Amaka’s consciousness was swimming in the tincture of confusion. She felt like something important was missing from her memory, maybe something imminent that had been scrubbed away. Like walking into a room and forgetting what you entered for.
Welcome, good traveller; you have reached the world of Sphere. On your travels here you will meet friends and foe; men and monsters; angles and angels, including fearsome right angels; and beasts and barbarians; and you would be well advised to train your body and your mind to face such challenges. How you wish to live and what you chose to do are entirely your decisions, but – be warned – no matter what you do, you will find little peace here.
In the Sphere, you will be rewarded for your efforts by gaining experience points. These points can help you become stronger, smarter, faster and more durable, yet they are not the only way to gain power. Explore, experiment and find your own path.
The ethereal words arrived and departed, with Amaka not being sure she had truly seen them at all. Soon her consciousness was falling, falling, falling, and she awoke as if from a deep sleep.
You are Amaka, a human female of level 1.
The world of the Sphere has many races; your race is the most profligate breeder of the sentient races. As such, some creatures who find it harder to breed, such as dwarfs, have a racial dislike of you. In practicality, this means that you will find it harder to befriend some races, and this could affect such things as prices when buying from those races. Explore the Sphere to find out which other races have a racial affinity or antipathy to you.
As you grow from being a child, your attributes change naturally; once you pass puberty, your attributes will settle and you will start at level 1. Levelling will give you attributes to spend, but you can also gain them through badges rewarded for hard work (such as exercise), and from books, spells and such. Badges have a cap level, but they aren’t all the same.
On the Sphere, you will be able to see many of your defining attributes; how these affect you and what you are capable of will not be explained, so you must either take a chance or learn more on your own. Also, some abilities will allow you to see other people’s attributes, but it is almost impossible to predict what someone is capable of even when viewing their attribute screen.
There are some attributes intrinsic to all, and you will start off with a base level established on how you have matured. As you have lived a life before the Sphere, you will have some of the attributes you obtained in your past life come across to this world.
Magicka skill schools
Movement: spells from this magicka school will allow you to affect your own or another’s speed, or use abilities such as telekinesis or teleportation.
Energy: this allows you to make lightning or flames, or inflict burn damage, but it also covers removing energy, such as ice spells and changing the ions in a liquid to make an acid.
Consciousness: this allows you to alter someone’s perceptions with illusions or charms, or heal someone’s afflictions; consciousness is closely related to medicines.
Density: this governs the use of earth magicka but also create shields, increases your toughness and alters gravity.
Cohesion: this governs the movement of the air and water; where density relates to solids, and cohesion relates to liquids and gases.
Void: this covers summoning spells, shadow spells and the ability to become ethereal.
You will start off at level 0 in all of the aforementioned.
The following traits are taken from your time before you arrived, but some skills have been removed, as they must be unlocked by actions here – such as bows – even though you have had training, so you will be able to reach that level faster than others.
Mental
Control and technique
Attacking attributes
Main defensive attributes
Movement and positioning
Mental traits
Miscellaneous
As a human your class is C. There are seven classes of creatures in the Sphere. The first is U, which is a noncombat class – this is a class in which you will not gain levels from killing, but you can level up some skills – such as traps – in this class.
Of the six combat classes, each class activates upon puberty, but you are classed as U until then. The attributes of each being on the Sphere are based on how they have lived their lives up until puberty. So if they run around a lot as kids, they will have higher physical starting stats than someone who spent their life sitting and composing ballads. These six combat classes are as follows:
F, worth 3 experience points per level; their health, stamina and mana is 25 times their level.
D, worth 7 experience points per level; their health, stamina and mana is 50 times their level.
C, worth 22 experience points per level; their health, stamina and mana is 50 times their level.
B, worth 34 experience points per level; their health, stamina and mana is 75 times their level.
A, worth 1,058 experience points per level; their health, stamina and mana is 100 times their level.
S rank, increase your lore to learn more.
Health
This is how much damage you or something else can take; this appears as a soft-pink number or bar (depending on preference), and turns bright pink as it enters the last 15%.
Mana
This is how many spells or abilities you can use, and appears as a soft-purple number or bar (depending on preference), and turns bright purple as it enters the last 15%.
Stamina / fatigue level
This is how many physical actions or skills you can perform before needing a rest, and appears as a soft-yellow number or bar (depending on preference), and turns bright yellow as it enters the last 15%.
You are tied to the goddess no name given and as such you will be granted boons for pleasing your patron. She has granted you three starting boons:
Endowments: bhasha of the lady
You are able to read any language and speak any tongue – this skill does not apply to codes or badly constructed sentences.
New ability unlocked: short-range teleport
Your dodge has been augmented with a short-range teleport; this is a magical skill and will not affect your stamina levels. Teleportation is a skill from the movement tree, and it will increase your level in the magical skill of movement. Use your teleport skill to increase it; the greater the danger avoided, the greater the experienced gained.
New ability unlocked: teleport
The name of this new ability is teleport. Teleport allows you to move instantaneously around the battlefield LIKE A BOSS; it can also be used outside of battle. Discover hidden places throughout caverns that are otherwise uncrossable; flicker from foe to foe, dealing instant death; and travel through ancient dungeons, avoiding all traps.
This ability is upgradeable; your current grade is level 1. At level 1, when you dodge a moving object, you will be transported to safety instantly. Upgrade this ability to benefit from its more powerful versions.
This ability does no damage to creatures or objects, has an instantaneous activation, and lasts for the blink of an eye. It will cost 35 mana points, and has a cool-down of 30 seconds.
New magicka tree: movement
You have opened up an entirely new skill tree: movement. Movement spells will greatly alter the battlefield flow, slowing opponents, increasing your own speed, or even creating lures for your enemies. Your own cunning is your only limitation in terms of what you can achieve with movement magicka.
You are level 1 in movement.
New ability unlocked: all-seeing eye
This ability is from the consciousness skill tree.
In the dead of night and in the depths of the deepest dungeons, you will see true. Your magical vision has no need for light, and therefore is not prone to feedback when someone shines a light in your eyes. As your perception increases, so too will what you see. Eventually, no enemy or trap will be able to escape you, no loot will remain hidden and no relic will stay lost.
