Your actions have alerted the guardian of Iron Bark Woods. Be careful of your future actions.
‘Oh well, cant be helped. I have to cut down trees to get paper’
Jake looked at his fallen tree that he had battled for so long and remembered, the next step in papermaking was debarking and chipping. He would have to break the tree into the individual fibers that makes up paper. With his head hung in despair, Jake chopped the removed the bark with his almost broken knife and chopped the tree to little pieces with his axe. In the madness of chopping Jakes physical stats slowly increased.
By the time the sun set on that day Jake had successfully debarked the tree and chipped it into little pieces that weighed no more than a few grams. Lighting a campfire made of sticks, Jake carefully placed his pot above the fire and placed the chips and water inside. He carefully monitored the fire as the wood chips heated up and lost their hardness and dissolved into the water. He had to be careful otherwise the water could all evaporate and leave a thick mush not suited for paper or the pulp may end up too watery. The paper may fall apart from the lack of fibers. After experimenting through the night Jake finally found the proper combination of heat, stirring and water to make pulp suitable for papermaking.
Jake took the bowstrings he purchased and weaved them around some sticks so that the sticks made a square frame. The frame would serve to hold the pulp and dry the paper. He placed the pulp into the frame and pressed it in to get a thin uniform layer throughout the square. Jake logged off Royal Road and let the paper set and dry for the day.
Returning the next in game day, Jake tried to take the paper off the frame. The paper, if it could be called that, was rough and uneven with cracks and would break if folded. After discarding the paper, Jake chipped away at wood to make a new batch of pulp. He was going to through it in the pot when he came up with an idea. He took out his knife and started to uproot some of the plants in the area. He had read online that some plants help dissolve the paper and get finer products. Jake harvested a great variety of plants and crushed it with the flat of his knife. Placing all kinds of combinations in the pot he heated the mixture into a pulp. Eventually he found a root that was able to speed up the process of making pulp and made the paper stronger. By the time he had finally found how to make a piece of paper that was strong enough to hold together and thin enough to fold, he had used up the entirety of the tree.
Your repeated actions have gained you the Herbalism Skill [1] 0%
Dig the plant out faster and more of it at a time.
Picking up his axe again Jake found another tree and proceeded to swing. The last time he cut down a tree it had taken him more than a week. This time he took a little under a day. Using the process refined through the last time he cut a tree and the wood cutting skill, which had improved with his chipping, the speed of chopping down trees improved drastically.
The forest guardian has noticed your actions. Becareful not to alert him further. There may not be another warning.
Jake ignored the message and went back to making pulp for his paper. By now his wood cutting skill had allowed him to make a decent frame and the bowstrings were effective enough at draining water from the mixture so all he had to due was prepare pulp properly.
After another week of making paper he finally had a single sheet of paper that was perfectly square, even, thin and strong enough for folding.
Iron Wood Paper
A luxurious sheet of paper made by a skilled craftsman. This sheet of paper is very thin yet strong. It may have a purpose apart from being in a book.
Through your unique actions you have created the skill Paper Making [1] 0%
Make the luxury good, Paper. Improves pulp quality and production speed.
You have gained the skill Handicraft [1] 0%
Improves skills involving the use of your hands.
‘Now for the fun part.’
In front of him was the crisp sheet of paper that he had just created. Unlike others in this world, he would not write on it. No he would not dare defile the paper with ink. Such a waste would not be tolerated. He set to work. One fold at a time Jake prepared for the coming figure. He made valley fold after mountain fold and made the base. He had all the time he needed and all the paper he wanted, but each paper is special. He could not calm down. So many possibilities were before him. He could make the epic dragon he had always wished for.
In the end all he could make was a crumpled ball of paper. The fact that his agility was low made sure that any intricate designs would fail.
Crumpled Piece of Paper
Created by an unskilled artist, this piece of paper was wasted in an unsuccessful attempt at something grand. Art value: 0, seriously what did you expect
‘Guess I’ll have to start out simple. How about a crane?’
One of the simplest designs in origami was the crane. Almost everyone knew about how to make a crane, back when paper was a common good. Now few people know how to make a crane and few know more than that.
The design of a crane was based on the simplest base possible and would serve as the frame for other more complicated designs. Jake made the preparatory folds and slowly proceeded to make the crane. Jake had low dexterity but his real life skills made sure that he could make the crane solely from muscle memory. In the end he had what could roughly pass as a crane. Its wings were uneven and head too large but it was the first figure that he made in Royal Road and he would cherish it.
