Hadespera
The 1st of Elaphebolion
The Year 4631 in the Era of Mortals
“Ough!”
He hit the ground face first, feeling the dirt ingrain itself into his cheek. His arms and legs burned, red welts littering his exposed skin. The wooden practice sword lay just beyond his fingers, dropped after Lyssa had struck the back of his hand. She had called it a xiphos when pointing out different swords to him. He grabbed the weapon and forced himself back to his feet, only to see Lyssa striking forward again. He quickly brought the sword up to parry but she changed directions, now attacking from the side. He tried to duck but was again too slow and the flat side of her blade slammed against his head.
His vision went black. When it cleared, he was on the ground again.
“You certainly know how to take a beating, Greenstick. You sure you don’t want to do this more often?”
He didn’t dignify the jibe with a response. Instead, he retrieved his sword and stood once more. A few of the other elves stopped practicing to come and watch. He couldn’t understand their language, but he didn’t have to know the words to know they were jeering at him.
Very near the beginning of their exercise, after Lyssa had shown him some footwork and hand positions associated with elven swordplay, he had received the skill ‘Swordsmanship,’ which had helped his learning curve immensely. He had also learned that Lyssa was a Proficient Swordswoman, meaning her skill level was somewhere in the forties. His own skill had started at three and, since he’d received it, Lyssa had stated the best learning was through practice and had been sparring with him nonstop.
Swordsmanship was not the only lesson here. She was testing him. This was a world of violence and pain; he had been told as much several times. She wanted to see how he would react to an adversary he couldn’t hope to beat. She wanted to see if he would break, if he would cower, or if he would keep fighting. She wanted to see what kind of person he really was.
So did he.
He took a moment to center himself, breathing deeply through his nose before letting the air out of his mouth. He balled his fist and hit the ground, centering himself around the impact. Something in his core reacted to the sensation, spiraling through him. He lost himself in determination. His body shook with pain, but he would not let himself be consumed by it. Energy blossomed from his chest, flooding out to every extremity. Heat washed over him and with it came solidity.
He was stone.
A surprise gust rippled the grass around the training area in the light of the setting sun. The zephyr tickled his skin and he felt an almost electric spark in his muscles as he absorbed the feeling into memory. A shiver ran up his spine.
He was wind.
Warmth burgeoned through his body, unrelated to the pain of the strikes he had endured. It started in his lower chest, then spread out to his fingers and toes until the wind no longer chilled his skin.
He was fire.
Back on his feet, Lyssa approached once more. She snaked from side to side, seeking weaknesses and finding plenty in his ineptitude. By this point, he knew how she liked to attack. Her misdirections and clever feints. She would not expect him to have some of his own, so he did the thing he thought she would most expect.
He charged her.
Lyssa met his advance. The distance closed between them. He led with a thrust, the most straightforward attack he could think of, but one that would be expected of a Beginner. As soon as he felt her blade begin to move his off-line, he twisted with the motion, planting his lead foot and spinning off it. He left the ground, using his momentum to bring a tornado kick aimed at Lyssa’s head. In that moment, he was victory.
The blow never landed.
Lyssa ducked the kick effortlessly and capitalized on his failure by striking him twice across the back and legs before he landed. The stinging blows made him stumble, forcing him to his knees as he hit the ground, fingers digging into the dirt to keep from landing on his face again. When he turned to face Lyssa, she held her hand up to signal a halt. The other elves dispersed now that the fight was over, muttering to themselves in their own language.
“What was that?” Lyssa’s eyes shone with genuine curiosity.
He shrugged. The feeling that had surged within him had faded, leaving him tired and sore.
“I don’t know. It just felt like the right thing to do in the moment.”
“It was a surprise, I’ll give you that. I hope you also learned that it didn’t work and would have left you crippled had our fight been real.”
