Chapter 5: Wizardry!_Elfandrael: Lucky Soul [LitRPG] [Fantasy] [Progression]

The day had finally come for me leave the Dungeon. I stood in front of the exit with my bags. Two were draped over my shoulder and two more lay on the ground at my side. It had been three months, or more accurately one hundred and six days. I had virtually maxed out my Stats and XP. If I killed any thing else, I might hit Level 2 and release all the creatures. The tiger had been reason enough not to risk it, but some the things at the end of Bestal's tunnels, like the giant spider, were serious motivation to get out of here. I put my hand on the hand print, and a prompt appeared.

State your destination from this gate or say “destinations” for a list of available options

“Neral City in the Altrin Mountains,” I replied.

“Yes,” I said confidently.

The bronze circle with the hand print glowed momentarily and the two brass doors began sliding apart. I winced at the brightness of what lay on the other side of the gate. Mid-morning sun was beating down on large field paved in granite flagstones. A hundred strides from the gate forty foot walls were providing shade for a line of people and vehicles. I could see the tops of two giant magi-mekas beyond the the walls. The bright blue sky was painful to my eyes as they adjusted from the fire-lit gloom of the Dungeon. I picked up my bags and stepped into the world of Elfandrael.

As soon as I walked through the gate, a grinding sound caused me stop. I turned around to see the double set of bronze doors sliding closed. To my left were three other gates with people and wagons coming out of them. I turned back to my right and saw five more gates disgorging travelers and goods.

A an armored soldier starting shouting something in Low Common that I couldn't quite understand, but in my head I heard, “Move along, clear the arrival zone!” He was wearing normal armor, but he had a magi-tech helm. I could only make out the green glow of circuit lines on his helmet when they were shaded from the sun behind the man. He was pointing at thick black line in front of me. I darted forward to comply. Once I was clear he gave a atta-boy smile and a nod, before he turned away from me to keep watch over the gate operations.

Almost immediately the bronze doors I had come through parted. I could see a small village on the other side. A horse drawn cart carrying straw started to come through. I looked around as I backed up, to make sure I wasn't going to bump into anyone. The nine gates in center of the courtyard kept opening and bringing new travelers. Almost everyone was forming a line along the eastern wall. After the straw cart started heading that way I followed it. The west wall had a few shops and stalls. The delicious smells of cooked meats were coming from that direction, but I had to be thrifty with my meager coin.

As I approached the end the line, I could see through the open gate in the walls to the south. A large green lawn surrounded the paved road for about three hundred strides. Beyond that I could see a makeshift camp of tents. The view disappeared once I got in line near the wall. Being in the shade by the wall was cooler than being on the flagstones, but after spending all that time in the dungeon I kind of wanted to be in the sun.

A heard a whirring noise coming up behind me. I turned to see a hovering vehicle. Not a hovercraft, but car with no wheels hovering! I was in line between a horse-drawn cart and a Aether-tech car! I waved exuberantly at the driver of magi-tech vehicle. He looked a little bewildered at with me. He chuckled and shook his head before picking up something to read. He was sealed away from the elements, behind a windshield. He looked comfortable even though morning was starting to heat up. Probably had air-conditioning. I turned back around to take a few steps as the cart in front of moved a little. I wish I had air-conditioning.

I peered around the cart to see where the line was headed. The opening in the walls to the north was wider than the southern gate. There was a whole crew of soldiers directing traffic. They were separating the vehicles and the pedestrians into two lines. Some soldiers were inspecting the vehicles, while others were questioning the pedestrians before taking the gate toll. I saw people walking past the carts in front of me and heading over to where the soldiers. I looked down to my right and saw another thick black line, just like the one identifying the arrival zone in front of the travel gate. I lowered my head and shook it. No wonder the car guy looked at me funny. I got into the pedestrian lane and made my way forward.

When it was my turn the soldier grinned and asked me the same thing he asked everyone in front of me, “What is your reason for entering Neral City?”

