Life was always hard for Liam, having asthma, blurry eyes, bone ache and many more disadvantages like anxiety and introvertness so many don't seem to balance having an easy time to learn and remember details that I only need a thread to remember anything.
Liam is breathing hard now it's been 25 years of this life, having great grandparents was what carried his sanity through childhood, but losing them during his puberty years struck a chord on the very back of his mind. Losing freedom from his illness then losing his pillar made him almost all hope.
Liam played with the computer in childhood, teenage years and became a game tester in his later years. All his life the glow of the computer is the one that companied Liam and
Light from the window is only seen when needed or required.
The light was both a temptation and a curse knowing that going outside would need a lot of precaution. Masks, medicine, Indoor clothes, outdoor clothes, extra clothes, sometimes when Liam needs to visit the hospital the house feels like a prince would go out for a walk.
So when Liam's alarm for his breathing blared in caution he shut it down, enough is enough all though Liam is found from his grandparents memories giving some nonsensical quotes such as your lantern in your heart is nurtured by what you do. Or the actions you take are what will reflect in heaven.
If such a lantern did exist would that mean his is a lantern of diseases and illness, or darkness and forgotten. Hmmm interesting it seems the brain would actually extend one's time when dying, dying by drowning is actually pretty funny if it was the old times people would think a witch killed me. Afterall why would someone drown in bed?
Liam awakens and goes through the motion checking the feeling on his feets and hands, checking breathing if there is a problem to hit the alarm……
‘Wait, shouldn't I be dead?’ Liam sits up to look around only to see kids sleeping, especially boys. The room looked like a dorm of some sort with 20 boys near the age of 10. On the side a bucket filled with cold water rests on a stool with a rag on his head and on the bucket.
‘what the fuck did I just…’ Liam stands up and looks outside the window.
Outside cobblestone roads with wooden but well made houses line the street, some sort of illumination lights the streets. While a staggering stone wall can be seen on the outskirts of town. One could easily say this was a medieval town, ‘how did I get here?’
“Liam, get away from the window and get back to rest, you still have fever” a whisper on his back made Liam turn quickly to see a nun reaching out for his hand and leading him to bed.
A few days later Liam managed to learn that this world is full of other races wanting to kill humanity, leading the human nation to band together to slow down their approach. Humanity even though weak has some advantages, an awakening ceremony is performed during the spying of the 10th year the kid is born.
So each year all 10 year-old journey to the awakening town, it's center of human territory. Many people would journey for months just to get here. Lucky for me this body is an orphan part of the front his parents died in an assault.
Not many come out and say it but humanity is losing, each month many of the fortresses and towns are getting destroyed, only heroes manage to push back but with only one or seems to awaken every batch.
So each time awakening the mayor and nobles would gather to welcome the hero or heroes that will awaken. This hero would be blessed by a title and a skill that would grant them a specific kind of power. Many would fantasize that they would awaken as their generation of heroes.
Steadily the heroes would help the humans push the boundary and in turn help normal awakened individuals to retake the human territory. Mind you the skills granted by the gods are just your innate gift. Some knights have the skill plow or sew but they trained themselves to get the necessary skills to become a knight.
Liam is staying in the plaza behind the church where the ordinary citizens exit, while heroes are presented at the front of the church. Awakening has a few steps: the awakener would bathe in a concoction of herbs and anointed water, the priest would pray for them and a communion with the gods would happen where you are given your gift.
“Adam, guardian of light!” A shout from nowhere erupted knowing that a new hero was already called would mean less probability of awakening as one.
“Liam? What job are you aiming for?” Asked a skinny youth to Liam while in line. “I'm hoping for a blacksmith or carpenter, anything away from the front.” Replied Liam, hoping this guy would leave him alone.
“Coward, why would you want to stay here where the nobles can get to you? Being in the front means you won't have to keep following them.” retorted the guy, ‘ I really hope somewhere I just live a normal life away from any danger, I'm too tired to run around playing hero’.
