It was so sudden that Galmi could only watch her leave with a surprised look. He looked down at himself, and then sniffed at his body.

“Do I smell or something?” Galmi finally asked Scarlet.

Scarlet gave out a little yip in response as she wagged her tail. Galmi reached up and patted her, opting to not think about it any longer. Instead he turned away from the staircase and prepared to leave the ruins. He wasn’t about to intrude on someone else, especially if they didn’t want him around.

Yet Scarlet growled and pawed at the top of his head. He turned back to the staircase and her growling stopped, and resumed when he turned to the west once more.

“Fine, but if she gets mad I’m blaming you,” Galmi told the pup. With those words Galmi walked down the staircase.

Hazard Zone

You have entered The Fairy Ruins. Closed off and forgotten, they can prove deadly to new adventurers and should never be entered alone.

Galmi paused at the sudden appearance of a warning he’d never seen before. Once again he reached up and patted Scarlet on the head, as he now understood why Scarlet had insisted on him entering.

“Can’t leave her all alone in this kind of place can we?” Galmi said with a chuckle.

The interior of the apparent dungeon was a bit on the dark side. It was made of stone similar to the blocks on the surface, and moss had grown along the bottom of the walls. Every ten feet or so bronze lanterns had been hung, but their weak light barely held back the shadows.

In front Galmi could see the girl he’d just met, and he hastened his pace. While he did that Scarlet squirmed off of his head, and bounded over to Selene.

Selene recoiled in surprise at the pup, but then realized what it was. “Why are you here?” Selene asked, as she took a half-step away from Galmi and Scarlet.

Galmi pointed at Scarlet, trying his best to look as harmless as possible. “‘Cause Scarlet wanted to come along.”

Selene stood in silence for a moment, and then gave a slow nod. “Selene Frost, mage,” she said as she pointed at herself.

“Oh nice, didn’t know you could go magical in this. I’m Galmi Marion, I don’t have a class yet. You been playing long?”

Selene shook her head. “You?”

“Naw, not long at all,” Galmi told her as he pointed at Scarlet, “but I managed to net her pretty fast. Her name’s Scarlet and she’s a red wolf pup.”

Selene looked down at the little puppy and couldn’t help but smile. She knelt down and started to gently rub Scarlet’s head.

“So what is this place?” Galmi asked as he looked at the walls. He noticed how there were scratches in them, though they didn’t look to be normal wear and tear.

“Don’t know. I was told there’s a special library here.”

“Well we should get moving then,” Galmi said as he walked past Selene, though he kept his pace slow on purpose, “mind if I take the lead?”

Selene didn’t respond so Galmi turned to check on her. She’d stood back up but she almost seemed to be trying to hug herself. He pondered a moment, but then thought better of asking anything.

“Selene,” he said in the gentlest voice he could muster, “I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”

Selene looked in surprise at him, and then she shook her head hurriedly. “No! It’s okay, I...just didn’t expect another person,” she said, an explanation that left Galmi curious.

He responded with a shrug, once more choosing not to pry into her personal business. “Alright. You can go first since it’s your key and your dungeon. I’ll back you up when anything attacks.”

For some reason that escaped Galmi, Selene’s cheeks turned a few shades redder at that. “No, you go first,” she hastily said, “Scarlet and I’ll be right behind you.”

Galmi gave a nod and turned to head down the hallway, but after the first step he paused. Wasn’t Scarlet his pet?

He shook his head to get rid of that thought, and focused on what lay ahead instead. The dark tunnel stretched on for a good thirty feet, with the only source of light the unreliable lanterns.

Though Galmi had seen no signs of danger the hazard warning remained fresh in his mind. So when they neared the first intersection he wasn’t too shocked by the trap. His right foot sank into the ground, and an arrow shot out of the wall near his head.

In the blink of an eye Galmi caught the arrow, the tip of it a few inches short of contact. Behind him Selene let out a small cry of surprise. He stowed the arrow into his inventory and moved forward to the intersection.

The intersection itself was a t-junction, and as Galmi walked into it he expected some sort of ambush. Instead it was devoid of any traps or monsters, and neither of the directions looked distinct.

