It took Regis a good minute of repeating the thought about his soul-space like a mantra before the result showed. A moment of weightlessness caught him off-guard and as he opened his eyes, he was staring at a shrine with an unknown figure’s statue. He stood up to take a look around, but neither Bray nor the sewers could be seen anywhere. The elven youth stood on a circular stone floor with the shrine in its middle, surrounded by a black void. It was a strange place.

It wasn’t quite real, but still real enough to feel the touch of the altar. The statue in the middle was human in shape, but it had slightly pointed ears. It held an empty glass globe in its left hand while a pair of burnt-out braziers smouldered at the sides of the stone altar with a dim light. A small pedestal took up space in front of the statue, holding a single locked tome. What caught his attention was the brass plaque at the feet of the statue. Upon taking a closer look, he couldn’t help, but stutter as he read it.

“Regis,” he read the carvings. “What the hell? Is this a shrine to me?”

As he touched the brass plaque, his mark lit up as the pale green mist rushed out of it, only to be absorbed into the globe in the statue’s hand. The braziers lit up with warm flames as darkness receded from around him while the brass lock on the tome turned into motes of light before vanishing. The book opened up on its own, revealing a finely made charcoal drawing of the statue with well-written lines beneath it.

{Name: Regis ???}

{Title: none}

{Race: Dark elf/Sun elf/ Human}

{Age: 19(fledgling)}

{Amaranth: 145}

{Caste: vagrant}

{Path: ???}

{Craft: ???}

{Attributes}

* Allure: 12

* Deftness: 13

* Erudition: 13

* Faith: 4

* Luck: 9

* Might: 9

* Mind: 11

* Physique: 9

* Spirit: 12

* Willpower: 11

Health/Arcana/Stamina

{16/18}{20/23}{17/18}

{Status effects}

Maimed: The loss of small limbs caused a permanent reduction in health by 1 point.

“Maimed, huh?” Regis grumbled as he looked at the stubs of his fingers.

He soon snapped out of his skulking and kept staring at his attributes. Most of them were just differently named versions of the attributes used by tabletop games ones from his childhood with a few additional ones. As he focused on the numbers behind the attributes, the ink of the tome stirred; forming descriptions of its own.

{Allure}

{Allure is the measure of one’s charm and presence. Every 2 points beyond the first 10 will increase your persuasion and haggling chances by 1 %.}

{Deftness}

{Deftness improves one’s overall hand-eye coordination. Every 2 points beyond the first 10 will increase your chance of successful dodging by 0.5%. Every 5 points beyond the first 10 will increase your ranged weapon damage by 1.}

“Damn, info dump!” The elven youth half cursed, half sighed as he continued to read.

{Erudition}

{Erudition revolves around your wisdom and gathered knowledge. It governs your insights, self-restraint and perception of the world around you. It also helps to organise the knowledge you gain in different fields of study. Every 2 points beyond the first 10 will increase your persuasion chance by 1 %. Every 2 points beyond the first 10 will increase your lore-related skills’ growth by 1 %.}

{Faith}

{Faith is the proof of your conviction in yourself and other higher beings. It allows you to form a stronger connection to the mystical and divine forces. Every 2 points beyond the first 10 allow 1 speck of divine Amaranth to be gathered through praying to a higher force. You can only do so once a day. Every 5 points beyond the first 10 increase the damage of blessed weapons and divine spells by 1.}

{Luck}

{Luck is the mysterious power at work behind every attack that misses you by a hair’s width, or the moments when you know that you’re going to fail miserably, yet miraculously succeed. It’s an attribute that can only be raised if fate wills it. Every 2 points beyond the first 10 will increase your chances of successful dodging by 1%. Every point beyond the first 10 will increase your chances of finding better resources, equipment or more money when hunting for riches.}

{Might}

{The might of the body doesn’t stop at one’s muscle strength. It’s present in every fibre of your being, including your bones, joints and sinews. Every point increases your carry weight by 2.5 kilos. Every 5 points beyond the first 10 will increase your melee damage by 1.}

{Mind}

{Having a sharp mind is a blessing when learning things. It helps you think faster and understand the deeper laws that govern the world, tapping into them more naturally. A strong mind is also necessary when one hopes to deal with mysticism. Every 2 points after the first 10 will increase your learning speed when it comes to crafts, skills and spells by 0.5 %.}

