"Oscar?" a small voice behind a closed door, "are you really leaving?" she asked.
"I am, little dragon," Oscar responded sadly. Oscar held his arms open for his youngest sister to come and give him a big hug.
"I'm going to miss you so much, please don't go," she started crying in his arms. Oscar's youngest sister, Daisy, was 7 years younger than Oscar. She had brown hair and blue eyes and was always a big fan of Oscar. She treated him like she was his big brother; he was the only one who cared for her and how she wanted to be treated. She, unlike Oscar, was fair-skinned and had freckles all over her body. She heard the news that Oscar had decided to leave the family. "Will you call me," she said in between sobs.
"You know I will, and you can even come and visit me, if mom and dad allow, that is." Oscar responded gently, patting Daisy's back.
"You know that is never going to happen, they hate you and think you are ungrateful."
"Well… what do you think about me?" Oscar asked, pushing her back so he could look her in the eyes.
"I think you have been extremely grateful, I think that you have been extremely patient. I know that it must be hard to be adopted into this family, I barely can manage and I am a child of theirs. I love you, Ob; you are my best friend." She began crying again, unable to finish her sentence.
"I love you too, little one…" He said, wiping his own tears, "You don't need to be strong all the time, but right now, for the next five minutes, be strong with me? I never wanted to leave you or make you feel alone." He looked her in the eyes; her eyes, now puffy and red, blinked back at him. "Promise me, no matter how far apart we grow, we will always remember each other and we will always have each other's back."
"I promise Ob, I promise."
Ob woke up.
My first dream that wasn't a garbage memory was that one?! So sad. Ob thought to himself, damn Daisy, I wonder how you are doing. I hope you are okay. That was 6 years ago. I wish you could see me now, you would be so proud. Ob sat up in bed and began thinking about his sister a bit more. She was the only one in that family who treated him halfway decently; she didn't see him as the adopted one but as the one who added greatness to the family. She saw him as her brother and best friend; she was the one who gave him the nickname ‘Ob’. He would attempt to see her at least once a year; it was tricky with how his adoptive parents were strict on whom Daisy could interact with. Ob definitely didn't make that short list.
With a sigh, Ob got out of bed and began his morning routine. Feeling his ribs had healed entirely, he smiled. Magic, he thought. Ob learned that vitality is the attribute that increases the recovery process and strength of everything within your body. The higher his vitality, the harder it was for him to be hurt.
He walked over to Eclipse, put a hand on her head, and said, "Don't trip, I'm not mad at you at all. We're solid, family." he hugged her and walked into the standard room.
"I think we should be leaving town soon, especially with the rewards that Ob got. That silver tier team will be in town soon," Abigail said as she paused to see Ob walk out. "Perfect timing; we are discussing our next plan. I believe we should head for Andohull, the largest city on this continent."
"Sounds good to me, how long will that take us to get there?" Ob asked, shaking Vincent's hand and giving Abigail a half hug; the group had gotten rather close. They were becoming a solid group of friends and not just strangers; fighting can bring people closer.
"Well, if we want to go directly there, a couple days, maybe three." Vincent responded, "buuuuut if we want to train on the way and explore some ruins we could take a couple weeks."
"I don't see an issue with that, although it would be good to completely unlock my powersets. That would be my only reservation." Ob responded.
"Mine too," Abigail pitched in, "The Maverick federation assessment is comprehensive and difficult. It takes a two week long assessment, where you will be dropped off in a location with a map and told to find your way back to the starting point, then you will have to do a simulated illusionary defense, and lastly you will be forced to engage in an aura reading. It is very invasive and is a reason a lot of people refuse to be a maverick."
"Here is my question that I have been wondering," Ob sat down next to the couple, grabbing some bread to eat, "What's the difference between them? Why not just have one large federation that you have to take an assessment, the same assessment to pass and become a member of that one thing?"
"That's a great question Ob." Vincent said, impressed, looking at Ob, "I'm not sure, Babe?"