This ability is upgradeable; your current grade is level 1. At level 1, upon activation, you will be able to make out shapes without the need for a light source. Upgrade this ability to benefit from its more powerful versions.
This ability does no damage to creatures or objects, has an activation time of 3 seconds, and lasts 2 hours. It will cost 40 mana, and has a cool-down of 30 seconds.
This skill does not level up, but becomes more powerful the higher the level your other skills (such as lore) become.
New magicka tree: consciousness
You have opened up an entirely new skill tree: consciousness. Consciousness spells will allow you to fight for longer, confuse your foes and rid yourself of negative effects. Consciousness can also be used to make friends or influence your enemies.
You are level 1 in consciousness.
Amaka appeared on the outskirts of a forest, in the sodden morning air, completely naked and shivering with cold. She had no recollection of where she was, how she got there or who she was. The words she’d read made no sense; she remembered being a wildlife-conservation worker, and she had no idea what stats were or attributes. The person she was had never used such things – or had writing appear in her vision. As for different races, the only races she’d heard off were tigers and mice and ants and things – but no race other than human that was sentient.
Yet, in spite of the strangeness, Amaka knew it wasn’t a dream; the dampness of the grass, the cold in the air causing her body to pimple in goosebumps, and the sounds and smells of the world around her were all too real.
She didn’t call out for help. If anyone was around, the chances were that they were responsible for her being naked without any recollection of how she got there. So, the best thing to do in that case was to avoid anyone and everyone, and try to make sense of her current situation.
Consequently, Amaka jogged over to the trees, being careful of the sharp stones and branches, which hurt as she trod on them, and nestled into cover. She shivered as damp leaves clung to her body, and she started to sneak through the trees, darting looks around to check for kidnappers or something that would explain her circumstances.
Presently, there was a rustling; Amaka crept up to the sounds, an icon appeared in her vision and she cursed internally. As if closing an irritating popup on a computer screen, the icon disappeared (in fact, it slipped into the corner of her vision, but Amaka hadn’t noticed that at this point) and Amaka moved as stealthily as she knew how to in a forest. Her father had been a forest ranger, and she’d learned how to move as silently as it was humanly possible, yet her body wasn’t acting correctly for some reason, and she made more noise then she would have liked. She concentrated on her movement, scanning the floor for a safe place to plant each foot to avoid dry leaves and sticks, and placing her heel down softly, then her toe. As she shifted her weight, her foot slid on a patch of mud and she planted, face first, into the ground.
Agility check failed: slipped in the mud
-1 health point
Amaka picked herself up, and wiped the mud off her face, hands and thighs. Even so, she was able to sneak up on the disturbance. Looking through the gap in a bush, she noticed a large shape and heard the sounds of leaves being scraped. There was a scent in the air that was at once overpowering but at the same time enticing, alluring even, in an overtly masculine way. It was not the sort of scent she usually found pleasant, and a new icon appeared in her vision. The vile green colour of the thumbnail made her pay attention to this one, and the writing bellow the image made her blink in confusion.
You have been afflicted: scent of the alpha
The creature before you is a dominant male; he controls his territory with scent and, as such, exudes powerful pheromones. Even through you are not of his species, his scent is potent enough to inflict you.
You find yourself attracted to this creature and are calmed by the smell. Your will to fight has been reduced, your will to flee has been reduced and you are amenable to its suggestions.
Scent of the alpha, seriously? A smell that made females aroused? What creature was it? What world was it that a smell could make a female of a different species open to having sex with it?
She peeked around the bush to get a better impression of what it was, and – as she studied the side and back end of the animal – a word appeared over it. As she concentrated on that word, a description of the creature appeared.
Race: furry-tusked boar
The Brobdingnagian boar was introduced to this continent by explorers returning from the giant island. The boar has struggled to adapt to the lands, but a few survive and even flourish, and males tend to gather harems of female boars due to their potent pheromones.
Genus: Brobdingnagian
The genus is a broader association of the creature you are scanning, and is used for indexing a monster in a bestiary, amongst other uses. This information can be useful; for instance, this creature is of the “giant” genus, and giants are resistant to the magicka element of earth. The genus has other uses, and as your lore increases, it will give you further understanding of the uses of the genus class.
Class: B
Affiliation: Pan
Harvestable items: pelt and meat; increase your lore to learn about harvestable items
State: hungry
Level: 4
Health unknown, stamina unknown, magicka unknown
Boon: earth magicka, unknown
Curses: unknown
A new addition has been added to your bestiary; view your bestiary at any time to find the best places to harvest animals, the best place to find alchemical ingredients, weaknesses of creatures and other related information.
The boar was massive; it was perhaps 8 feet from head to rump, and that didn’t include its tusks and tail, which even Rapunzel would think was an impressive length. It seemed oblivious to Amaka as it snuffed around, and Amaka thought she could make out the hidden form of a person close to the giant animal.
Amaka searched around and spotted a likely looking stone, hefted it in her hands and took aim. The rock bounced off the back of the boar, and it grunted, looked around panicked and ran off.
Amaka blinked, surprised it’d worked, as her father had told her boars were more vicious than wolves and bears. Shrugging, she called out to the figure she thought she’d seen in the dirt.
‘It’s okay; it’s gone now,’ Amaka said, but nothing happened.
Cautiously, Amaka crept over to where she thought she’d seen the figure and hunted around. After searching for a moment, she discovered three corpses. They were clearly dead: their skin had palled and their eyes had glassed over and, when she tried to move them, they were rigid. As she brushed the dirt off them, she noticed blood stains and damage to their clothing.
Amaka was at a loss as to what to do; she couldn’t bury them, so she decided eventually just to cover them over again. As she did so, she found three satchels; she hesitated, but – as they were dead, and she was naked – she felt they wouldn’t mind her taking them.
She emptied the bags, packed all the food and drink into one satchel, and then sorted through the clothing, picking out what she could wear, even though none of it really fit her.
As she placed each item into “her” bag, an icon appeared in her vision; unlike the others she’d been ignoring, which had appeared as thumbnails (a simple picture expressing the broad sense of information, like a road sign), this was full information in her vision, which she couldn’t ignore.
New item: simple tunic x5
This tunic is made from simple linen, offers 1 point of protection to your defence, has a durability of 5/5 and is lightweight at 0.13 kg. This tunic was made by someone without great skill, and is of standard quality. Quality of clothing is (in ascending order) threadbare, tatty, standard, fine, exquisite and mythical.
