*Tring
Your status is critical at 1% and you have passed out due to severe exhaustion. You will be forcibly logged out if you take any more damage. Resting increases your health and stamina regeneration and will return your status to normal in 13 minutes.
Watching as a the world around him shifted into constantly shifting colors which quickly blurred into one another, Pep-Ri drifted into unconsciousness. Falling asleep and being forced into slumber are two different things. And what Pep-Ri was experiencing was far beyond anything he knew. Even as the world around him faded into the void, Pep-Ri was still able to observe. He could still think, see, taste, feel, and hear. Except there was nothing for him to sense. He was not all together sure what the game was doing but obviously this was a part of it.
Looking around himself Pep-Ri discovered that he had no body. Or rather maybe he only thought he was looking around? This could all be a dream after all. A very empty dream that was programed to make sleep possible in game... So then why did he feel awake? He tried and calling up his menu screen yet nothing appeared. He then tried calling out for his stat screen, his inventory, etc. Calling an admin didn’t do anything either… Which he was probably better off as his experience with them so far, had been less than desirable. He even tried opening his unused yet not empty friends list. As his sister should have been added automatically he thought he might get a call…
Floating in complete darkness without so much as the ability to feel your own body was quickly beginning to freak Pep-Ri out. Yet before panic could truly set in on him, everything began to shift again and color returned to the world. He was not all together sure what the game was doing but obviously this was a part of it.
A room began to shape itself as the colors shifted and the world began to take form again. The room was nothing special except for the shimmering. The floor was made with wood paneling and the walls were made of reddish brown bricks. There was a straw bed on which he lay and a wash-bin beside a wardrobe. It could easily pass for a standard bedroom in RR. Yet it wasn’t the room that he and Divine were given at the temple’s home. Looking down Pep-Ri was pleased to see that he had his hands, feet, and body all back. A blessing after experiencing the emptiness of that void. Getting to his feet Pep-Ri tried calling up his menu again disturbed to see that it was still not functioning.
Exploring the room, Pep-Ri found a window positioned beside a wash-bin. Looking through the window Pep-Ri expected to find himself looking out at the courtyard behind the temple. Yet what he saw was beyond imagination. A young girl with silvery white hair and pointed ears was starring him straight in the face. She was cute in a in a preteen girl kind of way. She looked oddly familiar. Moving his hand to wave he was surprised to see she was waving as well. She also stopped waving when he stopped. Sudden realization came to Pep-Ri that despite the background scenery this was not in fact a window. Pep-ri patted his chest just in case and watched as she immediately patted her not so flat chest as well. Looking down with dread in his heart Pep-Ri opened his shirt a little. Only to find his flat male chest.
Breathing a sigh of relief Pep-Ri started to button up his shirt again. Watching as what appeared to be his reflection did the same… Thinking about it he quickly unbuttoned his shirt again and threw the thin leather covering open. Only to go goggle eyed as he saw that his reflection most certainly did not have his currently flat chest. And it most certainly had various other feminine things that he was lacking as well. Blushing madly Pep-Ri, despite his teenage curiosity, began to rebutton his shirt. I mean this was a reflection right? He had already lived in that body while thanking the makes of royal road every minute of it that there was no function in place that forced you to use the restroom in game.
Obviously this is what I must look to others when I am a girl. Yet why is it I am a guy right now and seeing my female self?
The colors of the room began to shift again and Pep-Ri found himself standing in a marble and gold decorated room with a raised ceiling. It oddly looked like a temple. Looking around again Pep-Ri was surprised to find that he was not alone.
A young woman, not his reflection this time, was standing not three feet in front of him. She was a beauty if he had ever seen one. She was a tall woman, who looked to be of both Asian and European decent, with beautiful brownish black eyes which spoke of laughter and love, Asian black hair, and long slender arms. Not to mention a model perfect body.
“Protector… You have done well to sacrifice yourself for my wards... You are weak and incapable, yet you have brought with you hope and change… “
*Tring
You have been healed by the mother of all. Juno the Caregiver. She has been in seclusion for the past ten thousand years allowing her children to rule over Versailles. Beware and rejoice it is rare for anyone let alone a man to ever catch her attention. As a man you are incapable of communicating effectively with Juno, a right reserved only for priestesses.
