On the first evening after they returned from Vanta Aiko pulled them aside, right after the evening meal. “We have talked about it and we would like you to have these.” She placed a few bundles in front of the group. By the looks of it each of them had their own bundles.
Alaric was the first to open his bundle, inside was a smaller shield and the battle ax that the bandit chief had been using. The small shield had two leather straps on the inside used to strap the smaller shield to his arm fully freeing his hand. The ax also had its handle shortened so that Alaric should be able to use it, even with his shorter body.
Meria opened her package and inside was a new set of clothes that had hooks set into the chest and back. There also were two small metal breast pieces that hooked onto the clothes, affixing it in place.
Inside Tayla's package was a single dagger. It was long and had a kris knife style blade. Along the edge of the double sided blade it was serrated.
For Bjorn there was a belt, and a set of bracers. The belt was made from what looked like simple leather. The bracers also looked of simple make, but they had intricate engravings in the surface of the metal. Upon closer inspection the engravings depicted a farmer in a field of wheat with a scythe, harvesting his wheat.
(Insert an item description for all above described items.)
War-ax of the Goblin Warchief
Rarity: Rare
Weight: 19 lbs.
Durability: 291/308
Damage: 14-19
After many years of constant battle this ax has been soaked in the blood of it’s foes. As such it has gained a passive enchantment, gaining a 5% damage increase versus any humanoid non-goblin race.
Chestguard of The Forgotten Mage
Rarity: Rare
Weight: 8 lbs.
Durability: 186/383
Armor: +9 (max 14)
The Order of the Forgotten Mage was a dominant force a long time ago. This is a relic left over from an age passed. How it has lasted until today is a mystery.
Dagger of Bloodletting
Rarity: Uncommon
Weight: 3 lbs.
Durability: 118/147
Damage: 9-11 (max 11-13)
The different style of blade has increased cutting capabilities. Increased the effects of any bleed effect by 15%
Sustenance belt
Rarity: Uncommon
Weight: 1 lbs.
Durability: 97/101
While wearing this belt you need 10% to eat, drink, and sleep to survive
Bracers of the angry farmer
Rarity: Uncommon
Weight: 3 lbs.
Durability 79/91
Armor: +5 (max 6)
While wearing these bracers all farming based activities will be 12% easier to complete.
They each stood there admiring their gifts. “Thank you.” Meira spoke for all of them.
The only exception to that was Bjorn, who stood there staring at his new bracers wondering why a community of farmers and builders would give away a magical item that increased the ability to farm. On top of that why would there be an enchantment increasing farming on a set of bracers clearly meant for fighting.
“That's the best part.” Aiko continued. “We aren't done with the gift giving, we would like to build you, or help build you a home that is yours. We would like some input on it. But we have also decided that it should take priority in the reconstruction process.”
“We appreciate your offer, but there is no need for us to be given special treatment. Although we will gladly take you up on the offer for a home, we don't think it is important enough that we put the rest of the reconstruction process on hold.” Bjorn said.
Shaking her head, Aiko continued on. “Although you think you are right. We however do not think so. Without all of you we would have ended up dead without your help. So we should give you special treatment. Also our offer isn't entirely altruistic, for we were hoping to make a building large enough to hold a number of us just in case we aren't able to repair or rebuild most of the houses by the time winter hits.”
After some discussion between they group they decided to agree, from there they hashed out all of the details necessary for how the building would be built. After the agreement Aiko left.
“Well, I better go help out with clearing away the burnt sections.” Alaric said as he got up to leave. Walking towards their small camp on the edge of town to store his new gear.
After a few minutes of silence Tayla also stood sheathing her new knife before coming up with a lame excuse and also leaving.
Just leaving Bjorn and Meira, who sat in companionable silence for a while. “I was wondering. Why did it take me so long for me to get the light armor skill?” Bjorn broke the silence.
