Chapter 15 Jumping Feathers
As Jake was heading north it was getting colder. Patches of snow were clinging to the shadows of trees he had to get this feather from the phoenix quickly but jumping was getting too dam cold. The chill bit into Jake’s bones, even through his robust attire. The forests grew denser and taller, casting long shadows over the trail, making the task all the more ominous. A 'ping' in his ears rang out, He saw a message saying Quest map available. He checked his character screen and sure enough, there was a new tab with a quest map and even an option for a mini-map. The auditory ping was signaling that he was close to a point of interest.
Spotting a clearing up ahead, he took a moment to adjust his gloves and scarf, preparing for the next jump. In the distance, a magnificent mountain crowned with glittering snow stood tall and imposing. He took a deep breath and channeled his energy, concentrating on the mountain's peak. With a great leap and boosting his momentum, the world around him blurred, and in a split second, he landed, on top of snow, and the biting wind made him gasp.
The mountain's view was extraordinary. The world below looked almost ethereal from this vantage point, but Jake's focus was on finding the phoenix. His instincts told him that where there was fire, there would be the phoenix, especially in such frigid conditions.
A faint glow in the distance caught Jake’s eye. There, nestled in a nook of the mountain, was a warm and inviting cave, illuminated from within by a soft, pulsating light. As he approached, he could make out the silhouette of the majestic phoenix, its vibrant plume radiating warmth and hope.
Taking a cautious step forward, Jake cleared his throat, "Majestic Phoenix, I seek your assistance." The phoenix turned its luminous eyes to him, tilting its head curiously.
Before Jake could elaborate, the ground shook beneath his feet. Ice and rocks broke free, cascading down the mountain's side. The rumbling echoed loudly, causing a series of avalanches in the distance. This wasn’t a regular phenomenon; something had caused this disturbance. He thought, “Well it was worth a shot.”
From the opposite side of the peak, a massive shadowy figure emerged, its scales shimmering in the dim light. It was an Ice Drake, and it seemed to have been disturbed by Jake’s load declaration. The drake roared, a sound that echoed in the valleys below.
With the Phoenix on one side and the Ice Drake on the other, Jake was caught between fire and ice. He knew he had to think quickly, not just to get the Phoenix feather but to ensure he got out of there alive.
Chapter 16: Dance of Fire and Ice
Jake quickly cast a shield as the Ice Drake lunged. The Phoenix, sensing the danger Jake was in, or maybe he just didn't like Ice Drakes, swooped down and engaged the Ice Drake, creating a flurry of fiery and icy explosions.
It was a magnificent and terrifying spectacle to witness. The Phoenix, representing warmth, life, and rebirth, danced around the Ice Drake, an emblem of cold, darkness, and death. The two creatures battled fiercely, their strengths perfectly opposing each other.
Jake seized the opportunity and pulled out his gun. He thought maybe he needed the Phoenix alive as stories said they burst into flames or something when they die. Jake was fuzzy on the details but for sure he knew he didn't need the drake alive. He drew a bead on the drake with his summoned hunting rifle. Now, a .308 round will kill anything on the North American continent, and apparently, an Ice Drake was no exception.
One thing Jake failed to take into account was loud noises and snow-covered peaks don't mix. What had to be thousands of tons of ice and snow gave way from all around the peak. Jake ignored the kill notification from the ice drake and bum-rushed the stunned phoenix. The phoenix wasn't happy but it seemed to not want to be buried alive so it took flight. Jake clung to the bird as it frantically fled the falling snow and debris.
The phoenix dove hundreds of feet and then pulled up causing Extreme G forces, yet Jake held on. As this massive bird leveled off Jake yanked out a handful of feathers and jumped with all his might. The opposite reaction of Jake jumping up was the bird who despite its large size didn't weigh that much. The shock of getting the feather yanked out and then the sharp loss in altitude causes it to clip an outcropping and plow face-first into a snow bank.
Jake was diving through the air and had an idea. He remembered the description of Fortitude:
Fortitude. Mental strength. Allows for concentration, pain tolerance, and spell-like ability manipulation(damage, range, secondary effects).
