I blinked at the prompt before my eyes before clearing it. I had a good idea what those skills did but I didn’t have time to check them right now. Sometimes the best way to learn is by doing. First I activated my new ‘Second Wind’ skill, hopeful that it did what I thought.
“Skill: ‘Second Wind’ activated.”
I could feel a massive headache starting to form, as my mana dropped significantly in an instant. The next feeling was like I had just got a shot of pure adrenaline. I started to buzz from the vast amount of energy that was now coursing through my veins. I looked up at my stamina bar in the corner of my vision and saw it rising faster than I could use it while still running.
Then, I heard the crack of twigs in the forest around me. The wolves were chasing me as well. I looked at my mini-map and saw that I wasn’t all that far from Oakford, just a few hundred feet until the forest’s edge. I activated ‘Sprint’ and hope that it would be enough.
“Skill: ‘Sprint’ activated.”
I could feel that rush of adrenaline move to my lungs and legs. My uneven breathing steadied out. My legs started to move in a more steady wide stride. I could feel the wind on my skin as I moved faster than I had ever before. This was exhilarating, I could see the forest speeding past me.
I broke through the edge of the forest in only a few seconds, this normally would have taken me a minute or more. I could feel the skill starting to wear off and my speed started to slow. I looked up and saw that a single use of sprint had taken over half of my stamina. I wouldn’t be able to use it again for a few seconds while I waited for my stamina to recover.
When the skill finally entirely wore off I was halfway through the field that separated The Forest of Beginnings from Oakford. I ventured a look behind me and saw two wolves break through the tree line. I didn’t have time to wait for my stamina to refill enough to use the skill. So, I just ran as fast as my legs could move. I tried to emulate the stride I had taken while the skill was activated and managed to move just a bit more quickly.
As I neared Oakford I looked back again and saw that the wolves had stopped chasing me. When I got to the first buildings I stopped running to catch my breath. I watched as the wolves ran back into the forest. Then I saw the two massive eyes of that giant wolf staring at me from just beyond the tree line before they receded back into the forest.
I collapsed to the ground panting trying to catch my breath. This got a few looks from the NPCs around me.
No, I thought. They’re not NPCs.
They’re real people.
This isn’t a game.
I couldn’t think about it when I ran into the Kobolds. Then I had to escape from the wolves. Now though, it hit me.
I really had died. I was shot and killed, and now I was somehow in a world exactly like EO. There would be no other players to run into. I was now in a whole new world, far away from anyone that I knew. Sure, I might know some of the people here that resembled the NPCs from EO, but I didn’t really know them.
“Quest: ‘Roan’s Impossible Test’ Completed.”
“ Granting Rewards.”
“No Rewards to be granted.”
“Bonus Reward for early completion.”
“Gained 90 Respect of ‘Roan the blacksmith’.”
“New Respect rank with ‘Roan the blacksmith’ achieved.”
“You are now ‘unwelcome apprentice of ‘Roan the blacksmith’.”
“Please visit ‘Roan the blacksmith’ to take the rite of apprenticeship.”
That prompt pulled me out of my thoughts for the moment, but that’s weird, why were there no rewards? I thought back to when I accepted the quest and remembered. The quest didn’t offer any rewards. I wasn’t meant to be able to complete the quest in the time given. Roan had given me an impossible quest to humble me. Yet I succeeded, and for my efforts Roan acknowledged me.
I get up off the ground on the edge of the town and dust myself off. I have a lot to think about but the street isn’t a good place to do it, especially if these aren’t NPCs in a game. I need a quiet spot to sit down and think. I look at my inventory and let out a long sigh. I don’t have enough coin to stay at the Oakstump, but I have stuff I might be able to sell. At least my habit of looting everything I find in video games might have paid off finally.
I begin to make my way through the streets in a half-daze. I look around me at all the townspeople. These were real people, not NPCs. I’m glad I’m not like some of those people who go around harassing NPCs otherwise things would be very different right now.
Dang, now I really needed to pay back Chloe. I had said that before more out of habit than anything. She had actually saved my life.
Oh gods, I almost died. I actually almost died when I had only been here for only a day. That thought sent a shiver down my spine. That would have been the second time that I died though. I started thinking about the fact that I HAD tied like really died. My whole body started to shiver at that. I shook my head to try and clear away those thoughts. I was alive now. That’s what mattered. I need to focus on just living for myself now.
I didn’t have any obligations to anyone or anything. I was free to do what I wanted to do. Yes, this is what I need to focus on, the freedom this gave me. Sure EO is a dangerous world, but I don’t have to go fight the monsters out there. I can focus on being a blacksmith, with the knowledge I remember from earth.
That knowledge is already coming in handy. Who would have guessed that a stake anvil had never been used or made before? I began to wonder what other creations I could make that this world would have never seen.
While I was lost in my thoughts I had managed to make my way to Roan’s. I could see him in the shop window talking to someone. I entered the shop for the first time since I arrived here. I looked around the inside, it was exactly how I remembered it.