Amaka slipped one on; it didn’t offer any protection from the cold and damp, and was made for a man – but it was better than going topless.
New item: basic cut-offs
These cut-offs are made in the fashion of the sailors of Crea, and are lightweight and baggy for wear in the blistering summer temperatures. They offer 1 point of protection to your defence, have a durability of 3/3 and are lightweight at 0.13 kg. They are poorly made and will reduce your charisma with most people.
Amaka didn’t remember seeing charisma on her attribute screen; a quick check showed that it wasn’t there and no information was offered. Curious; oh well, it was one more mystery to add to the list. Amaka squashed the spare tunics into the satchel; it was over packed, and she had to use a thick plant to tie the bag closed. If she tried running, it would probably burst open, but, fortunately, she wasn’t planning on running anywhere.
New item: Of the Promise of the Night
This book describes the romance between Karl of Longfort and Beatrice of Devenwood. Its durability is 15/15 and it weighs 0.2 kg.
Amaka flicked through it, and although it was plainly written in a text she’d never seen before, the words were understandable.
New item: The Sense of Fashion
This book describes the height of fashion in the Longroad region of Dueworth. Its durability is 15/15 and it weighs 0.2 kg.
New item: Of Promise and Hope
This book describes the romance between Twingal of Lettington and Ligia of Ulluma. Its durability is 15/15 and it weighs 0.2 kg.
New item: Conquer Thy Own Virtue
This book describes the musings of the monk Max, apostille of Gullet. Its durability is 15/15 and it weighs 0.2 kg.
When she picked up the next book, although nothing happened, she got a tickling in the back of her head that made her flick through it a second time. The sense only got stronger, so she decided to take it with her and study it later.
New item: Sparrow Shot
This book, by the archer Shamus, describes a method of shooting a bow with a technique designed to shorten the draw time. Reading this book will either imbue you with a new skill move or increase your proficiency with the bow. Its durability is 8/15 and it weighs 0.2 kg.
The idea that reading a book would give her a usable skill instantly or that someone’s proficiency with the bow could be measured in a quantitative number, which would increase after reading a simple book, were peculiar notions to say the least.
New item: Orange x3
This orange is in good condition and of medium size. After consuming this orange, you will regenerate 5 health points over 3 seconds. It weighs 0.1 kg.
New item: Apple x2
This apple is in good condition and of medium size. After consuming this apple you will regenerate 5 health points over 3 seconds. It weighs 0.1 kg.
Health measured on an arbitrary point scheme? This was another odd concept. Whatever had happened to her, she was no longer on Earth or anywhere like it. She was someone more akin to a fantasy novel, with no memory of how or why she was here, with words appearing in her vision like a science-fiction version of a smartphone. She’d taken a lot of narcotics as a teenager, so maybe this was the acid catching up on her.
She decided that if she had been kidnapped, the kidnapper was no longer around, so she drew in a deep breath and, with all the force and volume she could muster, she screamed. She screamed until her throat was hoarse, she screamed until her stamina depleted and she still screamed until her stamina dropped so low that she grew faint.
Then she warmed up and really screamed.
Amaka felt better after screaming. Being outside, in untouched wildlife and with the prospects of a life ahead of her made her hopeful and excited for some reason – it called to her in a way that she couldn’t remember anything calling to her before. There was a sensation in the back of her mind like she’d broken free, but from what she couldn’t say. She’d had dreams before – of nothing distinct, but more evocative than visual – and she’d woken up crying; the crying felt therapeutic, and she’d had more vigour the next day. This was similar; she was full of vim and vigour, and the joys of spring, as her mother would say.
Amaka had dated gamers before, but who hadn’t? It was the peril of being a teenager. If it wasn’t sports games, it was war sims or fantasy games, and the floating text reminded her of one of her first boyfriends playing a game that always seemed dark, and where the men were burly and the woman large-breasted with feeble clothing.
New item: ring of weak haemostasis
This ring describes to the wearer a spell by the White Mage Magby that’s designed to staunch bleeding. Its durability is 15/15 and it weighs 0.1 kg.
Spells are not as simple as opening a book and having the knowledge implanted; spells take years to learn and decades to master. This spell is infused with the knowledge of how to cast the haemostasis spell; when equipped with this ring, you can cast the spell. When not equipped with the ring, you cannot cast the spell unless you already know it.
Additionally, you may be equipped with eight rings; there are special thumb rings, and some earrings, nose rings, lip rings, etc. can be infused with spells. As such, there are at least thirty-three potential rings with which you may be equipped (more if you’re willing to get some more tender areas pierced).
New item: ring of fractural reduction
This ring describes to the wearer a spell by the White Mage Magby that’s designed to reset broken bones. Its durability is 15/15 and it weighs 0.1 kg.
Spells are not as simple as opening a book and having the knowledge implanted; spells take years to learn and decades to master. This spell is infused with the knowledge of how to cast the fractural-reduction spell; when equipped with this ring, you can cast the spell. When not equipped with the ring, you cannot cast the spell unless you already know it.
Amaka had never broken a bone in her life, but it was still better to have it and not need it.
New item: earring of rejuvenation
This earring describes to the wearer a spell by Sellic the Yellow that’s designed to restore health. Its durability is 15/15 and it weigh 0.2 kg.
Amaka slipped the rings on and then felt along her ears; she’d had them pierced for years, with three piercings at the top of each ear and two at the bottom. The design of this earring was small, so it was the type she’d usually wear at the top of her ear. Amaka could feel the piercings and so slipped the earring into the top of her ear.
Amaka spotted the icon at the bottom of her vision; they were like smears on glasses, so easily ignorable, but when you did spot it, you couldn’t stop spotting it. The first icon grew, and Amaka concentrated on it.
New skill: sneak
Come and go as you please, as you are unseen, undetected, a ghost in the wind, a shadow…
This skill is an intrinsic skill; this means that it is not cast and is always there, like reading, writing or jousting. However, it is advisable to crouch at first for the best results.
This skill is upgradeable; the current grade is level 1. At level 1, you can get an attack multiplier for an unexpected attack.