He recalled specifically Spell manipulation. He concentrated on arresting his downward momentum while increasing his forward momentum. Almost immediately he started to level off. He felt a burst of adrenaline as he was flying. He couldn't change his direction but he was generally moving the right way. Jake increased his speed until he felt he was close enough and cut off the spell. What had previously taken a day of jumping now only took minutes.
He looked down at the landscape below and slowly applied breaks. He would still have to travel a ways but then he figured if he could just glide from each jump he could just keep gliding and only land when he needed to make a course correction. He had some housekeeping to do first though.
Chapter 17 Testing
Jake landed on a tree top and opened his messages. “You have slain a level 38 Ice Drake. Bonus XP for slaying an enemy more than 15 levels higher than you (12x). You have gained two levels. +1 free stat point”
Stats:
STR 17
END 21
DEX 19
FOR 21
INT 15
WIS 19
Jake selected Dex. “Congratulations! You are at the pinnacle of human Dexterity. You gain a Title, Like a Cat (You will always land on your feet. If you see an attack coming and if it's humanly possible for you to move in time, you will dodge it. If possible, you don't miss.). Jake then brought up his ability list.
General abilities:
mana blast
fire bolt
telekinesis
launch/Breaks
Shield
Class abilities:
Enhanced Senses
Unimpeded movement
Meditate
Jake needed to practice with his abilities. He wanted to see how far he could tweak them. He also needed to change clothes to better blend into where he was going not to mention to do something about the identifiable jewelry he looted from the cultists. First, he removed the rings and put them on the chain he wore around his neck. Then he donned some of the spare clothes he found there. He now looked like someone from the middle ages. He then proceeded to make a base camp. He deployed his tent up in a tree tying it off with para-cord and draping camouflage netting over it anything he didn't need to take with him he would leave here. If for some reason he needed to retreat he could come back here. He took the smaller storage ring with what he needed and left everything else in the larger more ornate one. That ring he left in the tent was hidden.
As Jake practiced his abilities, he found he could manipulate Telekinesis. Normally it was like he had an invisible clone that he could remotely interact with the world. He could hit things with his invisible fists but if he concentrated he could form those fists into blades or stabbing weapons. As for mana blast and fire bolt, he could increase force and heat respectively. He knew if he had enough practice he could probably mix them. Maybe he could even make a fire shield. He had to get a move on though, Lily was waiting for him.
Chapter 18 Getting Answers
Jake quickly made his way to the road he followed it in a Hamlet surrounded by a wall that was circled by a dry mote with sharpened stakes scattered throughout. There was a draw bridge but no one was guarding the entrance. There were lookouts in leather armor stationed on top of the wall carrying crossbows. They didn't pay any attention though to anyone passing through the entrance. Their attention was focused on the fields surrounding the settlement. Jake casually walked in blending in with the folks going about their business. Jake noticed a bulletin board outside a building that was marked Town Hall. He walked up to the bulletin a pursued the postings.
At the top, bold letters are pronounced, City Of Windfall. He saw different personal ads and some notices, but three missing posters caught his eye. There were pictures drawn up and he recognized two of them. Rewards were offered for their safe return. He quickly walked away following the directions Lily left him towards the schoolhouse. As he walked he saw a blacksmith, general store, tannery, brewery and tavern, a tailor, and other various stores and businesses. He passed a residential neighborhood and finally came to the schoolhouse. Detached from the schoolhouse was a medium-sized cottage. He walked up to the door and knocked.
Lily answered the door and was surprised to see him. “what are you doing back so soon did something go wrong?” Jake smiled, “Nope I got lucky and came across these.” he handed her a fist full of feathers and her eyes went wide. “Are you serious? There are enough Feathers here to treat dozens. Do you know how much these are worth? Anyone would pay their life savings to obtain a cure.” Jake replied, “Well now they're yours to do with as you please.” Well, come in I need to get started brewing the cure right away.”
She ushered him in sat him down on a reasonably comfy sofa and told him “Wait here I have something for you.” She crossed the room and returned with a book and handed it to him. He opened it up and the inside cover read “The wondrous system and you.” She said, “You had so many questions so I borrowed this from the school house. You may read it while you wait. I'm sure you know most of what's in there as this as it is for children, but it may be informative to have a different perspective.” He thanked her and she rushed off.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Jake opened the book and started reading. No one knows the origin of the system but every child receives the gift when they come of age. Starting stats vary from person to person but typically they all start at or near the value of 8. It has been concluded that starting Stats are based on the individual's physical and mental abilities at the point of receiving the gift.” Jake thought back to when he received the gift. He got a message that read “Warning Error
Mental and Physical Characteristics do not match the starting level.