{Physique}

{Your physique is the bedrock of your life itself. With a tougher body, you’ll live longer and survive wounds that would kill a lesser man. Every 5 points beyond the first 10 will increase your resistance to elemental and poison damage by 1 %.}

{Spirit}

{The soul of a person is more than just a concept. It is a source of power for those that learn to harness it and the last defence against the dark forces that try to influence you with or without your knowledge. It also helps to forge a better connection with the world’s mystical energies. Every 5 points beyond the first 10 will increase your passive arcana regeneration by 1.}

{Willpower}

{One’s willpower can help push through extreme dangers and dark influences. Every 2 points beyond the first 10 will increase your resistance to charm, fear and illusions by 1 %. Every 5 points beyond the first 10 will increase your passive arcana regeneration by 1.}

“Finally! I thought my eyes would dry out.” Regis huffed as he rubbed his eyes, reaching the bottom of the lengthy description. When he looked at the three main stats that governed his future in this world, another set of short explanations appeared beside them, just to annoy him a bit further.

{Health}

{Health is the quantity of the life force coursing through one’s body with every heartbeat. Every point in your might and physique attribute increases it by 1. If your health reaches 0 you will perish. Your health can only be three times your physique attribute at the maximum.}

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

{Arcana}

{Arcana is the mystical essence used to alter the world through magic. Every point in your mind and spirit attribute increases it by 1 if your spirit attribute is at least 11. Each rank of mastery earned in a spell increases your arcana reserves by 1. Your arcana can only be three times that of your spirit attribute at the maximum.}

{Stamina}

{Your stamina represents your readiness to exert physical force. Every action, be it a swing of a sword or a jump in the air requires stamina. Every point in might and physique attribute increases your stamina by 1. Your stamina might be replenished quickly with a few breaths of rest, but continuous stress and hard activities will tire you out, lowering your stamina until you’re properly rested. A high deftness attribute can lessen the stamina cost of your physical activities. Your stamina can only be three times your physique attribute at the maximum.}

After the last part of his attributes and main stats got covered, the young dark elf tried to do a quick check on the page once more when a word caught his interest. As he stared at it, the ink beneath it stirred once again to form a much-needed explanation.

{Fledglings are still in their natural growth phase, hence unable to move forward on their paths. Do you wish to surpass your natural bounds as a fledgling? Forcefully outgrowing your ‘fledgling’ status will equally dispense the attribute points you would gain during its course. Removing your status shackles costs 2000 Amaranth. Do you wish to proceed?}

‘Two thousand Amaranth?’ Regis gawked at the price before looking at his own measly 145 Amaranth. ‘I’ve got to find a job that lets me earn more of the stuff, or I’ll get stuck being a short stack.’ He sighed as he noticed two bookmarks appear on the side that was represented with silver and brass colours. When he touched the silver one, it turned the book’s pages to a new section. Now a gold ribbon appeared on the left with a heart-minted wax seal on it while the bronze one stayed on the right with a similar coloured seal hanging from it. Seeing the wealth of text in front of him, he couldn’t stop himself.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Just stop; will you? I like to read like any man, but I don’t have time for this now.”

Except, he did. Regis knew that he was relatively safe for the time being and that ‘knowing’ was half the battle. The other half was violence. So, with a few more silent curses, he steeled himself and started to read once more.

{Feats & Traits}

{Traits}

{Blended view}

{Being born from the union of sub-terrain and surface-dwelling elves, you get to have both low-light vision and dark vision Having a blended view negates the Darkvision's penalty in bright light. (Racial trait)}

{Darkvision}

{It lets one see black and white outlines up to a distance of 20 meters in total darkness. Causes blurred vision in bright light. (Racial trait)}

{Low-light vision}

{It allows clear sight up to a distance of 30 meters in starlight, moonlight and torchlight. (Racial trait)}

{Feats}

{Darkness affinity}

{You have an arcane connection with the darkness that covers this world. You can practice darkness elemental spells with greater efficiency and have an increased resistance to spells of the same element. Your movements are slightly more obscured than others and you have an increased chance of hiding in plain sight, melding into the crowd.}