His voice kind of surprised Meira, like she was deep in thought. “That probably had something to do with you not having a full set of light armor equipped. I don't know this for a fact, but it took me a while to get the light armor skill as well. But looking back on it I think I didn't get the skill until I took some damage in combat while wearing a full set of light armor.”
Silence permeated the camp again. “Why don't we have any scars? If I was back on earth and I took as much damage as I have I would have scars to show for it in the end.”
“We do have scars, at least we can get scars. And I think it has to do with how healing works. I think our bodies remember its peak form, and it always tries to get back to that state. I have met plenty of people who have scars.”
“When I first told you I was not from this world, you weren't surprised. Why didn't that surprise you?”
Meira turned her eyes to meet Bjorn's and she held them for a long while. She held them long enough for Bjorn to become uncomfortable and lowered his eyes. “You are weird, you are not like anyone I have ever met. To top it all off you know nothing of our world, of magic, of how to take care of yourself. Something about you didn't add up and it made me figure you weren't from the Eld.”
“That's just it, you weren't even bothered by the fact that there is other intelligent life in the universe, or that I come from an entirely different planet. Back on earth if we found out that another intelligent species existed there would be pandemonium.”
“Everyone knows that there is other intelligent life in the universe, what a silly notion. But you are right, it is no surprise because there is summoning magic. Sometimes a summoning goes wrong and someone from a different plane or world, or reality gets summoned to our world from where they are from. You not being from here isn't some new idea.”
Her words cut into Bjorn’s pride a bit. She had basically told him that he is not special at all. He had always known deep down that he was just another person. But some small part of him held hope that he was unique, that his situation was something different. But no, he was just another cog in the machine, he was just another person.
“Hey Meira.” Bjorn said after a while of introspection. “I am pretty sure that I came to this world not from a summoning circle. I died on earth and the next thing I knew I was in a white place as a ball of light. There I met a being that directed me and helped me choose who I am, he called himself Charon. Do you know anything about him, or of creatures like him?”
Meira had to think on that one for a bit. “No, I have never heard of any creatures like this Charon you talk about. Nore have I ever heard of someone dying and coming back as a ball of light, and then choosing who you will be in the Eld. Honestly the entire thing kind of sounds made up.”
Her answer took Bjorn down an entirely different train of thought. It made him start to think about the words Charon said and how it affected the world on a larger scope. “Meira, how old is the Eld?”
“I don’t know, Escar is a fairly new kingdom based on what I know. At least 2,000 to 5,000 years old. Laolin, one of the major elven kingdoms, is at least 50,000 years old. There are libraries that are in the capital that are dated at least 50,000 years ago. So it is at least that old.”
“Lanolin you said?” Bjorn asked.
“No Lanolin is an oil secreted by sheep to make their wool last. Laolin is the name of one of the elven kingdoms. Don’t get that confused.” Meira chastised.
“Okay okay, settle down… You know it makes me wonder, Charon told me that this world had recently started being seeded. At least 50,000 years is not recent. If we take into account how long the sentient races struggled to form some sort of level of technology, and to form societies. That estimate can easily double, if not triple. So how is 100,000 years on the low end guess ‘recently started’?”
Plowing onwards Bjorn continued before Meira had a chance to answer. “Then again, he did tell me he was immortal, and to an immortal 100,000 years must not be long. Someone once told me that the galaxy I am from is over 13 billion years old. So what is 100k in the face of billions.”
They both grew silent again as they started to contemplate the vastness of time and scope of beings like that existence. Bjorn was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he was startled back to the present by a rock hitting him on the cheek. Giving a slight glare, Bjorn looked at Meira.
“I asked you a question.” Seeing Bjorn gave no sign of hearing the question she repeated. “What do you want to accomplish in this life?”
The scope of the question threw Bjorn off. What did he want to accomplish? Ever since he came to this world he hadn't had the chance to slow down. He had kept moving from one problem to another problem. And when he did have some down time he spent it learning skills he had never known or understood back on earth. He and been flailing around trying to survive in a world where he didn't have the skill to survive. After thinking on the answer he only had one to give. “I don't know.”
