> STATUS:
> Thomas [Generalist 2, Poisoner 2, Rogue 1]
> HP 10/22
> SP 13/30
> MP 7/26
>
> Strength 6
> Agility 10
> Intellect 8
>
> Skills:
> Linguist I
> Lethal Poisoner I
> Stealth I
> Tricksy Bastard I
>
> Generalist 10/12
> Poisoner 10/12
> Rogue 5/12
The ork bearing down on Thomas appears unaffected by the poison. As they make eye contact, the ork roars, his eyes suddenly glowing red. This is not a fight Thomas could possibly win, and he is out of tricks. Time to run away. He bolts sideways just a little faster than he was expecting, as the ork's sword cleaves through the air where he had been.
The enraged ork, of course, gives chase. With no idea where he is, or where safety might be found, his only option seems to be to lose the ork completely. Running faster than he ever has before, whether because of the System-granted Agility or the really very motivating situation, Thomas crashes through the forest, leaping over the occasional fallen branch and bush.
Surely he has more Stamina than me, though? Looking back, his enemy is keeping pace, battering through the same obstacles. Thomas looks back just in time to avoid a tree. A full moon is not enough light to be running an obstacle course.
It's been a few years since Thomas did a 100-meter sprint in Track and Field. The moment he starts to run, he feels out of breath, oddly suddenly. Stamina. [SP 11/24] Perhaps the feeling is a warning for 50% SP? Stamina. [SP 10/24]. Around one point per second? Stamina. [SP 9/24]. Nine seconds to live. He could try to climb a tree? Orks aren't wolves, he could climb too, or just chop it down with that sword of his eventually. Stamina. [SP 4/24]. Four. Three - and the crashing from behind has grown quieter. Risking another glimpse back, the ork is staggering to a halt. The red glow has gone out, and he is clutching his chest.
"COWARD!" he yells with surprising volume. "I *wheeze* swear vengeance upon *wheeze* you and your bloodline!"
> [!]
> Effect: Nemesis Oath I
Good luck finding my family! Even I don't know where they are! Having about 30 meters of lead, he slows his pace to a brisk walk before he hits the same wall, and checks his notifications.
> NOTIFICATIONS:
> * At-level survival: Half-ork [?? 5] 74 XP / 4.
> * Poisoner 3: +1 Agility, +1 Intellect. +1 Any.
> * Generalist 3: +1 all attributes. +1 Any.
> * 10 Intellect: +1 max Unclassed Skills, extra information
> * Effect: Nemesis Oath I: Indefinite.
> User gains +2 to hit, seek, and track target.
> -1 to same vs any other target.
Extra information? Status.
:: NAME ::
"Thomas"
:: CLASSES ::
Generalist 3, Poisoner 3, Rogue 1
:: CURRENT STATUS ::
HP 26/26
(10 + 2 * Strength)
HP Regen 0.1% / minute
SP 42/42
(10 + 2 * Agility)
SP Regen 10% / minute
MP 28/28
(10 + 2 * Intellect)
MP Regen 1% / minute
:: EFFECTS ::
* Nemesis Oath I
:: FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTES ::
Strength 7
Agility 12
Intellect 10
:: DERIVED ATTRIBUTES ::
Speed 8 m/s
Sneak 13
:: SKILLS ::
* Linguist I
* Lethal Poisoner I:
To advance, reach Poisoner 10.
* Stealth I:
To advance, reach Rogue 10.
* Tricksy Bastard I:
To advance, get 5 kills assisted by an enemy.
:: EXPERIENCE ::
Generalist 7/14
Poisoner 8/14
Rogue 5/12
:: SKILL SLOTS ::
Unclassed: 2/3 *
Generalist: 0/0
Poisoner: 1/2 *
Rogue: 2/2
18.5 XP, rounded and split between Generalist and Poisoner? Why not Rogue? Wait, did I just get better at mental arithmetic?
Also, that was a half-ork? How big are full orks?
He had been wondering if there were any choices in this System besides trying to trigger certain conditions. Agility seems to have kept him alive so far. Agility. [Agility 12] Increase Agility? [Agility 13, UNASSIGNED 1] Increase Agility. [Agility 14]. Status.
Increasing Agility increased Stamina, but nothing else. Good to know. Running away seems like a good strategy until he is better oriented, or at least has some more levels. Does +4 Agility make a detectable difference in sprint speed? Yes, it does! For the 2 seconds before he is hit by crippling chest pain and stumbles. [WARNING: SP 0/36] Right... After less than a minute, the pain instantly reverts to the feeling of being out of breath.
He might just as easily be running away from civilization as towards it. He needs to get oriented, literally. Doesn't moss grow on the north side of trees? There's not a lot of moss around, and it doesn't seem to point in any particular direction. Knowing north wouldn't actually be helpful, come to think of it; he doesn't know where he wants to go. Climbing a tree seems like a sensible thing to do. That one is tall and has low branches. Climbing on 1 SP would be foolish, though; hitting zero could drop him off the tree for all he knows. Well, that's a good excuse for a rest. He sits down against the tree and sticks the dagger he liberated into the ground.
