After a few minutes, Joe was almost certain that the coin was the equivalent to an extra life. With that token, if he died again he would be revived automatically. That was a huge temptation. Hawking had already stated that resurrection was possible but to have a “Get out of Death” card right off the bat would be outstanding. Especially considering dying did not seem to be that difficult.
This forced him to really consider the tarot card. Would the choices be of equal value? If so, then what could be as good an extra life token? Joe did not know much about the tarot but he did know that the Death card was not actually about death. He had had a friend who was into tarot and she always got pissed off at movies that would slap down that tarot card, backed by ominous music, to foretell death and doom. One time it happened, she scoffed loudly at the screen declaring, “Death is about change, you morons! Not about getting murdered!” That stuck with Joe.
So if the coin was a return to life in this form, could the card be a change to something new? Hawking had already given him a custom race in reaction to his anxiety about being trapped into a single fantasy race for the rest of his afterlife. Could the card be a chance at some other custom option?
“Why not ask him?” Joe thought. “Hawking, what can you tell me about this quest?”
Prophetic quests are awarded during extraordinary circumstances. You are under no obligation to participate. Only one of these options will begin the quest, the other is merely a commensurate reward for unlocking the quest’s potential. You have surmised correctly about [Charon’s Seal]. It will allow you to return to life once fully repaired, regardless of the level of damage to your pattern at the time.
“And the other one?”
The other is the [Mark of Death], also known as the Thirteen Omen. You have also correctly surmised it pertains to change not death.
“But what does it do?”
You have received all information available at this time. Choose between the following options.
Joe had encountered plenty of Extra Life mechanics. This one seemed like it was not just a free life, but it might also save him from becoming an undead or something else that might mess up what Hawking called his pattern. The more he thought about it, he came to the conclusion that the coin was probably more straight-up valuable. The card, on the other hand, was surely the one that engaged the prophetic quest. It also was probably the more important of the two.
Joe stared at the two options for quite a while before he finally made his choice and gambled on the card. The window disappeared in a swirl of light. The spray of glowing motes flew to the back of his right forearm. There they swirled onto his skin and formed into a tattoo appearing to be a five-petaled flower with the Roman numerals XIII stamped in the middle. The ink was a blue so dark as to be almost black. Little flecks of light winked within the lines which Joe thought looked similar to blue goldstone. Having stared at the card for the last fifteen minutes Joe knew the image was made of the flower that was on Death’s flag as well as the number on the card which was 13.
You have received the [Mark of Death]. Your destiny is bound to the aspect of change.
He waited for more but it appeared as though Hawking was not going to give him any further answers as to what he had just received. With a heavy sigh, Joe turned to the other windows that were waiting for him. The first one simply stated:
You have advanced a Healer Skill to rank 10. You may now learn Bronze ranked Healer Skills.
That meant he could learn [Efferous Endurance] now. He thought about grabbing the crystal but he decided to look at his other two windows first.
Achievement: You have advanced your first skill ([Healing Touch]) to rank 10. This action has awarded you the following choice of Traits:
[Altruist]: Healing those in need. Healing spells on others provide 10% more health.
[Survivalist]: You can’t help others if you’re dead. Healing spells on yourself provide 10% more health.
Those options made perfect sense. He had raised his [Healing Touch] skill from zero to nine by healing everyone else but he got the last level knitting his broken neck back together. While Joe had to admit healing others had felt good, he knew if he got a choice he would rather do some adventuring on his own alone. Without anyone else to rely on an extra 10% to his self-heals might mean the difference between life and death. Even though he felt a twinge of guilt for being selfish, Joe chose [Survivalist].
The last window was a bit of a surprise.
Exceptional Achievement: You have received a hostile blow that inflicts damage equal to 100% of your maximum health and survived the encounter.
[Punching-Bag]: Did you consider ducking? If an attack would leave you with less than 5% health, you have a 5% chance to spontaneously cast [Healing Touch] on yourself.
[Folk Hero]: With a little help from my friends. When you are supported by a crowd, you can spread the damage of one attack against you per encounter between all willing participants.
While he would rather be a folk hero than a punching bag, Joe chose the more insulting title. Both would keep him alive but Joe did not want to force others to take damage for him. He would much rather rely on luck.
Finally, he took out the bronze skill crystal and learned the skill.
