Rainer stood leaning with his hands on his knees and the aftertaste of vomit in his mouth, one more reminder that he didn't have water and would need to find a source or die. Slowly, he stood straight, re-cast 7 armed arcane bolts, and looked around the room. If he had not already emptied the contents of his stomach, he would have when he saw what the goblins had been roasting on their camp fire. He was a biology major, and he knew human remains when he saw them. Rainer believed in survival of the fittest, and didn't pass moral judgment on the goblins. After all, bacon comes from an intelligent, self aware creature. But it did clarify that to goblins, he was food, and so Rainer's guilt over the recent slaughter of so many of them eased. He glanced around his surroundings, and listened closely, but heard and saw nothing dangerous. Rainer took a moment to check his stat screen.
[Name: Rainer Nvos]
[Age: 19]
[Titles: None]
[Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 1]
[Sub-Classes: None]
[Exp: 56%]
[Race: Human]
[Skills: Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10], [General Blade Mastery 5/10], [Dagger Mastery 2/10], [Sprinting 1/10], [Long Jumping 1/10], [Appraisal 1/10], [Arcane Energy Manipulation 1/10], [Speed Walking 1/10]
[Skill Points: 6]
[Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth]
[Stamina: 11/12]
[Stamina Regen: .1% per second]
[Mana: 6/13]
[Mana Regen: .001 per second]
[Constitution: 11]
[Affinity: 13]
[Vitality: 10]
[Endurance: 12]
[Strength: 11]
[Dexterity: 13]
[Intelligence: 14]
[Willpower: 10]
[Attribute points: 0]
He searched the bodies and campsite of the goblins and found little of use. In the fantasy media Rainer was familiar with, goblins were weak but numerous. If those he had seen so far were typical, average goblins here were stronger and faster than average humans, unless the average human in this world was physically superior to those on earth. If there were a large tribe in these tunnels, he was in very serious danger, but if there were only dozens rather than hundreds or thousands, self defense may be possible. On the other hand, his limited mana, even at its maximum, would allow for only 17 bolts. If he ran in to a group of 20 or more enemies, he would almost certainly die. It was also optimistic to assume that every goblin in the mine could be killed with a single bolt. Looking up, Rainer realized that there was no rock above him. The night sky was visible, and it was beautiful. Two moons shined down, surrounded by a brilliant array of stars. Climbing out was impossible, as he stood at the bottom of a hole in the mountain that was at least 15 meters deep. The sight of the sky filled him with hope even as it solidified the fact that he was far away from home.
Rainer saw no reason to change the plan he'd decided on, and so he walked to the right. Soon he came upon a junction. The large tunnel he'd been walking split into 6 branches. Five showed signs of recent travel, but an old cobweb stretched across the mouth of the sixth. That path may lead nowhere, and it was the least likely to take him to water or to an exit. But on the other hand, it was his best bet at finding a safe place to work on his Arcane Blade idea, as well as to rest. Rainer carefully ducked under the cobweb, and began walking down the path. As minutes passed, it became clear that the path gently curved upwards, and it curved, as if it were a spiral staircase around the core of the mountain. The sheer scale of the tunnels staggered him. It would have taken more time than seemed possible to carve them out of the stone with hand tools. Either they had been created over millenia, or something had sped up the work, possibly magic or some great rock boring beast. There was still nothing to indicate what was being mined. It occurred to him that he'd only assumed this was a mountain - it could well be underground, in which case the path sloping meant he was getting closer to the surface.
Forty minutes of walking later, a faint light came from around a corner in the tunnel. His first instinct was to rush toward it, but caution over-ruled instinct, and he began moving deliberately and as quietly as he could over the dirt floor of the tunnel. If it was an entrance, it'd still be an entrance a few minutes later, but if the light indicated some form of danger, being careful could safe his life. The light was steady, and did not flicker like a fire, which hopefully meant it was sunlight. Wait - it's night. That can't be sunlight. His mana had almost fully regenerated, and he had his full complement of armed arcane bolts. He was not defenseless. Still, he was a level one player in a game he did not understand, within a world he did not know. Any number of things could kill him. Actually, whatever the most dangerous threats were in this world, it was quite likely he couldn't even imagine them, let alone predict them. The thought was sobering. His initial excitement chastened, he crept around the corner.
The light was coming through cracks in a boarded-up doorway. Sneaking close, he looked through a seam between the wood and saw a mage's work room. The light came from an orange sphere that hung from the ceiling, and in that light he saw things that made him forget his fears, the danger he was in, and the overwhelming weirdness of his day so far. The room was carefully constructed. The floors, walls and even ceiling all had runic language inscribed in purposeful patterns, even if he did not understand them at a glance. There was a bed to his left against one wall, and the far wall had a desk to the right of a heavy wooden door, which was closed and looked to be locked. In passing, he noted that the existence of the lock was interesting. That was a higher level of technological sophistication than he'd seen yet in this world. But that was only a side note - the room was full of magic! The deck was strewn with notes, and the wall the deck rested against had a great many scrolls tucked neatly into cubby holes hewn into the rock wall. A wooden staff leaned against the desk. It was all, strangely, familiar. It reminded him of his bedroom in the months he'd spent developing his wall walking spell. Then he remembered that he had the Appraisal skill, and excitedly set to using it.