There were shelves lining each of the walls and a few neat stacks forming small aisles. It looked more like what you would expect from a hardware store than a blacksmith shop. On one of the walls, there were various nails. They came in dozens of shapes and sizes. Then there was a whole rack of household tools. It had things like shovels, rakes, and spades. Yet, nowhere in the shop was there a single sword or spear. He didn’t even have shields, as they were only used for combat.
I looked at the person that Roan was talking to, it was Chloe. I wonder what she was here for. I approached the two and tried to listen in on their conversation.
“Is there anything else I can get for you Miss Arduinna?” Roan said in his salesman's voice.
Chloe shook her head and grabbed the small linen sack off of the counter.
“No Roan, that’ll be all thanks, and I’ve told ya just call me Chloe,” she said before turning to leave.
When she turned around she saw me and gave me a smile briefly before it changed to a look of concern.
“Is everything alright with ya?” She asked in a quiet tone.
Wow, I must look as bad as I feel to get a reaction like that.
I give her a slight now and try to force a smile.
“Yeah, I’m alright, just had a bit of a rough morning,” I said trying to sound more confident than I felt.
“Is that the would-be apprentice I heard?” Roan said while trying to look past Chloe.
“Yeah, Roan it’s me. You found the axe then?” I said already knowing the answer.
“Yes, I have not seen a design like that in quite some time, where did you learn how to make it?”
I stood there thinking for a moment trying to figure out how to answer that question. Do I tell him the truth, or keep it to myself for now? I didn’t know how he would react, besides Chloe was still here as well.
Stolen story; please report.
“My dad taught me some stuff before I left home,” I said dismissively, then I turned to Chloe.
“So what brought you in today Chloe?” I asked trying to redirect the conversation.
Roan raised an eyebrow at me and gave me a discerning look, almost as if he knew what I had said wasn’t wholly true. Thankfully he had enough tact to not press the question, for now.
Chloe held up her back and gave it a little shake, metallic clinking could be heard from inside.
“Just needed some nails to repair a few things at my house.”
“Oh, well if you’d like any help, feel free to ask”
She gives me a slight nod as she walked out the door.
“Don’t think I’ll be needing any help, but if I do you’ll be the first I ask then” she said before the door shut behind her.
When Chloe had finally gone, Roan stepped up to me with a serious expression on his face.
“I know your father did not teach you how to make an axe like that. I will not pry any further for now, but eventually, you will have to tell me where you learned your skills.”
He then put a hand on my shoulder and looked me directly in the eyes.
“The skills you display are far superior to what an apprentice should have. Why do you seek to be my apprentice?”
I didn’t know what to tell him. When I sought him out initially I had thought that I was still in the game. In EO if a blacksmith enters an apprenticeship they gain a bonus to skill gain and experience, while also learning all the recipes that their master has. If you don’t enter one you have to figure it all out on your own or look up guides online.
“It’s hard to explain, but I would like to be your apprentice. I’m still not even considered a novice blacksmith yet, and would like to learn from you.”
He took his hand from my shoulder and looked down at me apprehensive. I could tell by his expression that he was trying to figure me out. I felt bad about hiding things from him, but I needed time to figure them out for myself first.
“I will not ask any more questions for now and will accept you as my apprentice, on one condition. You must promise me that when I do ask, you will not lie to me. If you do, your apprenticeship will be revoked and you will never set foot in my shop again.”
I nodded solemnly before speaking.
“I promise to answer all your questions when you decide to ask them, on pain of losing my apprenticeship and never setting foot in Oakford again.”
Roan raised an eyebrow at that last bit.
“That is not what I asked of you, why would you never set foot in Oakford again if you broke this bond?”
“If I broke the trust between us I wouldn’t be able to face you again, and I would have to eventually if I stayed here,” I said quietly.
Roan nodded thoughtfully at that and turned around walking to the door separating his workshop from his storefront. He looked over his shoulder at me.
“You coming?”
I nodded as I followed after him, I knew what was coming and I was ready for it. This wouldn’t be the first rite of apprenticeship that I’ve taken, thought it would be the first one that I took with my real body. I pushed that thought away, this wasn’t the time.
Roan and I exited his shop and entered his workshop. He stood there in front of his anvil with his hand behind his back. I walked up to the anvil and stood in front of it facing Roan.
“I will now explain the rite of apprenticeship,” Roan said as he looked down at me.
I nodded up at him and stood there quietly. He took a few seconds to continue speaking. He was probably waiting for me to ask some questions, but I had none.
“The rite is simple but binding. We will swear our oaths to one another under the fire of the forge god. When we swear our oaths we will draw a mark on our bodies, and the magic of the oath will flow into it. If either of us were to break our oath, our marks would burn a scar for all to see. Do you have any questions before we begin?”
I shook my head and looked up at him confidently. This wasn’t new to me, though it had a new meaning now. I was confident that I did want this. I wanted to be a blacksmith, and the best start I could hope for was being Roan’s apprentice.
“I have no questions for you, Master Roan.”
That got an eyebrow raise and a slight smirk from the elf.