Pep-Ri felt as if something important was being said but he could not understand what. The system message that appeared before him was too small to read and it was as if the woman right in front of him was whispering to him from across a parking lot. Nothing she said could be understood Speaking out to try and let her know he couldn’t hear her was even more disconcerting.
“Miss I can’t hear you. Do you understand what is going on?”
“The oppressed are rising up and standing firm… For a pixie to have such an influence is astounding… Your people have been oppressed for eons due to their flamboyantly prankish nature. Yet here you are standing firm after adopting a were cat babe? What makes you care when many would have thrown it away? What makes a Pixie such as you put away your carefree life?
You have made me Curious a thing not done in centuries… I shall be keeping watch over you…”
Still unsure of what was being said Pep-Ri just stood there spectating on the woman’s oversized chest that kept bouncing up and down as the woman spoke. It was not something Keith would have done in the real world but when faced with a dream in VR where a woman you can’t hear has an oversized bouncing chest……… It was not like it was over the top, but even so… Every time she moved her arms or turned, they took a couple a second to follow. It was wildly distracting. Even more so than living with all the women at the Temple-house. Suddenly the woman smiled, turned, and walked away as if he had only been of momentary interest. The colors shifted again and Pep-Ri found himself back in the void. Only this time he was able to let his mind drift off and………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
“Awake!”
“Awake!”
“For Freya’s Sake Awake!”
*SLAP!*
*Tring
50 dmg
Opening his eyes due to the pain Pep-Ri was faced with the scowling visage of Agatha. Seeing her face was certainly not the most pleasing way to wake up. Especially after having such a weird dream.
“Hey Kill stealer.”
*Slap!*
*Tring
50 dmg
“What did you call me? I may not know what you said but it must have been impolite.”
*Slap!*
*Tring
150 dmg
*Slap!*
*Tring
150 dmg
Rushing forward Patrick took ahold of Agatha’a arm before she could slap him again. Almost reaching Pep-Ri’s face with her hand Agatha pulled Patrick along with her, only stopping so she wouldn’t hurt Patrick. Looking at Patrick with pure disgust covering her face, she waited till Patrick timidly let go of her, to pull back and
“Agatha! Please you can’t hit him like that!!! This boy almost died protecting us and it was only you using Juno’s blessing that he is still alive! DO you want to waste both his and your efforts?”
Looking defeated Agatha put her arms behind her back while looking down at the floor.
“No.”
“Then act like it Sister Agatha… I know you have great healing abilities and you like to show them off, but your strength is that of a monster.”
“A what?”
“N..N..nothing.”
“That’s what I thought..”
Looking down at Pep-Ri Agatha, through still squinting eyes, slightly pulled back her hand again as if to continue slapping him. Sighing she took a few steps over and sat down on a stool.
Seriously?!? First she steals my kill, then she apparently heals me, and then she beats me silly? What is wrong with this chick? Ugh… First things first I need to find out about the quest and the kids.
“What happened? Are the children safe?”
Looking perplexed Agatha studied Pep-Ri for a second and then adopted an amused expression. Patrick on the other hand looked relieved. After a brief pause Patrick Began to describe what happened after Pep-Ri was defeated by Grang-Sook.
“It appears your display of courage, and the children’s love for you inspired the kid’s to rush to your defense. Agatha and the women obviously wouldn’t let their youngans to go into danger alone. So they grabbed everything within reach it turned into a rout. They may have been stronger individually but it was like watching a colony of ants attack a spider. The brigands and the gangsters were all beaten near death and they fled like the cowards they truly are. Not without leaving a few of them behind. Heh. Heh. So anyways, Sir Pep-Ri the children are recovering nicely from a few scrapes and bruises. But otherwise everything is fine.”
Looking embarrassed Agatha interrupted.
“Things are more than fine. With Grang-Sook dead the gangs are bound to dissolve and we wont have to worry anymore about them. In a way you helped save us… Even if you are a useless male thing.”
