I tried to get up out of bed, but Theresa stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder. She told me I needed to spend the rest of the day resting and eating soup. My body was so weak that it probably couldn’t handle much else right now. This time, I yielded to my family’s judgment—not that I could do much else in my current condition.
I had gained a little weight back from the soup and porridge I had been fed while unconscious. From what Theresa explained, I had a fever when they found me, and I had been out for days. Damn, I guess this undeveloped body can’t handle as much as I thought. I still looked sickly, and with my current appearance, someone might think I had a case of tapeworms. The fish soup also increased my Will experience a little. In the game, eating meat gave a tiny bit of Might experience, while fish gave Will and carrots provided Skill experience. The dried meat I ate inside the Demon door granted me a small amount of Might experience, but it was useless to me at the time.
Physical skill training required something different from Will Powers. Just as Will energy existed in the mind, it also existed in the body. This was evident in how meat contained Might energy and how glowing blue Will lines covered the body when using magic. Will energy saturates the body and lengthens a person's lifespan. I knew the method for cultivating magic as the game creators had hinted, but I didn’t know the cultivation method for the body. The method used for strength and Skill was similar to Chinese Ki cultivation, but I was unsure of when and how that applied. Since I didn’t know the method, attempting it was dangerous, but maybe now, if my mother was willing to teach, I could learn from her. It couldn’t hurt to ask, right?
“You’re awake?” I heard as logs hit the floor. My mother, Scarlett, had just dropped a load of firewood. Speak of the devil, and she shall appear!
“Oh hey,” I said nervously.
“Do you know how worried you’ve made your father and me?” Mother scolded, standing in a domineering posture, hands balled into fists on her hips.
“I’m sorry,” I yielded.
A slap that moved too fast to see coming hit my face. It felt like a kick from a horse wearing brick shoes.
I instinctively covered the spot on my face with my hand, closing my eyes and bracing for a second slap that never came. Instead, there was a slight high-pitched sound and sniffling. Hearing that noise—one that could twist any decent man's heart—I opened my eyes.
“If you died in that bed, then I… If I lost my baby boy!” my mother exclaimed as she broke down. It was gut-wrenching to see such a strong woman crumble. I had completely forgotten that she was "Scarlet Robe, Slayer of Balverines." Balverines are essentially werewolves and wolverines combined, and she killed her first one with only a stick. She instilled such fear that the beasts banded together to take her down, but she still successfully slew them, even if they almost killed her. My father, Brom, found her and nursed her back to health. That was the story of their romance that led to their marriage. Had they never met, Theresa and I probably wouldn’t exist.
“If you ever run off and nearly kill yourself again, I’ll take you over my knee in the town square and spank you bare-assed!” she swore, suddenly switching back from tears to anger. There was a fire in her blue eyes that made them almost appear demonic. The scar over her left eye only added to her threatening demeanor.
Though I had my doubts she was serious, it was a threat I didn’t want to test—especially since her hands were like concrete. My dad was one brave dude for marrying a woman like her. Serious respect, man!
I turned my gaze to Theresa, pleading for help, but all I got was an expression that seemed to say, "Oh no you don’t! You made this bed. Don’t look to me to resolve this!"
I expected another slap to the face now that my mother was angry again—or at least more lecturing—but instead, I received a tearful hug. I silently braced myself for another emotional attack. The silence was nearly unbearable!
My mother broke it first. “Theresa has told me about the heavy burden you’ve had to bear by yourself.”
“I’ve been a terrible mother, making my children not trust me. It’s my fault for hiding the truth of my identity from you,” Scarlett said.
“It’s not like that… It’s just that the truth is hard to believe,” I cut in, trying to stop her tears now that she was crying again. What mother wouldn’t cry seeing her son starved and worked almost to death? Then, hearing that the reason was she failed to protect us from Jack of Blades less than a year from now.