He nodded, a grim smile on his face. She caught his eye, then returned his smile with a genuine one. He felt relief flood through him. She had understood what he had been trying to show her and, by the look of it, she approved. He looked up at the sky, almost hidden by the canopy above. Night was coming quickly, hardly noticed for the glowing stones that lit up the structures above them and the wood of the trees themselves, which glowed softly with captured light. Lyssa let him marvel at the sight for a few moments before speaking up.
“That’s enough for today. It’s time to rest. Tomorrow, we set out. We will train as we go, you are still weak.”
He was led to a small, ground-level, hollow tree that apparently functioned as a guest house. Inside were several beds, but none were occupied. He was left alone. The inside of this tree did not glow, as some of the others did, and the only light source was the red, bioluminescent moss that grew high above, casting a gentle light down upon him. He sat down on the bed and decided it was high time he had taken a more in-depth look at his profile. First, he had his swordsmanship gains to go through.
Swordsmanship has increased to Level 5.
Many a tale has been told of this glorified sidearm, ensure yours is a long one.
Each level in this skill will improve your ability with swords of all kinds.
+2% Damage with Swords (+10%)
**UNDECIDED**
Level: 2
Experience to Next Level: 200 (0%)
Race: Human
Age: 27
Height: 183 centimeters
Weight: 77 kilograms
Profession: N/A
Trade: N/A
Traits: N/A
Companions: N/A
Adventuring Party: N/A
You have 5 undistributed attribute points
Health: 200 / 200
100%
Stamina: 150 / 150
100%
Mana: 100 / 100
100%
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 10
Agility: 10
Fortitude: 10
Endurance: 10
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Willpower: 10
Perception: 10
Charisma: 10
Comeliness: 1
Luck: 10
He was relieved to find that the few points of damage he had taken throughout the day, especially during the training, had healed. He hadn’t been sure how quickly his minor injuries would heal, but it seemed a short amount of time and access to food was enough. His arms and legs were still covered in small, red welts that were painful to the touch, but he was glad to see that it wouldn’t have a larger effect on his overall Health. Larger injuries, he was sure, would require some kind of treatment.
The unspent attribute points stared at him, begging to be assigned. Before he did that, however, he needed to know what each attribute did in further detail. He focused on his Strength attribute and tried to conjure more information about it. To his surprise, he was met with a notification.
Strength
The physical capacity to exert great force or pressure on an object or substance.
Minor effect on Health.
Abilities with melee weapons often rely on Strength.
It seemed pretty self-explanatory, if a little clinical. The boost to health was unexpected, but greatly appreciated. Strength seemed to be an all-around bonus, especially if he was going to get in close fights.
Dexterity
The nimbleness of extremities and accuracy of small, quick movements.
Abilities with ranged weapons often rely on Dexterity.
That was promising. Archery was his highest skill at the moment and it seemed Dexterity was directly related. The increase to coordination might have allowed him to keep his footing in swordplay, as well.
Agility
Determines physical speed and reaction times.
Speed would always be useful and reaction times could very well save his life. Even though there was no other impact to his abilities, Agility was on the contender list.
Fortitude
The hardiness of one’s body to protect against detrimental effects.
Health regenerates at a rate of Fortitude per hour.
Major effect on Health.
Minor effect on Stamina.
Two direct effects on his vitals, and one of them was directly responsible for keeping him alive. He was tempted to immediately put points into Fortitude, not wanting to risk going a moment longer with the chance a low health might take this fresh gift of life from him. The impulse faded quickly. He was safe, in a village that could have easily killed him before now and could continue to do so regardless of how many points he had in Fortitude. He was not in immediate danger. He could at least wait until he had examined the rest of his attributes.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Endurance
Determines how long the body can exert itself.
Stamina regenerates at a rate of Endurance per minute.
Major effect on Stamina.
Minor effect on Health.
Another double vital gain. Endurance, it seemed, was the natural counterpart to Fortitude and was another enticing attribute to invest in.