Selene slipped past the pressure trap along with Scarlet. She looked at the north-south hall that they’d come across and pulled out paper and charcoal. She started to scribble on the paper with the charcoal, while Galmi raised an eyebrow at her.

“What you doing?”

Selene held up the paper that had a line on it. “Map,” she explained, and then she drew the t-junction.

Galmi scratched the back of his head. He’d never thought of drawing maps, though he expected Selene would get a mapping skill if she kept at it. Perhaps sometime in the future he could do the same.

As they walked on in silence, primed for a fight or trap, Galmi started to wonder something. “Hey, Selene?”

“Yes?”

“I figure that maybe you had stuff going on, so that’s why you logged out when we met,” Galmi said, “but don’t forget if you log out outside of a safe zone your body remains.”

Selene’s face turned beet red at that fact. “Did you do something?” Selene muttered her question.

“So yeah, try to avoid doing that in the future,” Galmi replied, as he didn’t quite hear what she’d asked,” I mean a player killer could easily kill you and take all your stuff.”

“Thank you,” Selene said, her voice still quiet.

Galmi gave a shrug at that as he continued northward. It wasn’t long after that he had to stop and turn around, as they’d run into a deadend. While they walked Selene would update her map every so often, and slowly the labyrinthine dungeon was explored.

The main type of trap that Galmi kept running into were pressure-based arrow traps. He didn’t even bother checking for the trap on the floor, instead he blundered into each of them and snatched the arrows. Soon enough he’d gained a nice amount of arrows, which he could probably sell for some easy cash in Faeriver.

As they walked there was a flicker of the light, and then the shadows seemed to shift and dart out into the middle of the hall. Little figures barely larger than Scarlet emerged from the moving shadows. Each of their blackened bodies held an exaggeratedly large knife for their size, and they chattered back and forth in some foreign language.

“Scarlet, get behind Selene!” Galmi ordered the wolf as he whirled his staff, summoned from his inventory.

When the imps ran in to attack Galmi could only stop one of the knives, the other cutting into his left ankle. He responded with a quick kick at the imp who’d hit him, an act that sent the small body hurtling down the hallway. Three of the five imps ran past him, Selene having drawn their interest, while the one he had blocked continued to strike at him.

“Water bolt!” Selene cried out, and from her extended hand shot a blast of water at one of them.

The imp was hit dead center and disintegrated, but neither of its companions seemed to care. Instead when they got to Selene they started to chop at her ankles and shins, their attacks easily able to pierce her robe.

Scarlet leapt past Selene and at one of the imps that remained. Her small mouth bit onto the equally tiny neck of the imp, and then she picked it up and started to shake it violently.

The imp squirmed in her mouth, forced to slash wildly at Scarlet in an attempt to get free. Yet Scarlet didn’t let go, even when the second imp turned to her and tried to save its ally.

Galmi stopped blocking the attacks coming at him as he noticed Scarlet being attacked. Instead he turned and threw the staff at the imp Scarlet wasn’t holding. The blunt weapon cracked hard into the side of the imp’s head, an attack that did enough damage to kill it.

Galmi had no time to enjoy his minor victory, as the imp near him drove the knife through his calf. Galmi let out a cry at the pain, but rather than escaping he instead leaned forward and brought a fist down on its head. Before the imp could attack again Galmi punched it once more, an audible crunch marking a potent blow.

A burst of water flew past Galmi, one that originated from Selene, as she hit the distant imp from before. The creature had recovered from Galmi’s kick and started to return to the fight, but her magic made quick work of it.

With a long sigh Galmi slumped against the wall, his injured calves barely able to hold him up, and slowly slid to the ground. From his inventory he started to pull out bandages, even as his cuts continued to drain his health.

“Scarlet, come here!” Galmi called out.

Scarlet let out an excited yip, as she bounded out of a cloud of white particles. The imp that she’d been fighting had died not long after Galmi had thrown his staff. Yet the damage it had done was obvious, as she bled from numerous slashes.