You have learned the advanced skill: [Efferous Endurance]. This skill boosts your maximum and current Stamina by 5% plus .25% for each skill rank you have with this skill. Additionally, Stamina costs are reduced by 10% plus .5% for each skill rank you have with this skill. You must be touching your target. If your target is a Beast, these values are doubled. The effect lasts for 10 minutes and increases with additional ranks in this skill. Cost: Moderate Mana. You have no open Vigor skill slot remaining.
‘Wait, what?’ Joe thought, confused. He had two points of Vigor. Why did learning this skill consume both of them? The answer hit him almost immediately. This skill was an uncommon one. It even had two bands on it, instead of the single band the common skills had. Joe stopped and considered what a big shift this meant for his future. [Efferous Endurance] appeared to be a very solid skill. With a high spirit build, being able to trade mana for stamina meant he could keep up heavily strenuous tasks for far longer than your average person ever could. If the rarity of the skills was an indication of how strong it was, then Joe realized taking dozens and dozens of common skills would just turn him into a Jack-of-all-trades. He had played table-top RPG systems like this, where you had tons of character abilities, but you were never a master of anything. Joe much preferred to be specialized. You wanted enough other skills to not be a one-trick -pony but not too many; just enough to round your build, while still having a clear character identity.
Joe resolved to pay attention to skill rarity from here on out before he turned to the remaining windows waiting for him.
Achievement: You trained your first bronze skill: [Efferous Endurance]. This action has awarded you the following choice of Traits:
[Optimization]: Simple gifts are often the best. +1 unassigned attribute point.
[Beastmaster]: Bigger, better beasts. Your animal companions will gain an attribute point each time you gain one.
Considering Joe had no animal companion, Joe almost immediately selected [Optimization] but the gamer in him quickly did the math. A free attribute point was a big deal at this point. He only had one open skill slot. On the other hand, Joe had had dogs his whole life. It felt weird not to hear the sound of panting, tail slaps, or toenails on the tile around him all the time. The companionship he received from his four-legged friends did not drain him the way his two-legged acquaintances did. It was not too much of a stretch to think one day he might have an animal companion. If that was the case, then he could be looking at dozens of free points for his companion over time instead of just one for himself now. Even though [Optimization] made much more sense for the moment, Joe decided to invest in the future.
Joe marveled at all the new additions to his character. It was still the first day. Opening up his character screen he looked over the changes.
PLAYER PROFILE: Joseph (Joe) Morris
Race: Changeling
Level 2
Experience: 264 / 400
RESOURCES
* Health: 37 / 37 (100%)
* Stamina: 21 / 32 (56%)
* Mana: 13 / 42 (31%)
ATTRIBUTES
* Strength: 0
* Vigor: 2
* Dexterity: 2
* Perception: 3
* Spirit: 2
Available Attribute Points Unspent: 0
CLASSES
* Primary Class: Healer
* Secondary Class: None
* Tertiary Class: None
SKILLS
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Strength: (0 / 0)
Vigor: (2 / 2)
* [Efferous Endurance] rank 0
Dexterity: (2 / 2)
* [Parry] rank 0
* [Staff Expertise] rank 0
Perception: (3 / 3)
* [Assess Creatures] rank 2
* [Assess Wounds] rank 5
* [Coin Catcher] rank 0
Spirit: (2 / 2)
* [Healing Touch] rank 10
* [Heart Fire] rank 2
TRAITS
* [Anyone] (Racial)
* [No one] (Racial)
* [Iron Mind] (Hereditary)
* [Beastmaster] (Achievement)
* [Mystic] (Achievement)
* [Punching-Bag] (Achievement)
* [Survivalist] (Achievement)
* [Mark of Death] (Prophetic)
When he noticed [Convenience] was missing, he figured it was because it did not add special abilities so much as offer a change to an existing one. He also did not think the trait names were standardized. Survivalist had to be a term used in ranger classes but Hawking had given it to him for healing himself after surviving Sir Groven’s beating.
Unlike most MMORPGs, his first day had not seen a plethora of levels. Typically every time he started a new game, his first 5 levels usually popped off rapidly. He’d just have to kill a couple of oversized rats or some kobolds and boom there was a new level. This time he had gained lots of skills but only two levels. Maybe it was a lack of combat? He had spent the day healing instead of fighting. The single, very one-sided fight he had been part of had led to some pretty significant character advancements. Joe hoped that it was just a fluke and not an indication that getting his ass handed to him would be his primary source of future improvements.