[Enchanted Oak Staff: When magic is channeled through this staff effectiveness increases by 5 intelligence]
[Scroll of Fireball: Upon injection of mana releases a fireball at desired target.]
[Enchanted FlameLit Orb: Radiates a light similar to a natural fire]
[Skill Gained: Faaran Runic Language: Lvl 3/10]
The last message confirmed his hypothesis that skills in this game system were unlocked when used for the first time, then set to the level of his pre-existing knowledge, just as with General Blade Mastery. The room was a feast spread in front of a starving man - he had to get in! It was time to get to work on his Arcane Blade idea.
With practiced ease, Rainer formed an arcane bolt in the shape of a blade. He reached out and felt the arcane membrane containing the roiling energy within, and exerted his will to remove the membrane while continuing to control the energy. Aided by his recently developed Arcane Energy Manipulation skill, it worked.
[New Arcane Spell Gained: Arcane Blade lvl 1/15]
[Created original tier 2 spell: Rewarding experience, 5 skill points, and the title: Arcane Scholar]
[Experience gained 212%]
[Managing excess experience]
[Arcanist has been leveled up to Lvl 2/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed. 1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]
The violet blade of energy in his hand stabilized, and the mana cost to sustain it dropped. Leaving aside the rush of messages, he set to cutting through the boards blocking his way, and was delighted to find that the blade sliced through them with no more difficulty than as if it sliced through air. He was careful not to allow any wood to fall, stacking each piece on the ground. Soon a Rainer sized hole cleared, and he eagerly strode into the room and walked to the desk. He folded the Scroll of Fireball and put it into his shirt pocket, and picked up the Enchanted Oak Staff. It was obvious that this room belonged to a mage who knew far more of this world's magic system than Rainer did. If that mage were to return and surprise him, at least they wouldn't have their staff. How did the staff work, anyway? Experimenting, Rainer took the staff in his left hand and carefully moved a small amount of mana through his skin and into the wood. Then he formed an arcane bolt in his right hand and tried to feel for any difference from the intelligence bonus. He had no clue how to use a magic staff.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Thus occupied, Rainer was surprised by two voices rapidly approaching the locked door. One was deep and harsh, the other soft, pained, and terrified. They were speaking the same guttural, unfamiliar language. Time to flee, or time to fight? Quickly deciding, he faced the door and re-formed his Arcane Blade. He had only a moment to prepare himself before a key turned in a lock and he was out of time. The door swung open and he was face to face with a fierce, startled goblin mage, clothed in animal fur trimmed with feathers and holding what looked like a bird cage in his right hand. Rainer could not afford to hesitate. Fortunately, he did not. Four of his armed arcane bolts instantly slammed into the goblin's chest as an arcane blade thrust into the creature's left shoulder and raked diagonally down through its body. Just that quickly, the fight ended. Rainer hadn't even had a fraction of a second to use Appraisal on his foe.
[10 Primary Level Difference, Experience Bonus added]
[68% Experience Gained]
[Managing Excess Experience]
[Arcanist has leveled up to Lvl 3/25. Standard Attributes have been distributed. 1 Attribute and skill point have been rewarded]
Rainer's heart pounded within his chest as the goblin's corpse dropped and the cage it had held clattered to the floor. From within the cage, a sweet voice cried in pain and terror. Instantly, Rainer knealt and saw within the bars a beautiful young woman. She was 6 inches tall, with the shape of a ballerina, long brown hair, mesmeric green eyes and 4 wings sprouting from her back. She was also terribly injured. The poor thing was covered in burns. One of her wings bent at a gruesome, unnatural angle, and hung limp at her side. The others were also broken. Even so badly damaged, the delicate wings glowed with a soft blue light. When he bent down to take a closer look, she whimpered and painfully pulled herself toward a corner of her cage, trying to hide as she sobbed. His heart instantly went out to her. Rainer had always cared for small creatures unable to protect themselves, or those who were injured and vulnerable. He immediately knew he had to do what he could for her.
"You're hurt! How can I help you?"
Without thinking, he'd spoken in English, and was surprised when he understood her reply.
"You will help Luna? Truly? The bad stupid fire mage has the key to this cage. You will let Luna out?"
He took a moment to appraise the tiny woman before turning to search the corpse of the goblin mage.
[Fairy, Female, Fae Enchantress Lvl 2]
Immediately, the little fairy's face lit up and she spoke in a quick torrent.