Jake waited for a message to come up. Nothing happened. He figured that if he took unique actions he may gain a skill of something but nothing happened.
‘Maybe I have to make more figures.’
Then Jake took a look at the crane in his hands. Tossing it aside he set to work making more paper. After making a few hundred pieces of paper, he returned to crane making. Each time he made a crane the proportions slowly reached adequate and soon surpassed masterful. Along the way he gained some intellect and agility boosts. And soon with his last piece of paper, he made the perfect crane. It looked exactly like the figures that came in online guides on crane making. In other words it was picture perfect. The one in his room could not even compare to the one in his hands right now. It possessed the glow of the forest. The shine of the Iron Bark Trees could barely rival that of the single crane he held in his hand. It was as if the integrity and wisdom possessed by the trees had been passed on to the crane in his hands.
‘I guess the use of in game skills and stats makes a difference from real life. Or maybe I’m not as good as I first thought.’’
Of course with practice makes perfect and Jake had by no means made fifty cranes in real life. No, the paper supply would not allow for it.
Through your repeated unique actions you have made a skill. This skill did not exist in Royal Road before. As the creator of the skill please name it.
“Woah! I made a skill.”
Is the name “Woah” satisfactory?
“No, lets name it Dragon Making”
Such skill already exists, please choose a different name.
‘A skilled called Dragon Making exists. I want that! I’ll look into it later’
“Lets go with Origami.”
Is the name “Origami” alright.
“Yes”
You have created the skill Origami [1] 0%
“Check skill Origami”
Origami [1] 0%
The art of folding paper and one of the four ways of moving one form of life into another through an extensive process. The art of origami was created by Jake after large amounts of trial and error.
‘Ok that sounds logical, except what does it mean moving life from one form to another.’
Just as Jake was thinking that he felt something in his hands. The crane that he had just folded started moving. It was slow at first but it started to flap and slowly left the palm of his hand.
You have made a crane sculpture. The life of the Iron Bark Tree that was cut down has been implanted into this crane. Since the much of the physical embodiment was wasted, only a potion of the life essence was transferred. As its creator it is loyal to you.
“OH MY GOD! The crane is alive.”
He dropped the crane and backed away quickly. The crane had all of a sudden come to life. So that is what that shine from before is. Looking at the corner of his vision he saw a lot of messages stacked up.
You have gained the art stat
You have created a fine piece. Origami figures range from fine, great to masterpieces. Similar to sculptures but not.
The paper crane – fine piece
A crane of the highest paper quality folded with extreme care and practice. Filled with a portion of the soul of an Iron Bark Tree. Loyal to Jake.
Art Value: 20
You have taken multiple subordinates of the Guardian of the Iron Bark Forest. You have not heeded any of his warnings. The guardian and his forces will actively search for you. Prepare for war.
Handicraft skill has increased.
Paper Making skill has increased.
The art stat would greatly help compliment his origami. Everything else seemed relatively ordinary. Everything except the thing about the guardian of the forest. Jake needed the trees for his craft. He would not stop just because some guardian couldn’t spare trees that did nothing but stand around all the time.
In retrospect, when he had started to make his crane and even before that when he had been chopping down the tree, he felt like there was a connection. The tree had a life of its own. When it was chopped down it didn’t die, rather the life was transferred into a different form. The tree was separated into tiny parts and the bark stripped away, leaving nothing but the very essence of the tree. Then using the chemical concoction made from the roots and herbs, along with the specific method of heating the pulp, he had stored the life in a different form. He had converted the life in a tree and stored it in the sheet of paper. Unfortunately the paper itself did not use the energy. Only when it was activate would it manifest itself. When he folded it and got to know the tree on the deepest way possible through folding was he able to make a crane that was perfect and even moved on its own. The crane would not be used for any purpose besides as a decoration because as it was it could not serve any combat or labor purposes. It was small and weak. An army would be useful but by itself it was insignificant. But that may have been because he wasted the physical material.
Now with some insight on what the art of origami truly does, Jake had a new direction to head in. The path of an artist was truly opening up for Jake. Then as the sun was setting in the distance, the shining pair of eyes that were lurking in the dark underbrush leaped out and the pair of jaws that followed it quickly clamped down on Jake’s neck and cut off his life.
-----
Jake awoke from his capsule flustered. The Guardian of the Iron Bark Forest had declared war on him. He was actually at war with a deity of the forest with huge trees that had bark as hard as iron. There was no way he could survive. Not only the trees but the wolves as well, everything in the forest was out to kill him. Leaving the situation at that he went to get himself some food.
