Rescue

by R. A. Mejia

  After the third day of contemplation, I meet with Token over a breakfast of grubs. “I’ve decided to accept your training. I don’t know where it will lead me, but I know that, if I don’t take the training, I’ll always wonder how my life would have been different if I had.”

  Token nods sagely while shoving a handful of wiggling insects into his mouth. Through a mouthful of food, he says, “I always knew you’d accept. Come and join me in the mine today, and we’ll begin your training.”

  The two of us finish breakfast, grab our prison-issued mining equipment, and head down to the mine. Token lets the mine foreman know that I’ll be joining him today, and the guy shrugs without concern. Token explains, “I’m such a good miner that the foreman has given me my own mineshaft to work. He lets me do whatever I want as long as I produce enough extra ore to get him his weekly production bonus.”

  I’d heard rumors about Token’s almost mystical ability to mine ore, but I’d dismissed them as rumor since the collars around our necks inhibit magic use. But, after Token disabled my collar, I realized that he’d been using magic to mine this whole time.

  The two of us grab an ore cart and head down mine shaft eight. We push the cart down the tracks deeper and deeper into the mine tunnels until we get to the end of the track. Finally, the two of us are all alone and away from the prying eyes of guards and fellow prisoners.

  The tunnels are lit by faintly-glowing crystals, but now that I have access to my abilities again, I activate [Darkvision]. In an instant, the tunnels go from dark and gloomy to bright and almost cheerful. The grey stone walls have metallic flecks that make them sparkle. I can even see the grain in the thick wooden beams that support the tunnel’s ceiling. It amazes me every time I use this ability that things can look so different if you just change your perception slightly.

  A discreet cough draws my attention away from the beauty of the underground and back to Token, who’s squatting near the end of the tunnel on the cold stone floor. His eyes glow slightly, telling me he’s also activated his [Darkvision]. “Okay, chosen one. Let’s get started. First, I’ll need to determine where you are before I can decide on what kind of training you need to do.” He motions with his hand towards me. “Here, sit beside me.”

  I join my new teacher on the cold, hard stone floor. As I try to find a comfortable position, I can’t help but wish I had a throw rug or something like it to sit on. After a moment, I give up and just accept the discomfort. Turning to Token, I ask, “Would you please not call me ‘chosen one’? It sounds awfully pretentious, and I haven’t exactly agreed to be some goddess’ agent.”

  Token laughs and bares his sharp teeth in a kobold smile. “Armon, I was only joking, but if you’re sensitive to those kinds of titles, you’re going to be very uncomfortable when the other kobolds hear that you’ve been chosen by one of their deities.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The kobold tilts his head, considers me for a moment, and then answers, “No, I don’t think I’ll tell you. It’ll spoil the surprise.” He laughs again and then continues, “Okay. Hold out your hands so I can see what I have to work with.”

  Great. I hate surprises. I hold out my hands, and Token’s child-sized, clawed hands each grasp one of my index fingers. He closes his eyes and speaks an incantation in some language I don’t recognize. Just as I’m starting to get bored, the world suddenly shifts. In an instant, everything around me has turned grey and foggy. Token opens his eyes, and they’ve taken on a golden glow. Within the fog, pictures start to form. Scenes from my early childhood zoom by, and the ethereal images flash through my teen years, but then they slow down when they reach the point in my life where I come to Terra. The pictures start to skip to different crafting- and magical-training periods of my life. I see myself sitting down, creating my first spear. Next, I’m practicing spellwriting in the forest. The scene shifts to Dyblex, the female goblin from Restrian, showing me how to use magical engraving. Scene after scene passes through the fog, detailing exactly what crafting and magical skills I have and how much I practiced them.

  When the show is over, and the world finally returns to normal, Token releases my fingers, and takes a step back from me. He sits on the floor of the mine, his head down, and takes deep breaths. “Phew! Sifting through that many memories always takes a lot out of me, but I needed to know exactly where you stand in your training.”

  My eyebrows lower slightly, and my forehead crinkles in confusion. “While it was fun to take a stroll down memory lane, I could have showed you my character sheet if you just wanted to see how far I was into my magical and crafting training.”

  Token’s head jerks up, a scandalized look on his face. “Sir! I do not appreciate the suggestion that I’d ask a student to expose themselves that way to me.” He looks me up and down then continues with a small chuckle. “Besides, I like my mates female and kobold.”

  It takes me a moment to realize what he’s saying, and my confusion turns into awkward embarrassment until I remember that, on Terra, sharing your character sheet is considered an intimate act since it shows all your strengths and weaknesses. I rub my forehead in frustration. When will I remember that particular cultural difference? On Earth, gamers regularly share screenshots of their character sheets. It may be to brag about how powerful their character is or to ask for advice on a particular character build. Either way, it’s nothing to keep secret. I need to remember that things are different here, but it’s just so hard to break years of gaming habits.

