They ran for what felt like hours, but had only been twenty or so minutes. Their loss of stamina made the pair succumb to tiredness, forcing them to stop and gasp for precious oxygen. A look behind them told William and Stacey that they had outrun the fire, at least for the moment. Smoke billowed over the trees in the distance and William had guessed they ran for at least several miles. William sat down on a nearby log, with Stacey joining him. Neither spoke, both still recovering their breath. Echo and Ashen seemed a little more tired than normal, but they were animals designed to go multiple miles quickly, so it wasn’t too surprising.
About a minute later, the both of them had steadier breathing.
William stroked Stacey’s hair gently and said, “Are the prompts still coming?”
Stacey let out a long sigh and nodded, rubbing her head as if she had a headache. William wouldn’t have been surprised if that many prompts had such an effect.
She leaned into him saying nothing for the moment, clearly gritting her teeth and baring it. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled Stacey into him. She melted into him, seeming to get some relief from his touch. He took that time to check his prompts. William told Echo to keep a lookout while he did so, in case any of the remaining wolves had given chase. He started with the first to appear:
{Ascension_Protocol}
You have slain:
Direwolf Packmother – Level 20
[Notice – Half EXP awarded]
{End}
He had hoped that the cap limit wouldn’t include Level twenty creatures, hoping it was for anything less than that level. It seems he would really need to leave the region if he wanted to gain levels faster, but he still had things to do. He had a feeling that someone of level eighty as an example wouldn’t show up and slaughter everyone as if the world followed typical EXP means, it just wouldn’t be worth it. He had grown a lot, but he was still in what amounted to a starter region. He saw how Stacey had gained a bunch of levels from their trip and with John already having a good amount of levels, he didn’t think it would be too hard to power level Jane and then put some effort in to get the rest of Greenwell to a reasonable level too. William hoped that the trainers Everglade were sending would be able to reduce William’s input in that regard, getting him and his party out of the place sooner.
William turned his attention to the next prompt. It was the one he had been most excited for:
{Ascension_Protocol}
{Race: Human – Level 26 Reached}
Attribute points allocated, plus 5 unused points.
{Class: Fighter – Level 19 Reached}
Attribute points allocated, plus 5 unused points.
{Allocation:}
Would you like to Allocate Unused points (10) to attributes?
{Y/N}
{End}
William allocated the points with joy, feeling like it had been too long since the last time. He put the two Fighter points into Dexterity, then put three points into Strength, an additional three into Dexterity, one into Charisma, one into Vitality, and the last two into Intelligence. He looked on at his changes with a happy smile:
{Attribute Changes:}
- Strength: 87 > 90
- Dexterity: 90 > 95
- Intelligence: 79 > 81
- Wisdom: 86 > 88
- Vitality: 75 > 76
- Charisma: 53 > 54
{Resource Pool Changes:}
HP 750 > 760
MP 790 > 810
SP 870 > 900
{End}
He was content with the changes and closed the prompt, moving on to the final one he had received:
{Ascension_Protocol}
{New Title Offered: Pack Hunter}
{Description}
Through battling multiple groups of Pack Creatures, you have gained the experience necessary to combat such threats more easily.
{Effect}
When fighting Pack Creatures, receive 20% less damage from coordinated pack attacks. Additional Effect: You can sense Pack Creatures up to twenty meters away.
[Notice – Title stacks with other Titles of similar function.]
[Notice – Accepting this Title will make it appear on your identity if the spell Identify is used on you. Description not included.]
Do you accept the title?
{Y/N}
{End}
William accepted the Title with joy. It sounded awesome and was somewhat useful to him. He wondered if other adventurers out their had a bunch of titles like he did and given how some of his titles came from killing large groups of enemies at once, he felt it rather likely. He pictured the classic adventurer party trope and such groups defeating swathes of enemies, unlocking Titles with ease. It also meant that potential future enemies might have the same advantages of Titles that he did.
Stacey let out a sigh of relief next to him followed by a rub of her head with one of her soft hands. He had a feeling that the prompts had finally stopped. He glanced over in the direction of the fire and noticed that the smoke column had started going white, indicating that the fire was pretty much over.
“They’re finally gone,” Stacey said, with tired relief.
“I guess you can sort your attribute points and Level twenty skills now then?” William replied, curiosity prompting the question.
“Already on it.”
He appreciated that. She had gotten into the whole change to their world with an earnest effort. It was something that he admired about her and didn’t expect anyone else to share with him. He had tried to kill himself and if not for the transfer between worlds, would have bled out, becoming another forgettable corpse of a depressed teenager that couldn’t take it anymore. Before his thoughts could turn to that dark trip down memory lane, Stacey spoke again, distracting him.
“Um...William, what does faction enmity mean?”