Wait now I am a thing?
“I may have given the final blow to Grang-Sook, but you and that other useless fellow were the ones who wore him down. In a way it is surprising you did that much. As a Holy Maiden I am capable of delivering the strongest of blows to thieves and scoundrels like yourself, yet I have found myself to be highly incapable in combat. Something to do with distance and this curse on my eyes I suppose.”
…….
“You mean to say you could have defeated Grang-Sook and his cronies all by yourself… This entire time…. If you could have seen them properly?”
“Why act so surprised? Yes a Holy Maiden of Juno is typically really powerful. I just typically can’t see well.”
“Have you ever heard of glasses before?”
“Why yes I have indeed young man. But I think they tend make me look fat.”
“I don’t think that would be the glasses at fault.”
……..
……..
……..
*SLAP!!!!*
*tring
100 dmg
“Agatha! Stop hitting the boy. He’ll die at this rate.”
It was true.. With barely 550 health Pep-Ri was already down to around 50 health.
“Hmph…. He deserves death after what he just said..”
Crossing her arms and puffing herself up Agatha was acting more like a teenage girl, from an anime he had once seen, at the moment then a grown woman. Eyeing Agatha warily, Patrick continued.
“The point is. You have displayed yourself wonderfully and have helped protect the women and children. You have also provided us with the courage and fortitude to stand up for ourselves. Thus ridding us of the threat of gangs and corrupt officials. You have shown many of the children what they should aspire to become, and I dare say quite a few of the women want to try and settle down with you. I would be wary of them though as we cannot provide for stable families as this is a shelter and not a love motel.”
*Tring
You have completed the quest: Raising the House of Juno’s. Through unorthodox methods you have gained the respect and admiration of all women and children at Juno’s. Some may consider you a scoundrel and a bath peeker, but overall they trust and believe in you. Women feel safe and secure around you especially as they can all probably defeat you in a fight. While many of the children see you as either a surrogate father or an older brother.
Difficulty: D
Rewards: The complete respect of every child and mother in the House of Juno. Increased familiarity with the Father Patrick and Sister Agatha. 50 service points for the order of Juno.
Sweet! Even though this took forever and I had to sit around when I could have been leveling up, I finally finished and leveled twice!!
“Ahem.. Sir Pep-Ri I know this must come as a surprise for you but both Sister Agatha and I have gone to the Temple head priestess and we would like to extend to you and invitation.”
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Looking at Agatha Pep-Ri was surprised that she actually seemed to be nodding.
“You see we are still recovering from all these years of being under the thumb of these gangs and we are a very weak religion. We almost never get the chance to reach out and gather new prospects into our order. And I myself am the first man to have been incorporated in over 300 years… Well what we want to say is that if you would like to, we would appreciate it if you became a priest of the order of Juno.”
*Tring
You have been invited to train to become a priest in the temple of Juno. After proving yourself worthy of testing you have gained the honor of you will be tried, measured, and appraised. If acceptable after your training you will be given the class of priest and stats and abilities unique to the class.
Would you like to go through the training to become Juno’s priest?
Yes/ No
Looking between Agatha and Patrick Pep-Ri mulled it over.
Well I was thinking about becoming a mage, so maybe a priest wouldn’t be bad… I wouldn’t have to be in direct combat which would allow me to keep Divine with me. It would also open up the option of being accepted into a party as a healer. Not bad considering I currently have no class and pixies are already strong in both mana and light magic.
“Sure I’ll try it out. After all I need to protect Divine somehow.”
“Well said new acolyte. Considering our order is all about the protection and care of those who cannot do so for themselves. That is except for the Maidens who are more paladin than priestess. Beginning tomorrow you will start your training based on your current capabilities. I would like you to show me your status as well as all your current abilities.