  I nod once towards Token. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything. I just thought it would be easier than expending that much magical energy, but I forget that customs here on Terra are different than the ones on Earth.”

  Token waves away my apology. “It’s fine, Armon. I got a chance to see what your world is like while looking through your memories, and I understand that things there are very different.” He scratches his scaly snout with a clawed finger and continues, “It also explains why it’s difficult for you to connect with the goddess, Cherax Quadricarinatus. Your entire world seems to have lost its connection with the spirit realm.”

  My lips press together in a thin smile. “Well, I’d never begrudge someone their beliefs. I just never got into religion. I vaguely recall going to church as a young kid sometimes, but after the accident, I was more concerned with making sure I had something to eat.”

  Token scoffs and shakes his head. “Who’s talking about religion? I’m not asking you to devote yourself to a life of abstinence as some kind of warrior priest. I’m just talking about a connection to the unseen world. The world of spirits and gods.”

  “I guess I just have a hard time believing that such a place exists. After all, by definition, it’s unseen.”

  “Can you see the air you breath? Or the life-giving energy of the sun? No. Yet, you do not doubt their existence.” He taps his chest with a clawed finger and continues, “You don’t seem to have a problem with a giant talking lizard that used magic to look through your memories, but you have an issue accepting the possibility that there may be another layer to the world that you can’t see? One where beings of power exist as something other than flesh and bone?”

  Well, when he puts it like that, I guess I can try to have an open mind. I mean, I’ve gotten used to the new rules of killing monsters for XP and wiggling my fingers to cast magic. Maybe this world has something like a spirit realm. Just because I’ve never seen it, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

  I snap my fingers as an amazing thought occurs to me, and I ask, “In this spirit realm, is there perhaps a small high-gravity world I could train on under the guidance of a bug-looking dude like King Kai? Or perhaps an overseer like Koenma who can make me a spirit detective?”

  Token looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Then he slowly shrugs. “Uh . . . I guess there may be. I’ve never heard of the spirits King Kai or Koenma, but the spirit realm is endless and full of possibilities.”

  Just the idea that s
omething like that may exist settles it for me. “Okay. I’m in.”

  Token nods once, and, just like that, I begin my training in both spiritual awareness and artifice.

  I figure this shouldn’t be too hard since I’ve already undergone similar training connecting to my mana pool with Lilliandra. However, I’m mistaken. The kind of meditation Token shows me is more like an exercise in frustration.

  Token, already sitting cross-legged with his hands resting on his scaly knees, explains, “There isn’t just one type of meditation. There are many forms, each with its own purpose. Concentration meditation is meant to focus one’s awareness on the chosen object and improves a person's ability to concentrate. Mindfulness meditation is meant to help someone learn to observe thoughts without judging them. It allows a person to see their thought and feeling patterns and promote inner balance. There are more, but you will focus on these two types first.”

  Token begins his instruction. “Close your eyes, Armon.”

  I close my eyes. The tunnels are cool, and I already feel more relaxed.

  “Simply breathe naturally. Focus your attention on your breathing. Don't try to control it; instead, focus on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Breathe in. Breathe out.”

  I try to focus on my breathing, but my mind keeps jumping around. I think about how hard the floor is on my butt, which reminds me of the time Vrax swept my legs out from under me with his tail and nearly broke my tailbone. The humorous memory of Vrax shifts unconsciously to a terrible one, the kobold massacre and my quest to save the kobolds. What right do I have to be happy when they’re still in so much pain? The thought comes unbidden to my mind, and I try to push it away, but more thoughts of my friends come unbidden. How worried they must be and how anxious Vrax must be to move on to save his family. Again, I try to clear my mind. Yet stray thoughts keep popping up like weeds after a summer rain. It’s like being told not to think about an elephant. The moment you’re told not to, you can’t help but think about it.

  “Be aware of each part of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.”

  Grrrr. There are so many things going on in my mind. Okay. Calm down. Focus like Token says. What’s my chest doing? An image of the caved in chest of the guard I killed rescuing the Restrians pops into my mind. I mentally push the image away. Breath. In and out Armon. I see Elder Xichion, the leader of the kobold tribe, lying on the floor, breathing his last breath, looking up at me with a pleading expression.

  I open my eyes and let out a frustrated growl.

  A smiling Token asks, “Something wrong, Armon?”

  “I can’t calm my mind down. There are too many thoughts going through it. I don’t think this meditation thing is for me.”

  He nods understandingly. “It’s fine, Armon. Just keep practicing when you can. However, we can move on to some artificer training now if you’d like.”

  I let out a relieved sigh. “Yes, please.”

