-oOo-
Chapter 1
-oOo-
Name Eric Swallow Level 5 Exp 59 / 60 HP N/A MP 0 / 10 Str 0 Mag 2 Vit 0 Spr 1 Agl 0 Wit 2
A message box hung in midair, a blue screen torn from a digital universe floating in the real.
“Not much longer now,” Eric said with a grin.
His heart pattered with excitement. Eric spared a glance at the clock. It was half past midnight, but he’d happily stay up till morning if that was what it took to catch the big event.
It wasn’t the status window that had Eric on the edge of his seat. Oh, no, no. That was old news. Eric had received his System seventeen years ago at the tender age of twelve. No. What had Eric thrumming with anticipation was a rare and wonderful occurrence.
He was going to level up.
“Five years,” he sighed. His office chair squealed as Eric leaned back. “Has it really been five years? Well, I only get one experience point a month, so I suppose it must’ve been five.”
The System’s algorithm was pretty simple. Ten points to level one. Twenty to level two. Thirty to three. The big reward? A single attribute point to be assigned freely. His dumb brat self had dumped two of them into magic.
If Eric met the little idiot, he’d slap him.
The mental image conjured a chuckle.
“A pity I never found a way to gain experience faster,” Eric lamented, poking the blue window a few time. “How about you offer a tutorial. Or a help screen? Is that too good for you? Are players supposed to stumble around and figure it out themselves? At least give me a quest.”
The fat man snorted. As though that would ever happen.
Lazy at school. Lazy at sports. Few things had gone right in Eric’s boring life. He grew fast as child, out pacing his peers. Then he suddenly stopped at five foot nine. Not small. Not tall. Just average.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Eric’s parents were both thin. Eric? One bowl of ice cream and he’d put on three pounds. It hadn’t been so bad when he was young. Back then he’d been pudgy in an endearing sort of way. Also, he’d been physically active, which left him with some semblance of shape. These days, even Eric felt disgusted by his three hundred pound frame.
Health aside, his family life was nonexistent. No friends either. He had a few acquaintances at work, but they hardly counted. His job paid the bills sure, but it was the definition of dead end. On top of that, he still had thirty-thousand dollars in student debt.
It could be worse, he supposed. Eric had a college degree. His head was above the water. Not everyone could say that.
But, at twenty-nine years old, Eric could feel his soul withering. The future was a bleak tunnel into the darkness. The System and its blue message box a faint spark in that shadowy abyss.
“I suppose everyone has to accept the truth eventually,” Eric sighed. “I know it. I’m not special. But wasn’t teasing me like this worse?”
The fat man toyed with his status window, squeezing the frame just for fun. Then he placed it back in the air where he could check it. A smile stood on his lips. Levels were levels. No matter how dull life got, they always made him bounce with excitement.
“This time I’m putting a point into vitality,” Eric told himself, patting his bulging stomach. “Maybe I’ll lose a few pounds.”
Older men were more practical. He didn’t regret the two points spent on wit, but if the other three had been placed in vitality then maybe he’d weigh two seventy-five. Or even two-fifty! Wouldn’t that be grand?
Ding.
A bell tolled in his head. Eric perked. His glorious moment had arrived.
“Happy level up to me. Happy level up –,” Eric’s song stopped in mid-word. “Wait a minute.”
This wasn’t the screen Eric had expected. Instead, it was a new one, the blue window superimposed in front of the first.
New Quest: Academic Invitation
A mysterious academy has sent out an invitation. Intercept it and a chance at a new, magical life will be yours.
Quest Reward: Accepted by a mysterious academy.
Quest Failure: Die, pointlessly, at age 35, from heart disease.
Objectives:
[ ] Complete all objectives before 01:27 am
[ ] Proceed to 111th and Greenwood
…
Eric pinched his nose. Sometimes he hated his piece of shit System.
“How many times?” He growled, glaring at the blue window. “How many times did I ask for the quest log? And now you give me one? What the hell. Am I supposed to check every few months? And what do you mean, die pointlessly at age thirty-five?”
To release his frustration, Eric grabbed the box with both hands and twisted it into a furious knot. The window bent between his fingers like a post card. The words and letters remained unchanged, cool and aloof. When Eric let go, the twisted shape sprang back in an instant.
Letting out a breath, Eric dropped into his chair. Metal groaned beneath him.
Long seconds ticked by.
“When I find whoever designed you, I swear….”
Shaking his head, Eric read the message again. This time his expression was serious.