This skill can be levelled up through, from instruction, or through use in a battle, trespassing or stealing.
Sneak is a thief’s skill. Once you hit level 20, you may choose a skill tree to specialise in; this will offer benefits, so it is worth choosing one.
Battle log:
Impact damage for sneak hit of Brobdingnagian boar – sneak attack successful, x1.5 damage.
Brobdingnagian boar flees.
Sneak level: 2
Amaka blinked, unsure of what all that meant, but now wasn’t really the time to get to grips with the new reality she’d found herself in. She looked around; there was no sign of whatever or whomever attacked those three, and, judging by the wounds, it wasn’t the massive boar. She knew a little of boars: she knew they were more terrifying than wolves due to their thick hides, fat like armour and aggressive nature. So the fact that this massive boar had run away was even more surprising.
There was a large tree nearby, so Amaka decided that if she had been gravely injured, she might just have stumbled over to it and leaned against it. She went over, looked around the tree and found a bloodstain on a large root that protruded from the ground. She performed another quick scan and she found a bush that seemed to have been attacked. The branches looked flexible, and the leaves looked large and sturdy, possibly the injured person had used it to compress a bleeding wound?
Amaka looked closely, and found the marks of bloody hands and the visible trampling of flowers close by. After following the signs for a short distance, the forest reached an intersection where a road ran through. There were fresh marks in the mud, and Amaka looked left and right, and spotted something in the distance. It was a cart.
New skill: tracking
Hunting is not just for tracking small game in the wilds of Visalia; perhaps you care to be a ranger? A ranger hunts and tracks outlaws, stalks monarchs and preys upon empires.
She ran after it, hailing the cart driver and hoping it would prove to be someone friendly who could inform her about the nearest town where she might start making sense of things. Amaka caught up to the cart and backed away immediately with her arms raised; the cart driver had turned around with fearful eyes, but his arms were as steady as bedrock and he was holding a crossbow.
‘Easy, easy,’ Amaka said, backing away.
There was a name next to the man, floating there thanks to her all-seeing-eye ability.
Name: Toomas Merrythore
Race: human
Genus: common
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Affiliation: unknown
Class: C
State: curious
Level: 24
Health unknown, stamina unknown, magicka unknown
Endowments: unknown
Curses: unknown
Bestiary increase
The man blinked, and a small boy popped out from behind him.
‘It’s just a girl, Dad. It looks like she was attacked like the rest of them!’ the boy declared, but he was gone before Amaka could read his name.
‘It’s alright, boy; I know. Sorry, lass, for a moment I was worried you might be what attacked those lads back there,’ explained the man.
‘You know about them?’ Amaka asked.
‘’Course; I’ve got one of them injured in the back,’ he said, thumbing towards the back of his cart.
‘Mind if I look?’ Amaka asked.
‘Of course not; one of yours, was he?’
‘No, I stumbled across some corpses in the woods,’ Amaka stated, climbing onto the cart and finding a young man lying in the cart, feebly clinging to life.
‘I was just headed to the nearby monastery,’ the man said, and he started his cart moving again.
‘My name’s Tom, and the boy’s Arnold, my son.’
‘I’m Amaka,’ she announced, wondering if she should give a fake name.
Amaka checked over the young man for the source of the blood; it was coming from a small gash near his ribs. Blood had flowed out constantly, staining the flesh around it; the cut was short and narrow, as if an arrow had pierced him. The wind shifted, and Amaka caught a nose full of excrement; dignity was hard to come by for the dying. Either that or the arrow had cut into his intestines; if so, he was dead.
Amaka tried her new magicka. First, she tried to close the wound. She thought about what spell she wanted to use, her hands started to move and words of power escaped her lips. Magicka flowed through her body, and a purple number appeared in her vision and dropped by 10 every second. Based on the fact she was using a spell she knew cost 10 mana a second, she inferred this to be her mana indicator.
The man tossed, with a moan of pain; sweat broke out on his brow as he writhed in agony; his movements broke Amaka’s concentration; and the spell backfired and burned Amaka’s hand. The heat was a by-product of the healing, and the longer the healing took, the more heat would accumulate; the backfiring intensified the heat and burned Amaka’s hand, which blistered.
‘What the heck?’ Amaka cursed as the pain seared through her.
‘You alright, missy?’ Tom asked.
‘I just burned my hand; what was that?’
‘It sounds like magicka feedback; you watch yourself.’
Amaka swallowed back the pain, tried again and was able to finish the healing on the second attempt.
‘This looks like an arrow wound. Who removed the arrow?’ Amaka queried as she started to use her weak-rejuvenation spell. Amaka only got a few seconds out of the spell before a splitting headache shot through her head as her magicka nearly zeroed out.
‘Ah, magic hurts!’ Amaka cried, pulling back and closing her eyes against the pain.
‘Aye, I don’t hold truck with it myself,’ Tom said.
Amaka drank a mana potion and returned to the healing; the headache didn’t disappear after her mana refilled and, when it dropped below halfway, the headache increased. But the man was still unconscious and his health refused to stabilise above 50 points, and so Amaka continued to attempt to heal him.
‘What are you doing, girl?’ A new voice cut through her concentration.
When Amaka looked around, she found they had arrived at a temple. It was more sprawling than one would expect, with the large chapel surrounded by disjointed towers and irregular, squat buildings; it looked like a fat, white spider in an old web.
More wording appeared in Amaka’s vision, describing the owner of the new voice.
Name: Kristina Acrobay, Old Kirsty
Race: human
Genus: common
Affiliation: unknown
Specialisation: medic, healer
Class: C
State: irked
Level: unknown
Health unknown, stamina unknown, magicka unknown
Endowments: unknown
Curses: unknown
‘It is a hunting party from Ithka; I found them by roadside,’ Tom was saying. ‘Monster attacks are on the rise, what do we pay our taxes for?’
‘I’m attempting to heal him,’ Amaka said to Old Kirsty, whose gaze was like iron.
‘With yourself suffering from arcanena syndrome?’ queried Old Kirsty.
‘From what?’
‘Who taught you the forms?’ Old Kirsty said, clambering onto the cart and barging Amaka aside with her wide hips.
‘What? No one; its these rings.’