Character name: Pep-Ri Replica Alignment: Neutral
Level: 16 Class: None
Gender: Nuetral-Currently Male (Equiped) Title: Bane of NasaNusa’s Horde
Health: 552 Mana: 1056
Health Regen: 33.49 per minute Mana Regen: 12.95 per minute
Strength: 19 Agility: 134
Stamina: 101 Wisdom: 97
Intellect: 65 Sustenance: 9
Fighting Spirit: 11 Leadership: 0
Luck: 10 Art: 74
Elegance: 16
Attack: 5 Defense: 10
Magic Resistance
Fire: 2% Water: 2%
Earth: 2% Dark Magic: -10%
As a Pixie the stamina and agility earned at 2x’s normal amount.
As a Pixie Strength takes 2x’s as long to build and cost 2x’s the amount when adding points.
All fairy folk other than pixies are openly hostile and look down on you due to your heritage.
Title Bonus: + 10 Str, +10 Agi , or +20 Str, +20 Agi when fighting Kobolds.
Unequiped Titles: Fastest around
Unallocated Stat Points: 50
Skills Total: 8
Patience (Passive, Beginner lvl 1 43%)
Pixie shot (Racial skill,Passive , Beginner level 1 7%)
Illusionary haze (Racial skill, Active, Beginner level 1 33%)
Running (Passive, Beginner level 4 87%):
Land Skip (Unique Skill, Active, Beginner level 1 42%)
Blood Thirst (Passive, Beginner Lvl 1 11%)
Bloodseekers Sight (Passive, Beginner Lvl 2 12%)
Cleaning (Active, Beginner Lvl 3 46%)
Unique Uncounted Skill Set: A Parent’s Love Series (Max LVL)
Unique Uncounted Skill: Gender Declaration (MAX LVL)
After looking over Pep-Ri’s information Patrick pulled out a pad of paper from a side pocket and began jotting down notes.
“For your level despite you not using all your points you have exceedingly high Stamina and agility as well as wisdom. I was aware you ran at nights and read books from the library but I didn’t know you spent so much effort in doing so. Your intelligence is about average for one seeking the to join any order, yet not up to our standards. Due to your species lack of elementary education it is understandable but you still need to raise it.
Strength is something not necessary as churches do not require it of priests but we will have you around at least 50 before you can pass. As it is something everyone needs it is vital for success. Yet for some reason it is overlooked by most mages and priests. I am going to suggest visiting the sword training facility but you would take years to develop the right muscles as a pixie. We shall prepare something special then to target strength and maybe stamina as you appeared to have run out during your last fight.
You have a few unnecessary stats but that is unavoidable and you still have one slot left to learn holy. I am worried that when you take on the class your natural aversion to dark magic as a pixie and a priest’s aversion will leave you crippled against any fiend who would practice the dark arts. Yet you should be even stronger with light magic’s blessings, and protection spells than most other beginning clerks, priests, and paladins.
Your skills are neither overly useful nor detrimental to your future profession. While I dread to know how you gained Bloodseeker’s Sight and Blood Thirst, they are still skills which help stack towards Illusionary Shot and Patience. Both of which will be useful for both midrange and long range attack spells.”
Interrupting before Patrick could go on any longer Pep-Ri asked, “Attack spells? Wait I thought Priests mainly healed and blessed others?”
“True… True… As a whole we do concentrate on mainly support based skills, but we also have unique attack based skills that are detrimental to enemies, not to mention all the debuffs. To say the least there are three main types of priests. These are all split into subdivisions and called various things depending on what order you join. They are mainly the attack oriented Battle Priests who use light and holy magic to destroy enemies from afar; the Holy Priests which concentrate on the protect, buff, heal, and debuff skills while never actually dealing damage; and lastly the All-Rounder Priests who can both attack, protect, heal, buff, and debuff. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages.
The Battle Priest is great at destroying dark and foul enemies. They call the fury of the gods and the heavens down on their foes dealing heavy and sometimes lasting damage. Yet they often lack advanced healing abilities. This can lead to many a foe and many an ally being defeated.
The Holy Priest is best supporting holy campaigns surrounded by armies and working in cities. They are much sought after for their skills. Yet if they are ever caught alone they had best run for the hills hoping to escape any danger they face. They lack offensive spells and cannot fight hand to hand. Which is why I myself have been incapable of letting our situation get so bad.