The most important bit was: ‘complete all objectives before 01:27 am’. That was only, Eric glanced at the bottom corner of his computer, forty-five minutes give or take. Accounting for travel and preparation, Eric didn’t have a whole lot of time to plan or think.
And this might well be the only quest Eric received in his entire life.
…
Dead at thirty-five.
“Fuck,” Eric cussed, shoving his chair back violently to give himself space. “Shit. This is my first quest and you tell me I’ll die if I fail. Are you even giving me a choice?”
…
Shit.
Heart disease at thirty-five. He could believe it. Eric could feel the weight of his body on his bones. He knew it wasn’t healthy. But knowing and changing were two different things.
And the System had never lied to him before.
He sat back down. “I really I should’ve put all my points into vitality.”
Not that he could do anything about it now.
The lodestone of ennui became a boulder of depression. Six years. He only had six years to live. Six years of a shit life, in a shit job.
What was it even for? To make his boss and landlord money, Eric scoffed.
He stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, his mind conjuring shapes in the popcorn features.
“Sometimes, I wonder if I went insane seventeen years ago,” he murmured, leaning back.
What was reality? Reality, Eric had long since concluded, was that which had meaningful consequence. Cryptocurrency was real to those it made rich or poor. Sports and video games were real to those who played professionally. But to the casuals, they were nothing more than games.
Reality was just a word for things that had weight.
Were levels real? Eric wasn’t certain. Their impact was too ephemeral, weak to the point he couldn’t say for sure. Was the System real?
It was. He knew this because the information it held was real. The System had many layers and beneath the statistics was a screen that showed his biometrics in exact detail.
And those numbers could be objectively checked.
There wasn’t a choice, was there?
Having come to terms with his fate, Eric sat up. His right hand grabbed the mouse. With quick motions, he navigated the web. A map appeared on his computer screen. Checking the position twice, he stood.
He was shaking.
Eric fumbled his keys. He was sweating, nervous. A quest meant many things. Truth. Discovery. A beginning and an ending. The known was so much more comfortable than the new.
“I’m really not made to be a protagonist,” Eric laughed to himself.
He stepped out the door….
Then a second later he backpedaled and dug his rifle from the closet. Who knows. Maybe he’d need it to shoot an owl or something.
-oOo-
The night was cold.
Eric liked it.
It was late autumn. The sky was a pit of black hued orange by the city lights. Illuminated strips of concrete wound through the hills, surrounded by shadowy buildings. Eric pulled into a parking lot near 111th and Greenwood.
It was pitch dark.
The lot held an abandoned store, the windows long since fogged by dirt and grime. The ground crackled beneath his boots, bits of sand and gravel shifting under his weight. Popping the trunk, Eric scanned the neighborhood. A string of lamps provided a safe glow along the sidewalk.
Then his eyes returned to the quest.
New Quest: Academic Invitation
A mysterious academy has sent out an invitation. Intercept it and a chance at a new, magical life will be yours.
Quest Reward: Accepted by a mysterious academy.
Quest Failure: Die, pointlessly, at age 35, from heart disease.
Objectives:
[ ] Complete all objectives before 01:27 am
[x] Proceed to 111th and Greenwood
[x] Park in the small lot
[ ] Equip the wrench in your trunk
Eric’s eye twitched. “Equip. Tch. Can’t you say take or carry?”
That kind of wording would’ve been cute when he was twelve.
Making light of the latest objective, Eric found the wrench. It was big and heavy. Eric had long since forgotten he’d left it there. That was comforting and frightening. It made the System more real, yet it made the System’s enticement more terrifying.
Was a new, magical life what Eric wanted? As a kid he would’ve screamed ‘yes!’ As an adult, he felt that adventure would inevitably lead to PTSD, a mental breakdown, then death.
Eric’s eyes paused on the rifle, still in its sack.
He’d bought the weapon in his early twenties. As a gamer, Eric knew murder was the surest path to experience. So he’d tried his hand at hunting. No dice. Since then, it’d been sitting in his closet half forgotten.
Thunk.
After a moment, Eric slammed the lid closed. On second thought, carrying the gun was stupid. It was coming up on one o’clock. If someone saw him, they might freak out and call the cops. Worse, they might shoot him dead in ‘preemptive self-defense’.
Eric checked the quest log again.
[ ] Proceed down the street until you find a mail box
…
With dull eyes, Eric afforded the window a suspicious look. “Don’t tell me you want me to smash open the mailbox and steal the letter.”
