Every person born on Vulde is born with a special soul bound Grimoire. Only the owner can read.  Every grimoire has a special name, this name is the power of the individual's soul's power. As everyone's souls are different, so too are there powers.  This book shows all the persons stats and learned abilities wether taught through experience, or through a special drop known as skill books.  These special books can drop from any monster found, however, it is the challenge that decides the level of the loot.

To keep the world in balance, the Gods bound all skill books or magical scrolls to the one who defeats the enemy.  Bringing an overpowered person along to take the hit or damage the enemy just enough for a weaker person to claim a powerful reward is also impossible.  If you are inside a dungeon, it will raise the level to a point where the weaker person will undoubtedly die while his or her protector is busy with the buffed mob.  Out in the wilds, where the enemies are stronger and have room to maneuver. The enemy will flee the area entirely or, failing that, drop no loot. For there is no reward, if there is no challenge.

There are other ways to gain books you could kill and loot another with a grimoire, and there is a much higher chance to get a skill book or magical scroll.  However, it comes at a price your grimoire and eyes will turn pitch black, forever marking you as a murderer.  This does not hold true if you kill in self-defense or the defense of another.  

Every creature on Vulde could randomly drop a book however it is highly unlikely to happen, say killing a horned rabbit. unless said rabbit was an elite wandering the field or the rarely seen field boss.  But the chance of a boss rabbit having a skill book is maybe one in ten thousand. However, if you found a tribe of Goblin tinkerers, their boss is likely to drop a single minor skill increase or possibly a crafting recipe.  If you're daring, hunt an elder dragon for an elemental spell, depending on type of dragon slain.  Again there is no guarantee of a drop, it might take a hundred or even a thousand dragons to drop a single skill book or magical scroll. Or if your luck is good, a single one.  Luckily, normal drops from that kind of enemy are worth a fortune.

In the small kingdom of Suci, a young boy was staying as still as possible in the back of a wagon.  He had to be careful if the two people with him found out he was conscious.  They might panic and kill him now instead of following the plan lain out by his Father, the crown prince and his eldest son.  Thinking back to how this all started, he regretted not having ran away sooner.

                                         Chapter 1

I had woken up that morning at exactly dawn, just like every morning.  Slowly uncurling from a ball in the center of his mattress.  Arching my back, stretching as far as my body would allow.  My small black ears already swiveling around, listening to Mom moving in the next room.

"Arthur, are you awake yet?  You don't want to be late for your examination, do you?"  I heard Mom calling from the kitchen.  Sniffing the air, I could smell my favorite sweetened goat's milk.  Jumping from my bed landing before my wardrobe, I hurriedly grabbed a tunic and pants before running to the bowl of water set before my mirror.  Looking at myself, I began wiping down my pitch-black fur that seems to stick out in all directions.  Starting from my ears, ending at my tail.  Done with my cleaning, I bare my teeth at the image in the mirror, trying to look intimidating like Dad and my elder brothers.  It doesn't work, I still just seem scrawny and slightly creepy with my one gold eye and the other a bright, almost glowing green.  Other than that I look like a normal five-year-old feline.

Hearing a thump from the front of the wagon, I slowly raise my head to peek at my captors.  I see them slumped against each other's snoring.  The mules however don't seem to mind the drivers are sleeping, they just keep trundling along the dirt road.  Slowly and as quietly as possible, I retrieve the rucksack I hid on the cart earlier in the day.  I then gather all the provisions my captors brought along for themselves, stuffing it all on top of my own supplies.  Before I jump off the wagon, I carefully cut the strings on their coin purses as well tucking them away as I sprint into the woods north of the road.

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I ran back west toward the capital for ten minutes when I came to a crossing the sign said North, mad king's land, South, Darsian empire, west Suci and east, The Badlands.  After slowly working out what each meant, I hesitated. Part of me wanted to run straight home to Mom and Jessie, my sister from the same litter.  But I knew if I ever show up in or near the capital again, I will die.  I also can't go south those overgrown hairballs would never let a feline enter their empire without a collar.  Same with the Mad king although the humans aren't as bad as the Ersa.  they are gearing up to invade another world and I would rather not get drafted into their cause.  Which leaves the badlands where no one dares to enter well obviously that's out.  So where do I go and why is our kingdom in such a sorry location?  Eyes beginning to water, my mind drifts back to the day before.

"Please show me your Grimoire child,"  said an aged man, his fur gray and tufts missing all over.  Holding forth my hand, I will the grimoire to appear.  The book itself is rather plain, unlike Dad's and my eldest brothers that practically shine from the power hidden within.  "Good, now I believe you have learned to read from your mother, correct?"  

Glancing quickly around, I see the not quite hidden gleam of greed in several pairs of eyes.  I nod assent at the old man.  Then I say impassively, "My book says, a book of the farmhand."  Although my Dad keeps his warm smile on his face, I see the annoyed twitch.  My brothers stared at me in disgust and turned away.  That's not what the book says, but im not foolish enough to tell the truth anywhere near the nobility.  I once watched one of my brothers provoke an innocent man into attacking him, just so he could kill him in self defense.  All for a possibility at a small boost to his strength.  When he didn't get the loot, he wanted he went on a rampage and murdered the man's entire family.

"Measure the boys starting potential perhaps he isn't a complete loss," said my eldest brother to the old man.  Turning to me, the man gave me a pitying look that only made me even more scared.  Placing his palm over my grimoire he started humming but soon he frowned and started over.  After ten minutes of this, he finally said, "there is no potential at all."

Dad turned to the old man and waved him off. "Fine, you can go." Then he turned to me, "you go to your room I will deal with you later."  As I was leaving, I heard Dad tell someone to silence the old man and bring a couple vagrants right now.  When I was far enough down the hall where they couldn't easily hear me, I broke into a sprint for Mom's kitchen.  Entering, I rush toward Mom.  She is holding a filled rucksack, all she said as I ran by grabbing the bag was, wait for the patrol to pass you will have less than two minutes.  When I reach the back wall, I hide in a dark nook and wait.  Sure enough, a couple minutes later a wagon with two unsavory felines stop outside the gate and walks inside led by a guard.  The remaining Guard pokes around the wagon for a moment before resuming his patrol.  Sprinting forward the point he turns a corner, I stuff my pack under some rags and grab the jar from my pocket.  Whiffling a fine powder over the two mugs next to the barrel of mead.  Finished with my Mom's escape plan, I darted back through the gate and jumped as hard as I could landing on the second-floor balcony.  Sprinting inside, down the hall and into my room. 

Before I even got halfway to my bed heard a knock at my door before my Dad's personal servant shoved it open.  "Young Master the crown prince asked me to bring you this it is your favorite sweet milk.  Crown prince hopes you won't take what happened today too hard." 

As I stare impassively at the servant, he gets irritated and hands the drink to me.  I mechanically chug the milk and hand back the cup.  "You can go now."

I could hear the Dad's toady muttering the entire way down the hall.  "Good riddance, I say, little runt is creepy, always watching everyone with that stoney face and those odd eyes."

Turning to the potted plant, I wait till im sure the servant is out of hearing and force myself to vomit the milk.  Before laying down to wait for my kidnapping.

Forcing my eyes to stop watering, I turn to the north to begin my journey.  Pulling out the world map I took from the royal cartographer.  Unfortunately, it was unfinished, so I drew what I could remember from Mom's stories of the Island of Shult.  

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