Chapter 6 –Sparksford

Mason took his dagger out of his inventory. The cat was still growling at him. The thing looked like every other tabby cat he had ever seen. The only difference he noticed was that this cat didn't seem to blink. It has its body pressed to the floor, ready to pounce. When it made its move, Mason was ready for it. As it jumped toward him, he ducked under it, pushing the dagger into the creature's belly while still airborne. The razor-sharp blade sliced into the cat like it wasn't there.

Landing, the cat turned to face him, blood flowing from its open wound. It closed its eyes and disappeared. Before Mason could even feel shocked, it reappeared above his head, claws out, and the wound healed entirely. It landed on his back, claws slashing gaping wounds into his bare skin.

Reaching around, he grabbed it by the top of its head, shot a Magic Bolt point blank into its face, and then threw it as hard as he could into a tree.

The little fucker twisted mid-air and landed on its feet. Its face looked like someone had gotten in a good punch, but the damage wasn't too extensive. Expecting it to blink and teleport again, Mason readied a Magic bolt aimed at the air above him. Instead, it ran at him full throttle and headbutted him in his stomach.

Now, you may think that because it was a cat and cats tend to have small little cat heads that a headbutt wouldn't hurt. You would be wrong and dumb. It hit Mason hard. Because of its tiny head, the entire impact was concentrated in a small area making the attack hit him like a bullet. Mason flew back and landed painfully on his ass. He saw his health getting low, so he drank a health potion. He felt the familiar warmth spread through him as he felt his wounds heal. He stood up with new confidence.

The cat headbutted him again. The hit landed in the exact same spot. It didn't feel any worse the second time, but it did piss him off a lot more.

Standing again, it tried to headbutt him a third time. Seeing it coming this time, he caught the cat like an America Football, grabbed it by its tail and started spinning it around in the air letting go at the perfect moment to make the cat shoot into the air. As it began its descent, Mason started shooting at it with Magic Bolts. He really needed to work on his accuracy as out of the 10 he shot, only 3 hits. As the cat was about to hit the ground, Mason drew his leg back and kicked the cat as hard as he could manage.

As the cat made contact with a tree, Mason got a notification.

*DING*

You have slain – Beast – Level 9 Attackat.

You have received 90 XP.

Level up.

You have reached level 4.

Stat points allocated.

Breathing heavily. Mason collapsed against a tree while he watched his stamina bar slowly tick up.

Sick of running out of energy so often, he opened his menu and put 2 of his 3 free points straight into Endurance, saving 1 in case he was in need of a boost later. Still, no sign of a skill selection. He started to wonder if it would ever happen again or if it was simply a one-time thing that happened at level 1.

Mostly recovered, he walked over to the cat and looted its body.

Loot Received:

2 iron coins

Attackat whiskers

Confused as to why he got the whiskers, he identified them.

Crafting ingredient - Attackat whiskers (Common) – Used in Alchemical concoctions usually to do with enhancing agility.

Mason heard footsteps coming from the direction Mayry left from. He positioned himself in front of the trees that led to the town so he could attempt to stop her from seeing the blood and dead cat on the floor.

Mayry emerged, jumping back with a yelp when she saw him standing there.

Shooting him a dirty look, she threw a bag at him. Rummaging around inside it, it had a basic pair of brown trousers and a white top that seemed to be made from cotton. The outfit made him look like a farmer. All he needed now was a pitchfork, and he would be good to go tend some crops.

In return, he took out a single Iron coin and flicked it to her. "Does that cover what you spent?"

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"Yeah, this is plenty…." She trailed off, "I thought you said you only had copper and silver? Where did you get that Iron from?" She said, taking a step forward.

He said innocently, moving to intercept her again, "Umm, I found it…".

She pushed past him, saying, "Hmm, move out of the way."

She looked at the blood trails, the dented trees and the corpse and spun to face him, poking a finger in his chest as she spoke, "Mason, what the fuck! I told you not to get into trouble, and the first thing you did was kill a defenceless animal! I can't believe you!

Annoyed that she thought he would just go around killing small animals like some psychopath, he tried to defend himself. "It attacked me first! I had no choice!"

"You probably scared the poor thing! Whatever! Just get dressed so we can go" Shooting him one last dirty look, she disappeared again through the trees.

Quickly identifying the clothes before putting them on, he got a very basic description.

Clothing – Pants

Clothing – Shirt

'Oh well, thanks for that enlightening information.'

Having put the clothes on, he walked through the trees, catching his first glimpse of the town. Each stone that made up the high wall encircling the town glowed faintly red as if imbued with flame. Walking along the top of the walls were guards who held crossbows at the ready, eyes searching for threats.