Nodding Meria took his answer better than he expected. “I think you should spend some time thinking about it. Everyone should know what they wish to do, and where they want to go. Help them find what drives them.” With those words of advice she stood and left the camp leaving Bjorn by himself deep in thought.
The next morning Bjorn was up before anyone else in camp stirred. So he quietly left camp and made his way into the woods heading for the clearing he had gone to with Meira to remove her mana absorption bead. Off to one side of the clearing there was a fallen log right next to a tree. The positioning of the two made a sort of chair. Moving over to the two pieces of wood Bjorn sat and continued his thoughts on what Meira had asked him last night.
What did he want to accomplish in this life? What a broad question. With many right answers, and few wrong ones. Did he want fame? No, not really. Back on earth he had met a few famous people and their lives seemed almost to the point of misery. That wasn't a drive. Did he want power? Again not really, so far he had accumulated power because it helped him stay alive in a world bent on killing him. Power was nice and all, but it isn't want drove him onwards. He liked powers ability to let him wake up every morning and continue living, but he didn't get it for the sake of accruing power.
Maybe he was tackling this issue from the wrong angle, what did he like doing? So far he had the most fun with his friends, he also enjoyed doing his alchemy, but the most enjoyment he got was through his use of magic. There was something oddly satisfying and cathartic with watching the world around him be affected and shaped by his use of magic. So is that one thing that drives him, A desire to learn more about magic and gain new magical skills? Again the answer was really no, magic was awesome and he felt like a part of him would be missing without magic, but it wasn't what was driving him forward.
Ultimately magic was a tool to be used, that thirst for knowledge was there but it wasn't a true driving force. Did he want more? Of course he did, who wouldn't want to watch stone dig itself from the ground and shape itself like it was liquid before shooting at high speeds and causing damage at whatever was hit. That power was awesome and amazing.
Was it alchemy then? The growth and learning about the world was wondrous, it was awesome watching the potions that he made have a tangible effect on the world around him. It would never grow old watching a wound that would have been fatal back on earth heal almost at a visible rate because of his potions. The feeling of being dead tired at the end of a day, where it feels like you can't continue but drinking the stamina potion reversing that effect and energizing you was something that can't be explained logically. Out of everything that he had tried so far in the Eld alchemy was his favorite. There was something just inherently gratifying in watching the fruits of his labor provide tangible benefits to the people he has come across.
Through it all, the only thing that has kept him going was his friends. Without Alaric he probably would have died again, being slaughtered by the drow when they invaded the gnoll stronghold. Looking back on who he was before Alaric got captured he doubted they would have kept him alive. He was a shell, a husk of a man. Olvog’s ability had almost completely shattered Bjorn’s psych but the cantankerous dwarf snapped him out of it and brought him back to a normal state of mind. Since then he would have died again at the hands of the flesh abominations, and again probably by the hands of Olvog and his henchmen.
In the last few months of his life he had gained two people he would and could trust fully, with a third working her way into the group. They have helped each other, and they have grown together. At this point there didn’t seem like much that could separate the three of them.
Not knowing exactly where he wanted to go but having an idea he made his way back to town. Upon nearing town the sounds of work could be heard echoing through the woods, saws, hammers, and loud voices carried through the trees. Exiting the trees the town was abuzz with people working industriously trying to repair their town. Walking through the hustle and bustle of town there were many warm welcomes and smiles. Bjorn sought out Meira to give her an answer. He had no issue finding her, she was in a garden trying to see what plants that had been trampled in the raid could be saved.
Walking up behind her Bjorn called out. “I have an answer for you.”
Turning around and looking up. “Oh?” She asked.