‘I thought so. Picked up a book and thought you’d start practising, did you? You daft child; you’ll get yourself killed that way. Did no one ever tell you about the dangers of potion abuse? Still, you’ve done well for an ignoramus; he’s stable.’
‘They were all like that when I found them, my lady; they were left there for dead and yet in their clothes with no stray arrows or things,’ confirmed Tom.
‘It’s an evil deed to leave a man to bleed to death,’ stated Old Kirsty.
‘Old Kirsty, what is his prognosis?’ a tall woman said as she walked up to the cart and looked down at the man.
Name: Ophelia Veolia, White Hand, Gentle Mother
Race: human
Genus: common
Affiliation: unknown
Specialisation: rogue, priestess
Class: C
State: vexed
Level: unknown
Health unknown, stamina unknown, magicka unknown
Endowments: unknown
Curses: unknown
‘He’s stabilised, but he’ll need more than just simple healing. And this young chit has nearly killed herself to boot,’ Old Kirsty said before returning to her earlier conversation with Amaka. Old Kirsty’s mind seemed to work in tangles. ‘Whilst magicka spells and potions, as well as some trinkets and things, can give a boost to health, magicka or stamina, it isn’t the same as letting them regenerate on their own. You can suffer magical burnout even with a full magicka pool. At higher levels, this isn’t so much of an issue as your body is more powerful and therefore it can handle more force, but you are new. Take this man, for instance; this man has a good level of health, yet it doesn’t mean he will wake up instantly and run around. His body had been closing down; he has lost a lot of blood, and has gone through a lot of physical and mental trauma. The injuries are healed, but his body will need time. Like when you do a lot of physical activity, and you feel the aches and pains more severely the next day and the day after than on the day of the activity. A similar thing happens with excessive potion usage, or recovery from severe injury, magicka depletion or exhaustion. The recovery process has been known to kill otherwise healthy looking people. They spend the day exerting themselves and refilling with potions, and go to bed with full life, stamina and mana. The next day they don’t wake, and their bodies close down as they die slowly. ‘Tis a nasty thing.’
‘Do you think he will live?’ Amaka asked; her headache was dying down and it would be a better warning to her than Old Kirsty.
‘Take him inside, Merrythore. Hearty soups, fats and pleasant fragrances always help me when I feel old. We may already be too late. But, perhaps, fire-salts and oils of the humours will help there? Place him near a fire and keep any drafts away in case his blood loss wasn’t fully covered. Give him salted pork-fat soup, warm but not steaming, and wash his bed linens with scented water.’ Old Kirsty issued orders to a group of young nuns, who curtsied and scurried off.
‘Merrythore says you were there during the attacks?’ Ophelia said, coming up to Amaka.
‘Oh yes; well, no… I mean I came across some bodies and this big boar. I followed the blood trail, and found Tom and his cart. I chased him to get a lift and ask if he’d seen an injured person, and, well… here I am,’ explained Amaka.
‘Here you are indeed. You came across them afterwards, you say? What do you think, Old Kirsty?’
‘I believe her well enough; she’s suffering from arcanena syndrome, and the man was stable whenI found him,’ Old Kirsty replied.
‘Indeed? An honest to goodness good Samaritan; well, well. I am Ophelia and I am the high priestess here at the Temple of Our Lady of Virtue. Thank you for helping that man; he lives in the nearby hamlet and if he does pull through, he will owe his life to your efforts,’ Ophelia said.
‘Oh well, you’re welcome; don’t mention it,’ responded Amaka.
‘I think some reward is due,’ Ophelia declared, waving away Amaka’s comments.
‘I agree; you showed some skill, or perhaps it was just obstinacy. Regardless, come here, child,’ ordered Old Kirsty.
Hesitantly, Amaka approached Old Kirsty, who placed her hands on Amaka’s head. Knowledge and understanding flowed through her, giving a sensation not dissimilar to when Amaka had read the magicka books, and Amaka staggered back under the mental weight of so much learning done so quickly.
Consciousness level: 2
Consciousness level: 3
Consciousness level: 4
Consciousness level: 5
Warning: your consciousness level is greater than your magicka-manipulation skill. Consciousness skills above level 1 will not take effect until your experience grows.
Milestone unlocked! Level 5, 1,000 experience points
Level up! Level 2; 5 points to spend.
Secret quest completed
You have aided in the rescue of a lost hunter; you did not have to do so, but you put your life at risk to do so.
Reward is experience and a reputation gain in the surrounding area.
You are now on friendly terms with the Temple of Our Lady of Virtue and the hamlet Trithward.
Level up! Level 3: 5 points to spend.
You may choose to assign your own points or have them automatically assigned.
As Amaka had no idea what she was doing and with the confusion brought on from levelling up so quickly, she left it to chance and let them be automatically assigned. It was too confusing otherwise.
‘Wow, what a head rush,’ Amaka said, taking a few steps backwards before Ophelia grasped her arm.
‘Levelling up can take you like that sometimes. Where are you from?’ Ophelia asked, letting Amaka go.
‘Nowhere like here. Somewhere without magic, icons appearing in your vision and whatnot.’
‘Well, Amaka, welcome to the Sphere and to the playing board. Here the gods play games with lesser beings, and to a god just about anything is lesser.’
‘You didn’t even blink when I said I was from somewhere else,’ Amaka accused.
‘The Sphere is… well, vast and old. This is the first time I’ve met someone with a story like yours, but this is not the first time I have heard of other places. Many bards, minstrels, Anasy and the like have many tales of people like you.’
‘Well, I know who brought me here, I guess. I’m tied to the goddess who has “no name given” or something. I just don’t know why.’
‘We may never understand the gods,’ Old Kirsty added.
‘I have some advice, if you’ll accept it?’ Ophelia said with a smile.
‘Sure,’ agreed Amaka.
‘My advice is to get a party together and don’t try to go it alone.’
‘Oh, well, yeah, that sounds like a good idea,’ Amaka said, liking the idea of teaming up. ‘So what’s all this level system and attributes about?’
‘Well the gods like clear rules; it makes it easier to break them, you see. And, as playing pieces in the game, we are ranked on how well and how much we do. If we do well, we get experience and rewards; if we do it a lot, we gain higher levels, which allow us to have more power and this makes us more useful to the game.’
‘So, the higher the level you are, the better.’
‘Indeed.’
‘And so should I only fight people of a lower level?’