“Theresa’s power is future sight, and mine is time. Possibly as a result of my power, I caught a solid grasp of events in the future—enough to help Theresa gain control over her powers,” I added. It was partially true and a bit of a white lie. The real truth was far more outlandish and difficult to believe—a truth I didn’t even know the entirety of, so how could I explain it?
“Then… you don’t blame me?” she asked, her eyes welling up again.
“No. One part of growing up is learning to accept that your parents are human too. They have their strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. Father’s a good man, but he’s no warrior. That doesn’t make him less of a father or husband, does it?” I remarked, knowing Mother would never think otherwise.
“No, Brom is the greatest! No other man can ever compare—not even a hero,” Scarlett said, her pride evident in her expression. Gone were the tears from earlier, as if they had never been. Her pride in her husband wasn’t shocking, but I bet Dad would have liked to hear that too.
Theresa and I chuckled a little, and it made our mother blush slightly.
“Don’t tell your father I said that,” she scolded.
“I don’t know. I’m fairly certain Dad should know how you feel. Maybe you two should get a room!” I teased.
“He knows! Of course he does; we’re married and have a house!” my mother stuttered.
So, the Hero of Oakvale’s mother was much like the ones from my world: fiercely protective and loving. A headache struck me just like before when I questioned my identity. When I came out of it, I realized Theresa and Scarlett were holding me in place.
“Stay with us,” Theresa urged.
“Your sister has told me about these episodes you have now that you’ve glimpsed the future, but it’s terrible to see it,” my mother stated, shaking her head in pity.
“A cost of glimpsing the future without the proper power to do so,” my sister added to the white lie.
How much did she know, I wondered. Would she even tell me the truth if she knew and I asked?
My dad’s lecture was much softer, as he seemed to be the more laid-back of our parents. Brom gave the same speech he had in the game: “Don’t think I’ll turn a blind eye to your mischief!”
I would have laughed aloud had I not been exhausted from Scarlet’s earlier outrage. It was two more days before I finally got to leave the house on my own again. We had a picnic at Barrow Fields, which I was forced to attend with Lady Grey. Someone had told her about my current state. I shot a glare at Theresa, but she just shrugged at me, pretending not to know anything. Thanks a lot, you jerk!
“Say ah,” Elvira said, trying to feed me some apple pie.
I had no choice but to eat pie while Nemo, the Demon door, watched from nearby. He wore the biggest “shit-eating grin” on his face, his expression seemingly saying, “Yes!!! Finally! Feed him!”
No way in hell was I letting myself eat until I was overweight. Once I was back to normal, I’d stop, but until then, another slice of pie couldn’t hurt, right?
Something felt off about this situation, and it took me a moment to realize what it was. Lady Grey’s attitude toward me had become even gentler and more affectionate than before.
“Why are you being nicer to me?” I asked, squinting my eyes suspiciously.
“That’s of course because I love you,” Elvira said in a teasing tone, a sparkle in her eye as she poked my cheek with her finger.
She always did give me those vibes of the kind of girl the Japanese called “Yandere,” but this didn’t make sense. Why be so forward when I hadn’t even become a hero or conquered the arena? Then it suddenly hit me as I looked at Nemo and Theresa.
“Theresa, how much did you tell her about how I got in this condition?” I demanded.
Theresa was in a meditative posture, as she often was while practicing her future sight. She saw many possibilities of what could be, but nothing was ever written in stone. Snapping out of her meditative state, she said, “It wasn’t me this time! Blame it on your loose-lipped stone friend.”
“Et tu, Nemo?”
The door simply stuck out his tongue in response. Well, I guess it served me right for threatening him before.
Turning to Elvira, I asked, “I’m stuck with you now, aren’t I?”
“Darling, I’m hurt! How could you ever say such a thing?” Elvira feigned injury.
“Whatever, just stop that! Don’t go starting a scene!” I cut in before the situation could grow worse. A great sigh escaped my lips as my shoulders slumped in defeat.