Wait, I got STABBED with that! Hurriedly lifting his shirt, he sees a narrow wound about 3 inches long. There's blood in it, but it doesn't seem to be actively bleeding. He doesn't know much first aid, but that doesn't seem like much blood for a wound like that. Also, it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it should. His shirt has only a little blood around the cut. Just to be on the safe side, he tries to bandage it anyway. Cutting off the bottom of his shirt with the dagger, he ties it back on, tight.
> [!]
> Effect: First Aid I: +1 HP / hour
> NOTIFICATIONS:
> * You have bandaged a cut. Unclassed Skill unlocked.
> * First Aid I: Using a bandage, heal 1/2 a (slashing or piercing) wound's damage at 1 HP/hour.
>
> Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
>
> * Unclassed Skills: 2/2.
Neat. It belatedly occurs to Thomas that there might be other stabby creatures in this vast forest. He's got some kind of bonus to Stealth, right? How does that even work? Does it make him blurry? He tries to hide, crouching beside the tree [Stealth 14]. No visible effect, besides the indication that his Stealth skill is active. He walks as quietly as he can; his unnatural agility makes him pretty quiet, considering the cluttered forest floor, but nothing special happens. Well, the skill bonus is only +10%, right now; perhaps it will become more noticeable with more Rogue levels.
Stamina. [SP 5/36] Some more rest wouldn't hurt. He sits down against the tree, again, and tries wishing to not be seen [Stealth 14].
Apparently wanting to hide is sufficient, though he has no idea if "14" means much.
He falls asleep.
> [!]
> Effect: Exposure
> Effect: First Aid I: expired
> Effect: Exposure (2x)
> Effect: Exposure (3x)
> Effect: Exposure: Resisted
> Effect: Thirst
Thomas wakes up thirsty, well after dawn, from a night full of dreams - the orks with flaming eyes being the least terrifying. It takes a few seconds for him to seperate his fantastical reality from the nightmares, and check his Notifications.
> NOTIFICATIONS:
> * Effect: Exposure: 2 hours / stack.
> Regen reduced by 10% / stack.
> * Effect: Exposure (2x)
> * Effect: Exposure (3x)
> * You have resisted Exposure
> * Effect: Thirst: Until cured
> -1 HP and SP / stack / tick
Oops. Time to climb a tree! A really, really tall tree. After accidentally sleeping sitting up in a forest. This will be fun. Oddly, as he stands up, he doesn't feel sore at all. Or stressed. Or anything, really, except thirsty. He could get used to this world. He climbs from branch to branch, carefully, but with strength and coordination he's never had before. A bit more than halfway up, he hits that winded feeling, and sits on a branch for a few minutes to be safe before resuming his climb. Just as the thinning trunk is starting to bend a little, he can begin to see over the trees around him. Yup, those sure are a lot of trees. Anything else? He moves up one more branch. Is that smoke? He's not sure, but it's as good a direction as any, and perhaps 45 degrees off from the direction he had been running in.
As he shifts his weight to climb down, the branch his foot is on snaps. While some branches do slow him down a bit, there's a nearly clear fall of 10 meters or so - obviously lethal to anyone. Well, it's been fun. As he hits the ground, he instinctively rolls with the impact [-20 HP (Reduced)] - and is alive? Health?? [HP 3/24]. He has a feeling that those 2 points in Agility may have just saved his life.
That stress is back. This seems entirely reasonable. He now has 3 HP, and Thirst will eventually deal damage again. The hopefully-smoke was - that way. He thinks. He puts the dagger awkwardly in a pocket of his jeans, sticking the handle underneath the bandage wrap to keep it from falling out. Then he begins to limp in that direction, before realizing that his legs actually don't hurt enough to make him limp. That's weird but he's not going to question it right now. Oh, and walking quietly might be wise. [Stealth 14]. His Stamina comes back in less than an hour.
> [!]
> Effect: Exposure: Expired
After several boring hours of walking, he comes across a road, if a set of wagon ruts deserves that title. It occurs to him that he hasn't tested what happens if he runs at a speed below his maximum. /Stamina/ [SP 36/36] He begins to jog. There seems to be a natural pace that he "snaps" to, for lack of a better word. It seems to be double his walking speed, half his sprinting speed. If he tries to go a little faster, or slower, it feels like he's manually controlling his speed instead of letting his reflexes do the work. At a sprint, he would get winded in 18 seconds, he thinks, but he jogs for a minute, counting off seconds. /Stamina/ [SP 32/36] Awesome. Assuming regen is constant, it would be wisest to jog a few minutes at a time and keep his Stamina high in case of emergency.