‘Not necessarily. A skilled artisan can increase their levels through craft and honouring their profession, but it doesn’t mean that a level 60 artist can kill a level 20 berserker. Also, battle is a place where things change quickly; a weaker opponent always has a chance if they keep their wits about them and think.’
‘What does that all mean?’
‘It means there is more than one path to power, and that muscle and spells aren’t the only type of power; the mind can be a powerful tool, if used correctly. Trickery and tactics are useful in any arsenal.’
‘In that respect, this world doesn’t sound so different from my own,’ Amaka said with a nod.
Quest: right hand of a god
You have been charged by the lady to free a companion of hers from Avalia’s dungeons. As a disciple of hers, you cannot refuse the quest. Failure to do so will have eternal consequences for your soul.
‘Where’s Avalia?’ Amaka asked, blinking at the sudden message.
‘A trading post two-ish days away westwards. Follow the road west for half a day, fork left at the large tree stump, walk for a day, and it’ll be signposted. Are you thinking of heading there?’
‘I guess so; my patron god just sent me a quest.’
‘In that case, would you be so kind to keep an eye out for what attacked the hunters? If you have time, it would be of great help if you investigated,’ Ophelia requested, nodding.
Quest: who watches the watchers?
The hunters tasked with patrolling the woods have been attacked, and this is not the first time. Investigate the causes of the attacks. Ophelia will reward you with whatever items she can spare, should you successfully put a stop to the source of attacks. Refusal to accept the mission will damage your relationship with Ophelia. Punishment for failure is unknown, but the attacks will continue and possibly increase.
Amaka nodded. ‘I’ll look into it.’
Ophelia smiled. ‘Thank you; please help yourself to some supplies, potions, a bigger pack, food and particularly clothing.’
‘Thanks, that’ll help,’ Amaka concurred.
Ophelia showed Amaka to the supplies, and Amaka loaded up and thanked Ophelia.
New item: large backpack
Forget towels, the most useful thing to have is a backpack. The most important things are good socks and walking boots, but, as soon as you step outside and into the wild, the backpack comes up trumps.
New item: skinning knife
This is a small knife with a quillon; this knife is designed for skinning and gutting. This knife is made out of iron, is without any great ability, is of serviceable quality, deals 5–7 damage points, and has a durability of 15/15. It weighs 2.3 kg. Grades of weapons are (in ascending order) rusted/rotten, serviceable, impressive, masterclass and mythical.
New item: simple bow
This is a simple birch-wood bow with a horsehair string made without much care, is of serviceable quality, deals 12–17 damage points, has a durability of 10/10 and weighs 1.2 kg.
New item: arrow x20
These arrows are made with duck fletching, wooden shafts and iron tips. They are mass produced, and are of serviceable quality, deal 4–5 damage points, have a durability of 5/5 and weigh 0.1 kg each.
New item: hunting arrow x10
These arrows are made with sharpened steel, adding 3 piercing-damage points to the 6–8 damage points. They have a durability of 5/5, are made in bulk to serviceable quality, and weigh 0.1 kg each.
New item: health potion x3
This is a health potion, returning 100 health points instantly, and its potency is salve. It weighs 0.1 kg. The potencies are (in ascending order) diluted, weak, salve, concentrated and elixir.
New item: mana potion x5
This is a mana potion, returning 100 magicka points instantly, and its potency is salve. It weighs 0.1 kg.
New item: stamina potion x7
This is a stamina potion, returning 100 stamina points instantly, and its potency is salve. It weighs 0.1 kg.
New item: tinderbox
This is an ornate, good-quality tinderbox designed to start fires. Its durability is 100/100 and it has 40/40 uses. It weighs 0.2 kg.
‘This is most generous,’ Amaka stated as the items were thrust upon her, as well as a few changes of clothing – none of which offered more than 1 defence point of protection.
‘Nonsense, we make the potions here, so this is hardly anything. And the clothes are all hand-me-downs,’ replied Ophelia.
‘Well, thanks for all your help,’ Amaka said, swinging the satchel over her shoulder. ‘Have you people ever heard of sports bras?’
Ophelia looked confused. ‘Perhaps there is a breakdown in language?’
‘Hopefully. I need support if I’m meant to hunt my own food. What do you lot wear for support?’ Amaka asked adjusting her top so her breasts chaffed less.
‘Oh, sports bra? We call them bands; they go over the top of clothing to hold the breasts in place,’ Ophelia explained, pulling out what Amaka had assumed were old-fashioned pistol holsters.
‘Oh, does it work?’
‘Yes, although if you decide to wear heavy armour there is a different device. I’ve never looked into it.’
‘Very well, I’ll be off.’
‘Good luck on your travels, and please visit us again. You are welcome here at the Temple of Our Lady of Virtue.’
‘Thank you; I appreciate all you’ve done for me, even if I think I won’t understand the significance of the consciousness upgrade for a while.’
They were interrupted by the shouting and screaming of a young woman. They moved around the side of the temple to see a group of people being spoken to by a gaunt-faced nun whose skin was turning more and more ashen by the moment.
‘They’re the families of the deceased hunters,’ Ophelia said sadly.
Amaka stood at a respectful distance, watching a red-eyed and red-faced grieving mother mourning her only son, and a young mother clasping her two children, who fidgeted, not understanding the significance of what they were present at. Amaka turned away, unable to watch any longer; the sound of the mother’s soft sobbing cut deep into Amaka’s breast.
‘Anything you can do to bring answers would be greatly appreciated,’ Ophelia clarified.
Quest update: who watches the watchers?
After seeing the devastation of the dead hunters, Ophelia has increased the reward for completing the quest.
Amaka turned and caught sight of the infirmary.
The last and only still-living hunter, who’d yet to regain consciousness, was lying on a bed of crisp, white sheets. She watched the awkward scene inside the room for a moment. The man’s father was present; he was a large man with a strongly built face, and he struggled to articulate his anguish to his prone son. The man rubbed his arm, looking down at the still figure, and muttered a few feeble words that were the best he could manage as a man ill-used to displays of emotions.
He suggested to his son that the injuries were mere flesh wounds, that his mother would worry if she were still with them, and that he’d need a hand come calving season. These coarse words affected Amaka, for it was clear to her how distressed the big man was and how hard he was finding it to articulate his emotions.