On the bright side, I guess being force-fed pie by a cute girl isn’t the worst thing ever. I just hoped to avoid being forced to marry her. Sure, she hadn’t killed her sister this time around, but she could still have murderous potential. Worse yet would be the bodily harm inflicted on a certain potential lover should he upset her. I never asked for a Jerry Springer meets Game of Thrones-style drama, but it sure found me! With no choice but to yield for now, I returned to eating my pie.
I wasn’t just lazing about and enjoying being fed, though; I was piecing together facts about the game in my head to hypothesize strategies. Jack may have once been a god-like being, but his body was human now. I didn’t need to outright destroy him when he attacked; I just needed to hit hard enough to make him retreat for the time being.
The worst scenario I could envision was if Jack were to capture me and take me to Bargate Prison. For some reason in the game, the heroes' Will Powers were disabled there when their equipment was taken away. It was briefly dismissed as Jack doing something to prevent the hero from using magic while imprisoned. Of course, I planned to train my Strength and Skill abilities too, but they wouldn’t be enough.
Examining the cloak a scarecrow nearby wore, I pondered an idea. At first glance, from a distance, with the pumpkin having decayed and darkened, the scarecrow almost looked like a real person—one whose features you couldn’t make out. If Jack knew who I was, he would try harder to defeat me, but what if… What if he had no idea who I was? What if, when he attacked Oakvale, a mysterious cloaked mage defeated him with powers he didn’t understand?
This world is medieval, and just like Earth, no one understands that air has substance until someone discovers it. Joseph Priestley discovered that air wasn’t just empty space; but in a world of magic, someone may never make that connection. That’s why no one ever thought to use time magic on air—they don’t know what “air” even is yet.
So that’s the key! People fear what they do not understand. I admit that, in part, I too feared Jack, as I could not fully comprehend him and the power he possessed, but he was not unbeatable. The game had shown me that he could be killed twice. He may have an ancient psyche, but logically, an enemy whose power cannot be evaluated would have no choice but to retreat. You don’t live an eternity without learning to be cautious.
If that’s the case, then what I need now is less focus on making more powers and more on finding unique ways to use them.
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I can train my "Time Control" without straining my body. I’ve already discovered that I can’t directly freeze an opponent’s time without touching them. The exception is when I’m slowing time in an area. For some reason, there seems to be a rule that a living creature’s time can’t be controlled from a distance. However, if the area’s time is slowed, then everything within it is slowed too. I froze time on a tree I was touching once before and hit it with an axe. For some reason, the damage never went beyond surface scratches. Just another small limitation this world imposes on manipulating an object’s time. My guess is that I can’t fully stop a living being’s time; I can only slow them down to a halt and freeze the surface.
If I can only stop them in place, then how about I stop time on just a small section of air around them, making them unable to dodge? I tested this concept on some nearby grass, and as expected, the blades I chose did not move with the breeze. I decided to call this technique “Time Bind.”
So what does that make now? Slow Time, Time Shield, Time Blade, Time Bind, Time Levitate, and moving to the void by pushing space away using time. Without realizing it, I had crafted my mage class. I had become what’s called a control mage. I can restrain enemies for my allies to attack with melee weapons or arrows. My Time Shield can protect us from enemy attacks, and I can escape into the air if need be. Manipulating the battlefield suits the current setup we have too. My mother is a melee fighter, and Theresa is a ranged combatant with her bow.
Knowing that guild graduates have to learn a basic level of at least one Will spell, I asked my mother what hers was. My mother’s spell was healing, and she never bothered to cultivate it beyond the basic level. No wonder she didn’t die when my father treated her injuries—she recovered so well! I double-facepalmed when I told her she could heal us if we needed it, and she didn’t even know she could heal other people. Having a healer is a very good thing since it completes our party setup. Now, if only we could get heavy armor and train my father into the ultimate tank. Hey, he has no Will Powers, but he can still train his body and gain Might/Strength experience. A meat shield is his only skill aside from using an axe to cut wood. You know what they say: the family that slays together, stays together!
the old version is below.