He got up, stretched, and began to pack up. He returned the stool to the craftsman who had lent it to him for the day and grabbed his pack. There were still quite a few villagers hovering around the edge of the green but between them and him stood the giantess, standing like a monolith with arms crossed. Joe had planned to thank Gurda for her intervention already but it was clear she was waiting on him. Her commanding presence was keeping the others at bay.
“Hello Missus Eldauk. I want to thank you for saving me from Sir Groven. That would have gone much worse for me if you and the others had not gotten involved.”
“I did warn you, young man,” the giantess scolded. “I do not know where you are from but around here the nobility are not to be trifled with. They have heritage traits and allegiance experience chains that give them huge boosts to their levels and abilities. A child of a noble house is often stronger than most anyone else in an entire village. Some of those children are true terrors: incredible strength and very little restraint. Thankfully the Amberwroth children are grown and abroad.”
“I have a lot to learn about this new world,” Joe said, looking at the tattoo on his arm. He noticed Gurda followed his gaze and clearly startled. “Do you know what it means?” he asked.
“Not exactly, but I have seen such a mark before. The star-filled ink is unmistakable. The war hero Herculeon was also a newcomer like you. He marched through Crowfield on his way back to the Falconspire, the capital of Duskurg. He was riding in a chariot waving at the crowd, shirtless, showing his powerful build and making the young girls swoon. Over his heart, he had a mark like yours, though his was far larger. It too was etched with ink made of stars and night. It was in the shape of a shield with wings over it and the number seven. It is said that ever since he received that symbol, Herculeon became the strongest man in all of Illuminaria. If that is the case, I wonder what greatness your mark will bring you,” Gurda mused.
“I got my mark from getting curb stomped. I’m not sure I want to be the world's greatest punching bag.” Joe looked down as he scuffed his foot through the grass. A large hand swooped under his chin and lifted it back up to look into the eyes of the giantesses.
“I do not think the One Above gives such marks to the weak. I think great things will come from you Joe Healer,” the giantess stated with a stern conviction.
Joe had a hard time meeting her direct gaze. Changing the subject, he asked, “Can you tell me about the One Above?”
“That is a difficult question even for a native of Illuminaria,” she stated, releasing his chin. “We know it is not a god but, in many ways, it is as great as the gods. I have heard it called the ‘Sentience of Reality’ and that term fits as well as any other.”
“That is pretty good. It matches what I have seen so far too.”
“The One Above has no demands of us and will not allow churches or causes to be created in its name. It merely seeks to catalog and inform us of our growth and encourage us to greater strengths with quests and rewards. I think most people secretly hold it in some reverence but we do not say so out loud as the One Above does not wish to be venerated.”
“But there are gods here too.”
“There are, but most of the gods are distant things, not as active as the One Above. They may give boons to individuals or to communities. Sometimes they will answer prayers or not at their whim. One should never count on their gifts. There are a few classes that increase that connection between mortal and immortal. They are the exceptions that can rely on their aid.”
“Do they ever speak to people?”
“Maybe to those whose class is bound to a god but I have never heard of a god speaking to anyone I know.”
Gurda looked towards the edge of the town commons as she spoke. If anything, more villagers had gathered there in the last few minutes. Joe had so many more questions but could tell that Gurda was itching to go and speak with her waiting neighbors. Her getting the scoop on what would surely be the news of the day seemed like such a power move, very much fitting the domineering woman. Even with all the ideas in his head, it occurred to Joe that he did not have to get his answers right now. He was no longer living his remaining days on a stopwatch. As long as he did not pull any more bonehead moves as he had with ‘Grover’, he had all the time in the world. This thought brought a smile to his face. Joe put the rest of his questions aside and focused on the here and now.
“I’m heading back to the Dellham’s for dinner. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can bring? I’d like the gift to be part thank you, as well as a fitting addition to the meal.”
“Well if I know Sarsa, I would guess she would make her famous meat pies and apple cobbler. If she is still too ill to cook then Nella will likely grill a chicken and bake a pie. In either case, how about a jar of chutney from TideTern? It will complement either meal and the colorful glazing on the jars make it a pleasant gift. There are several jars on the counter by the front door. They cost two silvers. The door is still unlocked if you would like to get one.”
