When he walked through the gateway he wasn't sure what to expect. From the Queen's statements, he gathered that her realm was more like another plane of existence. It would be a place that didn't have a corresponding physical location in the continent of Versailles.
This meant that the plants and animals, as well as the terrain and even the laws of nature would be different. What was odd was that he could see none of this. All he could see was white. On the ground, in the sky, it was all a blinding white. He didn't know how far it stretched or even where the boundary between the sky and the ground was.
“Where are we? What is this place?” asked Wraith.
“This is the inside of the portal. This is what lies between worlds. Unless you have permission, you will forever wander this infinite space. If you carry our blood, you can freely travel between worlds. If not, you require an artifact.”
“An artifact?”
“Come now, you already have it with you.”
Realizing what she meant, he took out the amulet he had received. She brought a small knife from the folds of her robe and ran the blade down the palm of her left hand. Covering the amulet with her blood she told him, “simply having the amulet normally won't do any good.” She put the bloodied amulet around his neck. “You need to have one of us charge it. The amulet will also break down on its own, to prevent other people from coming to us.”
As she chanted a spell, the amulet glowed red and turned to a mist that covered his body. His eyesight was covered by scarlet light, and when it faded away, there was a door before him, seemingly created from nothing. It was a plain wooden door, totally unlike the magical portal they came through.
The Queen opened the door, and through it he saw a clean white room, reminiscent of a temple. Following the Queen, they stepped through the door. When it closed, it quickly faded from existence.
The Queen turned to him and proudly said to him, “welcome to Jorenheim, the stronghold of the forsaken.”
Looking around, the room truly was built like a temple. It was a large room, with most of it covered by thick red carpet with golden strands woven into it. The only uncovered area was near the front of the temple. There was a polished marble pedestal with a large circle about eight metres in diameter with five lines originating from the centre and reaching the edge of the circle. It was carved into the marble itself, appearing to be where several rituals were held.
The pedestal was in fact an altar. On the wall behind the altar, were three carved statues. To the left was a giant wolf, looking demonic and angry. In the middle was a woman, half her body was a beautiful woman, the other half was a skeleton. The last statue was giant snake, the head looking somewhat like a dragon's. It's body mad a circle, with the head clasped around its tail
The walls of the temple were slate-grey, interspersed with square pillars reaching up to a domed roof. The only light came from the several wall-sconces and candle-stands around the temple and the glass dome on the roof.
“It's night time and the moon is full and bright. Daciana will get you ready while I make preparations.”
Wraith followed Daciana through a side door into the temple's living quarters. She pulled out a plain black robe from a chest and gave it to him. “Change into this and come outside when you're done. You can leave your belongings here temporarily.” Her voice was brisk and business-like, completely different from their first meeting. After handing over the robe she left the room.
He took off his pack and his clothes and put on the robe. Although he could have simple equipped and unequipped his clothes and belongings, he personally found it unsettling. It would be one thing while he was in-combat, where speed was necessary, but not outside of it.
It only took a minute for him to change, and then he left the room. When he got back to the main room, he saw that there were six other women there. There were all similar to the Queen in their appearance, yet there seemed to be weaker than she was. The Queen was up on the altar drawing the final symbols inside the circle.
When she finished she beckoned him towards the altar. He walked forwards and stood in front of her. “Now I'll ask again, before the Sisters of Hel. Do you come here willingly, ready to cast off your mortal flesh and join us in spirit and body?”
“Yes, I do.” He said this nervously, still in the dark about what actually occurs in the ritual.
“Lie down on ground, with your limbs on the lines.” He did as she asked. His head was on the line pointing to the back of the temple and each of his arms and legs were on the other lines.
She then started chanting. Her words were in a language he couldn't understand, yet he could feel its power. The air thrummed with the force of her spell. The first effects he could feel were invisible ropes binding his body down and preventing him from moving.
The symbols on the ground beneath his body glowed softly with a golden light. After a few minutes of chanting, her voice died down. However, the air was still filled with power and the symbols remained glowing.
She reached into the folds of her scarlet robe, and pulled out a translucent knife. She walked around the circle until she was above his head. She kneeled down and raised her hands above her head, the knife clasped between them.
Instead of chanting in that strange language, she spoke in English instead.
