock had gone through him.
Blue siren deals -27 damage (Unknown Ability).
What the hell? How had her attacks gotten this powerful?
Then Sam’s eyes flicked to his own health bar and he felt his blood freeze in his veins.
He was down to only 4 HP! How did he not notice?
Sam dove to the ground as another bolt of power flashed across the room. He began frantically looking around for Gordon, hoping that the dog might have some advice, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Hell of a time to flake out on me, dog!” Sam yelled, feeling his heart pounding a mile a minute.
Just then a very unexpected sound reached him. The sound of a growl was quickly followed by a scream. Sam quickly whirled, peeking out from behind his latest source of cover, the kitchen counter, and saw Gordon tearing into Greta’s arm. His eyes widened when he saw massive chunks of the siren’s health coming off with each shake of his head.
Holy shit. Gordon’s a fucking beast! Sam thought, a little shocked.
Sam sprang to his feet then and began casting his spells again, using Mana Shot and Mana Burn , until Greta fell to the ground, with one final shriek.
Blue siren dies. +331 XP
7
A message flashed before Sam’s eyes as soon as the siren died. He stared at it for a few seconds, not quite believing his eyes.
HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETE
Congratulations! You have completed the hidden quest: Monsters in our midst.
The town of Farmer’s Rest was plagued by a string of disappearances. The townsfolk were becoming worried that there may be a monster hiding among them. Speak to the Mayor to collect your rewards!
Rewards: 850 XP, Basic Leather Bag, Basic Wand, 1 Gold Coin
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Sam yelled, pumping his fist in the air. “Thought you’d kill us off, did you? Thought you’d kill me by using my greatest weakness?! Well, guess what, Overlord? Fuck you!”
DIVINE CURSE
You have broken a rule, and have been struck by a divine curse.
Effect: XP gain halved Duration: H 3: M 59: S 59
“What the hell?” Sam exclaimed as the loud gong sounded in his head. “I didn’t break any rules!”
“If I may be so bold as to point out,” Gordon spoke up from across the room. “It is past midnight, so a new rule will be in effect.”
Sam gaped. It was past midnight? How? It had only been around 7
when he’d come in to eat. Had that much time really passed?
Sam shuddered lightly, but shoved the feeling down. He had a lot of questions, but for now, he had other things to deal with.
Opening his status, Sam checked his progress.
CHARACTER STATUS
Name: Sam Race: Human Level: 3
XP: 415/700
AP: 1
Class: None HP: 21/80 (Regen 0.8 Per Second) MP: 68/170 (Regen 1.5 Per Second) STA: 33/70 (Regen 0.7 Per Second)
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 5
Constitution: 8
Agility: 6
Endurance: 7
Intelligence: 17
Wisdom: 15
Charisma: 11
Luck: 8
ABILITIES
Mana Shot: Novice LV - 4 (87%) Mana Burn: Novice LV - 3 (91%)
SKILLS
Sprint: Novice LV - 6 (57%) Stalker: Novice LV - 2 (11%) Inspect: Novice LV - 1 (38%) Mind Over Body: Novice LV - 2 (45%)
EQUIPPED ITEMS
Wool Shirt (Okay) Wool Pants (Okay) Leather Boots (Shoddy)
RULE OF THE DAY
Do not use any swear/curse words (Broken) Divine Curse Effect: XP gain halved Duration: H 3: M 57: S 51
Sam resisted the urge to begin cursing his brains out right there on the spot. What the hell kind of rule would prevent me from cursing? That damn Overlord! Fuck him! Sam spitefully thought.
He waited for another divine curse to hit him, but thankfully, nothing happened. Sam shook his head in wonder at the lengths this Overlord would go just to screw him over. He did have to admit one thing, though. Regardless of how much of a dick he was, the Overlord had some imagination.
Sam had been stupid to think that some unknown girl would just throw herself at him for no apparent reason. He’d gotten too full of himself and had nearly paid with his life.
“Lesson learned, Overlord,” Sam said, doffing an imaginary cap at the man.
Even if you are a total dick.
Turning his attention back to his status, he began opening his abilities and skills. It didn’t escape his notice that a new skill had appeared as well, and he wondered why he hadn’t received a notification about it.
ABILITIES
Mana Shot: Fire off a small beam of condensed mana.
Level: Novice 4 (87%) Damage: 6-8
Cost: 15 MP
Range: 10 Ft Cast Time: Instant Cooldown: 2 Seconds Mana Burn: Fire off a ball of mana hot enough to burn.
Damage: 11-13 (12% chance to inflict +3-5 Burn Damage) Level: Novice 3 (91%) Cost: 35 MP
Range: 15 Ft Cast Time: 1 Second Cooldown: 5 Seconds
SKILLS
Sprint: Run like the wind Level: Novice 6 (57%) Effect: -15% to Stamina consumption while running or jogging Stalker: By sneaking around, you spot things, no one else does Level: Novice 2 (19%) Effect: +11% Chance to spot hidden details Inspect: If you stare at someone long enough, eventually, you’ll crack open their minds Level: Novice 1 (38%) Effect: Basic information on people, monsters, and items Mind Over Body: You are stronger than your base urges Level: Novice 2 (45%) Effect: 30% Resistance against psychic based attacks
Sam closed his status, pleased by his progress, but still not one hundred percent sure where the increase in power for his abilities came from.