“Mind you, not a full answer. I have ultimately decided that there are three things that matter the most to me and what I want to work toward. First is I would like to learn more about magic, and gain new magical spells. They have been instrumental in saving my life up to this point. The second thing, I would like to keep working on my alchemy skills. I have been able to save our lives with my potions. Before I was a slave, a woman named Medera taught me what I know about alchemy. Our work helped hundreds of people’s lives, either easing pain, or a herbicide, or something to help people make it through the day. I would like to become a better alchemist. And lastly, you guys. I wouldn’t be here today without all three of you. I don’t really care where I go, and what I do as long as it involves you.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
As Bjorn was talking a small smile crossed Meira’s lips, as he talked it grew into a half smile, then a true smile. “I am glad you have thought about it. I don’t think you should know your exact path, or where you are going to end up. But I do think everyone should have some sort of bearing to their lives. Thank you for being willing to share your current bearing with me.”
From there they went their separate ways, Meria working in the garden and Bjorn joining the clearing force. By the time they stopped for dinner that evening there was an impressive pile of wood set aside to be used as firewood, as the charred parts of the wood made it useless for anything but.
They all met back up for dinner that evening. While eating their meals Tayla spoke up. “I have qualified to get my profession. I was thinking of getting it tonight.”
Both Alaric and Meira gave their congratulations, Bjorn on the other hand was only filled with questions. “What do you mean you are qualified? Also what is a profession?”
With a laugh Tayla spoke up. “I sometimes forget you are not from here. To qualify for a profession you have to meet two requirements. For a combat focused profession you need to be level 20 and have at least 40 skill levels in a related skill. For me that fight brought me to level 22, and it took my stealth skill to level 40. Making me able to acquire a rogue profession. As for what a profession is, think of it as another way to get stronger.”
Alaric took up speaking from there. “And for non combat professions you need to reach a personal level of 10, and a skill level of 40 in whatever skill you want to make your profession.”
“You keep saying your profession, are you able to have more than one?”
“Kind of.” Meira cut in. “You are only able to get one profession at personal level 10, or 20 depending on which type of profession you gained. From there every ten levels past the threshold you either get an option to specialize or gain a second profession.”
“Now I can see your next question already.” Alaric stopped Bjorn. “The benefit of a profession is to be able to gain talent points per level that can be spent on passive and active talents associated with your profession. You only ever get a set amount of those per level, so sometimes I'm better to specialize, others it is more important to take a second profession. There is no right answer, each profession has their own unique benefits so it's a case by case basis.”
“So what you are telling me is that these professions are important, and help you grow. You are also telling me that once the choice has been made it is impossible to go back?”
Tayla thinned her lips and moved her head from side to side. “For the most part, yes, they are permanent. With all things though there are always ways to remove your own profession, or have it forcibly removed. It is hard, and I have never heard of someone doing either though. Impossible is such a strong word, I would be hesitant to use it. The ability to strip a profession is only a rumor though. I can't confirm or deny it.” Looking at the other two they nodded in agreement.
“So if the threshold of gaining your rogue profession was level 20, what happened to those talent points that you missed out on by being level 22 before gaining your profession?”
“To be perfectly frank, I don't know.” Tayla answered. “But I guess we are about to find out.” with that answer she set down her plate and mentally clicked yes on her prompt. Her whole body began to glow as she started to slowly float upwards as the glow intensified. Soon she shone like a beacon in the night. The effect lasted a minute before the glow began to fade as she slowly floated down until her feet were planted solidly on the ground. The glow fully faded as she got the same distant look in her eye that Bjorn had started to associate with reading prompts.
They all sat there looking at Tayla expectantly until Alaric couldn't hold it in any longer. “Well?” He asked
“Give me a minute.” Was her only response as she held that distant look in her eye.
Her little light show drew the attention of the townsfolk as they started to gather round. A few of the bolder ones came up to the group asking questions, they started to answer until Aiko came through the crowd.
“I am assuming one of you just got a profession, based on the light show and the crowd of people surrounding you.”
Nodding Bjorn pointed to Tayla. “that we did, it was Tayla. She was the one who gained the profession, you are now in the presence of a professed rogue. At least I think it is rogue, that is what she told us she qualified for.”