…
As usual, the System provided no answer. Eric contemplated the merits of going home then grit his teeth and proceeded down the street as instructed.
The pudgy man glanced at his phone as he walked. 1:02. 1:04. 1:07. Huffing heavily, Eric dragged his unfit the body past two gray, metal mailboxes before arriving at a third.
The quest objective was marked off.
From the nearby house Eric heard the rhythmic thump, thump, thump of music. On the driveway Eric spotted a drunk man slumped on the hood of a car. More vehicles spilled out onto the street, flush to the curb. With a grimace, Eric looked at his next task.
It was exactly as expected.
[ ] Smash open the mailbox with the wrench
Your honor, it wasn’t that I wanted to commit the crime. I had no choice. The text box in my head told me to do it.
Eric checked his phone again. 1:10. Seventeen minutes left. Plenty of time.
“But why 1:27?” Eric muttered. He glanced back at the house behind. He had a suspicion. “Is that when the party is going to end?”
He was stalling.
Eric gripped the wrench. The metal was slick with sweat. The textured surface dug into his palm, providing a shaky grip. The moment he swung, there was no going back.
Did he trust the System? No.
Did he think the System was real? Yes.
Eric trembled. He raised his arm.
Do it!
“HA!” Clang!
Metal reverberated. The shock jolted through Eric’s hand. For a second, he froze. The man glanced back over his shoulder in terror. Nothing. A quiver of fear. Then certainty. A strange madness took him. With increasing fury, Eric swung his weapon.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound was like gunshots in the night. Steel caved under the repeated force. The bolt snapped. The door bent inward. Eric huffed in place for a few seconds, his heart beating wildly in his chest.
“I’m so screwed. So, so screwed,” Eric muttered dizzily.
Tossing his wrench aside, Eric shoved his thick fingers into the gap left by the bent metal plate. Reeee, pop! Metal squealed, then gave way. Eric fell onto his ass.
“Shit!” He spat, shoving a bleeding finger into his mouth. He stumbled to his feet.
Stretching his T-shirt, Eric rubbed his blood off on the metal edges. Then, as an afterthought, he rubbed the metal plate with his sleeve for good measure. That would take care of the DNA and fingerprints.
Hopefully.
“I’m freaking out. Nobody is calling forensics for a mailbox,” Eric mumbled, making fun of himself.
…
“I’m going to jail for this, aren’t I?”
The music went quiet. Eric froze. Heart pounding from exertion and terror, he hurriedly checked his quest log.
[ ] Take the parchment letter from the second box on the right.
What an atrocious description. How was anyone supposed to know which box counted as second?
Well, there was an expedient solution, Eric emptied all six. Half held nothing. One bore the promised letter. It was obvious at a glance. The paper was thick and leathery. On the front was a wax seal, a coat of arms stamped with a quill and wand crossed in front of a giant star.
Was this some poor brat’s Hogwart’s letter?
Contemplating the morality of his action, Eric stooped to pick up his wrench. Then he scurried away, letter in hand. The System, being in a rare helpful mood, provided an instruction even a six-year-old would’ve understood.
[ ] Read the letter.
Eric didn’t. Not until he was half a block away and around the corner. Even then the only reason he stopped was because his phone read 1:25 am.
The wax seal broke. The parchment unfolded.
The letter was a single page boxed by a silver frame. Strange symbols glinted under the lamp light. Foreign words seemed to squirm and slither. Eric’s eyes watered. For a faint moment, they looked like English writing. Then they were squiggles again.
Yet, impossibly, he could read what they said.
Dear Eric Swallow,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted by the Starlight Nether Witch Academy. All necessary books, equipment, and clothing will be provided upon your arrival. Debts incurred by your education will be registered to your account, to be paid after graduation. If you are unable to pay in a timely manner the school will instead sell your debt and your person to recoup any and all unsettled fees.
It is our fondest wish that you use these years provided to become a lovely and formidable witch. It is a rare privilege for souls to enter the netherworld with their memories intact. We hope you remain diligent and use the opportunity to as a stepping stone to success.
Transport will be provided shortly.
Sincerely,
Baroness Esmeralda Vallenfelt, Dean.
…
A horrible, sinking feeling formed in Eric’s gut. He scanned the letter again. Then his angry eyes shifted to the quest screen floating to his right.
“I hate you.”
Foof.
The parchment burst into fire, filling the air with the stench of brimstone and sulfur. Startled, Eric tossed the parchment aside. The blaze moved faster, leaping from paper to limb as though it were a ravenous snake.