Galmi didn’t bother with finesse, instead he rolled the bandages around Scarlet as quickly as he could. He didn’t care much for watching her bleeding, and even though she started to look like a mummified dog he preferred that over death.

“Are you okay?” Selene asked as she approached.

Galmi paused for a moment, glancing at his own wounds, before he shrugged. “I’ll be fine, but how are you?”

Selene lifted the robe, revealing her small black shoes and bare legs. “They barely touched me so I already regenerated.”

Galmi stared at her bare legs for a few seconds, and then turned away with a cough. “I see. Well even after I bandage myself I’ll need a while to heal, are you okay if we pause here for a bit?”

He heard the quick sound of clothing rustling, but by the time Galmi looked back Selene had turned away from him. “It’s okay,” she said in a quiet voice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“What, you had me get on the game and now you’re saying you can’t come?” Marcus asked the small box displayed in front of him.

From out of the communication system Nika’s voice emerged, “I’m sorry, but Janice called at the last second. She needs help with the taekwondo class.”

Marcus wanted to take the message box and shake it, but he knew his hands would simply pass through it. “I understand,” he finally said with a sigh, “make sure you’re careful and don’t hurt anyone.”

“I know how to teach people!” Nika snapped at him, but then laughed, “I’ll talk to you later, bye.”

“Cya,” Marcus said as he dismissed the message box, “but what do I do now?”

He looked around at the town of Faeriver, and the bustling movement of players. For a brief moment Marcus thought about trying to form a temporary party, but then decided not to. He wasn’t there to play with strangers, he was there to play with Selene and Nika.

The fact that Selene had gone off on her own had irked him a little, but he also knew better than to get upset. After all he and Nika had done something similar, leaving her behind in that dusty old library.

“We really need to meet up again,” Marcus vowed to himself, but then his mind returned to his original train of thought.

It was when some heavily armored soldiers walked by that Marcus realized what was needed. He glanced down at his own body and grimaced, the equipment he wore more or less what he’d started with.

Marcus picked his way through the crowds, trying not to bump into anyone, as he headed to the west side of town. The basic map of Faeriver had shown that was the main area for shops, so he figured an armorer would be easy to find.

What he hadn’t expected upon arrival was the quantity of shops and players. He paused and studied all of them, most of the stores already having long queues. Marcus walked past the larger buildings with well crafted signs, continuing past the lines as he looked for one that wouldn’t require an hour to get into.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

As he walked westward the condition of the stores worsened. The smooth lumber with well done paintjobs gave way to rougher designs, with some of the buildings looking ready to collapse at the smallest pressure. The beautiful signs outside of each store cheapened, and then altogether vanished.

Marcus paused outside of one of those shanties, the only way to tell it was a store a tiny sign hung on the door. He glanced back at the other places, but once again the lines soured his interest in the fancier places. So Marcus braced himself for the worst and walked in.

What he saw within explained why nobody stood in line. The interior was for the most part bare, and there were no weapons on any of the rickety shelves. A scattering of armor hung from wooden pegs, and dust covered the price tags.

Marcus walked all the way into the store, as the closing door creaked behind him. He licked at his lips nervously and called out, “Hello?”

A loud crash came from somewhere further back in the store, and a person garbed in some type of heavy material emerged. They almost ran to the counter, even as they attempted to pull their hood off.

Marcus’ breath stopped for a moment as the face was revealed, and long curly purple hair poured out from beneath the hood. Piercing black irises peered at him, and lips that were a few shades too dark lowered in displeasure.

“Scrubby newb,” the woman muttered with a shake of her head, and then tossed the clothlike hood into a corner, “if you’re here for a sword go away.”

Marcus had been a bit too dumbstruck by the woman to respond quickly. She wasn’t an altogether beautiful woman, her face even had a ragged scar that ran diagonally across most of it. Yet there was something about her, almost like an aura, that had left him so befuddled.

He snapped out of it when the woman actually growled and started to turn away. “What? A sword? No, I’m not here for a sword.”