“Let new life rise from the ashes of death
Blood to blood, life to life
One life reborn anew
One life a vessel to bear it
Let the bonds of blood be formed.”
After saying this, she drove the knife into his heart, piercing it completely. She then drew it out and started chanting again, returning to that strange language. As he felt his blood leave his body, Wraith saw it run through the lines gouged out on the floor. When his blood had entered every crack in the circle, the golden glow turned white.
Black lightning sparked between his body and the circle. By this point, he was nearly dead. With only a few points of Hp left, he saw the Queen raise the knife once more.
This time she plunged it into her own stomach. A connection was then formed. The lightning travelling from the circle, to his body, and then into her stomach.
When the chanting came to an end, so too did his life. When she fell silent, his Hp dropped to zero and he was surrounded by darkness. At first he couldn't sense anything. Although he never died before in game, he didn't think that this was it.
This is strange, where am I, he asked himself. Stats window, he thought to himself. With the absence of a mouth to talk with, or even a body to move, he hoped that thinking it would bring up his stats and character information. Fortunately it worked. At the very least he could log out if he needed to.
Status WindowNameWraithOther Stats/Information4:32
What the hell?!. Other than his name, there was no other information available. The only thing that was there was a timer, slowly ticking down. That timer is counting down to something. If my hunch is correct, then in little more than four minutes from now I'll have my body back.
Though this gave Wraith some peace of mind, it still didn't explain what was happening to him. Since he might miss something if he logged out, he had no other choice but to wait. He left the stat window open, waiting to see any changes.
When the timer reached two minutes, something odd happened. Before he had no body, and was simply a bundle of consciousness floating in empty space. Now he could feel again. The sensations were dull and disorganized, but it was definitely there. He felt warmth around his entire body. It was like being in a warm bath.
Slowly the sensations grew stronger and more defined the more the timer went down. He could feel more and more of his body, and for of his senses came back. He heard a gurgling and a thumping sound. He couldn't breathe or smell anything, but he wasn't suffocating or drowning.
Even though he couldn't open his eyes, he had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew what was going on. Given the chant the Queen sang and what he was experiencing, there was only one explanation. I know people say that it's one of the most incredible miracles of life, but ewwww. Oh, please let me be wrong.
Though he begged god, and even the A.I controlling Royal Road, he was afraid that he had no choice but to experience it.
Soon there was only about a minute left on the clock. By now his senses and his body, though it was out of proportion, were basically fully developed. He could sort of hear the Queen's voice at this point, and was sure of what was happening to him.
Suddenly he felt pressure assaulting him from all sides, directing him downwards. And so the worst minute of my life begins. It was a rhythmic pressure, pulsing and growing stronger. He felt himself be forced through a narrow canal, slowly sliding through it.
It felt wet, slimy and was almost painfully constricting. Fortunately it didn't last long. He soon felt cool air on his body, and was bundled up in a soft towel. Normally a baby couldn't open their eyes immediately, but perhaps because his body grew at such a fast pace, he managed to do so only a few seconds after he came out.
At first all he could see was a blinding light. His eyes adjusted quickly and found himself cradled in the Quee-no, my mother's arms. He looked up at her face and though it was flushed and dripping with sweat, he could clearly see the loving gaze in her eyes as she looked upon her son.
“Sleep for now my son. When you wake up I'll tell you all you need to know.” With that, he felt himself be taken away and put in a crib beside her. He decided to listen to her, as it was a gruelling event. I'll check on my stats when I get up, I haven't slept for a day. At that, he closed his eyes and nodded off.
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When he woke up a few hours later he felt refreshed and well-rested. He tried to speak but apparently his vocal cords weren't fully developed yet. Given his current state, it was imperative that he gather more information about his situation. Normally voice commands were used to bring up windows, but he didn't have that option. Try as he might, he couldn't get 'stats window' out. He was forced to bring it up by thought instead Stats window. He got it up, but it was considerably more difficult than by vocal cues.
Status WindowNameWraithAlignmentNeutralLevel0ClassNoneTitleNoneReputation0Health50Mana30Strength0.25Agility0.25Stamina1Wisdom1Intellect1Luck0Leadership0Attack0Defence0Magic ResistanceFire0%Water0%Earth0%Black Magic0%Stats will remain at a reduced state for 18 days as part of the growing period. During this time you will be unable to improve skills or gain experience. New temporary skills added for 18 days.