  “I’ve already looked through most of your memories and can tell that you’re well on your way to understanding the basics of crafting. You’ve already learned several crafting skills, and part of your artificer training will be to continue expanding that skill set. It’s important that you understand what a particular trade can and cannot do, but a larger part of your training is going to be about combining crafting and magic in unique ways. Artificers are designers, thinkers, and inventors. They usually outsource individual part-making to more specialized tradesmen. Of more importance is that you know arcane spellwriting already. I suggest that you keep expanding your knowledge of that branch of magic and pick up any others if you can.”

  “Can you explain how artificers combine magic and crafting?”

  Token nods once and opens up the extra-dimensional space in his arm. He reaches into it and pulls out a dagger. The dagger looks both functional and sturdy. The hilt is made of a dark stone that has grooves and bumps carved into it, likely to help the wielder grip the hilt. The two-inch-wide blade is made from a dark iron and has magical symbols engraved along its length. When I focus on the blade, a window pops up.

  Dwarven Dagger of Penetration

  A magically-enhanced dagger crafted by the artificer, Token. This dagger has an enchantment that lets it more easily pass through armor.

  Effect: Dagger bypasses 20% of an opponent’s armor.

  Damage: 7-9 (Piercing)

  Durability: 28/30

  Token looks at the dagger fondly and explains, “It was made by dwarven smiths, but I used the magical engraving techniques I learned from humans to enchant the knife with a spell the elves taught me--a spell that lets the knife more easily penetrate armor.”

  I’m stunned by the possibilities of the class. It takes the jack-of-all-trades concept and bumps it up a notch. The class is perfect for me. There are some drawbacks to being an artificer, though. According to Token, when a person takes a class, it changes them. If I took a combat-oriented class, I’d gain more health and stamina but likely lose mana. For an artificer, it’s the opposite. I’ll lose some health and total mana but increase my mana regeneration significantly.

  Even with the changes to my health, I think the benefits of becoming an artificer far outweigh the drawbacks.

  “Token, I want to become an artificer.”

  It turns out that picking up the class is easy. Token takes a spherical crystal from his personal inter-dimensional space and motions for me to touch it. When the crystal touches my skin, a new notification appears.

  Token, Master Artificer, has offered to change your class to [Artificer]. Do you accept?

  I accept. There’s a flash of light, and when it clears, I feel . . . different. It’s a bit hard to explain, but my mind feels clearer, and my body feels weaker somehow. I pull up my character sheet.

  Name:Armon EllingtonAge:19

  Level:5Class:Artificer

  Exp to next lvl.: 796Titles:none

  Unspent Stat points: 5

  Health:52Mana:68

  Stamina:65Mana Regen/Min2

  Stamina Regen/Min 3.25Health Regen/Min0.42

  Str: 18Int:22

  Dex:19Wis:12

  Con:21Cha:13

  One handed Damage: 4 - 5 (Unarmed)

  Two Handed 6 - 7 (Unarmed)

  Defense: 3

  Woah. That’s a pretty big drop in my health, stamina, and mana. My health went from 65 to 52. My stamina went from 87 to 65. My mana went from 91 to 68. The only thing I can see that increased is my mana regeneration rate, which doubled. So, now I can regenerate a whole 2 mana per minute.

  Token interrupts my consideration of my character sheet. “Everything to your liking?”

  I scowl slightly. “Uh . . . heck no! Everything is not to my liking, Token! I lost a lot of my mana, stamina, and health, and the only increase I got was one extra point of mana regeneration per minute.”

  Token shakes his head. “I told you about that before you chose the class, so there’s no complaining about it now. Besides, you won’t see the real gem of our class until you level up and have some free stat points to distribute.”

  I look at my character sheet and note that I never did spend the stat points I got when I made level 5. “I have five stat points available now. What do you mean?”

  He looks at me with a wide grin on his face. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises? Most people distribute their stat points as soon as they level. Since you have them available now, why don’t you try adding one point to your wisdom stat?”

  I’m a bit unsure. I’d been thinking about adding more to my constitution since I have even less health than before. But Token is my class trainer now. I should show him a bit of trust. Besides, it’s just one stat point.

  I add the stat point to wisdom, bringing it up to 13 and try to see the change. Nothing to mana, health, or stamina. I stare not s
ure if I’m seeing this right. My mana regeneration went up to 3 points per minute.

  I stare at Token wide-eyed, who laughs at my expression. “That’s right, Armon. Artificers have one of the best mana regeneration rates of any class. Sure, the tradeoff is lower health, mana, and stamina, but it’s more than worth it at higher levels when you can regenerate your entire mana pool in only a few minutes.”

  I realize that he’s right and quickly add the rest of my free stat points to Wisdom, bringing the stat up to 17 and increasing my mana regeneration rate to 7 points per minute. That means, just standing here, I can regain my entire mana pool in just 10 minutes--even less if I’m not in a fight and sit down to rest. That’s so overpowered.