His response caused the woman to pause, and then she turned her head to look at him from over her shoulder. The thick and odd clothing she wore barely moved, nor did it even give a hint to her physique.

“Then what? I was in the middle of an experiment.”

Marcus tapped the cheap tunic that he wore. “I need new armor.”

For some reason those words softened the obvious distaste the woman wore on her face. She turned to Marcus and offered out one gloved hand. “You’ve come to the right place,” she told him, “I’m Ivanova.”

“My name’s Marcus.” He shook her hand. “But that name...are you a player?”

Ivanova nodded and gripped the collar of the suit. She yanked it down, revealing an extremely loose tank top and light brown shorts. Her body was covered in sweat and her slim form was littered with small scars and burn marks.

Marcus’ eyes naturally followed the suit as it was pushed to the ground, and then wrenched his gaze up to look at Ivanova’s face. In his mind, no proper knight would stare lecherously at a woman. “I didn’t know players owned stores.”

Ivanova summoned a small black hair tie from her inventory and held it in her mouth, while she worked to gather all of the long hair together to make a ponytail. “If you got the money,” she started to explain as soon as the hair tie was removed from her mouth, “you can basically buy anything.”

“I thought the game was still pretty new, you picked up enough to buy a building?”

Ivanova grinned at the question. “Let’s just say crafting made me rich. Now, what type of armor are you looking for?”

“Knight armor!” Marcus declared.

Ivanova leaned against the counter with one elbow. “Look, you’re new right?”

“Yes?”

“That means if you put heavy armor on you’ll barely be able to move,” Ivanova explained, “so you’d have to fight for hours wearing it until you at least get some basic skill.”

Marcus thought on her words, and gave a slow nod of his head. “So what do you recommend?”

Ivanova eyed the shield and sword that he had equipped. “I could bang you together a buckler that’s better than that garbage, and something light. The toughest things near here can barely put a dent in light metal armor.”

“I’ll trust you on this,” Marcus said, as he turned to look at the shelves, “by the way, why is nobody shopping here?”

“Let’s just say I didn’t like their answers,” Ivanova told him, “now come on into the back. I need to measure you.”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Galmi, Scarlet, and Selene had continued on through the ruins after he’d finished healing. Their venture through the unending hallways was riddled with traps and imps, neither of which proved altogether too dangerous.

After what felt like an eternity they reached an archway embedded in the side of one hall, and as Galmi peered through it he saw a glowing sigil on the floor. The rest of the room was bare and shaped like a square, without any sign of either trap or imp.

“Hey, let me go first,” Galmi said to Selene.

Her response was silence, and Galmi took it to mean she was okay with his plan. He walked into the room, his staff held up in front of him. When no traps were sprung or monsters spawned he approached the sigil.

It glowed a dull blue, and the design was about as alien as possible to him. Circles and lines ran all over the symbol. Galmi lifted up his staff and then brought it down on the sigil.

There was a flash of light in response which blinded him, and as he staggered in surprise all he could see was darkness. At first Galmi thought it was from the light, but as he rubbed at his eyes he realized that wasn’t it.

“Mind’s Eye,” he muttered.

The response from the system was instantaneous, as information flowed into him. The smell of the mold, the taste of moisture in the air, the sound of his own breathing as it reverberated off of the environment. Piece by piece the world was revealed to him.

As Galmi started to study the area around them there was a sudden shift in the air, and then something soft crashed into him from the front. He sprawled to the ground, his back hitting hard against the stone floor.

“Where are we?” came the soft voice of Selene from on top of him.

“It’s a large room, with no door and a staircase that leads up to another spot. It’s kind of like a balcony that overlooks the area.”

“You can see? It’s pitch black!”

Galmi grunted at the question. “It’s a skill I picked up. By the way can you stand up? I’m getting a little squished.”

Selene let out a quick gasp, and then hastily stood up. “Sorry,” she muttered so quietly that Galmi only heard it thanks to the skill.

In Selene’s arms Scarlet let out an excited yip, but Galmi pushed the thought of his pet to the back of his mind. Instead he tapped his staff against the ground, the noise rippling out and helping him to see clearer.