His eyes widened then and he had to know the details.
“Can you read it out for me please? I think I know what you’re seeing, but want to confirm it before answering.”
{Ascension_Protocol}
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Faction Enmity Gained: The Pack
Faction Enmity: The Pack +300 (Disdained)
{End}
“Yeah, I have something similar with Fell-kin,” William said, wondering at what ‘The Pack’ was.
He also didn’t see how animals could be a ‘Faction’. It was a weird world though, so maybe there were beast lords or something equally as fantastical commanding the creatures.
He did wonder why she had got that prompt and not him. He had killed the Packmother, so why didn't he get the prompt too?
The only thing he could think was that the surviving wolves had seen her cause the fire and not seen who killed their Packmother, though technically, Stacey's actions had caused the fire that probably finished the beast off. He obviously got the kill prompt, but he hadn't been the one to secure it.
He relayed those thoughts to Stacey, considering to himself if Wylton would be able to shed some light on 'Enmity' and how it worked.
Stacey seemed nervous at the news and meekly said, “Should I be worried?”
William thought on that. Should she be? It wasn’t as bad as the Enmity that the Fell-kin had for him, so it would probably be okay, plus there was another simpler reason not to worry, which he voiced.”
“I think that gaining Enmity with creatures that would kill you anyway for being near them, you shouldn’t be in any greater danger. Hopefully it doesn’t stop you from petting dogs if those exist here. I assume they might to some extent given that wolves apparently exist….may-” William stopped himself before he trailed off
Stacey gave him a knowing look before stroking his arm and replying, “Your little tangents are cute.”
William flushed slightly at that and he was sure that his face had reddened a few shades. This prompted Stacey to let out a small giggle. A couple moments later her smiling face turned to a frown.
William worried that they were in danger and asked, “What is it? We in danger?”
Stacey shook her head and replied, “Nothing like that. I...just got a title offer.”
William was pleased for her. It would be her first Title.
“That’s awesome! Well done!” William said, tone full of gleeful candor.
“It’s not the greatest name, but I want to tell you about it as I’m not sure whether to take it.”
William had rejected one that made him sound like a devourer of flesh over a month back, so wasn’t surprised about Stacey’s concern. He gave her an encouraging nod and she read out the prompt for him.
{Ascension_Protocol}
{New Title Offered: Pyromaniac}
{Description}
Through your ability to consume everything around you with pure immolation, you have developed an affinity for arson.
{Effect}
All damage to inanimate objects and anything composed of wood is tripled.
[Notice – Accepting this Title will make it appear on your identity if the spell Identify is used on you. Description not included.]
Do you accept the title?
{Y/N}
{End}
William was shocked at the Title. It was the first one he had seen that did triple damage. He had a lot of titles, but none that gave him triple damage. A moment of further thought made something come to mind in that regard. It didn’t affect living creatures, so maybe the system itself balanced Titles to some extent. He inwardly cringed at the Title’s name as that would be a rather conspicuous one to anyone with [Identify]. He remembered then that it was listed as a ‘Racial Skill’. He had seen that Elves were a thing in this world, Ar’Nass or ‘Nass’ for short as the Elf had stated, was one such example. If that implied anything then it meant that only humans could see Titles. He hoped that it meant she would find it easier to reason with people of her own race. He had a feeling that accepting this Title would require such persuasive efforts if Stacey didn’t want to be endangered by guards in other places using [Identify]. Even in a world of swords and sorcery, William had a hunch that human behavior would be the same as on Earth.
“William? You there?” Stacey said, poking him gently in the cheek with her finger.
He refocused on her and chuckled to himself for getting distracted again.
“You should accept it,” William said, making sure to voice the words with confidence.
“Are you sure? I don’t want people to attack me or flee from me in fear.”
William smiled at her, feeling that his own Titles would be more likely to cause such a thing. Besides, if he was by her side, people would be more likely to focus on his than hers.
He was adamant that she should take it and said, “I’m certain. Titles are powerful and other than me, I think you’re the only one from Greenwell that has a Title…provided you accept it of course.”
Stacey only hesitated for a brief moment before nodding and presumably accepting the new Title. He decided to use [Identify] on her then:
{Ascension_Protocol}
Stacey – Human Level 20 – Mage Level 18
Titles:
Pyromaniac
{End}
William saw what he had expected from what Stacey had said earlier, and felt pride well up inside of him. Stacey would’ve gotten the message about the soft-cap, so for now, she would probably be in a similar position to him. It was a good problem to have at least, and it made William more comfortable knowing that she could probably beat most of the creatures in the region without his aid. Things like the Direwolf or the Packmother however, would probably need someone like him to keep them busy. It was the principle of the whole RPG party set up. He, the tank took the brunt of damage while the hard hitters whittle down the Big Bad and the healer or support role kept the party in tip top shape.