Recalculating...” That would make sense as he was an adult in very good physical condition and had already been to college and years of training making his starting scores much higher. Before he re-classed and joined special forces he was a nuclear technician. The system then had improved upon his already high stats.
Jake read on. “Some have taken this information and put young children through brutal physical and difficult mental training to improve their base stats; however, this practice while effective, has been outlawed throughout Lerra. It knows that's some foreign states.” Two things came to mind when reading this, One the nation he was in was called Lerra. Secondly, he had taken it for granted up until now, but everyone was speaking English. Even this book was written in English. The system messages were in English too. He had never heard of Lerra before but English was the common language here. This was a startling realization. What did that mean? Was the System somehow translating for him? It didn't seem like it, but if the system was in his head anything was possible.
Jake continued reading. Most of what he read he had already figured out for himself but there was information on other classes and their abilities and sub-classes. One interesting thing was there were rankings listed for levels. Level 1-9 was ranked unbound. Level 10-19 was ranked enforcer 20 and up was ranked war class. An unbound was your average civilian they were kept weak and if they were found to rank passed 9 on their own they were forced to either become an enforcer which was your average city guard or law enforcement, or they were forced to wear a suppression collar. Then there was the war class. They were either promoted from the enforcer class, or more commonly, they were cultivated from a young age to become royal guards or a part of the nation's military force. There were exceptions of course. There were exceptions for the wealthy and politically connected, as long as they were loyal to the royal family that is. This was a children's book so it didn't go into too much depth or detail and the information was limited.
Jake was startled out of his thoughts as Lily returned. She said my father is still unconscious but he seems to be getting color back. He should be returning to full health within the week. How about I show you around town and we can return in an hour and I can start preparing your supper. It's the least I can do after everything you have done for me.” Jake replied that sounds great. I'll follow your lead.”
Jake walked hand and hand with Lily as she showed him the sights. He asked her “So what do you do here?” She replied I assist at the medical clinic. I brew potions, and remedies, and create ointments for ailments. We have an actual healer but he is limited on energy, and can't always heal everyone. He treats the most injured, sick, or important enough to require his services. We should head back now, I have a special dinner planned for you.” Jake just smiled and said, “Lead the way.”
At dinner, they shared light conversation and a few jokes. Jake asked so I wanted to ask you can you explain to me your currency system. He pulled out a sack of coins and said, I have earned these in my travels but I'm not sure what they're all worth.” He dumped out some coins on the table and sorted them. He had a few large stacks of gold, silver and copper coins. Lily's eyes grew wide. “how did you get all that money? That's a small fortune. People are fortunate to earn a silver a day and each of those gold is worth five silver a piece. Each silver is worth fifty copper. What you have there is probably worth a year's pay for an average citizen.”
He replied, “Well most of that I have been saving up as I don't have much to spend it on, but I have been looking to get a few things here in town.” She commented, “Well let's go shopping tomorrow, For now, let me show you to my room.” She smiled and grabbed him by the hand. He followed willingly.
Chapter 19 Entropy
Weeks later Jake had gotten into a routine. He would sell copies of his map or pick up a few odd jobs in the morning. Sometimes he would go fishing at the nearby lake. He would spend his evenings with Lily. Most nights after Lily fell asleep, he would jump the wall to go hunting. He only needed a few hours of sleep each day. Life was quiet and he was happy. Lily's Father had recovered from the Shadow Plague and he was subtlety and not so subtlety hinting that Lily and Jake should get married and start a family. Jake wasn't opposed to the idea and by the way, Lily's eyes lit up every time the subject was brought up, she was on board.
For Jake, however, something was in the back of his mind. It was tugging at him. He felt the pull to grow stronger. It reminded him of the sensation he got from his enhanced senses. Overlapped with his desires were another set of desires. He could feel both at the same time. Just like with his senses though he could focus on what he wanted and block out the other. He intuited that the system wanted him to grow stronger, but he didn't know for what purpose. He however had experienced enough violence in his life and adventure. He had cheated death and it was time for him to settle down.