Even though I heard the translation in my head, months of practicing low common at the Divine Helpdesk in the Dungeon meant I could understand him. “I'm going to the temple of Celestium.”

The guard looked raised an eyebrow and asked, “I don't recognize your accent. Where're ya from?”

“A long way away,” I said cryptically.

He didn't like my answer, but he didn't stop smiling. He put his hand on sword and shifted his weight forward, “I asked, 'Where're ya from,' kid.”

Celestium had told me there was no reason to hide where I was from. Elfandrael was so big no one had a map of the whole thing. Plus Celestium had told me I might even meet other people from Earth. Apparently Truck-kun wasn't the only way to get here. “I was born in Virginia,” I said.

“Is that on the Darkstone continent,” the guard asked.

“No. The North American continent,” I replied.

“Huh. Never heard of it.” He tapped his magi-tech helmet and said, “This thing says you're tellin' the truf. Are you planning on committin' a crime in Neral City?”

“No,” I answered.

“What's your Alignment,” he asked.

“Lawful Good,” I said.

His smile got even bigger and he put his hand out and said, “One copper.”

I put the toll in his hand and asked, “How to do I get to the temple of Celestium?”

He jerked thumb over his shoulder and said, “Follow the Broadway all the way up, an' take a right on the big white road that runs round the castle. It'll be on ya right.”

I nodded and thanked him. I knew the way, but I wanted to be sure. The help terminal in the dungeon was very specific, but I wanted confirmation. As I walked away I was glad I hadn't tried to lie to the guard. Being [Lawful Good] really makes life easy.

I stepped past the guard into another courtyard, like the one with gateways I had just come from. It was about 100 strides per side. There was a large fountain with statues spewing water in the center of the space. It was reminiscent of those fountains you see in Rome. The fountain was solid white marble and the courtyard was paved in the same granite flagstones I had already seen. At the edge of the wide space, shops and other buildings lined the east and west walls. A few roads passed between those storefronts. To my left and right the southern wall I had just come through was bare, rising up to defensive walkway at the top of the city walls. Directly ahead of me iron gates led to the wide Broadway beyond.

The northern wall of this inner courtyard was dressed in granite, matching the pavers. The wall was covered in dark green ivy. The gate in the ironwork that led to The Broadway was mainly for decoration. It was wrought iron, painted black, with lots of scrolly ornamentation. The opening made by the gate was 20 strides wide. Beyond the gate and off to the left I could see the tops of two more giant magi-mekas standing guard. They would easily be able to walk through the openings in the iron gate in front of me.

The center of the gate framed a castle at the end of The Broadway. Behind the castle was a mountain range, and behind the mountain range was the reason I choose to come to Neral City, the Spire. The Spire was a perfectly white stone column a thousand strides wide. Normally I would call a measure of 1000 strides a kilostride, but here on Elfandrel, they had another name for their long distance unit of measure. That name wasn't a combination of words meaning '1000' and 'strides' so I though of it as a league. Am Earth league was longer than a mile on Earth. This Elfandrael league wsa closer to a Earth kilometerr. By calling it a league, could I switch back and forth between Earth miles and Elfandrael leagues. That way I could keep the comparisons straight in my head.

The Spire was a league wide and 101 leagues high. On Earth that would put the top almost in outer space. If I wanted to leave Elfandrael, Celestium said I could do it by going up a Spire. You couldn't get into them from the surface. You had go down 99 levels of Dungeon, then fight back up 99 levels of the lower levels of the Spire to reach the levels above the surface, and then beat the 101 levels above surface to reach the top. It took 299 Levels but then you could access the gateway in the upper chamber. From there you could go to other worlds, and even higher planes of existence.