Intelligence
The quickness and ease at which one learns and remembers.
Major effect on Mana.
He frowned. He had seen Mana before, twice now, as a number on his profile along with Health and Stamina, but he was no closer to understanding what it meant. It was bolded on the notification, so he focused on the word.
Mana
The ability to channel magical energies and the mystic arts.
Used to cast spells and is used by some skills and abilities.
That sounded much more promising, but he didn’t know any magic. He wondered if improving his learning rate would improve the rate at which he leveled his skills but decided he could ask Lyssa about that later if the opportunity presented itself.
Wisdom
The inferences one makes when forced to make connections between that which is known and that which is unknown.
Mana regenerates at a rate of Wisdom per minute.
It seemed Wisdom was the natural counterpart to Intelligence, similar to how Endurance was to Fortitude. It seemed odd to be able to artificially improve his mental faculties but, after a few moments thought, it was no less odd than the ability to suddenly improve his physical attributes without exercising.
Willpower
The resiliency of one’s mind; the ability to endure horror without breaking.
Spellpower and the strength of some skills and abilities rely on Willpower.
That was disconcerting. How common were atrocities that the ability to withstand them was a core attribute? The increase to spellpower was nice, but he had to wonder if that bonus was due to his mind being supposedly stronger or if it was because mages commonly endured horror. He didn’t currently know any spells, so he hoped it was the former in the event he ever got the opportunity to learn.
Perception
The ability to notice that which is hidden.
He frowned at that. It seemed like a vague attribute, especially when compared to clearer attributes such as Dexterity or Agility. Would it improve his natural eyesight or would he just notice more? It was hard to tell.
Charisma
The ability to influence those around you in ways that may be beneficial to you.
His frown deepened. ‘May’ be beneficial? As in, could be detrimental? Would having a high Charisma cause people to act in extremes around him? It seemed like a risk, but he couldn’t deny that it was potentially powerful. After all, connections saved lives in Tartarus. His connection with Lyssa had saved him from dying a gruesome death to a half-decayed wolf in the forest that morning.
Comeliness
Alters your physical self to reflect your mental image of yourself.
He discarded that one almost immediately. He didn’t know who he was yet, so his mental image of himself was blank. It occurred to him that he still didn’t know what he looked like, which was likely why his Comeliness was so low.
Luck
Affects your ability to find treasure, discover weak points in your enemies, stumble upon rare and exciting things…or do none of these.
In other words, a gamble. He smiled, not expecting anything less of an attribute as abstract and nebulous as one called Luck. It was a strange thought that he would be able to directly influence his luck. Was the existence of such an attribute a manifestation of fate, or some walking chaos theory that his intent, via this attribute, had a tangible, random effect on the world around him?
He blinked. Where the hell had those thoughts come from?
He pushed it from his mind and went back to his profile. If he was being honest, he wanted to put points in all of the attributes, but something else Lyssa said wandered into his mind.
“You can increase nearly all of your attributes through practice in addition to leveling, but you won’t receive the bonus for those increases until after you sleep.”
It had been an extremely trying day. Between running for his life in the woods and practicing with Lyssa, he was certain there would be some changes come the following morning. It would be remiss of him to assign his attribute points before seeing how his scores naturally progressed.
With this thought affixed in his mind, he opened up his equipment list and doffed his armor. With it safely to rest in his inventory, he crawled onto one of the beds and nestled himself beneath the blankets.
A soft light filtered through openings in the tree above. From his vantage, he could see the light of two glowing moons above, one blue and one green, giving off a mixed glow. The bed felt like a sheet pulled over pine straw, but it was soft and comforting, and within moments he was fast asleep.
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In his dreams, he was being chased by tall, willowy beings wielding sticks. When he stopped, they beat him, forcing him to keep running on and on in an endless circle. When he finally collapsed, exhausted and crying, they stood around him, some pointing and laughing as others continued to beat him. One of the figures loomed over him and he saw a pair of enormous, emerald eyes. It reached for him, but before it touched him, he woke.