“There are braziers embedded in the walls,” Galmi said as he noticed them, “I already used up the flint I had outside, do you have any?”

Selene lifted up one hand, but then she lowered it and turned in Galmi’s general direction. “Hey,” she said, but then her voice got a bit quieter, “can you aim my hand at one of the braziers?”

Galmi paused at the odd request, but then he decided to go with it. He reached out and gently gripped her hand, aiming it at the nearest brazier.

Right when Galmi was about to ask why he wanted her to do this she suddenly yelled, “Spark!”

From her extended hand a multitude of sparks shot out. The brazier was hit by the sparks and ignited, causing the entire area in front of them to burst into light.

Galmi released Selene’s hand, his own lifting to shield his eyes from the light. The Mind’s Eye skill he had used heightened and combined all of his senses, and that included his eyesight.

“Next time warn me,” Galmi asked of her.

While she offered her apologies he pulled a blindfold from his inventory. After it was wrapped around his head he turned back to the room. The black cloth worked well enough to keep the excess light from hurting his eyes.

The Mind’s Eye skill made it easy for him to not only see what was in front, but also what was all around. So as he walked across the room he noticed all of the shelves, each of them tucked in beneath the balcony.

The only thing outside the vision was the upper floor, and so he walked over to one of the stairs. Before climbing he half-turned to Selene. “Scarlet, go hide in one of the corners.”

The red wolf pup cocked her head to the side, perhaps temporarily confused, but in the end she squirmed out of Selene’s arms. She ran over to the western corner of the room and lowered herself low to the ground, her tail wiggling non-stop.

“This place reminds me of a dancing hall,” Selene commented.

Galmi thought on that, trying to recall how many of those he’d seen in the past. With one finger he rubbed at his temple. He didn’t care what type of room it was, but rather if there was a way out.

So it was that Galmi lifted one foot up and put it on one of the stairs.

Local Event

Unique Boss Encounter

The Fairy Queen

Before the Fairies were taken they placed a curse on the ruins. Those who dared to enter into the deepest part would be welcomed by the guardian of the ruins.

The Fairy Queen Titania

A cursed being created by the combined hatred and despair of the Fairies.

From nearby Selene let out a cry of shock at the appearance of the warning. Galmi could feel her turn to look at him, but he had no words to comfort her with.

Instead he spoke honestly, “Try your best not to die.”

Galmi was the first to hear the bells, as the musical tinkling came from above them. From out of the unknown above a figure slowly emerged, one that was draped in a ghostly white dress. The material clung to the rakish figure, but it also somehow billowed out behind with every step.

Beautiful wings that were similar to stained glass spread out behind Titania, and as she turned to look at them a chill spread over the room. She was barefoot, and with each step she took the bell anklets sounded.

“Beautiful,” Selene whispered, too fascinated by the fairy to launch an attack.

When Titania lifted up a golden book Galmi moved, rather than going up the stairs he instead dove at Selene. His arms wrapped around her, dragging Selene away from where she’d been standing.

A pillar of ice erupted in the now empty spot, and the golden book was lowered. Titania’s gaze slowly tracked the invaders to the ruins, her face emotionless.

“Snap out of it!” Galmi yelled at Selene as he stood back up, “I can’t keep you alive and fight her at the same time.”

Selene’s eyes widened as she realized what’d happened, and with a hasty apology she also stood up. It was the response that Galmi had hoped for and so turned his attention back to the boss.

Titania took another step down the staircase.

Galmi flourished a staff and tucked it against his side, before he ran as fast as he could for the stairs. When the book was lifted he swayed to the left, avoiding a ball of ice that’d materialized from thin air.

“Aero Slice!” Selene yelled out from behind. A surge of wind flew past Galmi and at Titania, but rather than doing any damage it passed through and carved into the stairs.

The attack seemed to draw the attention of Titania, who started to lift her book in the direction of Selene. Galmi let out a yell as he threw his staff at the queen, but rather than being struck Titania turned the attack aside with a golden quill.