“Ben the afflicted”
’damn another hero is called guess that means I'm going to get a normal gift’ Liam eyes are shining in anticipation not unlike the ones around him, until
“Lea the druid”
‘What did the three just awaken?’
All around Liam as if being injected with life the kids mood slowly lifted. “Dian priestess of light” ‘damn it seems this years awakening is something special’
The line quickly started to get moving faster, the church seems to have opened additional pools for the awakening.
“Liam this way please” a nun called out and Liam followed, knowing what they are supposed to do he was told to bathe properly and pray for the gift he wants. Usually the name the priest calls out is based on the title you receive and from whom.
“Please strip down to your underwear and enter the pool. The awakening will begin when the priest starts praying and will end when the light stops, please keep yourself in the awakening pool until told to.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Liam followed the nuns instruction and stripped down to his underwear, normally being seen almost naked would make him shy but since he was very skinny no kind of feelings arose.
Liam entered the pool and just floated in there,’much like the mediation exercise the doctors made me do, usually I think of how to rework stories or how to reskin assets, guess I just wait this time.’
Liam slowly drifted on the pool and light shone quickly on him, the priest was startled as he was not ready yet. The priest just quickly bowed down pretending to have started, while the nuns and initiates on the side looked at him in contempt. The ceremony was sacred and should have not started without confirmation from the others. But they all just let it go as with many heroes awakening the priest might have been too excited to continue.
Name: Liam I. Norma
Age: 10
Health: 100/100
Mana: 100/100
Tittle: creator of worlds ( Guarantor: Liam I. Norma )
Class: pioneer (upgradable)
Description: pioneers are the first level of true nobility,capable of claiming land to develop, pioneers offer buff and debuff in their territory, pioneers are a class with many expertise capable of developing and adapting to one's environment. “First of humanity to explore and expand many are lost but with their dead, pioneers build a road of blood to new lands”
Stats:
S- 2
P- 2
E- 2
C- 2
I- 2
A- 2
L- 2
{You're weak as a baby, oh wait you are}
Skills:
Basic craftsman skills:
Description: need to mine then get a pickaxe, need to eat grab a hoe or bow. It's up to you what you need to survive.
Basic warrior skills:
Spear,sword,ax and bow you can wield just don't try and be a hero yea?
Basic mage craft:
Void,plane,holy whatever you do don't follow anyone!
Fire of the pioneer: lantern
The fire of the pioneer lets the pioneer focus their magic.
Campfire: zone; limit 5
Every civilization starts with a small fire, bacon in the dark, warm the body comfort the soul.
Village: zone; limit 0
Village where every little piece of peace and calm.
Town: zone; limit 0
Town civilization center where trading begins to enhance the people lives.
Cities: zone; limit 0
City are lights of human civilization where light starts to move.
Capital: zone; limit 0
Capital are bastion of civilization.
Castle: zone; limit 0
Castles are defensive locations to reinforce your light.
Bastions: zone; limit 0
Many are willing to kill you bastions keeps them at bay.
The light shone and dim, the nuns then called for Liam to dry and clothe. Liam was then led to another room where a priest scribe was waiting.
“Welcome please sit down and tell me if you have a title and your class.” Liam sat on a chair and told his skill as a pioneer except the whole true noble thing and the establishing land.
“So you're a camper, but a bit of a mage no title means you're not a hero. Usually you would be sent to the university to learn but the war is uneasy and with the new heroes coming in young receive any resource so I'll send you the front your campfires will help a lot for the incoming heroes”
Liam wanted to interject but every time he wants to speak the scribe would talk louder. It seems his faith is sealed.
The next few days were hectic. A lot of people were weirded out by having a kid in the caravan for the front, but hearing that he is one of the few campers made them realize how much more dangerous it is on the front.
Liam, tired and without rest for a few nights, fell asleep on the way. While the heroes traveled in ornate carriage while the rest traveled in a supply carriage or horse.
There are carpenters, blacksmiths and farmers with them. Liam's attire is a black hood, brown pants and leather shoes. Honestly most people would mistake him for another beggar or a stowaway, the only thing different is the two rogues with him.
