EPISODE 27: Future Plans 1
-Edryan Queendom, Year 7291. Season: New Beginning.
The call of spring greeted me early on 8th Day morning through the large clear window in my campus apartment. I opened the window to the soothing breeze of spring and the smell of flowers in bloom, bees buzzing, and green manicure fields of grass with small patches of color in between. In the distance, a few parks full of trees were beginning to be heavy with fruit and berries.
“Today is going to be a great day!”
One month since my system unlocked has passed. There was plenty I learned about the system and my body since then. It is one thing to hear about it for sixteen years of your life and another to harness it. To feel my body breaking its limits and a point of growth when allocating attribute points.
“Status.”
Lawruthian Imperius Koltius Edryani – Level 2
HP: 150/150 (+150)
SP: 150/150 (+150)
MP: 150/150 (+150)
Base Attack: 30 (+25) ^3
Base Defense: 28 (+20)
HP Regen: 19HP/Hour. +27
SP Regen: 19SP/Hour. +27
MP Regen: 19MP/Hour. +27
Bloodline: [+]
Race: Magi-Human
Main Class:
[Hero of Edryan]
Perks:
Codex of Earth
Power: 60 (+50) ^6
2nd Class: [LOCKED]
Core Skills: [+]
Vitality: 50 (+50)
3rd Class: [LOCKED]
Racial Skills: [+]
Endurance: 50 (+50) ^13
Faith: Goddess Madris
Status Effects: [+]
Mind: 50 (+50) ^25
Affiliation:
Royal Family of Edryan
Equipped:
Imperius Academy Uniform
A Mother’s Gift
Self: 75 (+50)
2nd Affiliation:
Imperius Academy
Intent: 58 (+50) ^8
Achievements: [+]
Skills: [+]
Magic Affinity: -
Active Quest: [+]
Attribute Points: 0
If I was compared to the average magi-human of Edryan who started with a minimum of 60 distributed attribute points and 80 if they were from the capital, there would be no contest. Not to mention the top students of Imperius Academy who started with nearly 20 extra points from the capital citizens. My start was far beyond them. Several factors played into my strength, but the major boost that had me starting this high was my feats and the body tempering I experienced. If this was a pay-to-play, then surely I’d spent the most.
Feats were Achievements that were the most valuable Achievement type in the system. A feat was a collection of events or a major event that led up to something phenomenal. Something that wasn’t easily repeatable on a large scale. That was left for Titles not to be mixed with Titled. Feats were imbued into your body and could never be taken away. The same could not be said for my Blessing: [Chosen of Madris]. All Titles or things of similar nature like Blessings could be taken away. Hence in my status, they were displayed separately from my true attributes and Life Points.
Through this month In Imperius Academy, in Class 1, and several others, the limits of my body were tested. Fully understanding exactly how strong I was and how the system affected my class was the most important thing to me. With an even higher priority than the task of Goddess Madris. Throughout this, I had Madria and Amaya assisting me. I hadn’t revealed my class to the public yet as such things needed a buildup and an atmosphere for it. With their help, we came to a startling conclusion.
----------------------------------------
-A week prior.
“Ok, go ahead again. Make sure you use your full power, but it has to be a normal punch! Madris’s Grace, this is so exciting!”
I stood in front of the dummy with a smile on my face. On my left side was Amaya who was staring at me with shining eyes full of curiosity. Madria was watching a few feet away. Before me was one of the age-old methods that tested the general power a warrior could exert. As attributes affected classes slightly differently depending on the class type, this inscribed test dummy showed the amount of force you’d hit it with and several other factors.
Once I felt ready, my body acted. Punching straight and true into the chest of the large dummy. The blow gave a responding ‘BANG’ while ripples spread through the rubber-like material. On the dummies face was a counter that immediately began flicking before settling down on 300. Amaya wrote the number down and then moved a few feet back. A single point of stamina ticked down then almost immediately back up in my HUD.
“Send out a (Fireball) now. Make sure it's only worth five MP!”
“Fire is the origin of man, (Fireball)!”
I immediately chanted the spell all mages knew and fired it off in less than a second. The rune construct formed: a red circle in the air with the rune of fire and another of the base 72 runes to shape it. Chanting the rune combination took only a second. The pronunciation of runes held shorter syllables packed with meaning especially when you pour your mana into them. This time a loud ‘BOOM’ with an explosion of flame was released. The heat washed over me but was unaffecting my body overall. The fact that there were less than five feet between me, and the explosion told me a lot about my defense. The HUD in the left corner of my vision let me know that I was right on target.