Moving on and leaving the families to their private grief, Amaka wiped a tear from her cheek.
*
Amaka looked at a pile of droppings, then cast around for a twig and poked at the poo. Her father had been ranger in a preservation reserve and had descended from the Native Americans; her mother had been an investment banker from Hungary and had engaged, or perhaps indulged, her father in his passions. Amaka had spent most of her summer holidays camping and had spent over two years backpacking. She had, at one point, known how to track animals, shoot a bow and a rifle, make a fire from scratch, build a log cabin (which she did with her father) and skin fresh kills, to name a few things. But this world, with its levelling laws, was making her hands clumsy and limiting her observation skills. It had taken her all day to notice a single animal track and half an hour to work out what direction the animal had gone.
Skill increased: tracking level 5
All senses heightened by 5%.
Milestone unlocked! Level 5, 500 experience points
Footprints with water collected in them; when did it last rain? We’re never going to catch this thing!
She remembered how to string a bow, but it took her clumsy fingers five attempts to do it, and then she dropped an arrow as she drew it from the quiver. The memories of how to shoot were there, as vague recollections of her father teaching her, but she’d lost all muscle memory of the action. Also, she was a clumsier in the forest than she should be; it was like walking with clown boots on.
Skill increased: sneak level 2
There was a little rabbit; it would be a good shot from this distance, even with her old skills – as a person without bow skills, it was an impossible shot. Still, muscle memory only came from repetition, so she drew the arrow back, loosed and watched it fall harmlessly wide. The rabbit looked up, bounced off in no real rush, and Amaka rubbed at the sore on her wrist from the bow string scraping off a layer of flesh.
New skill: standard bow
There are different types of bow – the short, standard and longbow to name a few – and you have chosen the standard bow.
The greatest advantage in any battle is the element of surprise. With that in mind, little is more surprising than an arrow to the eye from an unseen assailant. You can hunt small prey, stealth kill your enemies or train an army of a hundred strong archers and terrorise entire cities.
In the evening, she gathered dead twigs and made a crude fire, which obstinately refused to start. With a deep sigh, she used the tinderbox and felt like a cheat. The night was fresh, but the fire was good and the sky was clear. The constellations were unknown to her, but she made out a few shapes, which she made up names for on the spot. There was a glorious galaxy to the west, a shape she called the Lion’s Mane to the east, the Redstart (a small bird Amaka was fond off) to the south, and now she just needed a northern point to navigate by. There was a small, red star; it was the only red star she could make out, so she settled on that as her northern marker and called it the Mandrake’s Eye.
A little symbol like an old-fashioned drawing of a compass appeared in the corner of her vision; thinking about it expanded the image, and a new notification appeared.
New skill: navigation
Whilst some people get lost in their house looking for the toilet, a master of navigation can circumnavigate the globe, explore ancient underground cities or even out fox a labyrinth. It is said that old Greythorpe even found his way back from the beyond.
A new skill is always useful, although it sounded like it would be difficult to level it up; on the other hand, it sounded too good to be true at max level. Work through labyrinths and find your way underground? That would be amazing!
*
The next day, Amaka checked on her traps; she’d made a few crude ones in the hope of catching a rabbit or something, but the bait had been eaten and yet the trap had remained untriggered.
Clearly, traps were a skill and one that she didn’t have.
New skill: traps
When the odds are against you and you need a way to even things out, lure your enemies into a trap. Do you have valuable items and want to make sure they aren’t stolen? Traps are your friend and mine.
As she walked, eventually, she came across the sound of something moving nosily through the undergrowth. Amaka drew her bow, strung it and waited, as the sound seemed to be heading towards her. Before long, she spotted a large deer; it had glorious, rich-brown fur, white around its feet and muzzle, and three-pronged antlers. As Amaka watched it, a prompt appeared in her vision, but she ignored it. The deer seemed to be fleeing something and was moving into Amaka’s path, so Amaka knelt behind a bush and drew her bow.
The deer was on an erratic course, and – once or twice – Amaka thought it was futile to expect it to cross her path, but then it did. It moved into the clearing that Amaka faced, which was a good piece of flat land that held nothing else for Amaka to hit by mistake. She targeted the animal, held her breath and released.
Battle log:
Unknown creature hit by an arrow, causing piercing damage, plus your bow adds extra damage (↑7), and your skill in archery will increase the damage as well as your chance of getting a critical or vital hit. Your bow skill adds 0.1%.
It was a shot her father would never had taken, as the chance for a clean kill was minimal, but her arrow shot into the deer’s side, and Amaka had time to aim her second shot and took it clean.
Battle log:
Critical hit, arrow hit for piercing damage x2 for critical hit, bow damage x2 for a critical hit and 0.1% based on your current skill level.
Skill increased: standard bow level 2
Skill increased: standard bow level 3
Amaka then looked at the prompt that had appeared in her vision next to the creature and read “snowfoot deer”. Amaka focused on the words and a new display appeared.
Race: snowfoot deer
Genus: cloven
Class: U
Affiliation: Pan
Harvestable items: pelt, meat; increase your lore to learn about harvestable items
State: deceased
Level: 4
Health unknown, stamina unknown, magicka unknown
Endowments: none
Curses: none
Bestiary increased
Well, that was some useful information, but it would be more useful on higher-level creatures. The harvestable items would be the only thing worth researching on peaceful-class creatures and the lack of experience was a blow.
Amaka froze; something had made a noise, and it had emanated from the direction the deer was fleeing. Whatever had caused it to flee had closed the distance. Amaka picked up her bow and started to move back into the bushes. However, a soft growl alerted her to the fact she was too late.
Turning, she spotted movement in the treeline; Amaka drew and loosed an arrow in a fluid movement. There was a heavy thud at the same time as a high-pitched whine and the sound of scattering animals.
Battle log:
You have successfully hit something.
Hit for piercing damage plus damage from bow.
There are many different damage types – such as impact, piercing, slash, burn, etc. – and each of these types of damage has advantages and disadvantages. For instance, thick-skinned animals tend to have a high resistance to impact damage and piercing damage tends to be more effective. Whereas elemental creatures such as trolls tend to be immune to slash damage, and salamanders tend to be immune to fire damage.