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I tried to get up out of my bed but Theresa stopped me putting a hand onto my shoulder. I was told I needed to spend the rest of the day resting and eating soup. My body being so weak right now that it probably could not handle much else. This time I yielded to my family's judgment. Not like I could do much else in my current condition anyway.
I'd gained a little bit of weight back from being fed soup/porridge while I was unconscious. From what Theresa explained to me I had a fever when they found me and I've been unconscious for days. Damn, I guess this undeveloped body can't handle as much as I had thought. I still looked sickly and with how I appeared someone might think I have all the tapeworms. The fish soup had increased my will experience a little too. In the game eating meat gave a tiny bit of might experience while fish gave Will and carrots gave skill experience. The dried meat I ate inside the demon door gave me a small amount of might experience but it was useless to me at the time.
Physical skill training required something else from will powers. Like how Will energy existed in the mind it also existed in the body. This effect could be seen from how meat contains might energy and how glowing blue Will lines cover the body when using magic. Will energy saturates the body as well and lengthens one's lifespan. I knew the method for magic the games creator's had mentioned but not the method of cultivation used for the body. The method used for strength and Skill was similar to Chinese Ki cultivation with how it was hinted in the game. There was also some kind of physical related attributes to training it but I was unsure of when and how that applied. Since I didn't know the method it was dangerous to attempt but maybe now if my mother was willing to teach I could learn from her. It couldn't hurt to ask right?
"Your awake?" I heard as cut logs hit the floor. The sound came from my mother (scarlet) who just dropped a load of firewood. Speak of the devil and she shall appear!
"Oh hey," I said nervously.
"Do you know how worried you've had your father and me?" Mother scolded while standing in a domineering posture. The one with hands balled up into fists placed on her sides.
"I'm sorry" I yielded.
A slap that moved to fast to see coming hit my face. It felt like a kick from a horse wearing brick shoes.
I covered the slap on my face instinctively with my hand. Without thinking I closed my eyes and braced for a second slap but it didn't come. There was a slight high pitched sound and sniffling. Hearing that sound that would make any decent man's heart hurt I opened my eyes.
"If you died in tha... In that bed then I... If I lost my baby boy!" My mother exclaimed as she broke down. It was a gut-twisting feeling to see such a strong woman break down. I completely forgot that she is "Scarlet robe slayer of Balverines". Balverines are basically werewolves and wolverines combined and she killed her first one with only a stick. Then she instilled such fear that the beasts grouped and collaborated to try and take her down. She still successfully slew them even if they almost killed her. Brom who is Theresa and my Father found and nursed her back to health. That is the story of their romance that led to their marriage. Had they never met Theresa and I probably wouldn't exist.
"If you ever run off and nearly kill yourself again I'll take you over my knee in the town square and spank you bare-assed!" The woman swore as she switched suddenly back from tears to anger. There was a real fire in those blue eyes that made them almost appear demonic. The scar over her left eye added to her threatening demeanor.
Although I had my doubts she was serious, it was a threat I didn't want to test. Especially since her hands were like concrete. My dad is one brave dude marrying a chick with hands like that. Serious respect man!
Turning my gaze to Theresa pleading for help but all I got was an expression that seemed to say, "Oh no you don't! You made this bed. Don't go looking to me to resolve this!"
I was expecting another slap to the face now that my mother was angry again or at least more lecturing but I got a tearful hug instead. Silently waiting for another emotional attack I waited. The silence was nearly unbearable!
My mother broke the silence first, "Theresa has told me the heavy burden you have had to bear by yourself".
"I've been a terrible mother making my children not trust me. It's my fault by hiding the truth of my identity from you," Scarlet said.