As Galmi started to climb the stairs he called a new staff from his inventory, one he’d crafted from wood of the twigs. When he brandished the weapon Titania’s eyes focused entirely on him, and a strong chill ran through his entire body.

“Crap,” was all Galmi managed before a lance of ice flew from Titania’s book.

The ice slammed into his right shoulder and threw him off of the stairs. Galmi hit the ground hard enough that he dropped his staff, a cry of pain emerging from his mouth.

“Water bolt!” Selene shouted as she threw another spell.

The blast of water that flew through the air struck the boss, but unlike the wind attack this one had an impact. The clothing of Titania was soaked, and water dripped from her silver hair.

“Oh god she’s going to kill me,” Selene murmured as she took a step back, the look of rage on Titania’s face all she needed to see.

The anklet bells chimed again as Titania took another step down the stairs.

Galmi scrounged for his twig staff, and as he stood up he looked at Titania. His mind started to work, and he realized a fact that only increased his sense of urgency.

“I think we automatically die if she reaches the bottom,” Galmi told Selene, “or she gets some powerup or something.”

Selene gave a nod at that news, and once more she lifted her hands. “Earth Lance!”

The stones in front of Selene lifted up and morphed into the form of a long spear, and then the spell launched at Titania. The magic pierced into the stomach of the fairy, and her face showed a temporary grimace as though she’d felt pain.

For a moment there was a sense of accomplishment, but then Titania thrust her stomach in the direction of Selene. The lance of rock launched back at the user, yet before it reached Titania’s quill lifted and wrote golden words into the air.

Behind his blindfold Galmi’s eyes widened as he witnessed the earth magic triple in size. Selene could only scream in fear as the spell hit her, her light body tossed hard enough that she hit the wall near the braziers.

Galmi tried to not focus on Selene’s current state, instead he charged the stairs again. As he climbed them Titania attempted another ice lance, but this time he knocked it aside with the staff.

Once he was close enough he thrust the staff at Titania’s stomach, hoping to impact the same spot that Selene had. The fairy queen used her book to divert the attack, and her quill lifted and aimed at Galmi. Glowing words slowly started to appear as the quill flowed across the air.

“Fireball!” Selene hollered from the other side of the room.

It was a word that caused Titania to falter, and when the ball of flames struck the boss she finally screamed in pain. The fire coursed up her clothing and the flawless skin was marred with bubbles.

The response from Titania was so severe that Galmi and Selene both paused and stared. “She’s weak to fire!” Selene finally exclaimed.

While Titania writhed in pain from the flames Galmi gripped both hands tightly around the staff, and then swung it at her head. “Heavy blow!”

For the first time his staff managed to connect with Titania, yet even with the aid of his skill Galmi barely felt a response from the fairy. Instead a loud hiss came from within the flames that continued to flicker, and a gaunt hand stretched out. Galmi had only a moment to realize the quill was gone before his face was gripped.

“Galmi!” Selene yelled from below.

The skeletal fingers that gripped Galmi’s head squeezed, the tips of them burrowing into his flesh. “Don’t worry about me and just burn her!” Galmi yelled, his voice muffled by the hand.

Selene frowned at those words, but in the end she followed through on his request, “Fireball!”

Once more flames shot from Selene’s hands and flew at Titania. The fire scorched Galmi along his right side, the pain searing all through his mind.

Titana howled in rage and agony as the fire devoured her left side. Behind her the wings that’d once been beautiful turned to cinders. As she writhed in pain she threw Galmi, his body easily reaching the other side of the room.

When Galmi hit the stone wall he crumpled to the ground, the sensation of something inside breaking more than enough to make him not want to move anymore. With every breath he took there was a sharp stab somewhere inside.

Selene had watched his flight through the air, and when he didn’t stand up she turned her eyes back to Titania. Both hands were lifted in front of her, and she began to throw fireball after fireball at the boss.

As though it was locked into a repeating animation the once beautiful monster could only scream. It didn’t take long before it finally exploded into a cloud of purple particles, most of which vanished into Selene’s body.

Selene ran over to Galmi with the death of Titania, and she knelt down next to him. “Galmi, are you alright?”