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Light streamed through the opening in the tree. Judging by the soft glow and the gentle bleariness he felt, he wagered it was dawn. His next thought was confusion, as he didn’t know how he knew it was dawn if he had never seen one before.
He stopped himself from falling down that pit of questioning as he knew there were no answers. He was going to drive himself mad if he questioned every new thing he was already familiar with. Instead, he turned his attention to a softly blinking icon in the corner of his vision that alerted him to pending notifications.
Your attributes have increased.
+1 Strength
+1 Dexterity
+1 Agility
+1 Fortitude
+1 Endurance
+1 Intelligence
+1 Wisdom
He had to fight off his own surprise. He had expected a raise in a couple attributes, namely Endurance and Fortitude, but what he had received seemed ridiculous. He sat staring at the prompt for several minutes before finally dismissing it. The only explanation he could think of was that because his stats had started at ten, they were at the most basic level, Comeliness aside. That meant that they were easier to train up, having started so low. The higher they got, the harder they would probably be to train. It wouldn’t make sense to be able to do the same workout every day and continue improving his attributes to infinity. The thought made him pause. Was there a cap on how high his attributes could grow? He shook his head. Too little information.
That left him with the next problem: if they were easier to train at lower levels, should he even distribute his attribute points at all? Or should he hold on to the points and try to work on his attributes through training before he assigned anything.
The two ideologies warred in his mind, but a solution came to him rather quickly. He was here to survive, to learn more about himself, and to find out what kind of world he’d landed in. He knew the path ahead was dangerous. If he was going to survive, he needed to be strong now. He would have to think in the short term in order to see the long term.
He summoned his profile and focused on the attributes he desired. He placed two points into Strength, one into Fortitude, one into Willpower, and one into Perception. Then, he examined his stats again.
Health: 240 / 240
100%
Stamina: 170 / 170
100%
Mana: 110 / 110
100%
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 11
Agility: 11
Fortitude: 12
Endurance: 11
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 11
Willpower: 11
Perception: 11
Charisma: 10
Comeliness: 1
Luck: 10
His muscles felt a little more toned than they had been the day before, his mind a little sharper. Whether it was real or in his head, he didn’t know, but he felt better, despite the aches. He equipped his armor and left the guest house to find Lyssa approaching. He waved at her. She cocked her head at the gesture, frowning. Feeling awkward, he put his hand down.
“It’s a form of greeting,” he said hesitantly. “I think.”
“Oh,” she replied, before raising her own hand and dropping it as he had done. “Curious.”
“Anyway,” he said, hoping to change the subject. “When are we leaving?”
“Now. Put this on.” She tossed a backpack at him.
Dutifully, he slipped it on. It was so light, he thought it was empty, but with Lyssa’s prodding he checked his inventory, finding that the space of the backpack also appeared. It was a five-by-ten square pack filled with food, gear, and weaponry. Specifically, in regard to the latter, it had a shortbow, three quivers of arrows, and a xiphos.
“Come on, Greenstick, daylight’s wasting,” Lyssa said in response to his slack jawed expression as he processed what had just been given to him.
He startled, nodded, and followed Lyssa through the township. As they walked, he noticed none of the other elves were interested in seeing them off. In fact, the others actually seemed to be averting their gazes as he and Lyssa walked by. He also noticed, again, that there were no children in the village.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not the sole cause of their animosity?”
Lyssa did not reply. She was straight-backed as she walked with him through the village. She did not look at the other elves, nor did she offer any of them greetings. Feeling it was the wrong time to pry, he kept quiet and hurried along.
They exited Dawnwood Village and entered the forest proper. He felt the eyes of the elves following them, felt the weight of whispers and mutterings even though he couldn’t understand them. Once the tree wall was out of sight, Lyssa seemed to breathe more easily. It was a few minutes longer before she said anything.
