Kilian’s vision returned a second later and he was back in the field with Jarvus. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily and trying to calm his racing heart.
“Sorry about that, but it’s an experience you will need to get used to. Death is a common occurrence here, but it brings us to the next lesson. When you die, you will respawn in the last settlement you rested in.
“You have a limited inventory space, so everything not in it will drop where you died. You will also keep any gear you have equipped and all key-items you possess.
“Now take all the time you need, we recommend logging off and taking a break after respawning, but we can continue if you wish.”
“I’m… fine. Just need… to calm down.” Kilian had started shaking, and his heart wouldn’t calm. It really felt like he was about to hit the ground and break his head.
It just reinforced his belief that anything could happen, you could die at any time, so you should enjoy every moment.
Eventually his breathing and heart calmed, and he stood up.
“Ok, I’m ready to continue.”
“You sure you would not like to log out? Well, in that case we can continue. My part of the tutorial is almost over, only a few more things you need to know before choosing your profession.”
Jarvus bent over and pick up a rock, tossing it to Kilian.
“Here. To put something in your inventory you just hold it up, and desire to put it in your inventory. You only have 5 slots, everything else you will have to carry. Technically, you have 7 slots, but two of them are reserved for your Hard Essence and Soft Essence.
“When you die, you will keep these five items when you respawn, but anything kept in a bag or pouch will stay in the spot you died. Items do not stack, so be mindful of what you may need to quickly grab and what you can afford to reach into a bag for.”
Kilian put the rock in and out of his inventory a couple times. As he lifted the rock, 5 boxes appeared in front of him, allowing him to put the rock in one of them. That box then had a picture of a rock, and to take it out, he only had to grab at the picture.
“You will receive starting equipment for the profession you choose to learn, while the others will only give you a brief lesson over them. The three professions aren’t exclusive, and are more what role you prefer, they are: Magical, Physical, and Crafting.
“Randalph the Red will teach you about mana and spell craft, he will give you a grimoire with a variety of beginner level spells.
“Heracles will teach you about fighting, he will give you a weapon and armor.
“Balin will teach you a craft, giving all the necessary equipment for that craft.
“After you have completed their tasks, talk to me, and we will create your body to enter the New World.”
With that, Jarvus walked to side, and the three people from earlier came back. Kilian easily put names to them.
Randalph was the old man with the long beard, robes, and pointy hat (obviously a wizard). Heracles was a large, muscular man in armor (obviously a warrior). Balin was a short, muscular man with a beard and a large assortment of tools (obviously a dwarf).
Kilian was unsure of whether to choose Randalph or Balin; he didn’t want to fight, but still wanted to explore and support his teammates.
Being a mage would let him directly help his teammates with heals and buffs and elemental damage. Being a crafter would let him create or repair equipment and make consumables.
Indecisive, Kilian decided to complete the tasks before making his decision.
Kilian walked toward the warrior, since it was the one he knew he didn’t want to do. The other two disappeared, leaving only Heracles, Jarvus, and himself in the clearing. A couple dummies also appeared.
Heracles became animated, putting his hands on his hips and laughing. “So, you wish to learn how to fight, do ya? Well it’s very easy, you just hit stuff! If hitting it doesn’t work, just hit it harder! HAHAHA!”
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His voice was loud, and his size intimidating. He easily stood six feet tall; had long, flowing hair; and his armor left most of his muscles exposed. He looked straight out of a middle-aged woman’s fantasy.
“Not really, I just to have fun.”
Heracles folds his arms and nods understandingly. “Yes, the path of a warrior is not for everyone, but there are evils in this world and everyone is required to fight. At the very least, you will need to know how to defend yourself. Mana will run out, consumables will expire or run out, the only thing that will never fail you is your own body.
“If you want my advice, learn the spear. It can keep you out of reach of weaker monsters, and can be used as a walking stick or handle. Some can even be used as a staff for magic!
“It has a limited number of attacks, so it’s easy to learn. Just stab and slice! You could also hit things with the blunt end.
“Of course, there is also the axe, which is also useful in many situations, along with daggers, bows, staffs, swords, or hammers. I can also teach you to fight with your fists.
“So, what would you like to learn?”
Kilian thought for a moment. It might be fun to learn the sword, the bow would also be useful, and the spear also seemed nice. Kilian supposed it really didn’t matter what he chose, he could always just learn them later.
“Can you teach me about the sword?”
Heracles laughed. “We might make a warrior of you yet!” A sword appeared in Heracles’ hand, and he swung it as he explained it’s attacks. “The sword was designed for use against humans and humanoids, and is generally useful against unarmored opponents, though it can slip past defenses.
“Swords are designed for Stabbing and Slicing, though it can also Chop. Here, practice on this dummy.” Heracles put the sword in the ground and stepped away.
Kilian stepped forward and grabbed the sword, then turned to face the dummy. Like with the wall before, an image of himself appeared, this time with a sword.
It then stabbed and cut the dummy the way Heracles demonstrated during his explanation, then disappeared.
As Kilian stepped forward to copy it, symbols appeared on the dummy in different colors. He stopped and Heracles what they were.
“Right, I forgot about that!” Heracles laughed. “Since you are so low leveled, the system is showing you the best places to attack. The lines are where you should cut or chop, the circles are for stabbing. Squares would be for blunt force. The different colors represent how hard you need to hit to do the most effective damage.”
Heracles stepped up next to him, and drew his own sword. “A little demonstration should clear it up. Now you see how the circle on the stomach is green? It means a light stab is all that is needed. If you stab too hard your sword may get stuck, leaving you wide open for their counter-attack.
“The symbol will also light up if you hit it correctly, and the color it flashes shows the amount of force you used. If done perfectly, your attack will do extra damage, causing extra bleeding.
“You don’t have to follow the symbols though, it is easier and sometimes more effective to hit your opponent in any way you can. Besides, an actual opponent will be moving, not always leaving their weaknesses exposed.”
Heracles backed off again.
When Kilian turned to the dummies, the hologram appeared again, this time Kilian saw it striking the highlighted areas, slicing joints, stabbing vitals, and chopping extremities.
Kilian tried to copy it as he attacked his own dummy, but it was harder than it looked. He frequently hit harder than the color indicated, and was almost never on point.
He walked back to Heracles, handing him the sword. “Could I try the spear now?”
“Oh? You sure you don’t want to be warrior?” Seeing Kilian shake his, Heracles continued. “Very well, then here is a spear. It is used mostly to pierce, but can also be used to cut and bludgeon.”
He then demonstrated how to stab and swing the spear, and let Kilian do as he wished.
Kilian took the spear and went to the dummy. The copy appeared, and began stabbing the dummy’s vitals.
It was easier to aim than with the sword, since he used both arms, but it was less fun and felt more like he was just poking at the dummy. Kilian returned the spear.
“Done already? You managed to hit the weak points and score a critical hit, so you pass. Talk to me again if you want more practice or decide you want to be warrior!”
Heracles stood next to Jarvus, the dummies disappeared, and the wizard and dwarf appeared. Kilian moved towards the mage and the dwarf disappeared.