Galmi gave a grunt in response, his focus more on summoning a tonic from his inventory. He lifted the tonic to his mouth with one shaking hand, and drained the contents of it.

A sense of numbness washed over his body, enough that he could ignore the pain and sit up. “Give me a while and I’ll be fine, I almost died when I hit the wall.”

Selene nodded at him, but when she turned back to where Titania had been her eyes lingered on Galmi. She walked slowly to the staircase and ascended.

Scarlet bounded over to Galmi, her barks sounding more worried than anything else. She rubbed against his left hand, and so he patted her gently to try and reassure her.

Selene came back down the stairs holding a book in one hand and a ring in the other. She lifted them both up once she was close to Galmi. “Which one do you want?”

Before he could respond a small window opened in front of him. He looked at what the system had to say, and frowned immediately. When he glanced at Selene he knew that she was seeing the same sort of thing.

????????????????

Accept

Decline

Galmi was reminded of his one skill by the question marks, and he had no issue with pressing the decline option. There was something about it that inherently discouraged him from accepting.

Next to him a brilliant light emerged from Selene, one that started at the bottom of her feet and ascended along her body. Behind his blindfold Galmi squinted at the light, barely able to even sense what was happening.

When the light finally subsided a new Selene was revealed. Gone was her tattered robe and instead it was replaced with a short skirt and blouse. Thigh-high white stockings and a small pair of white shoes finished off the outfit.

Selene looked down at herself, her hands paler in color than previous. Galmi’s eyes were most drawn to the red hair she’d acquired. A light flowed down the hair, one that made Galmi think of a flame crawling toward the floor.

Around them the world began to shake, and Selene struggled to keep her feet under her. A blue glow filled the room, and the braziers that hadn’t yet been lit burst to life.

Pillars slowly began to lift up out of the ground near the edge of the room. The west wall shifted as a golden doorway appeared, and then another formed on the opposite wall. The moss and grime that coated the place vanished as a red carpet formed.

Above them a chandelier spawned into existence, and the candles on it flickered alive. The old bookshelves beneath the balcony turned ornate, a white wood that’d been hand carved replacing the previous lumber. Books that hadn’t been there appeared on the shelves.

“What the hell is going on?” Galmi half-shouted as he tore off his blindfold, looking to Selene for a possible answer.

That was when he realized that her outfit and hair weren’t the only changes. Her height had decreased by at least a few inches, and now she had pointed ears that extended away from her head. Behind Selene a pair of red wings unfurled.

“I don’t know,” Selene said as she looked left and right, confused at all of the changes, “all I did was hit accept!”

You Have Found A New Race!

Fairy

The fairy race are the keepers of knowledge in Faran. They receive bonuses for reading books, and gain increased resistance to damage while holding one.

Global Event

With the death of Titania the fairy race has been unlocked for all players. Existing players who wish to be a fairy may appeal to the gods, though only those who are deemed worthy will be given the right.

Imps will now spawn outside of Sidhe, the capital of the fairy race.

Fairy NPCs will now start to appear, along with quests that involve them. These will include rescue missions for players who go past the Brimstone Gateway.

----------------------------------------

Help Files

Skills

The skills of The Cracked Earth are learned from various means. The most common way to acquire a new skill is to do the action multiple times. Some skills, however, have requirements to unlock. Class specific skills fall under this category.

There are other ways to gain skills outside of repetition. One can be tutored by an NPC, complete a quest that grants one, and many other options.

Skills can be capable of Evolving, which can reflect how one plays the game. A skill with heavy weapons can change into one that boosts a specific type of heavy weapons, for example.

The skill rank system has a total of six tiers.

Beginner: A novice, most book-based and self-taught skills start here.

Intermediate: A step above, many classes can be acquired by getting the proper skills to this point.

Advanced: A highly trained skill. Most basic skills will evolve before reaching this point.

Expert: Rarely seen level of skill which requires dedication.

Master: Can only be unlocked by finding a master of that skill and having them train you.

Godlike: Impossible to achieve without the blessing of a God or Goddess.