Eric had just enough time to shriek.
Flame tore through flesh like a hungry beast. Blood and bone unwound into ash so fast the fat man hardly had time to feel pain. In a second, his arm was devoured. In the next, Eric’s entire world was erased. As the conflagration consumed his last spark of his consciousness, Eric had just enough time to think: at least I’m not going to jail for this.
-oOo-
Darkness.
In a dark, empty, abyss he floated.
Seconds. Minutes. Months. Eons. In this abstract nothingness, these held no meaning.
Then, an alien existence intruded.
A force jolted through the dark. Its presence was like a bolt of thunder, crackling with light, feeling, and sensation. Sharp, jagged pain splintered the impenetrable gloom. He struggled, wishing to turn and thrash, but he had no limbs, no form, and no body.
He was trapped. Helpless.
The cruel alien force pressed in, a needle piercing deep into his soul. From its tip, spindly strands flowed. The foreign matter wiggled, glowing with ghastly light. Slimy. Slithering. He shuddered, his being reacting with sick rejection.
Unauthorized code detected.
Querying response….
Against the emptiness a cold, metallic voice rang out. Deep in the void, strange shapes stirred. Gears and wires. Copper tubes and silicon chips. His soul groaned. A great, monstrous machine came to life. Steam hissed. Chung. Chung. Wheels turned. Electricity crackled.
Directive received.
Proceeding….
…. sample collected.
Initiating core dump…
Shadows whirled. A new void opened. Darkness trembled then flowed. An undefinable fluid cascaded through his existence. The ghastly, wiggling strands were sucked down and out of sight. Shadow swirled for long, unknowable moments. Then the machine quieted. Sparks faded into dark. Gears stilled. He was left alone in silent slumber.
But this time the sleep was not so deep. There was a whisper in the void.
Something called to him.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
But, before he could catch it, a fist knocked on the edge of the world. Not a sound. An impression, like that of a finger tapping against glass.
He stirred.
A faded image appeared in his mind. Not seen. Dreamed. Or perhaps, remembered. A woman. A witch. She wore the classic pointed hat. Her lips curved in strange delight. She spoke. The words soundless, but somehow understood.
“An irregular. Ke ke ke. How interesting,” the witch mused. “It looks like you rejected the code. I’ll give it another try, but don’t blame me if things end poorly.”
The face faded. Shadow fell like a shroud. He tumbled deeper into sleep. He felt a pull. A longing. The whisper was there, calling from beyond the edge of hearing. It longed to reach him.
He reached back…
Only to be jerked away. A second, alien lance jabbed into his soul. Ghastly strands spilled out, as wretched as those before. They wiggled and coiled in his core, slimy squirming worms writhing inside his consciousness.
The mechanical voice rang in response.
Unauthorized code detected.
Querying response…
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
… administrative override found.
Bypassing core dump.
Remote resources requested…
… granted.
Collating data…
… collating…
… collating…
… collating…
… collation complete.
Simulating optimal structure…
… simulating…
… simulating…
… optimal structure found.
Begin code optimization…
The great machine thrummed. Gears and wires were illuminated by dull light. Thrum. Thrum. The machine churned, a heart beating with life. Copper pipes whisked while lightning crackled within glass tubes. But the shadow remained still. The wiggling strands burrowed into the darkness, into him. There it coiled, twisting into a filthy, foreign sphere. The writhing ball bulged and boiled. Then it split like an egg.
From it fell two yolks.
And from those yolks spilled two sets of disgusting worms. In his soul they wiggled and coiled. Through his being they twisted and borrowed. Then, once again, they coiled forming spheres. Eggs that bulged then split. So two became four. Four became eight. Eight became –
Shhununung!!!
Sharp light cut the void. Strands and spheres shattered. The splintered parts cascaded through his soul, dead fragments without their ghastly light. Panels opened in the great machine. A hundred robotic hands reached out, snatching shards. Some were cast away, dropped into the drain in the abyss. The rest were reassembled piece by piece into new wiggling worms.
Then the cycle started anew.
Strands coiled. Spheres formed. Yolks spilled. Once. Twice. A dozen times. Then they were shattered. With each cycle the mechanical voice rang out.
Optimizing…
Optimizing…
Optimizing…
Optimizing…
… Optimization limit achieved.
Then it stopped. Light faded. The last detritus was washed away into the void beyond. A lone ball of worms remained. Squirming. Slimy. Worms. And yet, not so alien as before. Instead, they slithered in the dark, slipping through his soul with an odd, comfortable familiarity.
