Chapter 5
"Okay, so Orcs, Drakes, and Magic are real. Does this mean I finally get to play the game instead of being the eternal Dungeon Master?" Eli joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Pierce, his eyes wide with excitement and a tinge of fear, recounted his extraordinary ordeal. He described his newfound abilities, the strange interface, and the surreal experience of healing the injured. He omitted the more harrowing details, the moments of despair and the near-death experiences.
"I've read about this," Rob, the bearded man, interjected. "A LitRPG System Integration, taking over a planet, affecting everyone at once. But you, 'Impiercenator,' are the only one we've encountered so far." adopting a pompous British accent when calling Pierce by his D&D name.
"I have a plan," Pierce said, a determined glint in his eye. "I believe I have a way to locate more Cadium. It seems to be a kind of compass, guiding me towards its source. We're going spelunking, folks!" he added, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Can't you just get the stuff and bring it back?" Rob asked, his eyes wide with fear.
"Sack up, Flint Hammerbrew, we're going cave diving!" Elly declared, punching Rob playfully on the shoulder and adopting a mock Scottish accent.
Pierce paused, an idea forming in his mind. "Hold on a second, guys. I want to try something."
He focused his thoughts, willing the interface to appear. A blank inventory window materialized before his eyes. His clothing, the simple shirt, pants, and shoes he was wearing, was already listed. Experimentally, he grabbed the rescue rope and willed it into his inventory. The rope vanished, disappearing into the digital void.
"Dude, you just disintegrated my rope!" Elly exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.
Pierce bowed dramatically. "Ta-da!" he said, summoning the rope back into his hand. The rope materialized, solid and tangible, as if it had never left his possession.
"And for my next trick..." Pierce said with a mischievous grin, his hand hovering over his bike. With a thought, the bike vanished, disappearing into thin air.
"I will never carry another thing in my backpack for as long as I live!" Eli exclaimed, relieved, handing Pierce all the food, gear, and packs.
"Wait, are there any limits to how many items or how much you can carry?" Rob asked, dragging a wagon full of beer.
"Trying something..." Pierce muttered, pulling his bike in and out of existence, then doing the same with the wagon of beer.
"There seem to be ten non-worn inventory slots per Cadium level," Pierce explained, "and the only limit I've found is a mana cost. It takes roughly one mana per kilogram to store or retrieve an item. So, no adding cars to my inventory."
"Looks like your precious James Bond car is staying here, Eli," Elly teased.
"This might actually be the safest spot for it if Bentonville goes up in flames in the ensuing battle. Good thing I just waxed it and have it under the car cover!" Eli said, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.
"Orcs, Drakes, and Explosions are fine, but damage his precious Aston Martin, and YOU'LL FEEL THE WRATH OF THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WIZARD IGNIS!!!" Pierce retorted, playfully mocking Eli's D&D persona.
With their gear secured in Pierce's inventory, they mounted their bikes and set off, retracing the treacherous path of Pierce's earlier ordeal. They paused at the spot where he had been rescued, a sobering reminder of the dangers they faced.
"Okay, here's a crude rope-made harness," Elly said, holding up a makeshift harness. "We'll send Pierce down first, and I'll go last. Who's rock climbing hobby is useless now, Mom?" she says with a mocking voice.
Pierce enjoyed the descent this time, the controlled descent a far cry from his previous, harrowing fall. His newfound abilities, the power to heal himself, had instilled a sense of calm and confidence. Reaching the cavern floor, he examined the spot where his bike had scraped against the soft rock wall.
"I'm good, send the next one!" he shouted, signaling his readiness.
Rob, descended next. His short, stout frame flailed wildly, his eyes completely closed due to his speluncaphobia as he inched his way down the rope. Landing with a thud, his body sprawled across the cavern floor, Pierce helped him up, sending the harness back to the top.
Eli is lowered down next without all the drama of the ropes previous occupant.
Elly, the most agile of the group, descended with grace and ease, her movements fluid and controlled.
"Onward, fearless Healer!" Eli jokes, pointing at Pierce with a grin.
With four headlamps illuminating the cavern, Pierce paused, his attention drawn to a cluster of rocks. He began to approach the formation, his senses attuned to the subtle vibrations of magic. As he drew closer, he used his thumbnail to chip away at the rock, revealing a soft, chalky interior.
"Why in the world did you bring this?" Pierce asked, holding up a climbing pick, his gaze fixed on Elly.
