Tara blinked, blinked again. Then screamed.
The Starbucks cafe had been turned into a battleground. The trio of College students in the corner faced off against a strange creature; it was short. About three feet tall, green and ugly. It looked like the typical fantasy goblin. But that was ridiculous; Fantasy was fantasy.
Tara's gaze swept past them and landed on the barista, and she took a step back in shock. In the hands of the baffled and scared barista was a sizeable glowing longsword.
Okay, Tara, think first, go back to the bathroom and close the door.
Quickly doing an about-face, Tara returned to the bathroom and closed the door as quickly but quietly as possible. Before Panic could freeze her in place, she started pacing back in forth.
"Okay, okay, what do you know? Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic." Tara muttered and sped up her pacing.
Ding!
Welcome to the System Tara Blanc
Calculating life history…
Ding!
Please call out Status to see your results.
Tara froze and stared at the words that appeared floating in front of her face. Tara gasped for air, realizing that she hadn't been breathing in her shock.
Tara remembered all the stories she had read about the System apocalypse with a whimper. Suddenly, the situation she had stumbled into in the cafe made more sense.
Okay, you know what this means; all those years of reading fantasy books are finally proving helpful in real life. Man up! Take the next step, as Dory says. Just keep swimming.
Tara swallowed and realized her throat was dry.
"Status," Tara barely whispered.
Tara Blanc
Strength
2
Intelligence
7
Dexterity
3
Wisdom
5
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Vitality
1
Spirt
8
Ding!
Congrats on opening your status screen, next say “Skills,”
“It's real, this is really happening.” Tara breathed out in disbelief.
“Okay, okay, stay calm, Skills,” Tara stated trying to keep herself calm.
Skills
Reading
35
writing
28
acting
17
singing
15
learning
18
Ding!
Yay! You are doing great! As a prize, here's a new skill we choose just for you based on who you have been so far in life.
Ding!
Would you like to open your gift?
Yes/No
Tara blinked as she finished reading the words. "A gift?" She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes,"
Congratulations on your new skill, Manafest Words
"Manafest words?" Tara asked herself. It was have been a trigger because the next second, Tara was hit with the worse headache she had ever had; she stumbled and grabbed onto the marble of the sink next to her. Tara gasped in pain and hunched over. Suddenly the pain was gone. In its place was all that she needed to know to use her new skill Manafest Words.
"Wow. That, this is." Tara stumbled over her words as she pondered over her new skills.
New Quest is available. Reach Level 10 in Manafest Words
New Quest is available. Slay 5 enemies
New Quest is available. Reach Level 5
Tara reared back at the sudden influx of words. Suddenly a loud bang came from the other side of the door and caused the entire bathroom to shake. Tara stumbled and stared at the door, scared.
"Okay, you can do this." Tara tried to convince herself. She glanced in the mirror and frowned. She looked the same. She wasn't sure why exactly why she thought that her appearance would change, but it didn't seem right. So Tara untied her sweater from her waist and pulled it on. She pulled her hair out of its tight ponytail and redid it into a long braid that fell down her back. Tara adjusted her glasses and nodded to herself. It would do for now.
"Okay, let's try this out." She stood in the middle of a small bathroom, on her right three stalls and on the left two sinks. She held her right arm out and splayed her fingers.
"Manafest Words" as the last syllable left her mouth. Tara gasped as warmth flooded her body, and she began to glow a light blue.
"A Sword to fight and defend," By the last word, Tara was swaying and felt drained; all that was left o the warmth from before was a small flickering light in her chest. But in her right hand was a beautiful sword. The pommel was pearl white, and the blade's metal was a clear silver. Engraved on the blade were the words, "To fight and defend."
Tara stared at the sword with a wide giddy grin on her face. She swung the blade, and a sharp whistle filled the air as the blade cut threw the air.
"All right, I'm ready."