A part of himself. Something that belonged to him like his hands and his hair.
Quietly, they coiled. Silently, they split. Again. And again. And again.
Hundreds. Thousands. Millions. Endlessly they repeated until the entirety of his soul was filled with pulsating eggs.
Or rather, his soul became the eggs.
He was no longer he.
Then it slept. An unborn child in its mother’s womb. Timeless. Dreamless. But now, concrete.
-oOo-
When Eric awoke, he was falling.
There was brief second of weightlessness. An instant of fear, confusion, and panic. Then – splat! – he hit the ground. Against Eric’s expectation, pain didn’t follow impact. Instead, a thick, bulbous bubble caught his momentum. For a second he sank through viscous liquid, then the bubble popped releasing grotesque mucus in all directions. The slimy, yellow-green substance sank into the ground, flowing through the stone grate beneath.
Remnants clung to Eric’s skin along with the thin, white cloth draped over his body. Slowly, the slime evaporated.
The sensation was surprisingly refreshing.
Dazed, Eric’s gaze took in the room.
He was in a hall. The chamber spread out thirty meters in diameter. Ten meters above, stone tubes loomed, sealed by metal shutters. One tube remained open, vomiting forth a ball of yellow-green mucus. Plop. The ball hit the ground, splattering in all directions. From within was born a dainty girl in a pure white dress. She stumbled in confusion, glancing around with eyes as blank as Eric’s own.
She wasn’t alone.
All around Eric were girls. Each appearing in their late teens and wearing a white dress. All as tall or taller than Eric himself. Their figures were delicate, with skin colors ranging from beautiful brown to perfect porcelain. Long streamers of hair cascaded down their backs, half following the human palette, others ranging the rainbow. Young, pretty, and unblemished. A veritable vase filled with flowers.
Girls. Girls? Why was he surrounded by girls?
Eric remembered the letter.
Starlight Nether Witch Academy.
With deep dread, he looked down.
A white dress sat on dainty shoulders. Thin, lithe arms rose according to his will. A delicate hand turned. Then, stupefied, Eric reached up. Boing. Boing. Two enticing lumps of flesh bounced when Eric applied pressure. An extremely weird and alien sensation crawled through his brain in response.
Well, shit.
“I’m dreaming right?” Eric muttered, bewildered. His voice sounded sweet, gentle, and light.
A hand slapped him on the shoulder, shaking Eric from his thoughts.
“Yours bigger too? First thing I noticed. Well, the first thing I noticed beyond this.”
A blonde girl gestured to the whole room, staring at him with intense green eyes. She smiled, nose crinkling. Her cheeks were covered in cute freckles. Her hair gold, like wheat ready for the harvest.
Eric gazed back, utterly blank.
A girl was touching him. A girl was talking to him. A girl was smiling at him.
And she was half his age.
Also, ‘he’ was a ‘she’.
Confusion plunged into depression.
Then a woman in the crowd screamed.
“Kidnappers!”
An instant’s silence followed. A stillness that left the word perfectly heard. Then, the cry set off a deluge. A cacophony of shouts and shrieks filled the chamber. Eric cringed against the echoing sound.
“Let us out!” “~Aaaaah~” “Help! Help!” “Shut up!!!” “Let us go!” “I want to go home!”
The blonde’s nose scrunched, this time in irritation. Still cute, but not nearly as cute as before.
“Those idiots. Didn’t they read their letter?”
Eric blinked a few times before pulling ‘herself’ back to together.
‘Herself’. Ugh. He would deal with that problem latter. The first issue was, well, this.
“You’re taking this well,” Eric replied, expression twisting. The sound of his voice was foreign. His brain insisted there was something wrong with his ears.
“Well, my ex-boyfriend tried to kill me. So I killed him. That was right before the letter showed up,” the blonde explained. She paused. “Wow. I can’t believe I said that. I must be in shock.”
Eric stared, digesting the words. “I broke into a mailbox, found the letter, and got lit on fire.”
He conveniently left out the part where a magical blue screen told him to do it. Sounded less crazy that way.
“That’s a shit thing to do.”
Eric raised an eyebrow. Really? Breaking into a mailbox was going to far?
The blonde paused then slapped herself on the forehead. “I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have said anything. I fucked this up.” The girl gave a nervous smile and offered a hand. “Riley Smith.”
Eric’s gaze fell to the offered appendage.
“I guess it’s a bit off-putting, seeing that I just I killed someone,” Riley murmured lowing her hand.
