When facing a manticore it is prudent to note that the beast has little to no blind spots. The scaly hide is dense and thick and will repel most non-magical weapons, though across the belly one’s weapon may find purchase.
One must also observe that despite being a beast it has some capability with the arcane, with an ability to cast elemental magics from the fire and ice domains. I would recommend a party of at least five highly skilled adventurers to best one of these fearsome creatures.
- Monsters of the Mortal Realms by K. D. Fidditch.
Groggily, I woke to the night. Above, stars shone in the sky like a beautiful sparkling tapestry, adorned with shining pearls. My eyes wandered to the heavens, and I saw a single oversized blue moon through the boughs of the tree. Squinting, I fancied I could perceive great craters on the moon's surface. Its light bathed the world with a soft ethereal glow in shades of blue and silver, and the grass rustled in the chilly night breeze.
Pulling my thoughts away from the stunning beauty that surrounded me, I slowly hugged my knees to my chest, trying to draw some warmth from the bitter cold. Shivering, I forced myself to peruse my notifications, verifying the changes to my character. I noticed that despite the increase in Wisdom, my maximum Mana had not changed.
Nevertheless, I now stood at the full six points of Mana. Could it be that the Wisdom attribute affected Mana regeneration? More significantly, I breathed a sigh of relief as I observed that my Health had climbed to eight after my interminable rest and the agonizing healing spell. In my slumber, I had also attained a mysterious skill called 'Endure' at level one.
STATUS
Calling: $%^& Level 2 Acolyte of Avaria
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 9
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 8
Luck: 10
SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES
Pain Nullification (lvl.1)
Power Strike (lvl.1)
Endure (lvl.1)
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
SPELLS & MAGIC
Heal (lvl.1)
Rust (lvl.1)
GIFTS
Curse of Entropy: -20% all starting attributes.
Experience to next level 100/220
Health: 8/13
Stamina: 14/16
Mana: 6/6
Feeling miserable, I hesitated to try to cast ‘Heal’ again, as I had not enjoyed the unpleasant ripping sensation I felt when I last cast the spell.
As I pondered my situation, I analyzed my absurd circumstances. In some games, the system penalized players if they reached zero in a statistic. A lack of Stamina would hinder movement, depleted Mana would impede spellcasting, and zero Health would result in death.
My conclusion was that I did not want to perish, and therefore I had to endure the pain once more to restore more of my Health. I tried to convince myself that the discomfort was akin to receiving a painful injection. Hopefully, the pain from the previous spellcast was a result of depleting my Mana completely. The only way to find out was to try again.
Wincing at the expected agony to come, I gingerly uttered, "Heal," and focused all my will on the spell. Once again, I felt a shift of some sort of energy and an uncomfortable pulling sensation. Expecting daggers to assault my mind, I scrunched up my eyes and clenched my fists tightly. A soothing warmth flooded my body, but there was blessedly no suffering.
Glancing down at my Status, I saw that my Health had increased by a further two points, bringing it to a much safer ten. I breathed deeply as tension left my body. My Mana had dropped to one, and I felt a little lightheaded, but there was no excruciating pain.
Fighting against a wave of mental fatigue, I tightened my robe and struggled to my feet. If this was indeed a game world, then this coarse robe was likely my pathetic starting gear. Also, I made a mental note to investigate the mystery skill ‘Endure’ later. However, the growling in my stomach and the dryness in my throat reminded me of my immediate and more pressing needs.
Searching around the stone shrine I was prompted with another Quest.
Restore the Shrine of Avaria? -Yes/No
"No," I thought to myself, quickly dismissing the intrusive notification from my inner vision. I owed nothing to the supposed "goddess" who had callously plucked me from my comfortable life and thrust me into this harsh and unforgiving world. My immediate needs took precedence; I had to find food, water, and some sort of protection. I shivered as I remembered my encounter with Avaria in another life. The cold realization that she had all but stripped me of my free will with feelings of forced adulation struck me to the core. That such a being had deigned to mold me as a mere instrument of their indomitable will was a terrifying thought.
With the moon high in the sky, there was more than enough light to see. Searching around the altar, I found a broken spear. It was split and broken about halfway up the haft. The spear point seemed to be made of sharp stone bound to the shaft by sinew.
I had one of humanity's oldest and most trusted tools as a weapon. Two halves of one anyway. Buoyed by my discovery, I searched more of the area, revealing a rolled-up piece of parchment made of leather, tied with what looked like rawhide string.
Untying the cord, I noticed that there were further knots on the string at varying points down its length. Under the moonlit sky, I wondered if there was enough light to see by as I slowly unraveled the cloth with great care. I was not to be disappointed.