Darian raised his leg on instinct, the trap snapping shut just below his foot. Then he fell, the hard ground slamming into his shoulders. Cursing, he rolled.
“Always check for traps,” he said to himself in a mocking tone. But then he noticed the leaves that had shielded the trap from view weren't normal. There was a slight shimmer to them, their edges almost translucent. As he stared at them, the leaves simply vanished, gone as if they never existed. Some kind of illusion?
He rose and walked backwards, each step slow and deliberate. Then, with extreme care, he made his way back to the ruined temple. He leaned against the moss-covered wall and tapped the back of his head against the stone. Nearly lost my foot there. He looked out over the field of bear traps, wondering who or what had placed them there. Not wishing to find out, Darian decided to head back to his cave for now.
Upon leaving, he came across the first rat he killed, the one that rushed him before his four fellows joined in. By the slight sweet odor coming from one of its wounds, its blood was still fresh enough to consume. But I’m not hungry right now. And he probably wouldn’t be until the following night, and by then the beast’s blood wouldn’t be fresh enough. But I have an idea. Darian opened his inventory and placed the rat in it. He half expected it to be rejected, but it appeared in the gridded box with all the other stuff he’d collected. There was no telling how time worked in whatever weird space his stuff existed in while it was inside his inventory. For all he knew time was paused there. Which means I might have a meal ready and waiting for me!
He loped through the forest, eager to return to his cave and separate out the random junk he collected. His wounds stung, each step sending up a jolt of pain. Though none of the information he looked at confirmed this, he was certain his body was far more resistant to pain than his last one. He’d been clawed, bitten, and bled, but the pain never overwhelmed him. Or the panic. Pretty sure I would have run screaming if a pack of giant rodents attacked me in the old world. He looked down at his throbbing cuts and punctures, and though they hurt, they wouldn’t even register as a four on the pain scale.
Darian paused as a trio of rabbits scurried across the thick roots ahead. Small and grey furred, they didn’t seem to notice him as they hopped down the nearby hill. Lucky I’m not still hungry. He was about to continue on his way when something caught his eye.
A small path wound down the hill, far too wide to be a simple game trail. Darian slid down, rounded the corner, and was met with a wall. Now what’s this doing here? The structure was large, about the size of a house, and made from thick logs that were hidden from view by rows of densely packed pine trees. A small clearing spread out from the cabin’s entrance; a hole dug at its center. Closer Darian spotted bleached animal bones at the bottom of the charred pit. Two stumps sat close by. Stools?
With soft feet, Darian crept up to the cabin’s lone window and gripped the wooden shutter. Locked. The door, a massive hunk of scarred wood, pulled open with a groan, the air filling with a damp, musty odor. Inside, a bear skin rug stretched opposite of a fire pit that dominated the center of the room. Two beds sat side by side in one corner, a stuffed elk’s head hanging above them. The rest of the room was a cluttered mess of tables and crude furniture. Darian’s eyes were eventually drawn to a small chest tucked away under a table. Inside it were a few rolls of what he guessed were elk or deerskin.
A few spiders had made their nest in the ceiling, but the structure wasn’t long abandoned. Might belong to whoever set those traps. Darian was about to inspect the rest of the room when a blaring trumpet sounded off.
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Quest Completed: Explorer’s Call
* Reward: 10 Class EXP
* Basic Clothing added to inventory.
[Class Level 2 Reached]
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Darian wasted no time opening his inventory. Three new icons appeared, one for a pair of boots, pants, and a shirt. He stripped off his homemade loin cloth and tossed it into his inventory. His new clothes fit well, a tan wool shirt, pants made of thick linen and boots made of dark leather. I’m starting to look like a proper adventurer. He adjusted his wool cloak and then opened his character sheet. Sure enough, a small plus sign has appeared next to his class level.
Touching it, a screen appeared prompting Darian to level up one of his available classes. He could put another level into Warrior or put a point into any of the starter classes. I should probably put some thought into this. There were probably only a handful of hours until sunrise, but Darian figured he wasn’t likely to be disturbed here. In fact, this place has a bed. Whoever built this might come back, but spending at least one night here isn’t the worst idea.
He hobbled to a nearby chair and used a stool to prop up his wounded leg. When he was sufficiently comfortable, he looked over the selection. Rogue still doesn’t make much sense since I don’t have a bow. Though one could be lying around here somewhere, it is a hunting cabin, after all. His foot tapped the ground. But I think I’d still like to stick to Warrior or Mage for now. Rogue could be useful, especially Rogue’s skill [Trap Expertise] and the classes’ enhanced perception. But its methods of fighting weren’t exactly to Darian’s liking. In the end, what really mattered were the advanced classes he could unlock by putting points into them.
Rogue had advanced classes that specialized further in knife fighting or stealth, with one magic option based on the bow, the Arcane Archer. Sending flaming or exploding arrows into his foes couldn’t be completely dismissed. None of these use any warrior levels though. Maybe I should have looked into this more before I picked my first class level…
Darian scratched his head, remembering all the times he was faced with decision paralysis when building characters in RPG games. A few more levels in Warrior would unlock Berserker and Vanguard, one class being specialized in offence and one on defense. Mage levels on their own would give him access to specialized magic classes like Druid, Elemental, and Barrier Mage. But the classes he was most interested in were the ones that combined the two. With one more Warrior level and two Mage levels, he would unlock Spellblade. One level in that class would let him infuse his sword with basic spells. There was also Battlemage, which would unlock more destructive spells like [Fireball] and boost his Strength using augment type magic.