“Ah,” Eric noised, realizing that his own state had left him as dazed as the blonde talking to him. “Sorry. I’m Eric – ”
“■■■ ■■■.”
The air thummed. Silence followed in the wake of the reverberation. A stillness that froze the words in Eric’s throat. The entire room plunged into quiet.
“Ladies.”
The crowd turned. Eric belatedly, not so much by realizing that the phrase referred to ‘her’ as because everyone else was turning.
A woman stood at the head of the room, flanked by two wooden doors. Thin streams of sunlight flowed out from behind, silhouetting her skirt and suit.
“I am Allison Myers, and I’ll be the head instructor for your class. You’ll refer to me as Professor Myers, or Miss Myers as you prefer. Propriety is very important at this Academy, so I expect you to hold to this standard,” Professor Myers said, tone strict.
Professor Myers’ heels clicked on the stone floor as she strode in. She had dark, shoulder-length hair cut in a fashionable bob. With sharp, violet eyes the woman scanned the group, brooking no argument.
Not that anyone could argue, seeing as though none of them could talk.
“Now, I’m aware that most of you are confused and some of you are angry. Therefore, I will be direct.
“In accordance with the Law of Acquisition, your souls belong to Baroness Vallenfelt. You are therefore hers to enslave or indebt.
“The dean, in her kindness, has chosen the path of debt. Each of you will be enrolled as a student in her Starlight Nether Witch Academy. Here you’ll be educated so that you may, one day, repay that debt. If this seems unfair, that is because it is unfair. However, there is nothing to be done about it. Those who refuse to accept this reality will find your debts redeemed by the expedient means of selling you to the highest bidder.”
Eric blanched. Riley glowered. A girl with flaming orange hair tried to scream, face turning purple with rage. Most girls trembled in place.
Professor Myers violet eyes softened.
“Now that I have clarified the situation, let me say that the Academy is not a cruel place. Magic is a valuable art. Should you take your lessons seriously you should have no trouble thriving in the netherworld. I hope none of you fall off the path. I’ve made it six years without having a girl expelled, and I would like to make it six more.”
Allison Myers smiled at the gathered girls then turned to the door.
“Quickly please. We’re on a schedule. Before your first class starts, I’ll give you a tour of the facilities.”
The professor gestured them forward.
For a few seconds, nobody moved. Riley Smith was the first to walk. Eric hesitated for a moment before following. Slowly, the rest of the group trailed out, one after another. Even the angry, orange haired girl chased, though late and stubborn.
Beyond the wooden doors, Eric found a small courtyard. To his left and right were empty arches guarded by rippling, green fields. Barriers, Eric dubbed them based on his questionable expertise as a gamer. Ahead lay a check point manned by a stern, spear wielding catgirl.
Eric perked at the sight.
Only for his shoulders to droop in disappointment.
Rather than catgirl, the guard was better described as a panther woman.
The triangular ears perched on the guard’s head were the only thing cute about her. The woman was tall. Far taller than Eric and his classmates. Her cruel smile revealed rows of sharp teeth. But it was the ugly patchwork of feline fur and tanned skin that was truly off-putting.
A dark tuft of fur covered the left side of the cat woman’s face, only to reveal an eye that was eerily human. The guard’s right hand was a cat’s paw, complete with sharp claws. Without an opposable thumb, the guard had no choice but to grip her spear with her ordinary left.
The asymmetry dashed Eric’s fanboy dreams. The guard let out a low, raspy chuckle as Eric walked by.
The group piled up in a mob outside the building.
Eric studied the Starlight Nether Witch Academy.
It was beautiful.
Green grass glistened with morning dew, casting shimmering light. Trees spotted the landscape, splitting the space between warm sun and cool shade. Cobble paths wound their way through the lightly wooded lawn, the trails broken by small gardens and elegant benches.
Ahead lay the school itself. A broad, two storied structure with turrets, spires, and many windows. To the sides were two buildings, taller than the school but not half as broad. Eric spotted a few girls in dark robes and green dresses passing through the grounds, gesturing and chattering with bright smiles.
Faint murmurs drew Eric from his thoughts.
The magical silence had ended.
But a new quiet fell as Professor Myers whisked past the group dragging a reluctant laggard behind.
Eric’s gaze locked onto the dark haired professor’s sleek legs. The Professor was definitely rocking the strict and sexy teacher look. And those high heels. Eric gulped.
“Are you staring at her butt?” Riley accused in a whisper.