Several jogging cycles later, just as he is about to slow to a walk again at 30 SP, he sees someone hiding in the bushes on his left. More bandits? As he passes the bush, Thomas and the bandit jump each other at almost the same time. Thomas is a split-second slower as he draws his dagger from its awkward sheath, but as a stab comes at him, he fluidly steps around it and returns the favor to the bandit's side [12 damage dealt]. Remembering old war stories, he twists the knife [1 damage dealt, Bleeding inflicted].
A flicker of movement on his now-left. As his head starts to turn, an arrow flies by his ear. He sees a second bandit, nocking another arrow. Mr-bad-at-hiding isn't dead yet, but he's badly wounded and bleeding for unknown damage and duration. The guy who did successfully hide is the bigger threat. A 14-Agility dash, [1 bleed damage dealt] a sidestep at the end as the enemy looses his arrow wildly, and a stab [12 damage dealt], and a twist [2 damage dealt, Bleeding inflicted]. His opponent drops the bow and draws a hunting knife. He tries to grab the bandit's knife arm, misses, but throws off the bandit's slash enough. Now that the surprise has worn off, the bandit seems as fast as he is. How about tripping? He goes down, rolls to his feet [7 bleed damage dealt], then falls over, dead.
Mr-bad-at-hiding has wisely decided to flee. Oh no you don't. Clearly he does not have the Agility that the archer had, let alone what Thomas has now.
Easily catching up to the fleeing bandit - he wanted to murder me for my XP, turnabout is fair play - one quick slash finishes him [16 damage dealt].
> NOTIFICATIONS:
> * Kill: Human [Rogue 2, Hunter 2] 22 XP.
> * Generalist 4: +1 all attributes.
> * Rogue 2: +2 Agility.
> * Kill: Human [Rogue 2] 11 XP.
Do they have anything good on them? Their knives, of course, he can probably trade those for food. And waterskins!
> [!]
> Effect: Thirst: Cured
Leather boots, they won't fit him, but are probably valuable. Tying the laces together and hanging them around his shoulders seems to work well enough. The shortbow and quiver. Their clothing looks warmer, and only slightly more stabbed than his. It might be bad to show up dressed like an Earthling. Hopefully they don't decide that he's the bandit here.
> [!]
> Effect: Exposure: Expired
An hour or two later, he comes into sight of a wooden palisade, with a gate set into it, big enough to fit the wagons this road was made by. A sentry with leather armor and a crossbow leaning on the palisade stands over the closed gate. As he approaches, the guard hails him in [Southern]. The tone doesn't appear hostile, thankfully, even though Thomas must look sketchy. "Hello! I don't speak your language!" he says, in a friendly tone. The guard tries [Orkish]. Getting no answer, he turns and calls down to someone. After a few minutes, an older man, wearing an apron, climbs up the ladder and looks down at him.
[Elvish] "-understand this language?"
> NOTIFICATIONS:
> * You have listened to 5 3 languages. Unclassed Skill advanced.
> * Linguist II: Understand all extant spoken languages. To advance, listen to or attempt to read 10 5 languages.
He nods vigorously. "Yes! But can you understand me?" The older man looks at him oddly, and speaks quietly to the sentry. Thomas' hearing seems a bit sharper than expected.
[Southern]:"[Linguist] isn't translating his language, and identifies it as [Unknown]. The only time I've seen that is when a drunkard is babbling nonsense. He might be cursed or [Dazed]?"
[Elvish]:"I cannot understand you, but if you can understand me, the guard wishes to know your name, and whether you mean harm to any here."
"Thomas." And he shakes his head. Wait, is nodding and shaking universal?
[Southern]:"Does your truth-telling work on gestures?"
"It's not really truth-telling, just boosted [Perception]. But some types of truth-telling could be foiled by gestures, so being unable to speak is a bit suspicious, yes." The sentry sighs. "But he's level 9, so either he's dangerous in a fight or capable of lying to me, but not both. I'll change the usual questions to yes or no questions if you can translate."
"Hey, uh, I can understand all languages now, I have Linguist II". Thomas attempts to gesture this... Ear, One, No, Ear, Two, Yes? They stare blankly at him for a moment. He tries gesturing "keep going".
[Elvish]:"Are you saying you want me to keep talking?" Nod and shake. "Yes and no? Oh, do you want to hear Southern again?" Nod. The translator speaks slowly in [Southern]:"This is Southern, the native language of this area. Can you understand it?" Nod. "But you didn't a minute ago? Wait, did you get [Linguist II] just now when I spoke Elvish?" Nod. "Well, looks like you two don't need me anymore, then. I'm the innkeeper, I'll be there after George lets you in. I'd be interested in talking to you. And you look like you could use a meal and a bed." Nod and wave. To the sentry: "Well, he's got Intellect 10, so he probably heard everything we were saying. Good news is, he can't be too dangerous with those daggers."
The sentry takes over. [Southern]:"Alright, this will take a bit longer as yes or no questions. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I got a job to do. Do you intend to harm anyone in this town? Do you intend to commit any crime in this town? Have you been inside this town before? Do you have any warrants for your arrest, anywhere in the world? Do you have a bounty for your capture or death? Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Have you ever ...