All-Rounder Priests are the most common among the clergy. They specialize in everything and are the most adaptable to any circumstance they come across. They learn anything and everything they can in order to grow powerful. Unfortunately it takes a lifetime of hard work and experience to become anything more than just a jack of all trades.
For optimal growth I believe you should concentrate on learning to become an All-Rounder or a Battle Priest. You already have a few protective skills in your Parent’s love set. Yet those are all limited to your daughter. Some of your skills point towards creating debuffs on your enemies through attacking wisely. So they are limited to being used as a result of attacking and not a spell that can be used to automatically create a debuff. They have low percentages of occurring as well and are unreliable. Yet they all have the ability to stack and create multiple debuffs. The rest of your skills all deal with mobility, misdirection, and evasion. All skills essential in surviving a battle and not really for healing. These all point towards an attack oriented fighting style.
What you truly lack is a way to attack your opponent and do effective amounts of damage. This limits you and your other abilities. You also need to learn to manipulate mana as it is an essential ability for all who wish to use magic. Last of all even if you wish to be a Battle-Priest you should still learn a heal spell or two in case of emergencies.
But first we must make this clear. We do not choose what you become. Your class is given to you, during a ceremony, by Juno. We can only pray to her during the ceremony, asking that she provide you a class most suited for you. We also have learned that through extensive studying and how you train yourself can influence her decision. Now I must ask for the purposes of creating a lesson schedule what type of Priest would you like to become?”
“I believe I would prefer to be an attack oriented All-Rounder. I would prefer to be able to defend myself and my daughter when needed, yet I wish to be more effective and efficient in group combat than a simple mage.”
Indeed a wise choice. We can set up a schedule for you then that supports the growth and abilities needed to gain a class similar to what you have described. Speaking of which the only skill of yours that I haven’t figured out is this Gender Declaration. I was unable to read a description and I have never heard of it before… What exactly does it do?”
……
……
……
If I lie about not being both genders then I might get caught. Yet nothing I have seen so far either in the game or on the forums suggests that being found out as a neutral would be a good thing.
“I don’t rightly know honestly. At some point I yelled at that guy who tried to rape me that I was a man. Apparently due to my looks and my carrying a child around he had thought I was a woman… Eventually I decided it was time to correct his thinking… After that the skill was created.”
“Hmm…. Sounds reasonable. And you do have a slight feminine quality about you. Yet I would say there couldn’t be any mistaking you for a woman. Not with that flat chest…”
*Slap!*
Rubbing his cheek, Patrick was trying to get out of range of an already returning hand, “Agatha what did you hit me for?”
“Just cause... BakaHentai… [size=.5]Looking at another man’s chest how sick…[/size]”
Mumbling that last sentence Agatha used her hands to cover up her blushed face while turning and escaping the room leaving both Patrick and Pep-Ri confused as to what they had done to deserve such treatment...
"Whats wrong with her?"
"Hmm? Oh nothing that is how she usually acts around people she considers friends... Welcome to the club."
With nothing left to do Patrick informed Pep-Ri that he would begin his training tomorrow and hopefully they could turn him into something worthy of living up to Juno’s standards.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………................................................................................
Afterwards
Pep-Ri and Divine were getting ready for bed in their little closet room and Divine was pulling at Pep-Ri’s hair. She had taken to copying words he said again and was slowly developing a more extensive vocabulary. So far she only had around 30 or so words figured out but if Pep-Ri was right, then she was actually ahead of schedule to be doing even that.
Changing her diaper one last time before putting her down in her crib next to his bed, Pep-Ri took her furred hands into his and began telling her about his huge adventure today. He told her all about his experiences and even though she wouldn't understand most of it, she enjoyed listening to him speak to her.
“Now Divine it is time to go to sleep. Papa loves you!”
“Me love papa…”
Waiting till Divine was asleep Pep-Ri got ready to log out. Thankfully in RL today wasn't a workday and he still had a few weeks before his last year in high school. Today he would be able to get some real sleep and then play some more. Right before logging out Pep-Ri heard Divine fussing a little. Getting out of the bed he leaned over to see her staring at him.
“Papa.. Where.. Mama?”