Looking her up and down. “Congratulations, I do want to remind you that even though you saved his town, if items start to go missing you will be the first person to be suspected.”
Tayla's eyes came back into focus and she settled on Aiko, then she got an affronted look on her face before claiming. “Are you suggesting I steal? I would never! You have besmirched my honor Aiko!”
“uh, huh. Well see to it that items don't start to go missing by you or by anyone else.” Aiko said before turning around and walking away, villagers in tow. Some willing others with a swift kick in the rear.
“I am serious.” Tayla said to the remaining friends. “I would never steal from them, they don't have enough of anything that has any worth at all. Now there is a dwarf I know who has a probably really expensive ax. Him on the other hand I might steal from.” As she finished her comment she was met by loud protests from Alaric.
“So how about it? Did you get the talent points for your levels over 20 or not?” Bjorn asked.
Tayla got that distant look again. “Yes I did, I got 20 talent points to spend where I want.” After a few minutes of staring off into the distance her eyes focused again. “Hey Bjorn, would you do me a favor, and fire an arrow at me?”
“Why would I do that? Are you sure?”
“Yes I'm sure, I have something I would like to try. Come on, take a shot.” Tayla then stood and walked around 50 feet away before stopping, turning back around and facing the group.
“Alright, you asked for it.” Bjorn stood, retrieved his bow from the portable pocket, drew an arrow, and aimed at Tayla's leg. “Ready?” Bjorn asked
When she nodded in reply Bjorn sucked in a breath, and used his level 10 archery perk. He held the arrow trained on her leg and held it. As such his stamina bar in the side of his vision began to drop, not rapidly but fast. After three seconds of holding he had used over 10% of his stamina, and so he loosed the arrow.
It quickly streaked through the air crossing the distance between Bjorn and Tayla in a second. She was faster. As soon as he let the arrow go she was already moving, and as such the arrow shot through the air and stuck in the ground, missing Tayla entirely.
“Well now, that is a neat trick.” Alaric said coming forward. “What is that one called?”
Grinning ear to ear, Tayla walked back over to the group. “It is called uncanny dodge. It is a passive talent that allows me to know when someone is about to shoot an arrow at me, giving me a base 10% chance to dodge projectiles. It says that the dodge chance is variable, so I'm assuming that if I am not aware of an opponent the chances go down, but at the same time if I see the opponent and know its coming that chance increases.”
“That is awesome, what else did you get?” Bjorn asked.
Shaking her head. “Nothing, I didn't get another talent, that talent cost 15 of my 20 talent points. I have a few other options, but I think I'm going to keep it to myself. Don't want to spoil it when I get another talent in the future.”
That night after they had finished with their work during the day Bjorn sat by himself with his character sheet open.
Name: Bjorn Ward
Race: Human
age:19
Hp:213(53)
Stamina:193(23)
Mana:187(17)
Level: 14
Stats from items (*)
Strength:22
Constitution:16
Dexterity:16
Agility:17
Endurance:17
Intelligence:17
Wisdom:15
Charisma:15
Abilities
Increased growth
Skilling Prodigy
WAILA
Disadvantage
Weak
Synergy
Latent potential
Skills
Alchemy: 14: 36%
Archery: 12: 34%
Bowyering: 2: 00%
Beast Master: 2: 3%
Beast Master: 2: 0%
Cooking: 7: 89%
Construction: 2: 0%
Road building: 2: 33%
Hand to hand combat: 7: 86%
Healing: 4: 48%
Herb-Lore: 13: 10%
Horseback Riding: 3: 56%
Leatherworking 3: 36%
Light Armor: 1: 47%
Mining: 20: 90%
Small blades: 3: 56%
Stealth: 5: 70%
Survival: 5: 19%
Swordsmanship: 4: 41%
Trade 9: 92%%
Woodcutting: 1: 86%
Perks:
Alchemy 10: 50% less chance to fail potion creation
Archery: 10: invest stamina into shots to increase their accuracy.
Herb-lore 10:Can see 2 potential uses upon consuming any herb.