"You never know when you might need it," Elly replied, her voice filled with the confidence of an outdoor sports engineer. "Plus, it's steel-tipped titanium, the lightest and strongest money can buy. I grabbed it for some good field testing. If we're lucky, we can stop by my office before the looting starts and grab a bunch more goodies!"
Pierce, fueled by his newfound power, used the pick to chip away at the rock face, his movements precise and deliberate. As he delved deeper, a fifth source of light emerged from the wall - a glowing geode, its core pulsing with raw energy. The group stood in awe, mesmerized by the sight.
"Elly's first," Pierce declared, shattering the hopes of his other friends. "Or well, second, I guess. And before you ask, it's because she brought me this very cool pick, and she's going to gear us up for the battle to come."
Elly, her eyes sparkling with excitement, reached out and touched the geode. A digital interface appeared before her, displaying a list of options.
"27 Cadium procured," she announced. "I can choose a class! I'm going to be an Archer. And look, I got a spell called Pierce! HA! I stole your spell, Pierce!" she teased, referring to Pierce's last name. "It lets me imbue weapons to easily pierce armor, but it costs mana to maintain."
“I want to compare stats, you have about 5% of the Cadium I do, what do your stats look like?” Pierce asks, pulling up his own character sheet.
“Wait, I am trying something, good, good, that worked” Elly said with a smug look on her face.
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Name: Evolon
Archer Level 1
2 stat points available
11 Defense
7 Strength
8 Dexterity
7 Stamina
4 Constitution
7 Wisdom
5 Intelligence
27 Cadium
27 Hit Points
23 Mana
2 Mana Regen/10 seconds
2 HP regen/10 seconds
10 Spell Strength
14 Physical Damage
Spells Known:
Pierce
"Base stats are nearly the same as Modified," Evolon mused, "I guess the Cadium modifier is huge the more you have."
"Okay, Rob's next, but only because his seasonal job as a blacksmith at Silver Dollar City is going to help us with the gear Evolon can't provide," Pierce explained, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. Relief washed over Rob's face, while Eli's expression turned sour.
Pierce moved to another part of the cavern, his senses attuned to the subtle fluctuations of magic. He used the pick to excavate the wall, chipping away at the rock with ease. As he dug deeper, a beam of light emerged from the wall, illuminating the hidden chamber. Rob, his short, stout frame bouncing with excitement, couldn't contain his glee.
"Wait, you changed your name?" Pierce asked, his curiosity piqued. "How did you do that?"
"Just thought about it," Evolon explained, "got a warning that I could only do it once, and I totally YOLO'd it." She grinned, pleased with her impulsive decision.
"Hmm, change name to Impiercenator," Pierce muttered, a mischievous glint in his eye. A collective groan echoed from his friends as they cringed at the punny name. "Hey, I let you nerds call us the Donner Party, so let me have this one," he defended, a smirk playing on his lips.
"I'm going with Fighter," Rob declared, his voice filled with excitement. "I want to use my blacksmith hammer to bash some skulls in!"
Name: Flint Hammerbrew
Fighter Level 1
2 stat points available
17 Defense
9 Strength
9 Dexterity
6 Stamina
6 Constitution
5 Wisdom
4 Intelligence
22 Cadium
31 Hit Points
18 Mana
1 Mana Regen/10 seconds
3 HP regen/10 seconds
8 Spell Strength
16 Physical Damage
Spells Known:
Challenge
“This Challenge spell gives me a 10% boost to strength, and all enemies in range a negative 10% in Armor and Constitution for a small mana per second upkeep, that should be super helpful, but why are my mental stats so low?” Flint asked
“Because you are a moron, duh!” Eli joked with his friend. “Never met a puzzle you couldn't bash with a hammer.”
While his friends tease each other Pierce finds what seems to be the last and smallest pocket of Cadium within his range. Using his new pickaxe he finds it just a few feet from the last one. Almost as fast as the light is found Eli’s arm shoots out and absorbs the magical rock.
“You're a Wizard Harry!” Eli jokes reading out his character sheet.
Name: Ignis
Wizard Level 1
2 stat points available
9 Defense
4 Strength
5 Dexterity
5 Stamina
3 Constitution
8 Wisdom
9 Intelligence
20 Cadium
18 Hit Points
22 Mana
2 Mana Regen/10 seconds
1 HP regen/10 seconds
14 Spell Strength
4 Physical Damage
Spells Known:
Fireblast
“Fireblast sends out a customizable beam of fire in a straight line towards my target, also allows me to mark friends to ignore any friendly fire issues.” Ignis says shooting a 1 meter wide blast of fire at his friends that continues down the cavern for 10 meters lighting up the entire cavern in bright magical fire extinguishing itself one second later.