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The hell does this mean?! No skills and no experience for eighteen days, and I'm stuck in this body? The new skills better make up for this. Skill window.
[tr][td100]Formative Days (Max. Lvl.) Actions taken and information learned during this period will be reflected in stat and skill gains at the end of the growing period.
Inquisitive Mind (Max. Lvl.) Enough time spent understanding a craft can allow certain skills to be learned and trained to Master level regardless of class restrictions. Only two such skills can be learned
While in his current state he would make smaller gains in stats and skills, in the long run he would be better off than other warriors. Typically one needs to be in a craft or production class to master craft skills or even acquire them. With the Inquisitive Mind skill, this limit could be overcome.
Information: Inquisitive Mind. He brought up the window about the skill, since he wanted to see if there was additional information about how to gain a skill.
Inquisitive Mind
Learning or practising tasks related to a skill will result in developing such skills on maturity. Only two such skills can be learned.
Information: Formative Days.
Formative Days
Physical labour and exercise can lead to gains in combat-related stats. Any education received can lead to gains in intelligence and wisdom.
In a way it was just like training once more. The only difference was that the Formative Days skill wouldn't show results until it was over. The Inquisitive Mind skill could give data during use, but his physical body was severely handicapped in terms of strength and communication.
The first thing he did was to explore the limits of his body. Luckily he wasn't quite as weak as a newborn baby. While he was asleep, he had grown considerably. Now he could crawl, and his fine motor skills were more developed.
Even though he still couldn't talk, he would find a way to manage. Since the Inquisitive Mind skill could only be used to learn two skills, Wraith decided to choose only craft skills. Although there were many class-specific skills, even if he did Master them, he couldn't use them as effectively as other classes could.
Since the acquired skills could be raised to Master level if they were craft or production skills, he decided to focus on them. They would not only be profitable, but would allow him to be self-sufficient.
He had researched the different craft skills before he started playing, so he could make a relatively quick decision. Since he wanted a close combat class, the type of armour he would be wearing would be very light. If he went for heavy armour, he might be able to dish out more damage and take stronger hits, but he would lose mobility and speed.
This meant that the craft skill best suited for him would be Tailoring. Instead of being able to take heavy blows, he considered avoiding them altogether a more useful ability.
Besides making his own armour, he would also need to make his own potions and enhance his equipment. As such, the Alchemy skill would be indispensable for him. While the beginning levels can only create basic potions, higher levels can transmute and refine materials.
There were whispers bandied about on the forums and websites that said Mastering the skill gives the ability to create gold. He personally thought it was a load of crap, but he did believe that a very useful skill will still be given.
While tailoring would be relatively easy to practise and learn, he was clueless as to how he was going to acquire the alchemy skill. Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Might as well just focus on tailoring first.
Royal Road even rewarded looking and observing, so he could work on his skill just by studying clothes and fabrics. There was just one problem. He was trapped, held in an unbreakable prison that he couldn't get out of. Well, technically it was just a crib.
While he was thinking of a way to escape, his 'mother' came in and picked him up. “How's my baby doing today?” she cooed at him in that overly sweet voice mothers talk to their children in. Before he had only thought it to be kind of annoying, now he discovered just how humiliating it is to be on the other end.
He tried to tell her he was fine, but the only sounds that came from his body were “aufwawa.” It sounded like some sort of ethnic cuisine. Arrgh, how long will I have to suffer this humiliation? He figured that with one day equalling a year of growth, he would be able to speak on the third or fourth day.
For now the only thing he could do was glare at her, though he guessed that even his angry face would look pretty cute. As he predicted, all it did was make her laugh. It was a very warm laugh, filled with love and kindness. It was completely different from her earlier laughs.
“You don't have to worry, I know that you retained your consciousness. But what you need to know is that to me you are my son.” As she started explaining the circumstances to him, she cradled him in her arms and carried him out of his room and walked down a long hall.
“I told you that my class gives great magical powers. Ones that most other races aren't able to wield. But one thing you should always remember is that there's always a price to be paid. For such wondrous powers over life and death, we lose the ability to bear children. Instead, we have the ritual. It is our one chance to become a mother.”