Mining 10: Increased knowledge on where to strike rock.
It was pleasant to see his own industriousness written plainly out for him in the form of his personal levels and skill levels. It was also a bit troubling, as most of the experience that he had gained came from all of the people and animals he had killed. The amount of blood that was on his hands would have been enough to disgust his old self. “I think I would be considered a mass murderer.” Bjorn thought to himself with a light chuckle at the darkness of the thought.
The only thing that he wasn't sure what to do with was the 9 free points he had gained from leveling. After giving it some thought he ended up putting 3 points into constitution, 2 into dexterity, 1 into agility, 2 into charisma, and lastly one point into strength.
As much as he didn't want to he felt like he needed to put more into his physical stats. The last few fights he has been a decent all-rounder, but when it comes to a straight up fight he is lacking in all areas. He will always have less points than everyone to distribute but his interaction he had with the bandit who was lower level than Bjorn being able to overpower him was unsettling. It was also becoming apparent that he would have to play a more active role as a front line fighter.
Tayla wasn't a stand and fight kind of girl, her best chance to stay alive was to not get hit. Alaric was the current most crucial role in the team, he could stand there and take a hit and keep going, his skill with fighting was the backbone of their fighting group. Meria had long range magical damage covered; she was the support damage in the back who needed to be protected so she could do her job. The only one without a solid role in the team was Bjorn.
He played Jack of all trades filling any role that was needed. The flexibility he had was useful to compliment any one person's position. But when it came to each different role he fell short in every single one. Ultimately the most important role the group had was Alaric’s role. Tayla would be overwhelmed by numbers. One or two solid hits and Meira was out of the fight. If Alaric wasn't there to draw their attention the group would fail in a fight.
As such Bjorn put more of his points into physical stats in case something happened to Alaric. Figuring that was the most important role to fill if something happened. Besides it would help to be more athletic in the coming month of helping build the town back up.
The next few days were spent in the woods helping a few of the villagers pick the trees that they wanted, cut them down, de-limb them, cut them down to a more manageable size and then drag them back to town. His work cutting down trees netted him another skill.
You have gained the skill: Woodcutting. You have started on your journey to make sure no wood ever stands in your way. There are few building blocks that are as essential to society, wood is the most common of them. Cutting down a multiple thousand pound piece of wood might lead to injury, but what the heck, if you need it you need it.
The next few days from there were spent cutting the bark off of the trees and setting up a rather elaborate rig. Using 3 men and 3 women they were able to lift one of the logs up off the ground and place it on two different x shaped stands that were driven into the ground. The two stands were connected in the middle with two different long square pieces of wood, which were also affixed to each other. These pieces of wood were used to bring the x shaped stands closer together and move them further apart, raising and lowering the log. Next to the log running parallel to the log were two other pieces of wood shaped in the shape of a long letter n.
Once the contraption was fully prepared they drew out a long double sided saw, and started to cut the wood into planks. The entire contraption was rather ingenious, it allowed the villagers to move the log to the height that they wanted to be able to cut whatever thickness of board they wanted. They could also use it to cut the boards into any angular shape they wanted. The two pieces of wood that ran parallel could be used as guides to make sure that the wood was cut straight and not get warped boards.
After each board was made they moved the wood to either a long table or a few sawhorses. After they were there a few of the more skilled carpenters then shaped the wood closer to what shape they needed for the building they were building. The accuracy of what they were doing was impressive. They didn’t have any nails, or screws, really any modern fastener. Instead they used cleaver cutting, shaping, and wedges to lock the wood pieces in place. As such the rebuilding process was moving forward, but it was still slow going. Especially seeing how they started work on Bjorn, Meira, Alaric, and Tayla’s home first.
The structure that was being built was an impressive structure. It had 6 separate rooms, 4 of which were bedrooms. The other two were one as a communal space, and the last as a kitchen and dining area of sorts. The entire process was rather intensive. As Bjorn was out gathering trees, a few of the other villagers and Alaric were tasked with setting up a foundation for the building. They dug down until they found rock on key points of the building. From there Alaric and another villager who had some experience doing masonry work began to cut sections of the rock out that the wood for the foundation would fit into.