In creatures without natural resistance, as mentioned, there are attributes that can affect resistance. For instance, a high level of determination, willpower (the difference between the two is that determination is akin to being in pain but acting regardless, and willpower is akin to resisting pain so that you can walk on hot coals and not feel discomfort) and composure will help in resisting mental magicka, whereas to be able to counter enemies’ elemental magicka effectively (both defensive and offensive) requires high creativity, intelligence and concentration. This is because the magical elements have weaknesses and strengths – for example, fire has almost no effect on earth magicka – so a strong understanding and ability to think on one’s feet is essential in dealing with elemental magicka.
The whining continued, and Amaka stalked close to the sound, spotted an injured wolf and loosed a second arrow, which missed. She cursed, moved closer and took out the beast with an arrow hit to the throat.
Battle log:
Critical hit, arrow hit for piercing damage, x2 for critical hit, plus bow damage x2 for critical hit and 0.3% skill damage.
Skill increased: standard bow level 4
Amaka concentrated on the words “greytail wolf”, which was the description of the creature that had appeared.
Race: greytail wolf
Genus: canine
Class: F
The greytail wolf is a benighted creature that feeds off others kills and is quick to flee if confronted. These creatures are considered little more than pests by most people, and, as a result, even their pelts are worthless.
Affiliation: Pan
Harvestable items: none
State: deceased
Level: 4
Health unknown, stamina unknown, magicka unknown
Endowments: none
Curses: none
Bestiary increased
‘If this was such a craven animal, why was it attacking a snowfoot deer?’ Amaka asked the world in general. As there was no response, she shrugged and assumed the other noises she’d heard were the wolf pack running away, as wolves didn’t travel alone. Her father was a serious man when it came to some things, and he had taught Amaka to thank nature for its bounty whenever she took a life. Even though her icon had said nothing was harvestable from the animal, Amaka decided to take some of its flesh to test. She hated wasting lives; if this was a true wolf, then she would have felt justified that it was her or it. As this creature seemed little above having a peaceful rating, she felt she couldn’t justify it.
First, she told the creature she held no ill will and thanked it for its sacrifice.
New ability unlocked: respect for the fallen
You have acknowledged the lives of those you have killed; this has been noticed and the offering has been accepted.
You do not take life lightly; you acknowledge the efforts of those fallen at your hand and deem them worthy.
You receive a percentage of their experienced gained.
The skill has no physical effect and cost no mana, stamina or health; it has no cool-down, but takes 15 seconds to complete.
Well, it seemed that the universe was listening.
Next, Amaka got to work; she drew out her knife and cut out a steak of wolf meat to see if it was really as bad as all that. The work was sloppy, as her hands were clumsier than she was used too, but she had the meat at least and a new icon.
New skill: foraging
You know that the natural environment for that herb or mushroom isn’t behind the counter but is in the wild, and you have set out to gather your own ingredients.
No civilisation can exist without farming, and all the best alchemical ingredients are rare and require braving much hardship to harvest.
Skill increased: foraging level 2
Skill increased: foraging level 3
It isn’t just plants that need care when harvesting; skinning an animal is also a skill.
With a deep sigh, Amaka cut off a tiny sliver of wolf meat and swallowed it without chewing.
You have been afflicted: health degradation of 5 points a second
You have discovered a new use for an ingredient: ingredient – raw greytail; effect – slow health poison
Skill increased: foraging level 4
Skill increased: foraging level 5
Milestone unlocked! Level 5, 500 experience points (318 experience points to the next level)
You know that it isn’t just berries and mushrooms that might be of use, perhaps there’s some use to be had of the eye of a newt?
New Item: greytail flesh, raw x1, rare
Eating this makes you feel sick and nauseated, yet you don’t feel like you can transfer this effect directly to an arrow or anything else. Perhaps distilling the juice from the meat will have some use? You feel like you need to increase your alchemy level to learn more. Increase your lore to learn more. I just said that. Additionally, greytail flesh has been added to the harvestable-items list when you use your all-seeing-eye ability on future greytails.
Five points of 5 per second and it weighs point 0.1 kg.
Damage health? Could it perhaps be useful in a poison then? This didactic prompting could have been useful in passing her exams in her old life.
Did the writer of one prompt not get along with the writer of different prompts? If so, Amaka couldn’t blame them, that “lore” writer seemed like a right jobsworth. Also, what made this item rare? Was the greytail endangered? Also, was her all-seeing-eye skill the reason she was getting prompts about the creatures she was facing and the people she ran into? So, did that mean other people couldn’t see what the creatures were called, or their health and things? If so then her all-seeing-eye skill was amazing! She needed to level it up fast to see what else it could do.
On a whim, Amaka plucked out the eyes of the greytail and, trying not to think about it, swallowed one without chewing.
You have been afflicted: concentration decrease for 5 seconds
You have discovered a new use for an ingredient: ingredient – greytail eye; affect – damage to concentration. Additionally, greytail eye has been added to the harvestable-items list when you use your all-seeing-eye on future greytails.
Skill increased: foraging level 6
There were two positives here: one was the increase to level 6; two was the fact it wasn’t classed as “raw”, so Amaka wouldn’t have to eat a cooked one. Actually, there was a third positive in that there was a use for this ingredient after all, but that was kind of implied by the first two positives.
Next, Amaka returned to the deer, dressed it as her father had taught her and then followed her instincts as to what might be useful.
New item: snowfoot antler x2
Uses unknown, weight 0.5 kg each
Additionally, snowfoot antler has been added to the harvestable-items list when you use your all-seeing-eye skill on future snowfoots.
What should she do about this? Did she just chip off a bit of antler and swallow it? Was it even an ingredient, or just used to protect the tip of recurve bows and things? It was best to ask someone; she wasn’t going to stick everything in her mouth, as that’s how she got…
Well, that wasn’t important.
New item: snowfoot pelt x1
It can be made into clothing, drum skins and sold to merchants, as well as other uses. It weighs 0.8 kg.
New item: snowfoot meat, raw x4
It can be eaten to restore a small portion of health, plus other uses. Restores 1 point of health per second for 3 seconds. It weighs 0.3 kg.
Surely the feet were useful to make glue? Then again, Amaka didn’t really feel up to that task; it was something to ask a tanner about or someone like that.