{Light Armour Proficiency}

{You are skilled in wearing light armour. Being poor taught you how to wear regular clothes. Now you can wear cloth armour like any other ordinary clothing.}

{Light Affinity}

{You have an arcane connection with the light that showers this world. You can practice light elemental spells with greater efficiency and have an increased resistance to spells of the same element. You have an easier time making a positive impression on people you interact with.}

‘I have opposing elemental affinities? That’s something to brag about. No chance of a positive impression though. I doubt anyone would think kindly of a scrawny murderhobo.’ Regis thought as he activated the brass tab on the book’s side, turning the pages to a new section once again. The silver ribbon reappeared beneath the gold one while a page with a sword and a hammer stamped on the top of it opened up in front of him. This page was the most lacklustre yet as it only held the two skills and spells he had used so far.

{Skills & Spells}

{Skills}

{Basic meditation}

{You clear your mind to share the world’s breath, actively regenerating your arcana. Your passive regeneration is equal to 1/10th of your willpower attribute per minute plus 1 for any affinities. Your active arcana regeneration is one and a half time that of your passive on wild lands while double that of your passive regeneration on awakened lands. Each level of skill mastery grants an additional point to active arcana regeneration. Long-term meditation increases one’s arcana reserves.}

{Skill mastery: 0/5}

{Mastery progression: 3/10}

{Current passive arcana regeneration: 3.1 per minute}

{Current active arcana regeneration: 6.2 per minute}

{Lore}

{Knowledge is power. Learn about the workings of the world and the myriad creations in it. Study the arcane, cultures, creatures, items, texts and all that is worth knowing. Lore gathers all you’ve learned and helps you identify and deduce things when necessary. Every level in lore skill grants 0,5% to persuasion and haggling. Every level grants 0,5% to identification check success towards higher rarity or shrouded items. Every tenth rank grants a minor perk that is gained after specialization. Every twenty-fifth rank allows you to choose a specialization. Lore is a passive skill.}

{Skill mastery: 17/100}

{Mastery progression: 5/20}

{Spells}

{Lesser corpse sacrifice}

{Rank: initiate}

{Spell class: arcane}

{Spell type: ritual}

{Use 5 points of arcana to create a temporary sacrificial circle and bind it through your blood to offer foes killed by you to otherworldly entities. The reward’s value will be equally proportionate to the offered remains and will always conform to the occurring sources of power or wealth allowed by the natural laws of the world you’re in. Once the first sacrifice was accepted, you can recreate the sacrificial circle at will, using your arcana-infused blood.}

{Arcana cost: 5}

{Cast time: 10 seconds}

{Range: inside the circle}

{Spell mastery: 1/1}

{Lesser heal}

{Rank: initiate}

{Spell class: arcane/elemental}

{Spell type: verbal}

{Spend 10 points of arcana to cure diseases and mend wounds worth 2.5 points of health by guiding light element infused energy into them. Every level of mastery increases the amount of health restored by 0.5 points. Having innate light affinity will decrease spell cost by 1 point of arcana. Use lesser healing repeatedly on mutilated body parts and missing organs to regrow them. Permanent health loss due to said injuries must be healed in a 100:1 ratio for small limbs and organs or a 200:1 ratio for large limbs and organs. Lesser heal only works on living creatures.}{Arcana cost: 9}

{Cast time: 5 seconds}

{Range: touch}

{Spell mastery: 0/5}

{Mastery progression: 9/10}

‘Thank God! It looks like over-heal is indeed a thing in here.’ Regis let out a relieved sigh as he reached for the tome to close it, but stopped once more. A small black coloured bookmark hung at the bottom of the large book, tugging at his chest as he tried and failed to keep his accursed curiosity in check. As he touched the small ribbon, the pages of the tome fluttered once more, revealing a short summary.

{Foes slain}

{Level 1 Blight touched rat}*3. You have gathered 45 Amaranth from this type of enemy so far.

{Orcish outlander}*2. You have gathered 100 Amaranth from this type of enemy so far.

The backlog was short and on point, just as Regis liked and with all the dry information out of the way, he could finally close the tome. With that done, the elven youth wanted to leave the eerie place, but his consciousness tugged his attention towards the object in the corner of his eyes.