“You appraised Luna! Luna is so happy. Hero has come to saved Luna!”
He felt a strange prickling, as if some extra-dimensional set of eyes was looking through him, as she continued.
“A-raa-caa-naa-ist? Elera mai yu tai Luna.”
Her smile was replaced with a confused look as she muttered to herself in the same strange tongue for several seconds, until some of the words began to make sense.
[Skill Gained: Fae Language Lvl 1/10]
"“Elera not Hero, Elera come for Luna’s fairy dust too. But if Elera not hero how..”
"I'm not here for your fairy dust, I don't even know what that is. I just want to help, and then ask a few questions."
"Luna is confused by the hero who is not a hero, but hopes you speak truth."
Rainer quickly ransacked the dead goblins belongings, and found the key within a pocket. He unlocked the cage and gently removed the fairy, moving his hands slowly and carefully so as not to worsen her injuries by accident.
"Luna, can you heal yourself? Or is there anything I can do for you?"
“If...you...could...give...Luna mana...Luna better.”
With those words, the fairy collapsed in his hands and was still, unconscious. As he looked at her, she shimmered for a moment before her hair turned from brown into a vibrant emerald green. This little fairy can understand me, and can speak. I need information more than I need anything else right now, more than food or water, more than anything. Casting about for some way to heal her, Rainer pulled up his status screen.
[Name: Rainer Nvos]
[Age: 19]
[Titles: None]
[Primary Classes: Arcanist Lvl 3/25]
[Sub-Classes: None]
[Exp: 14%]
[Race: Human]
[Skills: Sleep Learning Lvl 9/10], [General Blade Mastery 5/10], [Dagger Mastery 2/10], [Sprinting 1/10], [Long Jumping 1/10], [Appraisal 1/10], [Arcane Energy Manipulation 1/10], [Speed Walking 1/10]
[Skill Points: 13]
[Talents: Excellent Arcane Affinity, Human Growth]
[Stamina: 9/12]
[Stamina Regen: .1% per second]
[Mana: 5/17]
[Mana Regen: .0011 per second]
[Constitution: 11]
[Affinity: 17]
[Vitality: 10]
[Endurance: 12]
[Strength: 11]
[Dexterity: 13]
[Intelligence: 18]
[Willpower: 11]
[Attribute points: 2]
Mana, I need to give her mana... how can I do that? Is it even safe to try right now? I'd better get this dead goblin out of the doorway and close the door, first of all.
Rainer set the tiny fairy on the fur-covered bed, then dragged the dead goblin into the room, closing the door behind him. There was surprisingly little blood. The arcane bolts had opened no wounds, and the arcane blade had cauterized the goblin's flesh as it cut. He walked over to the fairy and gently touched her with one finger and tried to infuse her with his mana, using a slightly modified version of a training exercise his grandfather had taught him. That exercise had not involved another living being, however, so he was dubious as to whether it'd work. He just didn't have any better ideas. Several seconds later, his efforts gained two new system messages.
[Skill Gained: Mana Manipulation Lvl 2/10]
[Skill Gained: Fairy Anatomy Lvl 1/10]
His first thought was to level up Mana Manipulation, but found that the third level of the skill would cost 20 skill points. It made some sense that it was expensive to increase - it had been a beast of a skill to learn back home and had taken several months before he could get mana to leave his body at all - but he was still taken aback by just how costly it was. That was 20 levels worth of skill points! Next he checked the skill point cost of raising Fairy Anatomy, and found that it was far cheaper. If this fairy dies, I may well die soon after. She's my only potential ally and source of information right now. Reluctantly, he leveled Fairy Anatomy to 4/10. The second level cost 1 skill point, the third cost 2, and the fourth cost 3, for a total of 6 skill points. The return on his skill point investment was immediate - he instantly understood the tiny body in his hands far better, and with the aid of Mana Manipulation found it easy to direct the flow of mana from his fingers through her to the exact locations it was needed. Slowly her body began to repair itself. Torn wings knit back together. Burned skin healed and smoothed, and broken limbs straightened. The aggregate effect was miraculous, and soon she looked fairly healthy. Just as he began to feel relieved, the little fairy seized and a system message appeared.
[Arcane Energy Manipulation has leveled up to Lvl 2/10]
[18% Experience gained]
The fairy in his hands transformed. Her emerald hair slowly turned to a shining silver. Her wings shifted to a deep violet veined with a void-like black, and her eyes began to glow violet behind her closed lids. Though he had been concerned when she began to seize, his newly purchased knowledge of Fairy Anatomy gave him enough insight not to panic. He could tell that she was basically alright. Her seizure ended within moments, even though the changes took a few more minutes to complete. He was quite curious what those changes would mean. She seemed to be resting comfortably, and before he knew it, she began to stir, as if waking after a long night's sleep.