Arriving at the dining room he found his family had gathered for a dinner. It had been a while since he last ate with his family. At first he had been at college but afterwards he would be in Royal Road for extended periods of time. This was the first family dinner in a while.
“So how are your studies?” his father asked
“Meh, same as always. I’m barely hanging on.”
“You always say that but you’ve never disappointed us.” said his mother.
“How far are you in Royal Road?” his sister asked.
“I’m not saying. As far as I know you will hunt me down and there will be no end to your incessant nagging.”
Jake had a younger sister, Sarah, and she had just entered high school. It was odd having a sister so much younger than yourself. It was hard to give advice because of changing times and you yourself have things to learn as well. He never got along with her because she was too young or he was too old. Unfortunately this never stopped her from trying to stick to him like glue.
“Come on tell me. I already reached level fifty. I’ll help you out,” said Sarah
“No thank you and good bye.”
“At least tell me what town you’re in!”
Jake’s exchanges with his family were always exhausting. His chats with his parents can be simplified to small talk but his sister was always out to get him. Leaving before his sister found anymore about his Royal Road character was a smart move but Jake could not hide forever especially because his right leg was injured. To be honest even he did not know where which city he was camped outside. She would track him down and uncover all of his weaknesses to find every detail about his character. But today was not that day.
Jake had died in Royal Road so he couldn’t get back for another 24 hours. He could spend this time looking for combat information online. He would need it for the war he had accidentally started with the Guardian.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Browsing through ancient archives on fighting styles that involved axes and pole weapons in general. Jake had never looked carefully at his axe but it was more of a pole axe than a regular woodcutting axe. The blade was mounted at the top and curved down the irregularly large shaft. As it happened the weapon that Jake was using was an ancient artifact that was kept relatively well preserved. Through miscellaneous adventures it had wound up in a shop in the corner of the city. At the moment it had virtually no value but if restored it would be priceless. Jake had no idea of knowing and found information on the ways an axe could cut down enemies instead of trees. According to the forums, the guardians of forests generally use the animal that is most common in the area. In the case of Iron Bark Forest, it was the grey wolves. The grey wolves were a faster bread of wolves that, with the blessing of the guardian, overcame the naturally harsh area and thrived in packs. They are fast and viscous.
For Jake who had been hacking at stationary targets for more than a month this would be quite the transition. Luckily the agility points from folding would help him catch up to the wolves. Also the information online helped him formulate an attack pattern that would allow one to kill enemies faster. Now informed Jake went to sleep in anticipation of killing the wolves.
-----
In front of the Canterbury Cathedral of Saint Thomas, the high priest was preaching his daily sermons. The massive crowd of people surged with anticipation at every one of his pauses. They throbbed with a life of their own as the high priest continued to whip the crowd into a uncontrollable frenzy and calm it in the next moment.
From afar, on the opposite side of the city, the forlorn stranger watched the masses rising and falling to the tune of madness. The kingdom had slowly lost its control over the city as time went on. The people were starving and wars had no end in sight. If it carried on the royal family were in threat of being overthrown. The cult had come in from the countryside like wildfire and the government had done nothing but add oil. He could not let that happen.
“Captain, bring me the captured assassins.”
-----
After a full 24 hours of being logged off, Jake returned to Royal Road fully prepared to kill some wolves. What he didn’t expect was to be swept up in the current of NPCs as soon as he logged in. The still ongoing sermon had rallied the NPC into a riot that was currently heading toward the center of the city. Jake who had been pushed by the current started to smack people with the butt of his axe. Luckily he was not branded a criminal in the middle of all the madness. Jake also got to practice some of his techniques. Then the commotion in the front started, wherever that is. Someone cried ‘murder’. Someone screamed. Many fainted. In the middle of the crowd was the high priest of the cult with a knife stuck in his back, lying in a pool of his blood. The knife had a letter stuck to it. A red bear print was etched in blood. Jake saw no more, as he was half way across the city at this point, on a beeline for the forest he had left all his supplies. Jake had left all his paper and paper making supplies at the campsite. He wanted to retrieve it as soon as possible.
As fast as possible, Jake ran to the forest. After running at full speed he made it the edge of the forest where he had left his supplies. Unfortunately what he saw was the campsite had been entirely trashed. His paper torn, cranes ripped, frame split in half. In a rage, Jake brought out his axe and cut a tree down.