"It's not like that... It's just that the truth is hard to believe," I cut in trying to stop her tears now that she was crying again. What mother wouldn't cry seeing her son starved and worked almost to death. Then hearing that the reason is she fails to protect us from Jack of blades less than a year from now.
"Theresa's power is future sight and mine is time. Possibly as a result of my power I caught a solid grasp of events in the future. Enough to help Theresa get control over her powers," I added. It was partially true and a bit of a white lie. The real truth is far more outlandish and difficult to believe. A truth that even I don't know the entirety of so how could I explain it?
"Then... You don't blame me?" She said with her eyes tearing up just a little.
"No, one part of growing up is learning to accept your parents are human too. They have their strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. Father's a good man but he's no warrior. It doesn't make him less of a father or husband does it?" I remarked knowing mother would never think otherwise.
"No Brom is the greatest! No other man can ever compare, not even a hero", Scarlet said with a proud expression on her face. Gone were the tears from earlier like they had never been. Her pride in her husband wasn't shocking but I bet Dad would've liked to hear that too.
Theresa and I both chuckled a little and it made our mother blush slightly.
"Don't tell your father I said that", She scolded.
"I Don't know, I'm fairly certain dad should know how you feel. Maybe you two should get a room!" I teased.
"He knows! Of course, he does were married and have an h-house", My mother stuttered.
So the hero of Oakvale's mother was much like the ones from my world. Fiercely protective and loving... An immense headache struck me just like before when I questioned my identity. When I came out of it I realized Theresa and Scarlet were holding me in place.
Theresa was saying "stay with us".
"Your sister has told me of these episodes you have now that you've glimpsed the future but it's terrible to see it", My mother stated shaking her head pitifully.
"A cost of glimpsing the future without the proper power to do so", my sister added to the white lie.
How much does she know I wondered. Would she even tell me the truth if she knew and I asked?
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My dad's lecture was much softer as he seemed to be the more laid back of our parents. Brom gave the same speech he gave in the game of "Don't think I'll turn a blind eye to your mischief!"
I would have laughed aloud had I not been exhausted by my Scarlets outrage earlier. It was two more days before I finally got to leave the house on my own again. We had a picnic at barrow fields which I was forced to attend with lady grey. Someone had told her about my current state. I gave a glare directed at Theresa but she just shrugged at me pretending not to know anything. Thanks a lot, you jerk!
"Say ah", Elvira Grey said trying to feed me some apple pie.
I was given no choice but to eat pie while Nemo the demon door watched from nearby. He had the biggest "Shit-eating grin" on his face. His face seemed to say," Yes!!! Finally! FEED HIM!"
No way in hell I'm letting myself eat till I'm overweight. Once I'm back to normal I'll stop but until then Another slice of pie can't hurt right?
Something felt off about this situation and it took me a moment to realize what it was. Lady Grey's attitude towards me got even gentler and more affectionate than before.
"Why are you being nicer to me?" I asked squinting my eyes.
"That's of course because I love you", Elvira said in a teasing tone with a sparkle in her eye while poking my cheek with her finger.
She always did give me those vibes of the kind of girl the Japanese called "Yandere" but this didn't make sense. To be this forward when I haven't even become a hero or conquered the arena. Why? Then it suddenly hit me as I looked at Nemo and Theresa.
"Theresa how much did you tell her about how I got in this condition", I demanded.
Theresa was in a meditation posture as she often was while practicing gazing at the future. She saw many possibilities of what can and maybe but nothing was ever written in stone. Snapping out of her meditative state she said, "It wasn't me this time! Blame it on your loose-lipped stone friend."
"Et tu Nemo?"
The door simply stuck out his tongue in response. Well, I guess it serves me right for threatening him before.
Turning to Elvira I asked, "I'm stuck with you now aren't I?"
"Darling I'm hurt! How could you ever say such a thing!" Elvira said feigning injury.
"Whatever just stop that! Don't go starting a scene!" I cut in before the situation grew worse. A great sigh escaped my lips as my shoulders slumped in defeat.