“Bro that hurts!!!” Flint says slapping Ignis on the back of the head.
“Oh, I'll mark you three as friendly now I guess” Ignis says with a powerful grin on his face.
"Okay, data point learned," Pierce mused. "Now that we have Cadium, our sense of pain is dulled. To me, that felt like being next to an oven, but without the actual burning sensation."
"Felt like touching fire with wet hands," Flint added.
"Mine felt like rolling in hot coals for a second then leaving a sunburn" Evolon explained, touching her slightly reddened arm, watching the redness fade away. "Must be my low Constitution score."
Pierce cast three spells and watched as his friends' pain vanished, their expressions shifting from agony to invincibility.
"We can test everything later," he said, "Let's get out of here. We've got two more stops to make before we head into battle." With newfound strength, he effortlessly climbed the rope, followed closely by Evolon.
Flint, however, struggled. "I've got the strength, but I'm having trouble pulling myself up," he admitted. "Can you just pull me up like we did for you earlier?"
"Sure thing, guys," Pierce replied, flexing his muscles. "I think my 13 Strength could win me gold at the next Olympics, if there even is a next Olympics."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, show off," Flint chuckled. "That 513 Cadium and one full level put you four strength above me."
"Oh, that reminds me, we have two first-level stat points to spend. Get to spending, boys!" Evolon said, climbing up the rope with ease.
"Call out what you invest in," Pierce suggested. "I'm thinking a generalist approach. My high Cadium level has given me a mental advantage, so I'll focus on physical stats to round things out. But I bet you guys will go for more specialized builds, like glass cannon, tank, or dexterity."
"Plus two Dexterity," Evolon declared.
"Plus one Strength and plus one Constitution. I'll alternate between Constitution and Dexterity every level," Flint said.
"Plus one Intelligence and plus one Wisdom. Glass cannon sounds great, but I need the wisdom to fuel my cannonballs," Ignis replied.
"I got some balls for ya," Flint joked, striking a pose next to his towering friend.
"Stop rubbing on me, Pierce! Make him stop, it's gross!" Ignis shouted from below, as Pierce began pulling him up the rope with effortless ease.
"Next!" Pierce called out as Ignis reached the top, stepping over the safety barrier.
"Guys, you left me down here all alone... WHAT THE FRANK???" Flint's panicked voice echoed from below.
"It's okay, I'll heal the fear out of you later," Pierce joked, dropping the rope back down.
"I'm new to this magic stuff, but I'm not sure that's how that works," Flint muttered as he was hoisted upward.
The group seamlessly morphed into their D&D personas, their real-world identities slipping away like discarded skins. The mundane names of London, Elly, Rob, and Eli were replaced by the resonant titles of Pierce, Evolon, Flint, and Ignis. As they delved deeper into the fantastical realm, a palpable shift occurred. The weight of their everyday lives, the monotonous routines, and the mundane jobs faded into the background. In their place, a vibrant tapestry of magic and adventure unfolded.
Pierce, the quiet observer, recognized the therapeutic nature of their role-playing. It was a sanctuary, a place where they could shield their minds from the harsh realities of their situation. By immersing themselves in this fantastical world, they could temporarily escape the trauma that had seeped into their lives. It was a way to disconnect from the world they knew, to shed the shackles of their ordinary existence, and embrace the extraordinary.
As he gazed upon his friends, transformed by their newfound magical abilities, a knowing smile spread across his face. They were no longer just ordinary individuals with mundane jobs and hobbies. They had ascended to a higher plane of existence, becoming full-time adventurers in a realm of wonder. It was only natural, then, that they would leave their old identities behind. The timid London, the pragmatic Elly, the reserved Rob, and the introverted Eli had been replaced by the fearless Pierce, the enigmatic Evolon, the cunning Flint, and the fiery Ignis.
They were no longer bound by the limitations of their real-world personas. They were free to soar through the skies, traverse treacherous dungeons, and battle fearsome creatures. Their magical powers were a testament to their newfound freedom, a symbol of their escape from the mundane. In this extraordinary world, they could truly be themselves, unburdened by the constraints of society.