In that sense, his party was a well structured one. They had Jane as the healer role, with
John and Stacey being the hard hitters in their ability to use magic, while he as the Tank got to face the foe up close and personal. William couldn’t help but feel that part of him wanted to be the badass lone wolf still, and not have to rely on others to aid him in battle. Those were his fantasies talking however, and he was aware that as he was at present, anyone from a higher level region could outright destroy him with ease. Until he reached a point where he was the very best, the idea of him going off on his own to slay armies or mighty beasts of legends with a swing of his sword, it would be just that; an idea.
William wrapped his arm tighter around Stacey and kissed her on the top of her head. He wanted to reassure her that it would all be okay, and as he wasn’t the most eloquent with his words, William decided physical comfort was the best approach. She slackened completely, her hair just under his chin and her body leaning into his.
Neither said a word for several minutes, enjoying the peace. There was a slow return of chirping birds, indicating that the fear of the fire had started to leave the native creatures of the forest. After a few more moments of relaxation, Stacey got to her feet and spun with a smile, offering William a hand up. He accepted her offer and joined Stacey a moment later. The two of them collected their bonds with a thought and extended arms. The two creatures moved to rest on their shoulders and the group started making their way back to Everglade, occasionally checking behind them for more wolves.
They had made camp as evening fell later that day, happy that no more wolves came to attack while on their return trip. William held the Blue Essence Core in his hand, wondering how many of the creatures he killed had such cores. He had used some of the ones he found to power his enchanter tools instead of relying on the transference of his own Mana. A battery of sorts. Did they exist in all creatures? Maybe they were only inside powerful creatures. He had a skill called [Mana Conversion], but had never seen a need for it. William decided then to do some testing as he was laying on soft grass beside the fire they had made, Stacey going through her stat allocation sitting nearby on a log they had pulled near the fireside. Her Intelligence and Dexterity were coming along well. It made him smile, and with a good mood, he started to empty the core without issue. Once it was emptied, the Mana filled him to full. Some extra Mana faded to nothingness as he reached full capacity. That part had worked as he had expected, but now he wanted to try and will his own Mana into the core itself. Nothing happened.
William had expected that and with a shrug he decided to use [Mana Conversion]. He felt a tug on his MP then, the source originating from the core. It had faded to a clear color as it was drained, and he watched as it slowly regained its blue hue. He did a check and saw that the core had consumed one hundred and fifty MP. William reabsorbed the energy then, but frowned as he only regained one hundred and twenty MP. It seemed that the process couldn’t be looped in anyway. Did the system have some kind of Mana deficit in that way?
William assumed that it was the most likely reason and likened it to the concept of never ending energy in Earth’s science theory. William sighed at that and stored the core in his Spatial Ring. Maybe he could learn some Runes for channeling Mana and bullshit some infinite loop in the future. It was an idea he put to the bottom of his mental wish list however, as he felt a little bit lazy when thinking of the mental effort it would probably require.
The next night of rest was wonderful as he and Stacey both got some private time with Echo on night watch in the tree they had set up camp beside, and Ashen sleeping in a small twig nest near to the still toasty fire. They woke up the next morning, getting dressed, and having breakfast before they packed up camp. Since the fire, nothing aggressive had appeared nearby or attacked them. It seemed that the wolves wouldn’t be a problem for them in the immediate future. This made William happy and as he knew they would be reaching Everglade soon, he pictured the cool fur coat he was going to have made for the woman he was growing closer to.
He realized that the two of them never really discussed much about their time on Earth. Things like hobbies, favourite foods, colors, and so on were never mentioned. They had taken some time to play Question/Answer so the two could learn more about each other. Stacey had told him how roses were her favorite flower, that Blue was her favorite color, and that she had an interest in cars. That last one had took him a little bit by surprise but it passed quickly. He had told her that his favorite color was Black, and added that he was aware it was technically a shade, not a color, but he digressed and explained about his interest in video games and manga. He even had a pleasant surprise when Stacey mentioned she had a couple of romance manga series of her own.
The two had talked a bit about manga then and she had mentioned that whilst not too interested in video games or typical fantasy/sci-fi manga, she had an interest in Japanese culture. They had both discovered that each had wanted to live in Japan and enjoy the place to its fullest.
Back in the present, William was smiling at the night they had enjoyed together for many reasons and couldn’t help but feel true contentment for the first time in a long time.
As the sun reached its zenith, Serenity peaked above the woodland ahead of them and after a few more minutes, the wall of Everglade came into view. William had a lot to do once they got there, but the first thing he was going to do was take a bath. He wouldn’t become the unhygienic person he had been back on Earth. He was a new William, and wouldn’t ever go back to his previous form.