Chapter 2

Startled. Danny managed to get out a “uh…yeah.” Danny focused on the creature in front of him and, accidentally, Identified…[Level 100 Fairy Guide] popped into his vision. “An actual fairy. Wow.”

“Native, I thought I made myself clear. Yes sir or no sir.”

“Oh…yes sir.” Danny collected himself. It helped that his stomach reminded him of more pressing matters. “Mr. Guide, sir, you wouldn’t happen to have any…food on you? Please?”

“Your entire world has been turned upside down and the first thing you think of is to stuff your face?” Danny didn’t have an answer for that. His stomach did. Scoffing, the fairy conjured some sort of spotted fruit in its hand. The fruit looked like a twisted gourd, but with smooth skin. It was the size of a watermelon which, when compared to the fairy, made it absolutely massive. Danny didn’t understand how something so small could even support something that size, let alone float in the air with it, but he was too busy trying not to drool in front of the first person he had seen since being dumped here to think about it. The guide tossed the fruit to Danny, and he almost collapsed to the ground trying to catch it. It was like trying to play catch with a bowling ball. “Meet me in the main chamber when you are finished.” What came next was not one of Danny’s proudest moments.

Trying to wipe the sticky fruit juice from his hands, and mouth, and nose, Danny followed the fairy guide’s directions and went to the prayer chamber. He had the manual held under his arm to avoid getting the mess from the fruit on it. Eventually, the pair reached one of the prayer mats and the guide gestured for Danny to have a seat. He complied. He was immediately struck at how all the remaining tension fled his body. He didn’t even realize how on edge he had been, having been occupied with devouring his meal, but his muscles ached from being under the strain of mental stress. He thought it might have been the act of sitting, but thought better of it. He focused on the mat itself. [Heavenly Qi Prayer Mat (Initiate): Imbued with relaxation and meditation enhancing properties, the Heavenly Qi Sect uses these mats during cultivation sessions. This mat is of the most basic quality.] As Danny finished reading the System identification message, his gaze rose and he saw the guide staring at him. Danny shrunk under his gaze.

“We have three months.” The fairy began. “Three months until the Tutorial ends. Three months to get you into fighting shape.” Danny quietly listened. “The fact that I am here means that you are an anomaly. Something unfamiliar to the System. I am here to give you the specific guidance you will need to chart your own path.” The fairy looked Danny up and down. And sighed. “Do you have any combat experience?”

Danny shook his head.

“I guess we start with the basics. Now that your planet has been Integrated, monsters have been allowed to spread and it will be up to you natives to control the population. For the next three months most of your species will be in a Tutorial, learning to fight. You will be with me. Are you following?” Danny’s widening eyes betrayed his overwhelm.

“I don’t know…I’m not really the fighting type.”

“Everyone is the fighting type now, native. Monsters destroy. They kill, they hunt, they pillage, they have no other purpose. You want to let others walk all over you? Fine. But no assignment of mine will be a liability when it comes to monsters. Not one.”

Danny looked at the floor. “I’m not going to fight. I can’t.”

“You can. It’s the only way. They won’t stop. Not until someone kills them or they consume everything living on the planet. It wouldn’t be the first time either. Are you going to stand back and let that happen?”

“There has to be some other way. I can heal people, or fix equipment, or–”

“But you won’t Level. What use is a Level 1 healer when warriors will need to withstand dragonfire? What of when you are alone, no one to heal or equipment to maintain, what will you do then? Non-violence is a lie, native. It’s kill or be killed.”

“I need some air.” Danny rose from the mat.

The guide didn’t try to follow Danny out. It was hard to have your entire world be flipped upside down. He had seen it play out hundreds of times. This approach was always best. It wasn’t rare for the newly Integrated to have qualms about a life of conflict, but it was the way things were. The Multiverse was a harsh place. No room for the weak. That was why Aspen always gave the natives a chance to experience it for themselves.

___________________________________________________________

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Danny walked through the courtyard, breathing in the piney scent. It was worlds better than the thinly veiled smell of processed pet food that hung in the pet store. The things that the fairy had said rattled around in Danny’s head. The midday sun shone down on him from overhead. I’m not a fighter. I won’t ever be like him. Danny ruminated on the predicament. Although, there was an entire library dedicated to whatever this temple was dedicated to. Or maybe it’s a monastery. Danny approached the edge of the clearing and looked into the forest. It looked pretty, sure, but to Danny it looked like something you would see in a nature documentary. Ordinary. That just made everything so much stranger. A rustling in the nearby plants pulled Danny back to the moment.

A small white rabbit hopped into view. The little creature’s ears stood upright as it regarded Danny with inquisitive eyes. It tilted its head and sniffed in his direction. “Hey there, little guy. Are you a long way from home as well?” The rabbit watched Danny carefully. Danny approached slowly. He hoped to reach out and pet the soft-looking fur, but something as skittish as a rabbit would rarely let itself be touched by a human. Danny attempted it anyway.