Your relation with the Guardian is at an all time low. It will not go any lower
Well that solves one problem. But he was unable to make paper. Jake was able to find his pot that he heated the pulp in but the frame had been wrecked. He would need more supplies as the bow strings were beyond repair. Thinking deeply he noticed that the sun was setting. Thinking back he remembered he was attacked when the sun first set.
‘So even the savages have rules of engagement.’
Jake pulled out his axe and prepared to strike. Right when he had readied his axe the first wolf left the underbrush and pounced. Catching the wolf’s jaw on the pole of his axe, Jake used the momentum to redirect the wolf into the ground. The wolf, stunned from its embrace with Gaea, could not get up, leaving an easy target for Jake. He brought his axe up and in a swift, practiced swing, and cleaved a gapping wound in the side of the wolf. Jake turned away from the now crippled wolf and let loose a massive battle cry in the direction of the wolves. Anyone who messes with his craft would feel his wrath.
Seeing their comrade fall in battle, the other wolves would have attacked. But the guardian of the forest called the wolves back. Jake had begun a counter attack and any unplanned action had a significantly higher chance of failure. They would wait and return the next night.
Looking at his loot, Jake picked it up with a blood spattered grin. The wolf had dissolved into gray dust and left behind some of its pelt. Since it only took one hit and bled out, the pelt was relatively whole. Noticing its properties, Jake fashioned a frame from some wood. His wood cutting skill helped him make a frame as square and smooth as possible. Tying the pelt to the frame with some spare bowstrings Jake made another frame to make paper. The wolf pelt had some permeability. The water passed through and more of the pulp stayed in the frame. Using this he could make better quality paper than before with a bowstring frame. Finished with preparations for his craft, Jake went to the tree to again make some origami. Slashing away at the tree, Jake noticed the crane floating around. It had no combat practicality and was too weak for labor. The only thing he imagined it useful for was a decoration. So Jake took the crane and lashed it to his axe with some spare material.
You have created an Ornate Origami Axe. Does not do much but adds a little enjoyment into your otherwise boring axe cutting.
'Well that was a waste of time. But wait, what if I use bigger paper for the cranes.'
As the sun set beyond the horizon Jake continued to hack and slash at the tree making more pulp then he dared to before. Before he could get any farther, the sun set. Jake took his axe and set up a defensive position with his fire in between the forest and himself. As the last rays of the sun ceased to shine on the bark of the trees, the first pairs of eyes rose in the darkness. With a howl, the wolves charged in.
As a low level player, Jake would have no chance of winning. However, Jake had spent a lot of his youth training in Martial Arts. He also finished the Training Hall and cut down Iron Bark Trees so he had those stats to boost him. Lastly, even though he may not have realized it, he had an innate sense of battle. That was probably offset by the fact that he was frequently injured but in Royal Road that was no longer a problem. With this combination Jake had a higher chance of winning than anyone else his level.
Unfortunately Jake did not realize any of this as he had one thought on his mind. The wolf pelts would make great material for the frames that would make paper. With bigger frames comes bigger paper. With bigger paper would come bigger figures, for example, a dragon perhaps of maybe even a dinosaur. The grin spread across his entire face.
“Come at me you craft materials! You will all become frames by this morning!”
The wolves charged straight at Jake. They weaved in an out of his range as Jake swung his axe in preparations for the attacks. While the wolves carefully analyzed Jake’s movements Jake looked for their leader. Surely if the head of the beast were cut off the body would surely follow. This would have worked if a pack leader was controlling the wolves but instead the Guardian of the forest was controlling each wolf squad and abolished the pack mentality. All the wolves in the forest were working in a greater military scheme.
Without hesitation the wolves engaged in standard guerilla warfare. Cautiously rotating and fending off all incoming assaults, Jake did not have the time needed for the finishing blow. All he could do was parry the wolves with the pole of his axe, which caused some confusion but another wolf would always pounce.
All of a sudden one of the larger wolves leapt at Jake, probably aiming for his throat. Jake was just finishing a counter so he couldn’t move his axe into the proper angle needed to deflect the oncoming assault. As unexpected as the wolf was, what happened was even more surprising. Using the momentum of Jake’s swing, the crane on the end of his axe and flew directly toward the wolf. The crane did little in terms of damage but it was enough of a distraction that Jake could properly swing his axe. He brought the axe high over his head and struck downwards. And so although his first living creation had been destroyed Jake was able to break the flow of battle. However instead of wasting the opportunity, Jake applied a little bit of force and continued to swing the axe. He swung it under him and continued the arc upwards. Appling a little more force he brought the axe into a diagonal horizontal swing. As his axe was going around and around, the near by wolves were being butchered. The wolves tried to get an opening but the axe was moving at an incredible velocity. Since Jake didn’t need to apply a lot of force to keep the axe swinging, he didn’t stop.