“You are right that you are not the only one the people of my village distrust.”
He frowned but didn’t know what to say. Seeing that no response was forthcoming, Lyssa continued.
“Years ago, I committed a crime against my people. Do not ask me what it was. Just know that even if we accomplish our task, your association with me will mean that the others won’t ever truly accept you into their society, even if they could look past your humanity. I understand if you harbor resentment toward me for that but understand I have no control over the matter.”
He stroked his chin, feeling ridges beneath his fingertips.
“Fuck that.”
Lyssa blinked at him in surprise. “What?”
“So you did something bad a long time ago and now they’re holding it over your head forever? Fuck that. You saved me when it would have been easier for you to let the wolf have me and finish it off later. You brought me before Lord Cypress and advocated for me on my behalf when you didn’t have to. You trained me, gave me equipment, and even gave me a nickname when I was nothing and no one. You accepted a mission for the betterment of your village despite knowing it would be dangerous, even deadly. If that’s all that you’ve done for me in just one day, then I can’t imagine what you’ve done for the village over the years and if they can’t see that then fuck them.”
Lyssa let out a short laugh, filled with stress and genuine surprise.
“I don’t think we use that term quite the same way you do.”
He smiled back.
“It’s versatile, like me. Now, I know you know a whole lot more about…well, everything than I do, but right now my job is to help you. So”—he held out his hand—“partners?”
She reached past his hand and clasped his forearm. “Partners.”
To his surprise, a notification appeared.
Lyssanderyli has accepted your Companion Request.
As Companions, you will be able to share experience earned from killing while in close proximity, regardless of contribution. As your bond grows, you will be able to share more with each other over longer distances.
The bond between Companions supersedes those formed by Adventuring Parties.
Lyssa caught her breath and, as he glanced at her, he saw that her eyes were unfocused, staring off into empty space. For the first time, he was able to see what it looked like when someone else was reading a notification.
“Dawnwood hasn’t had a Companionship form in centuries,” she breathed.
“We…we didn’t just get married, did we?”
Lyssa’s eyes refocused to reality. More specifically, they focused on him and they were angry. She pulled her hand away and clenched it into a fist.
“We most certainly did not.”
He threw up his hands and took a step back.
“All right, all right. Just checking. I’m like a newborn, a baby in dad-shoes, remember? I don’t know these things.”
She scoffed, but her ire dissipated.
“So,” he said, hoping to move on. “What exactly does a Companionship mean for us?”
“It means we are bound by goals and motivations. It means we cannot betray one another without the other learning of it. We are aspída-adélfia, in the Elven tongue. Shield-kin.”
He frowned, trying to make sense of it. “Does that make us siblings, of a sort?”
Lyssa screwed up her face. “I think for now you should try to understand it as friends who fight for one another.”
“That, I can do.” He gave her a wicked smile. “Lyssanderyli.”
A sword appeared in her hand.
“But I wouldn’t call you that, of course. Lyssa fits you so much better.”
The sword disappeared and he let out a sigh of relief. Lyssa rolled her eyes and muttered something in Elvish that, though he couldn’t understand it, certainly sounded like ‘men.’
“You will need to pick a name for yourself, Greenstick. Unless you wish to introduce yourself to the world by the title of how little you know.”
He sighed. “I know, but every time I try to think about what my name should be, I draw a complete blank. There’s just nothing there. I feel like I’m beating my head against a wall.”
“Would you accept a name given by another?”
“You’re not going to name me Greenstick, are you?”
“No. You are not an elf so I cannot give you a true elven name. Perhaps I can name you something from our philosophy. You are a new beginning. A primal point, from which anything may follow. As such, I name you Arche.”
“Arche,” he said the name slowly, sounding it out. “Arr-key.”
Something about it felt right. He opened his pending notification.
Choose your Name:
_______Arche_______
He was Arche.
“Thank you, Lyssa.”