I’m adrift, floating on a river. There is no sun in the sky, but the day is perfectly bright regardless. The river is pounding off the rocks at its banks, producing a dull throbbing noise that seems to echo off the sky. It’s pleasant. Like an intermittent white noise machine. The sound is soothing and I close my eyes, ready to take a nap. I feel like I’ve earned it, and I can’t remember the last time I slept.
Slowly, the noise gets stronger. It transforms from a soothing pulse, rocking me to sleep, to a brisk knock hammering at my mind to get in. I crack an eye, irritated. Why can’t I just go to sleep?
The view is the same. The pounding is almost physical now, rattling my bones, and I wonder why the leaves on the trees on either bank aren’t shaking. Don’t they feel it too?
Something is wrong. I stand up to get a better view. The river is soft and warm beneath my feet.
I look down, and I see that beneath me is a fox, swimming in the river. From my perch upon his back I can see he is much bigger than I am. He turns his head like an owl to me and smiles, but his eyes are empty and his mouth a fanged nightmare waiting to swallow me whole.
I jump into the river, desperate to get away. The thumping has accelerated even faster now and it fills my head as soon as I go under the surface, scattering my thoughts like a sledgehammer every time I try and think. I can’t hear the fox over the river, but I can feel his claws slicing along my skin as he reaches for me.
I swim deeper, and my blood fills the water around me. I taste iron and the fear of drowning hits me with a vengeance, overpowering my fear of the fox. I don’t want to die and know that I have to surface, but when I try the water turns to gray sand, swallowing my movements and leaving no trace behind. I dig for air, all the while getting dragged deeper into the dark.
The sand is pressing on my lungs, squeezing out all the air from them. My body burns, eating itself alive to give me even one more second, but the sand doesn’t care for its sacrifice.
I drown.
----------------------------------------
I wake up.
My eyelids flutter, brushing away the dirt from where I am slumped over on the ground. Everything hurts, and I can’t seem to think straight. What happened to me?
A box hovering in my vision answers some of my questions.
You have [5] unread notifications!
[notification] Log:
HP and MP fully regenerated! [Meditation] can no longer be used. Beginning awakening process… done!
System logs show you it has been [00:02:00:00] since your last Level increase and you haven’t checked your Status yet. Since humans suffer from [faulty] [organic-based] memories, this is a friendly reminder! Don’t forget!
You have [00:04:00:00] left to complete your required SAD objectives. That means half of the time is gone! At this point, [34%] of arena [16748]’s participants have completed their required SAD objectives. You’re not one of them!
You have [00:05:00:00] left to complete your required SAD objectives. Good luck!
Status [bleeding] has been removed from you.
Fuck.
I roll over onto my back and stare at the slightly darker sky. Does that make it four times now?
Fuck.
I drag myself back into a sitting position. My eyes land on the fox’s body-
teeth and claws flashing in the dark-
I look away. I slowly unwrap the bandages from my arms. The wounds are gone, my skin clear and tan without a blemish. They still ache slightly, though. Some sort of phantom pain that my fully regenerated HP bar can’t erase.
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“Status,” I croak through a dry throat, trembling. If I did all of that for another bullshit ability, I might snap.
Name: Kira Uhrmacher
Level: 2
Race: Human
Affinity: Time
HP: 24/24
Mana: 41/41
Time: 0/44
Stats:
Unassigned Points: 4
STR 8
END 9
PER 12
INT 18
VIT 12
WIL 4
AGI 12
WIS 16
Titles: [N/A]
Traits: [Passed Down Through the Centuries], [Nothing But Time], [In a Split Second]
Abilities:
Passive: [Weight of Time], [Split Second]
Active: [Eyes of Time]
[Moment of Clarity] (New)
[Mana Manipulation] (New)
Skills:
[Restorative Meditation] (New)
I skim through my status. Four unassigned points, so it looks like I can improve my base stats. My vitality improved from the last time I checked as well - are there automatic stat gains when I level up? Will it always be for vitality, or does it switch?
I have two new abilities as well, and my [Meditation] skill changed. I decide to check that first, since it is at least somewhat familiar territory. ‘Meditation.’
[Restorative Meditation] [Common] [Tier 2]: You have learnt to tune out the distractions happening around you and rely on purposeful breathing techniques to restore your state of being. Despite not being able to meditate in combat, you have learnt the next best thing: meditating while being actively harmed. Your ability to focus inwards has increased.
* For the duration of this skill passive MP regeneration is increased by 100%
* For the duration of this skill passive HP regeneration is increased by 50%
* For the duration of this skill negative status effects’ affliction time is reduced by 100%
* For the duration of this skill [PER] is reduced by 100%, with increasing debuffs as duration increases
* For the duration of this skill [notifications] are automatically muted
* This skill cannot be used in combat
Huh. I glance at the fox out of the corner of my eyes. Thanks, I guess. Now I have a rough idea what Tiers are. It’s kind of like how I got my [Split Second] ability, which by the way didn’t fucking trigger earlier when I could have really used it. Wait, does that mean I was never in danger of dying?
I try to think for a moment, but I don’t really have time to care. If I had stood there and done nothing, that fox would have killed me. I must have just done the bare fucking minimum to keep alive. Go me.
My eyes fall to the first of my new active abilities. ‘Moment of Clarity.’
[Moment of Clarity] [Rare] [Tier 1]: Being able to take a moment in strenuous situations and think is a blessing itself.
* This ability comes from the Affinity [Time]
* Time Cost (Base:5, cost increases based on duration of ability)
That… actually does sound useful, if it means what I think it does. Of course, it uses stored Time, which I don’t fucking have. Hopefully, the next ability doesn’t rely on Time, considering Mana is in the name. ‘Mana Manipulation.’
[Mana Manipulation] [Common] [Tier 1]: The most essential hallmark of having an affinity is the ability to use affinity-flavored mana. Time is a demanding teacher, however, and only accepts the best. Only after those who are already favored have proven themselves will they be granted the ability to interact directly with Time.
* This ability comes from the Affinity [Time]
* Mana Cost (cost increases based on duration of ability)
“Ha. HA! HAHAHAHAHA!" I grab fists full of hair and laugh dementedly as I realize what that ability description means. The fact that I couldn’t do anything with my [Eyes of Time] ability wasn’t because I couldn’t figure it out, it was because the whole point of giving the ability to me at Level 1 was so that it could fucking tempt me with what I couldn’t do yet.
I stand up, having found the energy to do so. I check the timer.
[00:03:16:33]
Only three hours to figure out magic and get as many levels. Oh well. Rage is as good a motivator as any.