Jolted by the booming narration she stumbled back and looked around.

“Right…the voices just come out of the sky…”

“The timid Vixen-”

“Timid?” She felt her hands shaking and shook her head.

“No. Absolutely not.” She pressed her chest out and flipped her hair over one shoulder.

“The unbothered Vixen entered the tavern and looked around to spot-”

She looked around and realized her glasses were not on her face and her vision was only so so.

“Well, she really saw nothing of interest.”

“Asshole,” She muttered under her breath as she took a seat at the nearest table. Shit, her vision was not so great without her glasses and she cursed whatever hell realm she was in. A fly buzzed past her and she shooed it with her hand. The flick of her wrist showed a cuff she was wearing; a pearl pink wrist cuff that shimmered. She held it a bit closer to her face when a soft feminine voice echoed in her mind.

“Hello, user: Vixen. Tutorial: initiated.” She cocked her head but the world around her froze.

“What the hell?”

“When you need assistance, you can simply raise your Crusader Cuff or you can say ‘Crusader Stats’ and your stat screen will be initialized. On this screen you can see the breakdown of your talents, abilities, experience gain, and equipment.”

Vixen sat there as the screens flicked through her mind, she wasn’t sure if anyone else could see the holo in front of her or if it was for her eyes only. Either way, the flickering digital words moved in a semi character sheet. She could see the options for the breakdown of her general stats. They read: Bodycraft, Mindforge, and Manaweave. She clicked on the first tab for bodycraft before another window opened.

“Each window can be expanded with experience gain. For example: pick up the mug in front of you and throw it across the room.”

She looked down at the tankard of ale she had not seen before and weighed it in her palm. The room was still silent and unmoving. She weighed the cup in her hand before she threw it to the other side of the room. The ale flung in a spiral of motion as the cup hit the ground.

“New weapon unlocked.” Vixen watched as the Bodycraft screen opened up to a sub menu of weapon proficiencies. The first and only one read “improvised weapon”. Looking back, she could see the bodycraft screen only had a few options of stats, with a bottom locked section.

image [https://images2.imgbox.com/6d/57/Xl7nVwLG_o.png]

[10 xp gained for "Mug Thrower"]

“I assume I need to unlock everything. Let me guess, more xp means more stuff?” She asked as she flicked through the other screens. “And what the hell are these arbitrary numbers? Who decided that I’m clumsy?”

The mindforge screen held things like her charisma while the manaweave was unlocked but empty.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“Real level one type shit.” She sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

“Your tutorial screen can be reached any time you say ‘Nexus Help’.” She didn’t respond but she looked back at her cuff and tapped it once more before the world resumed to normal. The tavern was lit with a warm glowy fire and she placed both of her palms down flat. She took a deep breath as she tried to reason with what she was going to do.

She, Evie, knew a couple of things.

1. She was not in her world anymore, at least she didn’t think she was.

2. This was real to some degree. She was not dreaming.

3. She was reincarnated, or something of the like into Vixen.

4. She needed experience to level up and escape whatever the Nexus was.

5. She had no idea what she was doing.

She looked around the tavern and realized she would have to get up to see some things better. She wasn’t blind, per say, but she certainly couldn’t see to the other side of the room. With a huff, she stood and finally made her way to the barkeep. That’s where all good adventures started, right? With another few steps she had closed the distance to the bar and dropped an ensnaring smile. Her stats lit up on her wrist with a vibration and she looked down quickly. Her “charm” indicator flashed.

“A quick stat mode perhaps?” She looked at the number that was blinking, reading a solid 30. Alright then. She batted her eyes and looked up at the barkeep. The burly man had an overgrown beard and a scar that ran down the side of his face.

“Ello’ lass. Welcome to Ale’s Well that Ends Well,” The man said with a boastful press of his chest. His hands never stopped cleaning the glass he held and all she could do was arch a brow. Seriously?

“Isn’t that a rather long name for a tavern?”

“What? Don’t have time to say it? Where ya rushing off to? Have a drink.”

“But who made the name and why?” These were important questions. What monster would use a terrible pun like that? She huffed again and as she was about to continue the world around her froze once more.

[Entering the tavern, Vixen turned just in time to see a young man enter.] She had almost forgotten about her phantom narrator and looked around. Indeed, her eyes fell on a young male who looked just as confused as she felt. His dark hair was swept back as if his hands hadn’t stopped running through it in frustration. His eyes, the color of an iced storm, settled on her from across the room. Clearly, he didn’t struggle with the same perception shortcomings that she did.

He was clearly in his tutorial when she turned back to the barkeep. Something was off though. Why was she still moving? Her eyes scanned the room and focused on the barkeep.

“Didn’t even get his name.” She sighed and leaned over to look at him. She paused when she noticed something very distinct though. He was still breathing. Hell, he was still blinking. So…they weren’t really frozen. Were they…pretending? She looked back to the mysterious boy and shrugged.

“Any ideas where we are?”

He looked up at her and scoffed.

“What?” She asked, crossing her arms.

“Nothing. Just thought you were too good for me, seeing as you walked through that portal right after staring at me.”

“It’s not personal, don’t be a baby.”

“Well princess, to answer your question- no. I have no idea what the hell is going on. Do you?”

“Princess? Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?”

“Don’t know your name. Seem like a brat,” he shrugged nonchalantly. “Princess seems fine.”

“Uh huh…look I don’t know-” Before she could finish her thought the barkeep chimed in as if he had never stopped speaking.

“So what’ll it be, lass? Ale?”

With a contented sigh she turned back to the barkeep with a soft smile.

“All’s ale that ends well, huh? Make it two.”