One big thing was holding him back though. Lily was strongly encouraging him to either join the guard or get collared. She said that she didn't know what they would do if he were caught over-leveling. In all likelihood, he would be forced into service. If that happened he would be stationed at the crown's needs. What she didn't know, however, Jake was well beyond enforcement class. If he turned himself in he would be conscripted. With the urgent need in the kingdom for high-level warriors he doubted collaring would even be an option. He thought his best chance would be to leave the kingdom entirely. Lily on the other hand wouldn't budge. This was her home. Her father was here and that was that.
Jake liked Lily but he was taking a chance by remaining here. One night a few months later these thoughts occupied his mind as he crept out of town looking to hunt a few beasts. He tracked back to his tent to retrieve his hunting rifle. He had been increasingly receiving mission quests, most of which he ignored. This time however he got a quest to hunt a monster bear that was encroaching on the local forest. That was his hunting ground so having another apex predator there wouldn't be good.
The bear was described to be the size of a small house and its tracks could be seen imprinted deep into the ground. These footprints were large enough to serve as a small pond after a rainy day. The quest suggested that the bear was an elite-class beast and that it was not to be taken lightly. Even the name given to this beast was formidable: The Shadow Mauler.
Jake, despite his reservations about over-leveling, couldn't resist the allure of this challenge. He decided that if he was going to hunt the beast, he'd need to do it discreetly and ensure that no one knew about it. He would operate in stealth mode.
He reached his tent and equipped himself with his rifle, some traps, and a few potions for emergencies. The cool night air was filled with tension as Jake stealthily moved through the forest, using his enhanced senses to track the Shadow Mauler. The rustling of leaves and distant animal calls played a gentle lullaby to the danger that lurked within.
Hours into his search, Jake stumbled upon a clearing where he found a carcass of a deer, torn to shreds. This was the work of the Mauler. Jake noticed the faint smell of the bear nearby. Following his instincts, he went deeper into the forest.
Suddenly, a chilling roar echoed through the night, making Jake's heart race. He saw it – the giant bear, its fur as black as the night with eyes that glowed a haunting yellow. The beast was formidable, but Jake had faced many dangers before.
He set a trap and took a vantage point on a nearby tree. The wait was tense. After what felt like an eternity, the bear approached the area where Jake had set the trap. Just as the bear was about to step on the trap, it paused and sniffed the air. It had sensed Jake.
In an instant, the Shadow Mauler lunged at Jake, who barely managed to avoid the massive paw aiming for his head. He shot at the bear, but the bullet barely seemed to phase it. Jake realized he was in for a real fight.
As the battle raged on, Jake's skills and the bear's raw strength clashed violently. Each trying to outmaneuver the other, every second was a battle for survival. Jake managed to land a few good shots, but the bear was resilient.
With one final effort, Jake managed to lure the bear into another trap, severely wounding it. Taking his chance, Jake aimed his rifle at the beast's head and fired, ending the battle. Exhausted, he approached the fallen giant, a mix of respect and sadness in his eyes.
After the hunt, Jake decided that it was too risky to stay. He loved Lily, but he couldn't put her or her family in danger. The next day, he would pack his belongings, leaving a letter for Lily explaining his decision.
Just then he felt an invisible force hold him in place. A harsh voice rang out in the night breaking the silence. “I've got you now you murdering dog! We haven't been introduced, I am the Mayor of Windfall and you killed my son!” Two other men flanked the mayor. While the mayor appeared to be the picture of a slimy politician and another one looked like a rich cowboy with a fancy suit and a neck bolo tie, the third man was familiar. He was the general store owner and he held some kind of wand pointed at Jake.
Jake asked, “How did you find me?” The Mayor replied, “It wasn't difficult, a strange man drifts into town flaunting unearned wealth. You were even wearing fancy clothes no doubt looted from the remains of our sons. I was not 100% sure though until we each received quests from the wondrous system. Now the quest says to bring you in alive but that just won't do at all. You will however suffer greatly before we allow you to die. Oh and don't worry about that harlot and her father you have been shacked up with. They have already been dealt with. The penalty for harboring a fugitive and treason is death.”