The Spire made Neral City a good spot to start my adventures on Elfandrael. Occasionally, [Evil] creatures would try and escape the Dungeon by climbing the Spire. The Spire could pull high level adventurers into the Spire to help with the defense. This meant high-level, [Good] adventurers could retire to Neral. It was a good way for them to earn lots of XP, Boons, and special gear. They couldn't use the XP to level past Level 99, but they could use the it to power Spells to keep themselves young and immortal. Lots of rich, [Good] adventurers meant no powerful [Evil] adventurers, and lots of free flowing cash. The [Good] adventurers tended to sponsor [Good] aligned Quests and activities. There was no Dungeon entrance near Neral City, so no chance of having to fight powerful monsters right away. Lots of upsides, almost no downsides to get started with.

I walked toward the distant castle. I didn't try to avoid people, but I didn't want to crowd them either. When I walked past a group of people I tried to listen in little. I only had the voice of the Helpdesk, so I didn't have a good comparison for pronunciation. No one I walked by had [Polyglot], so I couldn't understand most of what was being said anyway. There were a few elves mixed into the crowd, but they kept mainly to themselves. As I got near people they would turn and smile at me a I passed by them. Everyone in this city sure was friendly.

As I passed through the wrought iron gate, I realized I had been wrong about the magi-mekas. They weren't standing guard. It was a magi-tech dealership. I could see prices and sale banners everywhere. Nicely dressed people looked at magi-tech carts and appliances under the watchful presence of the two giant robots on display. A handsome, tall muscular man with bronze skin and black hair smiled at me. His smile *sparkled*. I don't mean his teeth were shiny, I mean they sparkled, like a bad special effect from a cheap television show. Note to self, 'Buy mind control defenses before shopping there.'

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

It felt like a cross between a mall and and amusement park as I made my way down the Broadway. Restaurants and shops were everywhere. There people dressed like they were at a Renaissance fair. There were giant Magical creatures. A did see one dwarf. They're not like dwarves on Earth. He was stocky and thick, about four feet across, and reminded me of a walking boulder. His face was craggy with lots of flat planes, or what little I could of his face for his thick black beard. The magi-tech had the look of 50's retrotech. There were floating illusions, the magical equivalent of neon signs. Very old oak trees lines the Broadway. Their shade made the main roadway very dim compared to the sunlight falling on the shop windows. Wrought iron benches with wooden seats were spaced along the way. Twice I saw someone sitting on a bench and eating. Everyone smiled at me. I was temped to stop but I had a mission. I hefted my bags and kept going.

At the end of The Broadway was the castle. A white road ringed the castle. It looked like a concrete sidewalk, if that concrete sidewalk was made of sparkling white quartz. The roadway was blindingly white in the morning sun. It resembled marble, but it wasn't smooth. I tried to see if it was slippery. It was definitely non-skid. To my right was Celestium's temple. I had put this off as long as I thought I could. I pulled up my [Status] and chose . You may choose from the following Classes

B Level Classes

C Level Classes

D Level Classes

E Level Classes

Please make a selection

I selected , confirmed it, and waited for the notices.

You have gained the Wizard Class

You have gained all

You have gained 5 [Wizard Ability Points]

You have gained 1 point of Intelligence and 1 free [Statistics Point]

I closed my [Status] and walked into the temple. The decor was stately and luxurious. Themes of white and gold, and blue and gold were everywhere. Curtains with golden brocade were framing stained glass widows that streamed in sunlight. Crystal chandeliers bathed the room in golden tones. Attendants in vivid blue robes stood around guiding traffic and answering questions. I was ushered into a set of pews at the back of the sanctuary. None of the guides seemed to have [Polyglot]. A few grunts of Low Common and some finger pointing got me to sit down.

There was a young woman on the dais singing in a some language I couldn't understand. She stood in front a large statue of Celestium and a grand altar. It was beautiful but I was disconnected from all of it. I spent the next 3 hours moving from one set of pews to another, until I reached the front of the sanctuary. It was like being at the DMV. Not the new DMV with online registration and full color printers that spit out new IDs. The old kind of DMV where everybody had to wait in line for every little thing. At least everybody kept smiling at me.