On the bright side, I guess being force-fed pie by a cute girl isn't the worst thing ever. I just hope I can avoid being forced to marry her. Sure she hasn't killed her sister this time around but she could still have a murdering potential. Worse yet may be the bodily harm inflicted on a certain potential lover should he upset her. I never asked for Jerry springer meets Game of Thrones-style drama but it sure found me! No choice but to yield for now I returned to eating my pie.
I wasn't just lazing about and enjoying being fed though, I was putting pieces together in my head about the game to hypothesize facts. Jack may have once been a god-like being but his body now is human. I don't need to all out destroy him when he attacks. I just need to hit hard enough to make him retreat for the time being.
The worst scenario that I could think of is if Jack were to capture me and take me to Bargate prison. For some reason in the game, The heroes Will powers were disabled there when his equipment was taken away. It was briefly dismissed as Jack did something to prevent the hero from using his magic while imprisoned. Of course, I plan to train my strength and skill abilities too but they would not be enough.
Examining the cloak a scarecrow nearby wore I thought of something. At first glance from a distance, with the pumpkin having decayed and turned dark the scarecrow almost looked like a real person. One in which you couldn't make out the features. If Jack knows who I am then he will try harder to defeat me but what if... What if he had no idea who I am. What if when he attacks Oakvale a mysterious cloaked mage defeats him with powers he doesn't understand. This world is medieval and as such, just like earth, no one understands that air has substance until someone discovers it. "Joseph Priestley" discovered that air wasn't just empty space but in a world of magic someone may never make that connection. That's why no one ever thought to use time magic on air. They don't know what "Air" even is yet.
So that's the key! People fear that which they do not understand. I admit that in part I too feared Jack as I cannot fully comprehend him and what power he may possess but he is not unbeatable. The game told me that by having the player kill him twice. He may have an ancient psyche but logically an enemy whose power can't be evaluated would leave him no choice but to retreat. You don't live an eternity without learning to be cautious. If that's the case then what I need now is less to make more powers and more to find unique ways of using them.
I can train my "Time control" without straining my body. I've already discovered that I can't directly freeze an opponent's time without directly touching them. The exception is when I'm slowing time in an area. For some reason, there seems to be some rule that a living creature's time can't be controlled from a distance. If the area's time is slowed though then everything in it is slowed too. I froze time on a tree I was touching once before and hit it with an ax. For some reason, the damage it received never went beyond surface scratches. Just another small limitation this world applies to manipulating an object's time. My guess is I can't fully stop a living being's time. I can only slow them down to a halt and freeze the surface.
If I can only stop them in place anyway then how about I stop time on just a small section of air around them making them unable to dodge. I tested this concept on some nearby grass and as suspected the blades I chose did not move with the breeze. I decided to call this technique "Time Bind".
So what does that make now? Slow time, Time shield, Time blade, Time Bind, Time levitate and moving to the void by pushing space away using time. Without realizing I crafted myself, my mage class, I had become what's called a control mage. I can restrain enemies for my allies to attack with melee weapons or arrows. My "Time shield can protect us from enemy attacks and I can escape into the air if need be. Manipulating the battlefield suits the current setup we have going too. My mother's melee and Theresa is a ranged combatant with her bow.
Knowing that guild graduates have to learn a basic level of at least one will spell I asked my mother what was hers. My mother's spell was healing and she never bothered to cultivate it above the basic level. No wonder she didn't die once our father treated her injuries and recovered so well. I double facepalmed when I told her she could heal us if we needed it and she didn't even know she could heal other people. Having a healer is a very good thing since it completes our party sort of set up. Now if only we could get heavy armor and train my father into the ultimate tank. Hey, he has no will powers but he can still train his body and gain might/strength experience. Meat shield is his only skill other than using an ax to cut wood. He could train his body to be next to immune to damage and with the right armor, he would likely never be harmed. You know what they say, the family that slays together, stays together!