"There are some who wanted to serve with the federation but not go into the world like mavericks or explorers." Abigail began to explain, "They wanted to be defenders, they wanted to stay close to home to protect from all the dangers that the world has to offer. They felt that being a maverick was not worth the grueling assessment if they were just going to be at home. As for explorer's there are many who like being scouts and like being cartographers, they want a life full of adventure and exploring not completing quests and killing monsters. They also did not want to participate in that assessment. They wanted to do something less taxing but more preparation for the life they chose."
"Okay, so Mavericks came first?" Ob asked.
"Yes but only for a year. Originally they were just Crusader's no difference." She responded.
"Then there was a party." Vincent stated darkly. "They are known as the Warlord's Brigade. A vile group of blood thirsty beings. A mixture of many races but their leader, she was a Gorgon."
"Gorgon, as in creatures with snakes as hairs, Gorgon?" Ob said out loud, amazed. "Do they turn people to stone?"
Abigail and Vincent shared a look with each other, "No… why would that turn people to stone?" Abigail asked slowly.
"Well, only if they look into the eyes of the Gorgon; it's a myth from my world," Ob responded.
"No, that's not what they do here. Anyways," Vincent continued, "There were 12 in all. They would go around declaring themselves kings and queens of small towns; anyone who did not obey was slaughtered. Before they turned to the evil side, this group wanted a different federation. They wanted to be in a different federation than those who defended and those who explored. They found all of them to be weak. They started their own federation, and at first, it was full of psychos who just wanted to justifiably kill.
But then, a few decades or so after that, there was a change. A new wave of Mavericks took over and spent time changing the perception. Being a Maverick meant having the freedom and power to do whatever you wanted. True Mavericks are called on when there is a war between magical creatures and cities. A true Maverick will enter caves and raid them if an explorer deems it too dangerous." Vincent said with a gleam of pride in his eyes. Then his eyes darkened, "but then, the Gorgon came back, and she hated what she saw. Started attacking fresh Mavericks she deemed unworthy."
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"I see, does she still attack folks?" Ob asked.
"She did," Vincent confirmed, "she would sit outside big towns around the Maverick federation HQ and would try to attack their auras; if they could defend off the attack, she would leave them be; if they couldn't, she would take them out right there, right then."
"Hmm okay." Ob said flatly.
"This is not the time to be a hero, Ob," Eclipse said from the corner, where she likes to hang out, "If I have learned anything about you over these last few days, it is that you are a man of justice and balance."
"She is level 93 Ob and has been in that tier for nearly a century. She cannot be defeated as easily as you think, it would take probably a hundred of you attacking at the same time to maybe knock her down." Abigail aided Eclipse's warning.
"Yeah, yeah I hear you. I'm bold, not an idiot. I know my limits." He stated, getting up and getting ready to go pack up. "Let's get going then, we have a long journey ahead of us.
Abigail sat as she heard those words, "Bold but not an idiot." It brought her back to when she was about to leave. "Be bold, be brave, but be wise. Don't let your bravery turn you into a dead elf walking," an elderly voice told her. The voice was that of her grandmother. She had been heavily involved in Abigail's upbringing, teaching her strength, patience, leadership, and more. Abigail loved her grandmother. She remembered the first time her grandmother taught her how to do magic. It was the best day for her; it was her 12th birthday, and she had been woken up by songbirds singing her name, as they did for elves on their birthdays.
Young Abigail rolled out of bed to storm clouds and a gray mist that sat atop the lush green forest surrounding her house. She didn't stay in the castle with her family; she decided she did not want to live there, as it was too much for her. Instead, she stayed with her grandparents in their small cottage just inside the castle gates. The dark storm clouds were typical, and they created a great contrast to the deep green forest the trees provided; Abigail loved it. This was her kingdom; this was her home. With a big stretch, she headed out of her room to see her grandparents drinking tea and sitting next to a present on the table.