Not many were told who he was aside from the heroes, the head guards, this was done so no one would target him. Campers are people how awakens a class that let them create a safe space. Space that helps all the front lines which is why they are mostly targeted by assassins and traitors.
Hugging a lantern Liam looks pitifully but still he rides on top of the caravan as it arrives on the outskirts of town. The town theo is one of the boundary towns, the more one is away from human territory the more danger there is.
The caravan was set to stay for three days, so Liam has three days to either run away from his guards or wait for another opportunity later.
‘like it or not those nobles will probably try to kill me when they find out about the true noble part of my class.’
Theo town; one of the towns established by a lord named Wilson, its walls are enough to stave off typical raids of the other races. Established by an unordained lord this town does not offer the typical convenience afforded by real towns.
‘its basically stating that I need to restart human civilization, guess I need a camp first so I'll just wait till they order me to make one. lying that I only have 2 campfires was a great move on me.’
The forward camp I can see a totem in the center constantly thumping the ground. I feel relaxed and ready at the same time, I guess this is what the buff told me. I'm still on the roof of the supply carriage, sir Edward told me to just stay in the carriage because it was the same one who will take us to our spot. I guess they still haven't noticed the one their guarding is just a substitute.
Don't get me wrong it took more than two weeks of constant creation but I managed to create a puppet that looks exactly like me and with his lantern he can fake the life signs such as breathing.
Me adding puppets on every roof also made it so I blended in. The carriage is moving, guessing that important talks are now over. Hmm the air on the front seems thick and stuffy lucky for me I lived with asthma all my life, breathing complications is just work in the park for me.
The place also feels darker like someone replaced the sun with a replica. I heard soldiers complain that the others races as it all, resurrection, divine intervention, even curses.
They also said that if humanity didn't reproduce fast we would all be slaves or dead by now.
So the gods must not favor humans, the fact that the awakening of heroes happens rarely is also a reason considering there are hundreds of not thousands of heroes of other races, now I'm more puzzled on how I gave myself such a pretentious title.
Reaching a clearing sir Edward orders a totem master to set up a main area, this will be the heart of the camp as he is the highest level out of the campers. The others like me will set up
On the edge of that zone while still being connected. I was assigned to do the rear of the formation, I was also told that my space will house the carriages and that incase of emergency I should enter the escape carriage, this is to ensure anyone that gets left behind still has a chance to escape.
So I gather stones and sticks unlike the other campers that's made with totems, statues, or idols. Mine is a campfire easy to disguise, I even settled a split on top the only downside I need to keep the fire going so my puppets will continue to move outside and collect some twigs and logs for fire.
My left campfire houses all supplies, food, weapons and beast of burden and to my right is the carriages. I try to maintain them by washing and polishing them once a month.
Also my campfire earns me 10xp per day. I need a 100 for my first level up and each level up it will increase by 100 which means i get to level up every multiple of 10 multiplied by 2. Also unlike the others that get new skills when they level up the only thing I get is mana and health plus 2 stats per level.
I'm level 6 which means 700 mana and each of my puppets cause me 500 to make and 20 to maintain. So I have 10 puppet's with me, each day losing about one or two collecting logs for the fire. Also talked with the totem guy. He has this spirit-like creature that helps with plant growth, asking him how he made them gave me weird looks as he said he only needs to think about and think about using them and pop goes the fairy.
While I need to focus, making puppets needs me to conceptualize their structures that are needed in making a puppet. Not to mention while others need to level up in order to gain more skills or level them all i need to do is practice them.
Watching a carpenter whose craftsmanship is worse than mine gets better than mine because he level up hurts a little. But having everything unlocked is a kind of compromise, a few more months like this should get my mana high enough for me to summon creatures other than my wooden puppets.
Right now I'm working on increasing my skills with construction and survival, because in my campfire I can actually level the camp up with the appropriate buildings and amenities. Right now it's a waiting game….