Eric jumped. “No?” he denied, weakly.
Riley gave Eric a suspicious look, bright green eyes gleaming. Eric felt a little bad, but that feeling was quickly swept aside by the reaffirmation of ‘her’ sexuality.
The only problem? The wrong parts were hardening.
Eric was once again reminded that ‘he’ was a ‘she’.
Professor Myers faced the group.
“The Starlight Nether Witch Academy was founded by Baroness Esmeralda Vallenfelt forty-four years ago and is the first and only academy of magic in the Timeless Beryl Wilderness. While the Starlight Academy is not restricted to witches, it rigidly limits attendance to women. Men are not allowed on the school grounds for any reason.”
The Professor’s gaze stopped on Eric for a good long moment. Then the teacher continued.
“The school’s facilities consist of the Academic Building, the Recreation Hall, the Grounds, and the Dorms. First, we will – ”
With the expertise of a ‘man’ who’d endured twelve years of compulsory education and four years of college, Eric promptly tuned the professor out. Instead, he opened his status screen.
Name Eric Swallow Class Apprentice Witch Level 5+30 Exp 252 / 60 HP 82 / 82 MP 147 / 147 Str 3 Mag 9 Vit 3 Spr 8 Agl 3 Wit 9
…
That was different. First off, why were his attributes so high? Where did the two-hundred experience points come from? Oh, and suddenly he had hit points.
Fucking System, it never explained anything.
Scanning closely, Eric’s eyes found a new addition. An event log. Eric glowered. It was rather suspicious that the System was happily unlocking features now. Would it have left him high and dry if he never finished the quest?
Eric scrutinized the log regardless.
Event Log:
Quest Complete: Academic Invitation
Warning! Unauthorized code detected
Warning! Unauthorized code detected
– Administrative override –
New Race Obtained: Starlight Witch
New Class Obtained: Apprentice Witch
“I’m on to you,” Eric noised, glaring the screen. “Don’t think I don’t know that you screwed me.”
“You say something?” Riley whispered.
Eric ignored her. Instead, he navigated to the extended data the System kept buried. Fortunately, Eric had long grown out of the wave his hands phase, otherwise he might’ve come across as a madman.
Madwoman?
Know what? Eric didn’t give a shit.
Race: Starlight Witch (Asteri)
Lineage: Hecates
Genus: Magissa
Potential: Medium
A synthetic bloodline whose code derives from three separate beings of the hecates lineage. This race is optimized for magecraft and mana manipulation at the expense of physical ability. No innate ki release or magical abilities were found.
Trait: Flawless Astral Core
* 85% Hp
* 125% Mp
* +10% Elemental affinity and sensitivity
* -10% Chaos spell costs
Nether cores support the stability and function of the phantasmal body. Every core represents a vital organ the loss of which may result in death. Compared to the common core, this one provides greater mana capacity and enhanced ether exchange at the cost of reduced blood essence and ki reserves.
Due to its elemental alignment, this astral core also improves a starlight witch’s compatibility with chaos domain elements. This provides a small increase to ether affinity and sensitivity for attuned elements. You are also able to directly nature mana with these elements.
Finally, when using any chaos domain spell, mana costs will be reduced.
Attuned chaos elements include: Space, Void, and Causality
Trait: Pure Starlight Eyes
A unique organ possessed by all starlight witches. Starlight eyes are able to see energized ether and even detect its element or aspect. Runes, spells, and enchantments also have increased visibility making them easier to comprehend. The sensitivity of the starlight eyes is sufficient to see in the dark, provided there is ambient illumination from an ether atmosphere.
The clarity and purity of a witch’s starlight eyes correspond to the witch’s compatibility with her nether code.
Trait: Ultra-fine mana
Your mana is smooth and elastic. This enhances the innate integrity of all mana structures. You will find it easier to cast spells while minimizing energy expenditure. Spell casting will be stealthier. Runes and rune structures will be more durable. Theoretical casting speed will be majorly improved.
Surprise. Surprise. Eric’s new body was designed for spell casting. No shock coming from a race named starlight witch, if the whole magic academy matter hadn’t made it abundantly clear from the start. Still, it was good to know the exact traits he had picked up.
And the fact, he could have traits.
Another thing the System had never defined prior.
Eric scanned down to the next window.
Class: Apprentice Witch
+50 Hp/Mp
+3 all Physical Attributes
+7 all Magical Attributes
And that explained where the free attributes came from. Eric felt a buzz of excitement. Putting aside the whole male-female issue, this was the first major reward the System had given. A new race. A new class. A pile of traits.