When it was my turn I made my way to window at the side of the raised dais. The singing woman had left hours ago, but it still looked like the same young woman was manning her station. I approached the window and she said with a bright, energetic smile, “You look adorable! I could eat you up! What can I do for you honey?”

I think she was speaking in High Common, but it didn't matter. She had [Polyglot] so I could understand her. Instead of trying to get by with my poor language skills I just started in talking in English, “First I need to get a Boon Soulburned. Can I get [Remove Tier 1 requirement for Class qualification].

“Sure honey. That'll be one Gold coin. How do you want your Soulburn divided. You need at least one point of [Chaos] and one point of [Balance].

I winced as I handed her my only gold coin, and said, “10 for [Law], 10 for [Good], for 1 [Chaos] and 1 for [Balance].”

She asked for my hands I gave them to her. She said, “Just confirm if everything is like you want it.”

Would you like to Soulburn the Boon [Remove Tier 2 Requirement for Class Qualification] with the following Amplitude Changes?

10 [Law]

10[Good]

1 [Balance]

1 [Chaos]

I selected confirm and a quiet slow power slide from her hands in to mine. Time slowed down or didn't mean the same thing anymore. She had a quiet strength. An immovable force in her hands. I knew it wasn't her, it was Celestium. How do you describe gentle steel? How sharp is the hand of justice? How loud does the voice of mercy need to be for you hear it? How soft does that voice need to be to work? Can you hear the brash glory in the fanfare of trumpets while you marvel at their harmony? It's not easy to convey what it feels like to experience Soulburn, but when you experience it, it wont matter. You don't have to convey Soulburn to other people. You always carry it with you.

I smiled softly and said, “Thanks.”

Wordlessly she nodded. The moment passed I checked my [Status] and my [Lawful Good Magnitude] jumped from 21 to 36.

“Oh honey, that boon looks really good on you,” the priestess said.

“Uh, thanks. Now I need to get the Class Change Quest, please.”

She clacked her tongue at me and said, “Oh, honey you don't want that. You can get a Class Reset Token for a silver at the market. The Class Change Quest cost a silver for every Level that you have, and you have to spend a night in mediation for every Level too.”

I nodded and said, “I know. I need to choose another Class, not start over. I really just need the Quest please.”

She looked a little doubtful but then asked, “OK, honey. How many levels do you have?”

“One,” I replied.

She smirked a little, and then said, “Honey, I'm not trying to cheat you. You gotta pay a silver for every level or the Class Change won't work. How many level do really have?”

“I'm Level 1,” I said as politely as possible.

She purse her lips, huffed, “How old are you?”

“Twenty one,” I said.

Her eyes tightened a moment and then relaxed, “I don't know what it is...you have a- an intensity, but I've gotta know. What's that language you're speaking and how are you Level 1 at your age?”

If I was going to be open about coming from Earth now was the time. If ever wanted find people from home I needed start talking about it sometime. Talking about Truck-kun might be little rude in a temple, but I could be open about some stuff. I said, “I'm from another world called Earth. Today is my first day on Elfandrael. Oh, and I'm speaking English.”

“That's awesome! I've only met a couple of offworlders. Most of them are demons,” she said with a grimace. “Thanks for sharing. Hey, do you mind if I [Analyze] you? You don't have to if don't wanna honey.”

“No that's find,” I said indifferently. She really couldn't learn too much about me that I wasn't willing to share, so I thought what could it hurt.

She said, “Thanks,” and raised an eyebrow. I felt the Skill trigger.

You have been Analyzed

The smile slowly drooped off her face. Her breath caught, or least she tried to catch her breath a couple of times. Her bottom lip started quivering. “Are you...” she started to say. She tried again, “Are you...godspoken?” Tears were streaming out of her eyes. Her whole body was trembling.