Walking towards the town gate, Mayry spoke. "I'm still pissed at you, but there are things you need to know before we enter the town. The town's name is Sparksford, Sparks as in my last name. My family founded the town and have been in charge of it ever since. I'm telling you this because walking around with me might cause you some trouble. Everyone I have ever liked or spent time with ends up being interrogated by someone from my family, they all have similar magic to me, so it doesn't usually end well."

Mason considered thoughtfully for a moment and then replied, grinning, "So, what I got from that is…you like me?"

"Oh, shut up. Just try and act like a normal person until I can give you a rundown of this world and its magic. You better not talk to anyone and definitely don't tell anyone you are from another world. There are people that would kill you on sight," Mayry said solemnly

"You mean like you tried to?"

Mayry laughed before her face went dead serious, "you know, If I wanted you dead, you'd be nothing but ashes by now." She stared at him for a second before smiling as if she didn't just threaten to overcook him.

"The plan, once we get to town, is to see my friend who runs the alchemy shop. She'll check you over and make sure you aren't cracked in the head. Then we'll book a room in an Inn, and I'll play Master while you be a good student."

Mason stopped walking and just looked at her. He could feel his face heating up as he blushed.

"What? What's wrong?" She said as she stopped walking just in front of him.

Flustered as he had never had a girl so openly come on to him, "Um, do you want to think through what you just said and maybe try again?" He managed to sputter out.

"I don't know what you me…" she cut herself off, paused for a moment, turned a now familiar shade of bright pink and faced away from him. "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT."

Two guards approached from the town gate, "Lady Sparks, is everything okay here?" They positioned themselves to stand on either side of Mayry, glowering down at Mason.

They each wore plate armour and carried a long sword which Mason imagined would run him through with little effort.

Mayry thankfully spoke up, "He's fine, guys. Don't worry about me."

Giving Mason a final death glare, they returned to their posts at the main gate.

Not meeting his eyes, "Let's just go, okay?" she started walking toward town.

When they got to the gate, Mayry ushered him past the security, which got Mason another glare from the guards.

"This way." She led him towards a small shop.

The town was far larger than it looked from the outside. Buildings were spread out in a grid system. He saw shops selling weapons and armour and street vendors trying to entice passers-by with ambiguous-looking meat that mason had to admit smelled glorious.

Mason was immediately drawn to a small bookshop squeezed between a shop selling all sorts of odd ingredients Mason assumed were for Alchemy and a shop with signs advertising magical objects of all kinds. Making a mental note to visit the magic item shop another time, he focused on the bookshop.

He loved to read and had always found that the internet was great when he needed to learn more about a subject in a hurry, but nothing beats a good book on the topic. Once they left the alchemist, he would hit the bookshop.

Following Mayry through the door of a building in the corner of the town, he was assaulted by the sharp and pungent scent of various herbs, spices, and potions. The walls were lined with shelves that reached all the way to the high ceiling, filled to the brim with strange and exotic ingredients. Large glass jars and bottles filled with glowing liquids and wriggling creatures were displayed on the top shelves, while on the lower ones, wooden boxes filled with powders, roots, and dried leaves were stacked neatly.

In the centre of the room was a large wooden counter covered with books, scrolls, and various instruments that he assumed were used for brewing and mixing potions. Behind the counter, a hooded figure was busy grinding and mixing ingredients in a large mortar and pestle. The alchemist, a wizened old man with long grey hair and a wispy beard, didn't look up as Mayry and Mason approached.

"Welcome to my shop, young adventurers," he says in a hoarse voice. "What can I help you with today?"

Mason gave Mayry a look that said, this guy is your friend?

She just smiled and walked over to the old man.

"Okay, that's enough now, Viv. You can quit the act. It's just me." Looking up, the old man visibly relaxed. As he took his hood down, the illusion broke and standing in the old man's place stood a young girl who looked to be around 13.

Noticing Mason's shock, Mayry took it upon herself to introduce the unusual figure before them. "Don't be fooled by her appearance," she said. "This is Vivenya Gracestone, one of the greatest alchemists of our time. Despite her youthful looks, she's actually much older - she once got so drunk at the local tavern that she stumbled back here and accidentally reset her age from her mid-40s down to 5. She has been trying to replicate it ever since, with no luck. She uses the illusion you just saw, so people around here take her more seriously."

"Oi!" Vivenya said irritably. "Don't tell my handsome guest my real age!"

Mayry walked over and hugged the incredibly young-looking woman, Chuckling to herself while Mason stood there unsure how to feel about being called handsome.

Mayry turned and gave Mason a devilish look. "Our 'handsome' guest is here for you to run some tests on."

Vivenya jumped up and down with excitement, squeaking out the words, "Oo goodie, I'll get the needles!"