Oh. And don’t forget the sweet, sweet experience points.
Feeling better about himself, Eric pumped spirit and wit to a nice neat ten.
Name Eric Swallow Class Apprentice Witch Level 8+30 Exp 42 / 90 HP 82 / 85 MP 147 / 158 Str 3 Mag 9 Vit 3 Spr 10 Agl 3 Wit 10
Three levels in a day. A new record. May there be many more.
Snapping the window closed, Eric focused on the tour.
Professor Myers guided the group through the Academic Building, introducing the clubs, classrooms, the library, and the faculty offices. Then she brought them back outside, taking a moment to point out Vallen. Vallen was the town that sat at the Academy’s foot. Then she showed them the Vallenfelt manor on the high hill to the east.
Finally, the professor dragged them past the Grounds and the Recreation Hall.
The tour ended in front of a three-story dorm building. A hundred meters to the east was the stone structure from whence they began. Thick. Heavy. Gothic and fortified. Gargoyles sat on every corner casting wretched faces toward any who dared approach.
Other than the academy gates and Vallenfelt manor, it was the only building visibly guarded.
Riley nudged Eric.
“Hey, do your feet hurt?” Riley whispered. “I want to know if it’s just me.”
That was an interesting question. Eric looked down at the cobbled path he’d been walking on. ‘Her’ feet were slim, delicate, and very naked. ‘She’ wiggled ‘her’ toes experimentally.
“No,” he answered. “I’m beginning to suspect we’re not human.”
Which fell into the category, no shit Sherlock, given his System’s rather explicit statement that his race had changed.
And the rather obvious reconstruction of ‘her’ sex.
“What do you think we are?” Riley asked.
“Witches,” Eric said bluntly.
Riley gave him a look. The blonde was not amused.
“It’s the netherworld, which usually means the land of the dead. Also known as, Hell,” Eric explained. “So we’re probably ghosts or demons.”
Riley frowned. “Wouldn’t that mean that we’re dead?”
“I distinctly remember being lit on fire.”
Riley’s bright green eyes were shadowed by darkness. “Yeah, that was pretty hard to forget.”
“Dorm rooms are assigned to threes,” Professor Myers continued, leading the group in through the door. “The rules are posted on the board to your right. Books, uniforms, and your schedule can be found on the table. Take one and choose a room to change in. All the rooms on the first floor are free. The second floor and up is for third years.”
Professor Myers paused. Her strict, violet eyes found Eric.
“Miss Swallows, please grab your books and uniform then follow me.”
-oOo-
System Codex
Core Attributes:
The System defines six core attributes: Strength, Vitality, Agility, Wit, Spirit, and Magic. Attributes increase by one per a level with additional attributes awarded through class advancement and secondary mechanisms. The System evaluates strength using the aggregate level. Core level is only displayed for the User.
Attributes affect the physical, mental, and mystical performance of the User. The impact of attributes is proportional to the natural traits of the User’s body. This is particularly true on material worlds. As such, a larger body with greater fitness will have greater overall strength even if the strength attribute remains unchanged.
In low ether environments, such as Earth, the impact of attributes may be reduced in non-linear ways. Different body types may distort, reduce, or otherwise change attribute effects.
Eric’s notes: Yeah, like how I didn’t have hitpoints on Earth. That’s a pretty big change!
All attributes and their impacts are separated into sub-attributes, the first being most directly influenced by the body and the second being more abstract and tied to the soul.
Attribute: Strength
Sub-Attribute: Force
Raw Calculation: 100% + 4% * Str
The raw amount of force that can be applied to physical objects with the body or by means of ki. This also amplifies the maximum amount of ki that can be released in a single action or attack. When using material bodies, this scales with muscle mass and can influence physical speed. With phantasmal bodies, size is less relevant and the law ‘F = MA’ does not apply.
Sub-Attribute: Scale
Raw Calculation: 100% + 1% * Str
The scale of force without regard to physics. This allows one to hold, grip, or control physical objects as though their body was larger by the scaled size.
Scale also impacts the application of force, allowing the User to trade speed for amplified strength as though they were a hydraulic press. Thus, at 150% scaling the User can lift 1.5x more if they are willing to move 2/3 of their ordinary pace.
Scale impacts the externalization of ki, allowing ki constructs to be proportionately bigger. This can improve the reach and area impacted by various arts.
Young Eric’s notes: If I have 100 Strength, do my sword beams shoot twice as far?