HP: 150/150 (+150)
SP: 150/150 (+150)
MP: 150/150 (+145)
My mana pool still held full but the same could not be said for the mana that came from my blessing. I noted that my racial skill, (Magic’s Embrace), did not activate and reduce the amount of mana used. Interesting, so it’ll only work with my baseline mana perhaps? At least my blessing mana and defense have to break before my own physical body is affected.
As the flames cleared from the unscratched dummy a magical number revealed itself. Leaving the expressions of me and Amaya confused but excited. Madria approached confused; the number displayed not adding up for her as well. We stood quietly for a minute or so before Amaya spoke.
“Again, this can't be right.”
“Fire is the origin of man, (Fireball)!”
Madria sucked in a hiss of air, turning to look at me strangely. The number was not high only 90 but what it represented was astonishing. Amaya turned and looked at me. Stars in her eyes and a determination that I’d seen when she told me of her conviction to be a [Hero].
“What is your base attack?”
“30,” my response came immediately.
“I thought so, without any passive skills boosting your attack, your Power should be 60 if not 100. No…, it can’t be 100 you’d have a passive most likely that gives you a far stronger hit. You haven’t reached the first 100 in Power or it’d definitely be far stronger. It must be 60,” she deduced. Looking at me for confirmation. Receiving a nod from me in return as she stated it correctly. The dummy was meant for calculating your total power output. Although your base attack did that for you this was more for finding out how much of a boost you’d be getting from your class and abilities. Our small impromptu lesson in Class 1 a few weeks back was a great refresher on how the attributes operated per class.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“So, he’s getting the full Combatant Power multiplier and then he’s receiving the full Magical Combatant on top of that,” Madria mused. A thoughtful expression on her face.
“Interesting.”
“Not just interesting,” Amaya began excitedly. “What happens when he begins receiving skills that boost the raw damage he can output? Skills that give him a percentage increase or more. Or what if he buffs his weapons does he get the spell sword buff or the one of a [Enchanter]? This is the power of a [Heroic] class?” She began giggling before a full-blow cackle escaped her lips.
“Let’s test my defenses now. Throw some light earth magic my way.”
The girls backed up before Amaya sent a spell at me.
“Earth is the origin of all, (Earth Bolt).”
A hardened bolt of earth hit my chest and forced me several steps back. A small sound like glass shattering rang through my head. My blessings defense was broken. Yet a glance at my HUD showed me that not a single point of health had been lost. My hand came up and scratched my head.
“Amaya…, how high is your attack?”
“…11. I’ve yet to use any of my saved AP. The magic damage would have been 33!”
“It's not enough to get past my base defense,” I said with a small chuckle.
“My power is pretty high for just gaining my system. Is your defense past 40?”
Madria opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something, but she paused and looked at me first. Curiosity on her face as well. Usually asking someone these types of questions outside of a close relationship such as family or master/disciple was considered a major taboo. If this was Earth, it’d be like asking someone for their credit card or social security number.
“You’d have to hit me with at least 50 to break past my defense.”
The girl's eyes widen, and Amaya turned to look at Madria. Unspoken communication between them.
“Have you leveled at all,” Madria questioned.
“Only twice.”
Amaya spoke next asking her question with only a slight bit of hesitation. “Did you… complete some sort of feat to raise your Self to an absurd level? At a minimum, you’d need at least 150 to have that type of defense. Plus, your Intent would have to be at least 50…”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. The calculations Amaya did were quick and correct. She’d be right if I had leveled and distributed my Attribute Points in that method. I spent a few moments deciding how and what I wanted to say. Revealing my Power was fine. Amaya did most of the guesswork when it came to that. Revealing my defense was an entirely different story. I wasn’t comfortable giving the girls this information. Even if I considered them my friends now.
“I have received a blessing from our Goddess,” I said. It wasn’t the full truth, but it was enough for them to understand a blessing had boosted my defense to be so high. I considered the girl's friends, but I hadn’t even volunteered the information to my mother, nor had she asked. Although she did know of one feat. My other achievement was kept to myself.
Amaya smacked her head and Madria said a quick prayer. I gave a small chuckle at the girl's antics.
“I don’t know how it escaped my mind when I was present,” Amaya said. Jotting some more information down in her notebook before closing it up.
“I think we’re done for now, I guess I finally have to allocate my AP into my status. No more point in waiting around for something to happen….
How about we do this again tomorrow?”
“Deal!”