“Ah...what's 'godspoken?'” I asked hesitantly.

“Those who have spoken with gods,” she answered. “Oh, please say your godspoken. I was saved as a child by godspoken. It's why I joined the church! To meet godspoken! Did you know General Mislan spoke to Celestium for seven minutes. Seven whole minutes! They say you can never forgot what a god tells you. Perfect recall. Can you imagine. Oh, But you can, you have the Title and everything. Everybody's gonna wanna know about you,” She said excitedly hopping up and down. The 'squee' noises started.

Tell someone you come from another world, no big deal. Tell them you talked to their boss, hysterical waterworks. I mentally pulled up my [Status] and checked the description on [Honorable Hero], which read as follows:

[Honorable Hero]-You exude a [Lawful Good Magnitude] of 17 and the world responds accordingly]

“You mean that Title, [Honorable Hero]? What's so special about that,” I asked, trying to play it off.

“Oh, it's only given out to pure souls, worthy of carrying the virtue of the Path of [Lawful Good] before humanity. Celestium won't speak to anyone who isn't worthy of the Title, so anyone he's speaks to gets it. And you have it! You are godspoken aren't you,” she said breathlessly.

“No, I 'm not godspoken, I'm...”

You have gained a [Chaos Karma Point] for lying to a priestess

You have gained a [Evil Karma Point] for dashing the hopes of [Good] person

Why was it so hard to be [Lawful Good]? I felt the [Evil] rising when [Measure Soul] had triggered, but I had stupidly ignored it.

“You're not godspoken,” She asked, crestfallen.

My mouth hung open as I imagined the [Evil Karma Point] as a disgusting breakfast sandwich. The kind with the bread that's dried out from being in the microwave for too long. The [Chaos Karma Point] was the vile oil-based cheese substitute that would make real meat taste bad and microwave meat taste less mysterious. I was going to own this, but was not going to be chased around the world by godspoken groupies.

“I just woke up with that Title when I got to Elfandril. There was a Dungeon, and this help interface, and I asked bunch of questions. Turns out, I got the Title because of the all the Karma I earned on Earth. You can get the Title for things besides being godspoken, right?”

“I suppose. It's not like you're a Champion of Celestium,” she said.

“Yeah, I woke up in a Dungeon. There were statues of the all the gods, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of real god since I've been in Elfandrael.”

You have gained a [Law Karma Point] for not making a false statement while protecting your interests

I got a point of [Law] for tricking this woman? What kind of System is this?

“Oh. Honey, I'm so sorry. I really made of mess of this,” she said.

“You did nothing wrong,” I said.

She wiped here eyes and smiled.

“Do you think I could get that Quest now,” I asked.

“Sure. One silver for one level,” she said.

I paid her the coin. She handed me a token and directed me to doorway at the side of the sanctuary. On my way over, I switched out my [Honorable Hero] title for [Underdog]. When I got to the doorway I met the first person in this city that didn't smile at me.

After examining my token he beckoned me to follow him. We arrived at a four-foot-wide, wooden door. It was exquisitely carved with a vine motif. He gestured for me to enter and said, “Just go inside and meditate on any regrets about your Class choice. Tomorrow you will hear a bell and that means you can change your Class. Food will be served at sunset and sunrise. There is a small bell on the table if you need call for help. Don't leave the room until your done or you will have to start the Quest ritual over. There is a chamber pot if you need it. Any questions?”

Thankfully he had [Polyglot]. I told him, “no,” and went inside. I spent most the day fooling around with my [Status] options. Changing the color of HP and Mana stuff like that. Dinner was cold roast beef, with corn on the cob, and ale. Breakfast was hot porridge with butter and cold milk. The chamber pot did something to what I put into it. It went somewhere. Exactly where, I don't know. I was kind of thankful for not knowing. Twenty-four hours after I enter the room, I heard the chime and started my Class change.

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