She paused at this and looked at him. “When we meet the individual that will become our child, a part of our body resonates with them. That, however, is not enough to successfully complete the ritual. I tested your strength, and I felt that it was enough for success, but the truth is that it's a gamble. Many other women lose their lives doing so. It's for that reason that very few actually do it.”
She opened the door at the end of the hallway and stepped out onto a terrace. She stayed silent for a moment to let the news sink in. The terrace overlooked the city, and was higher than the other buildings in the area. It was a large city, going on for miles and miles. Although it was a different realm, it was similar to Versailles.
The people at first glance, all looked human, the buildings were nothing strange or fantastical, the biggest difference was the environment. The entire city was in the middle of a desert. The only reason he didn't feel the massive difference in temperature was likely due to a cooling spell cast on the temple.
Once she felt he had taken in enough of the sights, she resumes speaking. “Did you know that before tonight, the ritual hadn't been performed in over one hundred years? Well, two hundred if you go by the last successful one. It's because of this that it's so sacred to my-, or perhaps I should say, our people.”
“In essence, what the ritual does is separate your spirit from your flesh. It then gathers your spirit and the energy released during the separation, and binds it to my flesh. Because it is sped up by the magic taken with it, the growth is rapid and in minutes the child is born. That's how, in just a few short minutes, I became a mother.”
She looked into his eyes and smiled. This was the moment Wraith knew the depth of her feelings for him. In this world, she is my mother. This is strange, maybe it's because of my body, but I'm starting to feel the same about her. Try as he might, against her eyes that were filled with a deep, pure love for him, all he could do was accept and reciprocate those feelings for her.
“Now, I know that you gained two skills during this time. Don't look so surprised, this ritual was performed before, so I know a little about what happens. You may want to spend every waking moment working towards your skills and stats, but maybe you should listen to what I have to say first.”
Since the sun was starting to set, she started walking back to the room. “There are records of how the different actions affected the stat and skill acquisition of each individual. What you should know is that this growth is just like your natural growth. If you don't get the right amount of sleep, nutrition and exercise, your growth will be stunted.”
“Now I need to know what kind of skills you want to learn, so you need to come up with a way to let me know.” Since he couldn't get the required materials himself, he was forced to depend on her. Tailoring was easy, he just grabbed her robe. “So, you want to learn tailoring, is that right?” Since he couldn't say yes, he giggled in agreement.
“Okay, that's one down, what's the next skill?” Alchemy was much harder to explain. At first he didn't know how to explain it to her, but then he had an idea. He pointed to the pocket she put the bottle in. Realizing what he was pointing to, she soon caught on. “The most obvious answer is cooking, is that it?” At this he gave out a cry, to let her know that it wasn't cooking. “If it's not cooking, then it has to do with the bottle, the formula, or a liquid in a container.” She thought for a minute, then asked him, “are you interested in alchemy?” since that's the best she could think up of. Wraith giggled again, relieved that she figured it out.
“Thank goodness. Now that I know what you need, I'll get it prepared for you. Tomorrow I'll let you practise and study. For today, you'll have to go back to bed and sleep. If you don't there can be effects on your future health and strength.”
As much as it pained him to admit it, she was right. He was exhausted after just a few minutes. It wasn't like I would be able to do anything anyway at this point. He didn't even bother resisting when she brought a bottle from her pocket and put it in his mouth. At least I don't need to be breast-fed, if she did that I wouldn't be able to face her again.
When she finished feeding him, she walked back into his room and put him down. “Don't worry, I'm in an adjoining room, so I'll be here when you wake up. I'll be sure to take good care of you. Sleep well, my beautiful baby boy.” With those last words, she kissed him softly on the forehead and went into her room.
Wraith couldn't help but feel happy. He did have loving parents at home, and while he did love his mother, what was happening right now, wasn't going to replace her. If anything, he couldn't help but see his mother in the Queen.
Her strength, beauty, kindness and unconditional love all reminded him of his mother, so he could let himself act as his son. It was something that had to be experienced in order to fully understand it. He knew that had he told anyone else about this, they wouldn't get it.
In fact, they would probably see him as a weirdo that never got any affection from his mother. Now he knew that he was a bit different from others, but he considered himself to be fairly well-adjusted. In fact, if you take away the budding sadism and indifference to human life he's just like any other boy you'd meet.
With those thoughts in mind, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Next Chapter
*I know that the tables for the skill box doesnt work, ill try to fix it