----------------------------------------
-Present
The carriage smoothly trailed down the well-maintained road leaving Imperius Academy. We swiftly moved from the third inner wall to the second and finally the first. The royal palace is in sight. Three mighty mage towers surrounded the palace. Each holding a Magi within. One of the first lines of defense if an invasion ever made it this far into Edryan lands.
My carriage pulled past the gates. The insignia of the Crown Prince was the only thing that needed to be seen. The magic signature of the carriage would have been scanned several blocks away from the gates. I felt a warm comfort at the sight of my home. The carriage made its way around the palace grounds and towards my quarters. I prepared myself for what was to come as the carriage paused at two massive doors leading within. Three large golems stood kneeling outside of the door. One looked like a standard knight and could even be comparable to a famous Transformer back on Earth. Another appeared to be a chunky or bloated golem. Its mass is more circular than the other two. The last appeared to be feminine in nature as it was slightly more delicate. With curves following the silhouette of its body.
They rose as the door opened for me and I walked past the golems. Their eyes came alive with a glow of uniqueness to each. One blue for the leader of the Hero Golems. One green for the builder, and the final red for the mage. Emerging from the door was a tall elven woman who’d been my secretary and all but leader of LSG when I was unavailable.
“Report,” I said simply. Walking into my area of the palace as the tall elf followed.
Bucca rolled her eyes at me before following. The click of her black block heels against the polished marble floor created a rhythmic tapping as she kept up with me.
“Hello to you too Lawruthian!”
Bucca was a tall elven woman with long sky-blonde hair. Her roots were a light blue fading into blonde as they descended. She held a sharp angular nose that would give any supermodel of Earth a run for their money and piercing glacier-blue eyes. Eyes that seemed to see past the persona you put on for the outside and into who you truly were. She was styled in the typical attire you’d see a secretary from Earth have. A long navy-blue form-fitting skirt hugged her petite waist with a white blouse and matching jacket. Couldn’t forget the magical reading glasses that rested on her nose. While her skin remained a pale white as the Sky Elves of her race usually were. I wouldn’t admit to having a hand in styling my right-hand elf, but I wouldn’t deny it either.
“Hello Bucca, report,” I said again. This time the effective vice CEO of LSG spoke.
“We’ve totaled to 16 large Edri at the end of last semester. It’s projected by the end of this semester in Central to produce up to 18 large Edri. Our sales of batteries have taken a sharp upwards spike since the few inventions that young woman showed. With exports outside of the country producing a high demand.”
“You mean Lawryn,” I asked. Recalling the white and blue-haired woman. She still stood taller than me and at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she grew to match Liana’s impressive 220cm height.
“Ahh yes…, her. I’m surprised you manage to recruit her seeing she’s as stubborn as a dwarf. She and that smelly dwarf get right along,” Bucca said with a haughty sniff.
“Everybody has their quirks. You just have to understand how to interact with them.”
“You mean manipulate…
…Your Highness,” her glacier-blue eyes held a sharpness to them.
I rolled my eyes not bothering a response. Bucca was one of my first followers. After all, you cannot just free slaves and not create and restructure an entire market. Several things came into effect in freeing the slaves. Being hired by LSG and other services was just one of the things I did to help. Slavery hadn’t been a major market in terms of importation, yet it was still quite large with several nuances that needed to be reformed. Bucca was previously a [Secretary] on the Oni estate. Given to me as a gift on my third birthday. Now she was the powerful [Vice-Chairman of LSG] having received a named class directly related to the company. Her growth and leveling are now tied directly to it. Because of her and a certain cute dwarf LSG ran smoothly when I was unavailable to dictate.
“With this invention of the optimized battery and things such as these ‘powerboards’ and ‘r-re-refrigerators,’ the export demand is projected to rise beyond far beyond our annual goal of 40 large Edri. We’re projected to finally hit it this year,” the haughty elf said with a grand determination in her voice before she continued.
“We’ll need your approval for the purchase of the 6th district. Construction on Imper 2, 3, and 4, are beginning to reach the mid-late stages. Construction on Imper 5 is scheduled to begin this Color Fading. With this acquisition, only three districts of the third wall remain. The districts in the fourth wall all belong to the crown still.”
“I’ve been informed that my mother has given me direct control over the outer terrace. The moment the last of the runes has finished for the fourth wall and new guards are trained. We’ll begin Project Elevate.”
Bucca nodded in understanding. “We have enough earth-attributed mages available but… Your Highness, we’ve been receiving more pressure from various noble houses to sell land in the fourth wall. Agent Johann and Agent Melina are back from their mission. Do you have another assignment for them? You need to…”
I rolled my eyes and turned into my study. Maids came quickly to undress and change me into something more proper to meet my mother in. Bucca complaining in my ear all the while. It's good to be home.
