Lord Charles Darville left not long after he dropped that bombshell of information on me about the monster egg and I found myself with free time and not much that I could do with that time. I did not know enough about this world or the system and even with monsters alongside me to guard me, I couldn't hope to make headway in too dangerous an area.

So I put the giant coin-like reliquaries that now held Cerbearus and Ossicarn within them into the mesh backpack I was carrying the egg in. Then I began to walk out of the barracks and towards the town square.

I may not know anyone but I could still use the time productively. Already I had the idea to maybe try to learn to read this world's writing or the more exciting option that came to mind, circle back around town with my new skills.

I wasn't about to head out and try to win a fight against a Jackanack with some thrown rocks but my newfound analysis skills could be useful. I had always been the type to want to get as much information on monsters as I could in my youth and later far less video game-playing youth to find out more about the monsters I had seen before in my previous day. If using skills made a skill’s rating increase, then analyzing the monsters out and about town would be useful.

As I mused on these things, I began to practically run down the stairs cut into the hillside that made up the various parts of town - heading down from the barracks and the buildings higher up the hills and in the shadow of Lord Darville’s castle. When I completed my climb I wondered why I was not bowled over trying to catch my breath. The stairs were several stories tall if taking them in from the ground level of the town and I had certainly had to fight the need to restore my lung capacity at the feet of the stairs when I had power walked down them on my first day and my first trip spying through town.

I had just gained experience and full access to my character information screen, had I not? The analysis could wait. I thought the word “Character” with the same focus that was required to call up system actions in other cases.

Instantly, a much more detailed sheet appeared before me.

[Name: Wade Calhoun

Age: Eight Years (8)

Class: Orphan (Class Unassigned)

Level: 001

Experience: 0053

Traits:

Elemental Connection (Earth) – [Locked.] You may unlock this gained trait after having two earth elemental primary aligned monsters as partners, or by successfully defeating ten opponent monsters with your monsters’ earth elemental-based attacks, or by reaching skill rating 10 in three earth element governed skills, or by successfully completing a secret feat.

Elemental Connection (Nature) – [Locked.] You may unlock this gained trait after having two nature elemental primary aligned monsters as partners, or by successfully defeating ten opponent monsters with your monsters’ nature elemental-based attacks, or by reaching skill rating 10 in three nature element governed skills, or by successfully completing a secret feat.

Inquisitive (Rank 1) - You have a keen curiosity and the braveness to feed that curiosity with knowledge. You receive a permanent boost of ten percent to XP and one point to your Charisma, Wisdom, and Intelligence stats. Additionally, you gain one point of intelligence and wisdom for every ten experience points you gain from activities classified by the system as primarily mentally or academically focused. You gain one point of luck and constitution for every twenty experience points you gain from activities classified by the system as primarily mentally or academically focused. This trait is upgradable.

Outworlder – You receive a permanent boost of three points to your charisma, wisdom, intelligence, and luck stats. You receive a bonus of two points for strength, dexterity, and constitution. After you have reached twenty points of wisdom you may meditate on your previous life to potentially (re)gain skills and regain traits. This trait is not upgradable.

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Stats:

Default Unassigned Class Eight-Year-Old Stats

Strength – 008

Dexterity – 008

Constitution – 008

Charisma – 008

Wisdom – 008

Intelligence – 008

Luck — 008

Actual Current Stats

Strength – 010

Dexterity – 010

Constitution – 011

Charisma – 012

Wisdom — 014

Intelligence – 014

Luck – 012

Skills:

Analysis – 5 points | Elemental Association [Unknown] |

Carpentry – 2 points | Nature, Earth, and [Unknown] elemental associated skill |

Throwing – 5 points | Wind, Earth, and [Unknown] elemental associated Skill | ]

I reread it several times and slowly enough that I found myself having been tapped by one of the townspeople as they went up the stairs thanks to the fact I had been rapped up in thought enough to be blocking them as I read through the window.

Reading through multiple times wasn’t because I didn’t comprehend what it said initially; but rather because I found myself doing math. The mischief I had been awarded for was considered academic or mentally aligned? My experience points gained must have included twenty points that were based on the mental or academic categories because my luck and constitution had increased too. There was no wonder in my head if puzzle solving, map reading, runic digit learning, or learning the carpentry skill counted towards those skills, but the total didn’t add up - without the mischief.

My inner adult made me let out a sigh of exasperation. This system really was incentivizing mischief and pranks from folks. More than that, I had somehow closed the prompts about gaining the earth and nature-aligned traits, even if they were locked. More than that, I stood there rereading the new information on the Outworlder trait again and again.

I could meditate to regain skills from my time on Earth so long as I reached twenty points of the wisdom statistic.

I hung up on the implication it was trying to make about a system subtly existing in my own life before my arrival in Hekadrona for a few seconds before dismissing it as tinfoil hat paranoia. The more important part was if I was reading it right I could regain the skills and knowledge I felt I had and was missing; if only I could reach the threshold of twenty wisdom.

A goal. Several even, and an answer as to why I was less winded. I moved out of the path of the stairs and sat against the hill, adjusting the mesh backpack I carried and grabbing the reliquary discs that held Ossicarn and Cerbearus within them.

With an underhand toss, I first threw the rougher disc, which I had carved first. As it spun it quickly came to a stop and landed on the runic digit for two. Immediately out popped Cerbearus and it almost rushed at me like an excited puppy but I put my hand out.

“Stop and wait bud,” I commanded.

Then I made a toss of the other disc, and after its spin and landing out came Ossicarn. It let out a meow with a posture that it very clearly thought conveyed its kitten sound out like that of a mighty panther, and then I got up to reclaim the reliquaries - only to find the discs flying back into my bag as if by magic.

I guess it was magic, realistically.

“Firstly, I haven’t seen it happen with the people of this world but I’ve always had a tradition. In my world, many people give their monster partners nicknames.” I began to speak up, with Cerbearus just lolling his tongue at me and Ossicarn beginning to prowl.

“Nicknaming you would be easier if things had been different, but I think there’s no arguing. With your personalities and actions so far I can’t think of anything else. Cerbearus, you? You look like the type to eat a prickly pear and any other fruits I put in front of you; so you, my ursine friend? You’re Baloo.”

The saber-toothed jaguar kitten let out another meow and gave me a look I swear seemed indignant. I had seen similar looks enough on my kids as toddlers that I could read it even with the species difference. The expression practically screamed ‘How dare you both summon that buffoonish bear and nickname it first? Don’t you know how regal and important I am?’

It made me smile, “Yeah, and if he’s Baloo and your reaction to him being named first was that - then there’s no arguments anyone could make with me. Come on, Bagheera. We’ve got a town to explore.”