One by one the wolves took little hits and eventually they all dropped dead from bleeding. By the time all the wolves had fallen Jake had a hard time standing. His vision was blurry and he kept leaning to the side.
‘Must be a side effect from turning so much.’
You have created a skill with your unique actions, Tornado Swing.
By applying a lot of force into your initial swing and only a little bit thereafter, the axe continues to swing around you as you apply little amounts of force to control the axe. Skill is active as long as you keep the axe moving or no one stops it. Causes confusion after skill ends.
This was invalidated thereafter by the excitement of the amount of leather in front of him. Jake took all the leather and using the spare materials made an enormous frame. Hacking away at the tree Jake cooked little amounts of chips to make pulp and placed it in the frame while chopping more wood and pressing the pulp into the frame to dry. Little by little Jake filled the entire frame. While waiting for it to dry he proceeded to cut down another tree and make an improvised defensive system.
Jake did not have the architect skill so he couldn't make an actual fort but he set up the tree logs in a way so that the wolves would only be able to attack in limited quantities while he still had ample space to swing his large axe. By the time he finished building his defenses, the paper had all dried. It was ready for folding. As Jake had never actually made anything this big before he was careful. Also he did not want to risk destroying the paper so he decided to make something he had ample practice in making, the crane.
Slowly starting with the centerfolds, Jake worked his way through the simple steps with the concentration needed for tasks like neurosurgery. It did not take him long as he was familiar with how to make one. He did make an entire tree into a collection of cranes. He also earned much needed dexterity and skill levels for the task. However the sun was setting and the wolves would attack. Finishing the head of the crane, Jake just needed to extend the wings to the side to reveal the final figure. As Jake extended the wings, the bright light emanated from the crane. He could feel all the years of the tree seeping into the crane. All the blistering summers and the frostbite winters all the wars and plagues that roamed the land were going into the crane. When the wings were finally set, the crane came alive
You have created a figure using the entire essence of a living being it will use it to grow and survive. As its creator it is loyal to you.
Please name your Creation
"Name it Crane v 500"
Is Crane v 500 ok
"Yes, now it will remember the sacrifice of all its brothers to get it to what it was today."
Crane v 500 - fine piece
A crane made from one enormous sheet of paper. It is said that in order to make the crane absorb the entire essence of the tree, the paper maker made a single sheet of paper out of an entire tree. A bit excessive but it got the job done.
Art Value: 50
All of a sudden a huge gust of wind knocked Jake off his feat. The crane he had just folded took fight around five meters off the ground with just a single flap. Well its wings were quite long after all. The total wingspan surpassed twice Jake's height. Looking back on the message from before maybe he didn't have to make it so big. After all using an entire tree is a bit excessive.
'Well I can look into that later'
Jake looked as his creation with marvel. Now he could slash away at the wolves from above.
"Hey, Crane v 500"
"..."
"Well I guess you can't talk. If you understand me nod."
Nod
"Fantastic. We are going to slay some wolves. Get over here so I can ride on you.”
Crane v 500 gently fluttered over to Jake’s location and they took off. From the layman's perspective the scene before them might have been that of a hero riding their noble stead into the setting sun as they head off to kill the monsters. To the wolves, they only had fear and disgust to the one who stole the life force of a tree and placed it into that of a mocking of life.
Jake just felt free as he went flying through the air right above the tree line of the forest. When he spotted a group of wolves he commanded Crane v 500 to swoop down. Using the downward momentum and his long axe, Jake was able to dismember one of the wolves before Crane v 500 went above the tree line again. Now that Jake had a servant who could fly wolves were no match for him. Throughout the night Jake slashed at wolves until Crane v 500 could barely glide. Although Crane v 500 was flying, the wolves were fast and they would occasionally land a hit on it. Unfortunately since it was paper, the few cuts would make it fall apart. Jake knew which parts were vulnerable so he kept those out of reach but eventually Crane v 500 could not keep Jake aloft. He ordered Crane v 500 to set him down on the campsite and fly away. Jake hoped it would be ok but it was only the beginning of his creations. There would be more.
-------
Author's Note
Hello Everyone,
Thank you for reading my fan fic. I made this chapter a bit longer than the other because I like longer chapters. I really don't understand how some people write on and on and still have no story progression. From now on please expect chapters of this size. Also I don't really have a set release schedule.