----------------------------------------
As the last of the maids alongside Bucca retreated, I was left alone in my study. The red carpet underneath me warmed my feet as I made my way to my grand desk. Stylized with different birds of prey and other great beasts of Edryan. The excitement that was repressed since I came to this world, and once again on my System Day, bubbled to the surface. Finally escaping after years of being silent. I tapped the underside of my desk twice and a compartment popped open. After I proceeded to rearrange the compartment in a specific order. Once done a second compartment opened, and I pulled the small lever within backward. Wards lit up across my study and all sound from the outside stopped. Only the beating of my heart let me know that time was still moving. Otherwise, the space I know occupied was said to be a vacuum. If I didn’t hurry up, I’d quickly run out of fresh air. My palms met one another, and a gleeful chuckle escaped my lips as I said a command to the system.
“Show me my perk and its description.”
CODEX OF EARTH
Description:
Gain access to the library of knowledge humanity has researched for thousands of years. What humanity of 0-000311-9713-7 know. You can know through a quick search of the Codex of Earth. Record, document, and analyze all things underneath the sun.
As I did this a second notification made itself known. Quickly popping up into my vision and moving CODEX OF EARTH to the side.
Would you like to activate your max tier perk: CODEX OF EARTH …?
Yes
No
Without hesitation, I clicked yes. This was the half favor that Goddess Madris was coming to collect. It was something that I planned to only activate once alone and as isolated as possible. It was one of my biggest secrets and I had no intention of exposing it to anyone.
Magic ripped its way into the vacuum, a sound of glass shattering as the wards surrounding me failed and my presence was revealed to the outside. A storm of mana made its way into me, and I felt like I could grasp the physical space around me and tear it open. Then just as quickly the magic funneled its way through my body. Passing my crystalized heart and into the notification that began the process of crystallization. Forcing its way into reality as it began to turn oval. Several dozen figures appeared as the wards of my room broke. My mother was the first of them. She attempted to reach for me, yet the mana buffeted her away, angry at her attempt. That, however, did not stop as she continued to try. The air shimmered around the figures as they appeared to teleport in. All the while the magic of the Prime Plane entered my body. One moment it was a clear spring evening and the next storm clouds appeared as a funnel of raw energy came from above… and then below as great chunks of unattributed mana made their way into me. A connection between me and the crystal was formed. I could feel it as if it was a part of me.
The mana aligned itself to me and felt as if it was my own before passing through my heart and into the crystal oval now held in my palms. The crystal, no, the egg was tiny at first perhaps an inch or two long as the notification originally was. Yet as more and more mana funneled through me and into it, its size expanded. My heart pulsed letting out a beat of anticipation. The consequences be damned.
Perks were cheats…
…and they were very hard to get.
Laughter made its way into my ears as the egg continued to expand. My study was all but destroyed as the evening sun revealed itself. The funnel of mana dwindled, and the storm clouds quickly faded as they too were absorbed by the large egg sitting in my lap. Laughter that I only recognized as my own during the end. A figure of a young girl seemed to flash through my mind for only an instant before it was gone. A hint of the wisdom of my gift appeared to me.
The owl egg thumped alongside my heartbeat. A glow of red gold that matched my eyes. The last of the mana made its way through me and into the egg. Sound, that I didn’t know escaped me, returned. My mother’s tilted head and light chuckles were the first sound outside of myself that made its way into my ears.
“…not in this world… or the next!”
Was the only part of her words I managed to catch before she straightened up. Her eyes lit with magic as she scanned me up and down for injuries.
“Lock this area down. Make sure every maid, every butler, every rat, and every single blade of grass is accounted for,” Queen Titiana said, mirth still in her eyes but her words and tone vicious as she turned to Liana Drumian. Surrounding me were the Queen’s Guard and the most powerful people in the queendom. The two Magi excluding Margret cast powerful spells in quick succession as they took off to the sky. Hovering in the air, they sent out spells that locked various figures in place. There were a few, I noted, that resisted and attempted to run. Facades faded as black-garbed figures attempted an escape. Before they could move more than a few steps Liana and several other Queen’s Guard appeared behind them. Relieving their heads from their bodies.
“Shadow,” my mother called softly. “There are a few who’ve managed to escape to the sewers. Bring me their heads please.”
The air shimmered in acknowledgment before nothing. My mother’s attention turned back to me. A scolding expression was now on her face. One that I’d never seen before.
She came up to me and pulled on my ear. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a perk!?! This… This changes everything about our future plans!”