Jake's anger grew hot and he snapped. He drew on his power, ramping up launch he broke the hold of the magical wand holding him in place. The look of shock on his enemy's face lasted but a second, but that was enough. As he got within a few feet of the three men he radiated mana blast with all the force he could muster.
Two of the men were blasted into shredded clothes and smashed into a paste as they were thrown back into the darkness. The third however managed to erect a shield just in time. Jake's energy was spent and the glowing blue bar at the edge of his vision was flashing red. He didn't even notice it though as he stalked the third figure with murderous intent. The shop owner had managed to block the worst of the blast but he didn't get away unscathed as he crawled on his belly in the opposite direction. These fools had grown complacent and stagnated in their growth they had the opportunity to grow truly powerful. That was an opportunity the average citizen couldn't obtain without a leash forced upon their neck. But hadn't Jake done the same thing? He would change that but first, he had a grizzly task ahead of him. Screams rang out in the dark forest as Jake satisfied his need for revenge.
Covered in blood Jake flew back toward town. As he grew close his fears were realized. Hanging from the outer wall were two bodies. They had been burnt and had signs that read traitor hung around their necks. He could see smoke rising in the air from the direction of where he knew Lily's house had once stood. Warning cries from the city wall rang out. Jake wasted no time, and as crossbow bolts impacted around him with a few bouncing off his shield he steadied his aim and returned fire.
Time in combat always seems to run strangely. At times everything seemed to happen all at once. At other times it seemed to stretch on. What took minutes seemed like hours. This time it was the latter. Jake methodically dropped one guard after another. Once completed he approached the gate. The drawbridge was up creating a barrier to the entrance to the town. It was built in such a way that when raised it lined up with the wall creating an unbroken barrier all around the town. It didn't matter though as Jake had no desire to ever return. He jumped down into the pit slowing himself as he descended. He walked across the spikes as he approached the remains of Lily and her father.
Jake leaped up cutting the rope hold Lily. He caught and held her with tears in his eyes. He genitally put her down at the edge of the mote and repeated the same for her father. After that, he carried them back to the place they had first met. With an entrenchment tool, he dug two Six foot deep holes and laid them to rest. He found two large stones and went about creating headstones. As the sun started to rise in the sky he trekked back to where his tent was suspended and laid down for a couple hours of sleep.
***Sneak peek at Book Two***
Soldier of Fantasy Book 2
Prologue
Dawson was Completely lost. He had been talked into a stupid game by his two friends and now he would never see the light of day again. He felt like he had been down here for months. Unlike his idiot friends, he had taken his training seriously. He could handle the critters of the cave with no problem. He always wanted to be the best fighter in the land. He would finally win the heart of the beautiful Lily. She had captured his heart from the first time she substituted in his final year of school. She had taken over for old Gretchen when she fell ill. Dawson had known from that moment he would one day marry her.
Dawson Crept down another endless corridor, this one looking the same as any other he had passed through. This time however he saw a dim light up ahead. He must have finally found an exit he thought. it opened up to a small cavern. On the opposite side of the cavern embedded in the wall was a glowing door. He thought he must be seeing things but as he drew near still the door stood. It was featureless with no handle to open it. He placed his hand upon the door and it felt slightly warm to the touch and a message popped up in his vision. A scroll appeared much like many he had seen before from the wondrous system. He read the scroll and gasped.
“Welcome Traveler, here lies a challenge dungeon. Beware, Traveler, what lies behind this portal is a great challenge only matched by the rewards within. Do you dare pass beyond? Only one challenger allowed at a time.”
Dawson had heard of these dungeons. His friend Brad had spoken about how the royalty kept these dungeons as a closely guarded secret. They used these dungeons to train their royal guard. No one but the royal guards we ever allowed to use a dungeon. A challenge Dungeon was the stuff of myths and legions though. It is said that a challenge dungeon could only be completed once before it would disappear to a new location. Great heroes of times past were said to only have gotten such great power from completing one of these challenge dungeons. It was rumored that if one could pass a challenge dungeon with the power gained one could defeat an army.