“You are really good at this. Gift-giving was never my strong suit. Thank you,” Joe said with the utmost sincerity, putting a pair of silver coins in her hand. He still was dubious of letting Gurda manage his healing career but she was generous with her time and help. Joe waved and trotted over to the general store. It was obvious which jars she meant. He picked the one he liked the colors of best. It had swirls of blue and green with a yellow dot. It made Joe think of the sun reflecting off a lake, like the one he had swam in just that morning. As he left the shop he saw the shrewd giant eye him to see if he had picked up anything else he had not paid for. He chuckled and waved goodbye, before turning to the road back to the Dellham farm.
The walk was not too far but Joe was starting to feel the toil of the most unbelievable day of his life. Life, death, rebirth, change; all in a handful of hours. All these wonders had added up. Joe found his footsteps trudging forward in a shuffling slog. He was both elated and exhausted. The elation was carrying him onward but he realized he might be able to counter the exhaustion. He cast his newest skill.
You have increased your maximum stamina to 105%.
Your skill [Efferous Endurance] has increased to rank 1.
An almost electric burst of energy washed through his body. Joe straightened up fully, rolling his shoulders and settling the pack squarely on his back once again. Where it had felt like the backpack had been dragging him down a second ago, it now was a negligible load. ‘This must be what a shot of adrenaline feels like,’ he thought. He tried to roll his staff over the back of his hand but while he had the gumption for the trick, the dexterity was not there yet. He sheepishly retrieved the quarterstaff from the weeds beside the road, promising himself he would practice that move tomorrow.
Joe reached the farm as the sun was just about to reach the horizon. Konren Dellham was by the barn finishing up his work. He gave Joe a wave and signaled for him to head into the house. Joe knew he probably could have just walked in, but it felt rude so he stepped onto the porch and knocked. From inside, Buck’s loud voice made sure anyone who hadn’t heard the knock would know there was someone on the porch. A moment later Nella opened the door for Joe. She gave him a small, shy smile and moved out of the way.
“Hi, Nella. How is your mom doing?”
“Much better, sir. I used the salts you left and soaked the hand one more time. I wasn’t sure what to wrap it in afterwards. The bandages were soiled so I used a clean handkerchief.”
“Good idea. Don’t worry, I have more bandages. I’ll rewrap it.” The smells in the room were amazing and Joe’s stomach took that moment to remind him he had been active all day without much more of a meal than an apple, as well as a bite of bread and cheese that Rhiley had scrounged up later in the afternoon. The loud gurgle caused Joe to blush, which had the opposite effect on Nella. For the first time, she dropped her youthful uncertainty and became the host of the home, showing the signs of the woman she was growing into becoming.
“You must be starving,” she stated with a bright smile. “I haven’t heard a grumble that loud in a long time.”
“I am, and it smells incredible in here. What can I do to help?”
“Go wash up and call in my father. The wash barrel is on the edge of the porch. Rhiley and I will get the table set. We can wake Mother when everything is ready.”
After he relinquished the barrel to Konren, he checked in on Sarsa. She looked a little worn and gray once again, but still much improved from the befuddled woman he had first met. Joe looked at the wound and saw that the salt soaks had not had much of an impact. With his [Analyze Wounds] skill he could see the infection now. It looked like an irregular dark stain shadowing where the cut had been. If the infection had been closer to the surface, Joe might have considered trying to lance the infection and push the gunk out. As deep as it was, there was no way he was confident enough to cut into Sarsa’s hand to reach it. The best he could do right now was to keep bolstering her health.
You have restored 6% of Sarsa Dellham’s total health. Her current health is at 63%. The underlying cause of damage is preventing any additional healing of this type.
Sixty-three percent maximum health could not be good. The infection must also be deep in her bloodstream. Joe looked and he thought there might be little black flecks under her skin but he could not be sure given how new he was to using [Assess Wounds].
After dinner, the family and Joe talked for a while. Joe found he could layer a [Heart Fire] inside an actual fire so everyone was able to shed the aches and pains of a working day on their farm. He knew they had questions for him, he had a whole book of things he wanted to ask as well, but try as he might, Joe could not stop yawning. Konren took charge and told Joe to take Rhiley's room. The boy was happy to sleep by the fire with Buckle. Joe thanked them for the meal and hospitality. He climbed up the stairs to the small room in the eaves and kicked off his boots. The moment after he pulled the covers over his shoulder, the newly-minted healer was sound asleep.