Danny noted excitedly that the animal didn’t seem to be preparing to run. He tepidly reached out with his hand, as non-threateningly as possible. If it isn’t scared of people does that mean this is someone’s pet? Are they nearby? The thought caused Danny to hesitate. In that moment, a snapping sound was made as a tubular fleshy, leech-like mouth tore out from the center of the rabbit’s face. It snapped at Danny’s outstretched hand, seeking to drain it. The split second of hesitation barely saved Danny from the creature’s bite. Danny tumbled backwards onto the grass.

The rabbit’s body twisted as six insectoid legs sprouted from the mess of fur. The monster, now resembling a leech with legs wearing the hide of a white rabbit, let out a celebratory screech at the discovery of prey. It skittered towards Danny, elongated neck swaying. On his butt, Danny kicked feverishly at the creature. He hit it in the face once. Twice. On the third kick, the maw ringed with teeth latched onto the sole of his shoe and tore out a chunk of the rubber-plastic composite. Expecting a bloody treat, the monster gulped down greedily. The thing sputtered and gagged as it tasted the processed material. Danny used that distraction to clamor to his feet.

Danny turned and ran. The courtyard that had once seemed like a pleasant park was now a marathon. With a deadly consequence for losing. Danny’s only option was to come in first. He pumped his arms wildly and commanded his legs to give all they could. His lungs quickly began to burn with the effort. He heard the monster in pursuit. Danny didn’t dare look back. He ran and ran, but the courtyard seemed endless. He heard the creature gaining on him. The sound of the grass parting before those spindly legs. The occasional screech that felt like malevolent laughter. It was close now. Danny stole a glance behind. He saw the fleshy neck reaching forward, nipping at his heels. “Help!” Danny shouted between panicked breaths. “Mr. Guide! Sir! Help!” Danny was three quarters through the courtyard. Just. A little. More.

The sensation of something thick, warm, and slimy smacking into Danny’s right leg caused him to trip over himself. He fell a few feet away from the first stair leading to the temple entrance. Danny turned just in time to see the monster pouncing. He covered his face with his arms. A whizzing sound tore past his left ear. When Danny opened his eyes, the monster lay twitching with a small wooden spear lodged in the center of its mass, pinning it to the ground. “Now are you ready to learn?”

Danny quickly got up and turned to thank the fairy. His face was flushing with the embarrassment of needing to be saved within an hour of meeting the guide. He definitely felt like his position on being non-violent was weakening. His savior didn’t seem annoyed. He didn’t seem like he felt much of anything in that moment. He just stared at Danny expectantly, like he knew the answer to come. Danny supposed that he probably wasn’t the first person to need saving, it didn’t make him feel any less childish though.

“Yeah…sure.” Realizing his mistake he added, “sir.”

“Good. Follow me.” The fairy turned and floated deeper into the temple. Danny had to scramble to keep up. They went down the last unexplored hallway. There were four hallways leading out of the prayer chamber. The two on one side led to the dormitory wing that was shaped like a “U,” leading you back to the main chamber if you followed the hallway all the way through. One of the passages on the other side led to the library. This hallway ended in a storage room.

There were baskets that Danny assumed would have been used to store food. Empty. There were chests that held velvet cushions where treasures would have sat. Empty. The only thing not empty was the weapon racks. Message received, System. Danny thought, ruefully. “Not much left.” The guide mumbled. “So much for the generosity of the Heavenly Qi Sect. They are leaving a bunch of trash and pawning it off to the natives as treasure. Pitiful.” Danny made note of the slim pickings. The few weapons that were left were all sharp and dangerous-looking. They gleamed with razor edges or ended in cruel spikes. He saw swords, knives, maces, hammers, spears, and even some exotic weapons that he didn’t have a name for. There was one weapon that stood out.

It was a staff. A thick wooden staff that was a light chestnut color. The varnish caught the sunlight. It was free of wicked blades. Just a stick. Danny doubted that it would be the most effective weapon there, but all these other implements served one purpose. Death. At least with the stick he felt like it didn’t have to end with a spray of blood. Not kind by any means, to be hit with a stick, but Danny was drawn to the one thing that didn’t have that savage cutting quality to it. He grabbed the staff.

[Staff of the Slumbering Giant: An exceptional quality quarterstaff made of Superior materials. Beware the Slumbering Giant.] The staff felt balanced in his grip, and it wasn’t slippery despite the shiny coating. He gave it a careful spin. He heard the fairy’s voice from behind. “I think you should look at some of the swords over here.”

“I think I found what I’m looking for.”

The fairy opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes suddenly began to glow blue. His lips pursed. After a few moments of silence the glow faded.

“There is a situation that requires my attention. Rest. I will be back shortly.” After finishing, the fairy was enveloped in blue light and vanished.