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The main problem he was having was that he wasn’t building a character, but choosing what would keep him alive. The two fights he had so far were close quarters, but at least one of those could have started at range. His battle with the rats saw him lose a little over a quarter HP, but his unique skill [Bloodthirst] had seen him almost back to full health. It was possible to heal from battles and so maybe a massive HP pool on its own wouldn’t be necessary. As long as his enemy had blood, he could recover even after a close fight. Which means I can afford to focus on offense.
One level in Mage would give him a weak fire and ice spell, but it would also give him the skill [Detect Magic]. He couldn’t be sure about this, but it could have helped him spot the bear trap earlier. Another level in Warrior would boost his physical stats some more and unlock the skill [Dash Strike] which could help him close the distance between him and his enemies. Though that wouldn’t have been particularly useful in my last two battles. He knew now he wanted to use a class that combined Warrior and Mage, but the decision of which to put a level into was driving him mad.
Ultimately, it was the Mage skill [Detect Magic] that won him over. Hopefully, he could use it to find hidden traps, but he was sure there were other uses for it, too. With one last moment of hesitation, he selected Mage.
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Mage Lv. 1
* Fortitude: + 3
* Arcane: +2
* Skills: Flare
* Shard
* Detect Magic
* Knowledge: Magic (Basic)
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Are you sure?
(Yes)(No)
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Yes. Darian reclined in the chair as a strange, tingling sensation spread about his limbs. He felt immediately that he had somehow chosen incorrectly, that being a bit stronger or faster would come in handier. But his choice was made, and so he inspected his new skills.
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Flare
Range: 25 feet
* Damage: 2
* Damage Type: Magical/Flame
* This skill fires a small bolt of flame from the user’s palm that can be used three times per day plus half the user’s total Fortitude attribute (current total: 11). The skill receives (1/4th Arcane) damage modification (Total: 3). This spell has a cooldown of (2) seconds.
* Evolved Skill: Skill will evolve into [Fire Bolt] when the user reaches magic class level 10. (Currently 1)
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Shard
Range: 25 feet
* Damage: 2
* Damage Type: Magical/Frost
* This skill fires a small cone of ice from the user’s palm that can be used three times per day plus half the user’s total Fortitude attribute (current total: 11). The skill receives (1/4th Arcane) damage modification (Total: 3). This spell has a cooldown of (2) seconds.
* Evolved Skill: Skill will evolve into [Ice Blast] when the user reaches magic class level 10. (Currently 1)
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Detect Magic
Range: 15 feet
* A zone of magic detection surrounds the user, allowing them to sense magic that does not exceed their total magic class level by five levels or higher. (Current total: 1) This skill can be used three times per day plus the user’s total magic class level (Current total: 4). Spell lasts for (1) minute.
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His new damage spells did less damage than his sword, but at least he had ranged options now. And being able to detect magic had to come in handy, eventually. But I’ll have to keep reminding myself to use it. His new knowledge of magic swirled around in his head, feeling like he had somehow downloaded a textbook into his brain. The information wasn’t immediately useful and so he stood and shook out his still tingling body. I guess I should make sure there’s not something of use in here.
Whoever used this place last left it in a sorry state. Tables and chairs were turned over, small tools and skinning knives scattered here and there. Almost like it was ransacked. Then Darian spotted the blood stain half concealed by a basket. He followed the stain, small blotches of darkened wood his only guide. They led to the corner by the beds, one sheet stained red. Along the floor were slight cuts in the wood, places where something sharp had been scraped along the ground.
Darian activated [Detect Magic] to see if there was anything around his eyes had missed. A shimmering blue circle spread out from around his waist. It flowed over the nearby objects, settling on them. Darian made sure he swept the entire room. Nothing
Darian knelt and rolled up the bearskin rug and, with some effort, got it to fit into his inventory. The pillow and blanket from the cleaner bed came next. Starting to feel a little weighted down now.
Searching and leveling up hadn’t taken long. He would have more than enough time to make it back to the cave. The idea of staying where he was and sleeping in a proper bed was appealing, but the blood and traps nearby had him concerned. Something was going on in these northern woods, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to figure out what that was.
He was about to leave when he heard something outside. It was faint, but the sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves whispered in the darkness. Darian readied his sword and crouched by the door, listening. Whatever was moving out there was slow, the time between steps long and silent. Eventually he picked out another set of footfalls trailing the first. Whoever they were, they were making no effort to silence their steps.
“Search,” a rasping voice said from just beyond the trees. “Find.”
Darian peeked around the corner, ready to run. Just as he did so, a strange, angular figure stepped into the clearing. Rags hung from grey, exposed bone, and the empty sockets of a cracked skull blazed with dots of green fire. One bony hand gripped a sword, the other a buckler. From behind the first skeleton, two more appeared. One was like the first, but the third was hooded, with a curved blade in both its hands.
Run. His instincts screamed at him to flee, but he was frozen, eyes locked on the rattling figures that spread around the clearing. The first two skeletons were slow, but the third moved with efficiency. Closer now, Darian could see the tendrils of purple mist swirling around its body, the exposed bone beneath its tattered black robe polished white.
“Search the cabin,” the hooded figure said. “We are not alone.”