“I’m not your master yet, not until after the rite is completed. Before we begin, I do have one question for you my would-be apprentice. What is your name?” Roan said as he turned away from the anvil. He went over to the wall where he kept his tools and grabbed a small box. He carried that box over to the anvil before opening it and revealing its contents. Inside there was a small ritual blade. Next to the blade was a small black object that looked like crystallized charcoal.
“My name is Matthew Marcos.”
Roan gave me a little nod as he began to chant a ritual in a language I couldn’t understand. It was most likely the language that everyone used to cast spells. I wonder if I’ll have to learn that language before I’ll be able to use magic. Maybe the system will help and translate it when I try to learn magic.
While I was lost in thought Roan finished the chanting and the crystal began to emit a soft red glow like the fire of the forge from inside its crystalline structure. Roan then took the ritual knife and cut a small slit on his thumb before dripping a few drops of blood onto the crystal. When the drops hit the crystal it sizzled and let off a small puff of smoke. As the smoke rose up Roan began to speak.
“I Roan Hornbeam, swear to take Matthew Marcos as my apprentice. I swear that I will teach him all that I can, and provide him for him for as long as he is my apprentice. All I ask of him is to teach me what he knows, and to answer my questions truthfully.”
When Roan was finished speaking he offered the ritual knife for me to take. I took that knife into my hand and cut a small gash onto my thumb, dripping a few drops of blood onto the crystal as he had. I waited for the small puff of smoke before I began to speak.
“I Matthe Marcos swear to take Roan Hornbeam as my master. I swear that I will teach him what I know and learn all that I can from him. I swear to work diligently to prove my worth as his apprentice and promise to answer any and all of his questions truthfully.”
When I finished speaking the crystal’s glowing grew in intensity until it looked like the hottest part of a lit forge. Roan reached down and picked up the crystal before pressing it to his forearm. There was a loud hiss and a soft sizzling sound as Roan gritted his teeth. When he pulled the crystal away there was a small hammer and anvil branded onto his forearm.
He then handed me the crystal with a hardened expression on his face. I took the crystal and let out a long breath. I then pressed the crystal to my arm. When I did I could feel the heat in an instant. I screamed out in pain as the crystal began to brand its mark into my flesh. I nearly dropped the crystal but Roan reached out and held my arm in place. This was pure agony, how had Roan endured this without making a single sound?
After what felt like hours, but I knew were only mere seconds, the heat of the crystal faded away. When I felt that heat leave I quickly pulled my arm away from the crystal. There I saw it, my apprenticeship mark. I thought that It was going to match Roans, but mine did not. The mark on my arm had an anvil and a hammer still, but instead of them being separate mine looked like the hammer was striking the anvil. The strangest part was that it was all surrounded by what looked like a flame, and it radiated a dull warmth. It didn’t burn, but I could feel heat radiating off of it.
When Roan saw the mark on my arm he gasped. That stoic elf actually gasped. He grabbed my arm forcefully and turned it over to look at the mark directly. I tried to pull my arm away on instinct but I couldn’t get my arm out of Roan’s grasp. Just how strong was he? After a few moments, he released my arm and looked at me with the most serious expression I had ever seen on his face.
“Who are you?” He asked bluntly.
“I’m Matthew Marcos,” I answered confused.
He shook his head and stared directly into my eyes.
“That is the mark of the Forge God on your arm. I have never seen, nor heard of anyone having a mark like that. The Forge God herself has marked you as one of her own. So I ask this again, Matthew Marcos, who are you.”
I looked down at the mark on my arm with awe. This was the mark of the Forge God? Why would the Forge God put her mark on me? I shook my head as thoughts raced through my mind.
“Master Roan, I am Matthew Marcos. I am not sure why the Forge God would claim me. I am but a beginner blacksmith.”
Roan let out a frustrated sigh and began to rub his temples with his hands. He obviously didn’t like my answer. Though, since the bond hadn’t broken he knew I had answered truthfully. He now knew that I wasn’t lying when I said I was a beginner blacksmith. While that was technically true when looking at my character sheet, my knowledge far surpassed what one might expect from even a journeyman.
Roan took a deep breath, most likely to calm himself. He then looked at me once more with a much softer expression than before.
“Mathew, there must be a reason that the Forge God has claimed you. You know things you shouldn’t. You have done things that should have been impossible. Within less than a week of meeting you, you showed me a whole new type of anvil that I had never seen before.”
He took in another deep breath before letting it out.
“You say you’re a beginner, but you already know how to forge things, most beginners wouldn’t even know how to maintain a forge heat properly. So let me ask you this, who taught you the basics you already know?”
Well dang, that was a question I really didn’t want to answer. I took in a deep calming breath through my nose before releasing it through my mouth.
“Well, for the most part,” I started before I looked him in the eyes.
“You did Roan, It’s hard to explain, but you’re the one that taught me all the basics of blacksmithing. I am as good as I am because of you.”
Roan scoffed at that, it was impossible to him. He turned to walk away.
“Fine don’t answer me then, our bond is broken,” He said in a huff.
“But it isn’t Master Roan, look at our marks they’re still there,” I said softly.
He looked down at his mark and saw that It was still there.
He looked at me with wide eyes. He looked more confused than he was before.
“How?” he asked quietly.