Abigail clearly remembers her excitement; she jumps up and down to find a small wand inside the box. It was no longer than 8 inches, but it held a good amount of magic potential. As she took the wand, she felt powers surge into her; her Natural powerset was being chosen; this is how it worked for elves when they were of age, and their magical potential had reached the focal point of being throughout her entire being, they would be given a magical item to act as a conduit. When this happened, their natural power would be unlocked.
As young Abigail sat there feeling the power grow and grow, she felt the manna burn on her skin, giving her a design known by all elves. The mark of an Enchantress, its design varied from elf to elf; it would all glow the color of the wielder's aura. For Abigail, it glowed a teal blue; her mark looked like you were looking into a Kaleidoscope. The beauty of the marks glowing and slow movement was mesmerizing to look at. Abigail scratched at her shoulder where the mark lay. She thought about how it had changed her life and how grateful she was for this mark.
Her grandmother had told her on that day, that moment, as she looked at a young, scared Abigail, who did not want to be an Enchantress at the time, "Be brave, young one, be bold, but be wise." The same advice she had given her the day she was ready to leave almost 20 years later. She cherished that moment. It was then that Abigail decided that she was going to make a name for herself, that she was going to form her own party and not join someone else's. This was the moment that Abigail became a leader, and she was determined not to fail and to be the wise one of the group.
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After some time living in memories and thanking Lani, the group headed towards Andohull, Ob's first big city.
"So," Ob began to ask, "are we walking, riding on something, running, driving, flying? How are we getting there?"
Vincent chuckled at the question, "Do you have any other mode of transportation besides your feet?"
"Well, I do have -"
"No." Eclipse said sharply, "You were heavy enough, Ob."
"Whatever," Ob said, looking dejected.
"We can purchase pegasus eventually, those would be the best companions for travel. Other than that, no we walk. Unless there is someone here who can teleport?" Abigail added.
The group began walking while continuing to engage in conversation. "Are there no vehicles here?" Ob asked.
"There are," and Abigail answered, "They are often bondable items, very similar to soul-links. You get an item that you can create a construct out of. They are rare, though; most people just use mounted creatures."
Ob nodded as they continued. They continued to walk. Ob felt that this was the appropriate time to address all the notifications he had been pushing off.
Attributes: Ob Jones
Vitality: 200
Speed: 135
Strength: 137 (+5 bonus)
Manna: 480/480 (+5 Bonus)
You have 83 attribute coins.
Damn, Ob thought, How do I earn attribute coins?
Coins are earned with leveling up.
15 coins for every tier increase scaled to the level system (15 for Normal to Bronze, 30 for Bronze to Silver, etc.)
5 coins for every total level increase
2 coins for every power level increase
1 coin for every skill level increase
Got it, Ob nodded, Another question, what do I do with these Explixers?
Item: Explixer
Consumable
Varied rarity
Use this to gain a small amount of exp to whatever skill you desire; you can only use this for skills, not powers or total level.
You have 10 XS
20 small
1 M
1 L
Would you like to use? Yes/No?
"Any downside to Explixers?" Ob asked the group.
"Nope, great to use when you are lower level, better to sell when you are higher." Abigail said.
Not yet. He gave the mental command. He decided to wait for the two other skills he had yet to unlock; he had a feeling they would be far behind.
Would you like to allocate attribute coins? Yes/No?
Yes. 30 to strength, 30 to manna, 10 to vitality, 13 to speed.
Vitality: 210
Speed: 148
Strength: 167 (+5 Bonus)
Manna: 510/510 (+5 Bonus)
"He is getting stronger," a mysterious voice said from the bushes in a whispered tone, "This might be our only chance to take out the Draconian." The way it said Draconian, it was as if it hurt to say the word.
"How could things be allies to those vile creatures? Only gods know." another voice sneered, "I am ready to take it out right now; just give the word Lord Grinly."
"Tell the troops to be ready for plan 66; it is time to attack." As Lord Grinly said, he paused and stood as he looked on. He stared at two solar eclipses staring back at him.