“Hey, Gordon,” he called to the dog, who had been sniffing around the fireplace.
“Yes?” he asked, sticking his head into a still steaming cauldron.
“Why has the damage of my abilities gone up? Does it have something to do with their level increasing?”
Gordon pulled his head from the pot, and Sam forced himself not to laugh at his stew-covered muzzle.
“It is a combination of two things that raise ability power. One is, of course, increasing the level of said ability, but the other is increasing your Intelligence ,” Gordon said, licking the scraps of meat and broth from his face.
“Of course! I’m such a fu…nky idiot!” Sam tried desperately to cover his slip up, and after a few seconds, breathed a sigh of relief when no divine curse was forthcoming.
This shit’s gonna get old real fast!
“A funky idiot?” Gordon asked in a somewhat confused tone.
“Right. I forgot to tell you,” Sam said, checking the Durability of his clothes and wincing.
The boots were down to 2/4, and both his shirt and pants were down to 3/8. If he didn’t get some new clothes soon, he would be running around naked.
“Forgot to tell me what?”
“Today’s rule,” he replied, closing his status and giving Gordon his full attention. “I can’t use swear words.”
“Ah, a day of cleansing. It will be good for you, to take a break from such vulgarity,” Gordon said, nodding his head sagely.
Sam snorted, then began rooting around the half-destroyed kitchen, looking for anything he might be able to use. He bent down the near the cupboards, opening them all and finding them to completely empty.
That was strange. Where had the siren gotten all those stew ingredients from, if there was no food in the house?
He continued walking around the kitchen, pulling open one cabinet after the next, and finding all of them bare.
“What are you searching for?”
“Loot!” Sam exclaimed, slamming another cabinet door with a grunt of annoyance.
“Loot?” Gordon sounded confused.
“Items. Goodies. Treasure,” Sam replied, finally giving up on the kitchen and heading into the living room. “There’s gotta be some Loot around here. It’s a big part of any video game. I’m actually surprised that I haven’t come across any yet.”
“If treasure is what you seek, then why are you not searching the strongbox?” Gordon asked.
“What the hell is a strongbox?” Sam asked, turning back to the dog, who had somehow recovered his stick and was once again chewing on it.
“I gather that ‘hell’ is not considered vulgarity,” Gordon said with a sigh. “So much for my twenty-four hours of peace.”
“Hey!”
“As I was saying,” Gordon said, cutting him off. “You will not find items or weapons simply lying around. If you should happen to defeat a monster, then an item will either appear, or it will not. Since no item appeared once you killed the siren, you must assume that there is a strongbox - what you humans refer to as a treasure chest - somewhere nearby.”
“Why didn’t you just say so? And don’t you dare say ‘because you didn’t ask!’” Sam was quick to add.
“But you did not ask,” Gordon said.
“I told you not to fucking say that!”
DIVINE CURSE
You have broken a rule, and have been struck by a divine curse.
Effect: Total HP halved Duration: H 4: M 59: S 59
“Damn it!”
DIVINE CURSE
You have broken a rule, and have been struck by a divine curse.
Effect: Total MP Halved Duration: H 5: M 59: S 59
“Mother…!” Sam clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from incurring yet another divine curse. He inwardly railed, spewing every foul though he could at the Overlord, but didn’t otherwise utter a word.
It looked like this Overlord was a real bastard. A twisted bastard who would throw an unrealistically hot girl at him. Only to have her try and kill him. Asshole.
His eyes turned to Gordon, who had lain down on the floor and was gnawing on his stick. At this point, it didn’t really resemble a stick, more so a piece of soggy driftwood that had been attacked by a group of sharks.
“Okay. Putting that aside, can you please tell me where this strongbox would be located?”
“But of course. The strongbox will be located at the most central location of the monster’s lair. In this case, I believe that would be the bedroom.”
“Right,” Sam said, rubbing at his temples. “There won’t be any other surprises waiting in there for me, will there?”
He was exhausted, not to mention that hi
s health and mana had been cut in half for the next few hours. He didn’t want to run into another monster and get eaten.
“I believe that the siren was the boss monster of this lair.”
Sam nodded and was about to head out the bedroom, when a thought struck him.
“Hey Gordon, I’ve been wondering something.”
A small nod from the dog was enough to ensure that he had his attention.
“Why have I been so calm in all these battles? It doesn’t make any sense. I feel like I should be freaking out. I mean, I nearly died back there, and only felt my heart rate spike for a second.”
There was silence for a few moments, the only sounds in room being the soft crunching of wood, and the light swishing of Gordon’s tail over the hardwood floor. Finally, when Sam was about to ask again, the dog spoke.
“You body went through some alterations when you were transported here. As you are from another world, the system had to be uploaded into your mind, altering you in ways that I cannot fully explain. All I can tell you is that your normal responses to fear, pain, and trauma - both physical and mental - have been tempered. Your previous life did not prepare you for the harsh reality of Somerset, so the changes had to be made.”
So the Overlord hadn’t just kidnapped me, he’d also fucked with my mind. Lovely.
“Alright, I think that’s about enough for one day. I’m going to check and see if there’s any good loot, then I’m going to sleep.”
“Very well, then. Have a good night, Sam. I shall wake you at first light.”
“Please feel free to let me sleep in,” Sam said, then turned and headed down the hallway.