Tayla who was a city girl and not very well versed in the construction process got roped in by a few of the older folks to start working on rendering a sort of stain to help preserve the wood. The process of rendering it seemed not too intensive, but took a long time to do so. One of the older women rolled out a large metal cauldron from inside her house, they built a fire and set the cauldron over it. First they started with water bringing it to a boil. From there they threw in chunks of animal fat, herbs by the handful, and the only thing Bjorn recognized, a section of black tar ivy. From there they had to stir it for hours, every few hours they added another handful of herbs. Around the 6 hour mark someone came and took over for Tayla letting her take a break. The entire process took 3 days to render down the substance.
Once everything was ready they dipped the wooden foundations in the liquid, the dark tar looking liquid bubbled up onto the wood. Once on the surface it roiled, making it look like it was boiling. After it settled down the substance sank into the wood's surface leaving the entire piece of wood looking the exact same as it did right before it got dipped. Once complete they let it sit out for around an hour before placing the wood snuggly into the rock that Alaric made. From there it was a simple matter to backfill around the foundations.
“That was all a bit extreme.” Bjorn commented to Zaine.
“Oh contraire. I think it was exactly what we needed. We wanted to make sure that the house would stand up to the test of time. Unfortunately untreated wood rots away in around a decade. So by taking these steps we have ensured that the house should stand past that. Of course that implies that no outside force causes the house to burn down, or be destroyed. But what we did here should slow down the rotting process by at least 50 years.”
The next few days from there were used for making planks necessary for framing in the floor. On the second night after they got the frame in place it was a full moon. The villagers turned and had a rather sleepless night. All in all it was a rather uneventful night. Due to young werewolves having issues restraining their desire to eat they set up 2 full time adults to watch over the non-werewolves and intercept any of the youngsters who tried to get a little too friendly.
The next day after the transformation the entire town was in a state of torpor. Not much got done due to the fact that most were trying to recover from the transformation. Apparently the act of their bodies growing and then shrinking was a wholly unpleasant experience. Most of the town walked around town looking like they were sporting a gnarly hangover.
It was on one of those kinds of days that Aiko was working next to Bjorn. “Hey Aiko, why haven't you guys built some sort of defense?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, from my understanding you all have lived here for at least 4 years, in those 4 years you haven't built some sort of defensive structure. No ditches, no moat, no wall, not even a basic tower. Why not? I would think that it would help incase of what happened.”
“Well up until the bandits attacked our only threat was monsters and creatures. Most monsters and animals have better survival instincts and senses than humanoids. As such they can sense what we truly are. Leading to most monsters avoiding the village of werewolves.”
“But in the grand scheme of things around 90% of the time you are actually humanoids and not the werewolves.” Bjorn asked.
“That is true, but up until a week ago it didn’t matter. We are for sure going to put more effort into some sort of defensive structures, at the very least some sort of lookout tower. I also think it would help us out if we decided to have a few of us dedicated to learning how to fight.”
“Yeah that would probably be for the best, I bet if you asked Alaric he would gladly teach you.” Bjorn remarked.
After a few minutes of working in silence, Aiko spoke up in a nervous tone. “You know, if you guys plan on staying around here, we would gladly turn you into werewolves. If of course you wanted us to do so. If you don’t it is no big deal, all of you are welcome to stay even if you don’t accept our offer.” Aiko’s body posture, and hunched shoulders were a paragon of uncertainty.
Bjorn could tell that this offer has been weighing on Aiko for the last few days. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I would rather not be a werewolf.” Her body drooped a little at hearing his words. “I do appreciate your offer though. There is nothing wrong with you being werewolves. I think for myself, I would rather not change. You gain extreme power while in werewolf form, but I think the drawback is something I don’t want to deal with. Besides I expect if I became a werewolf my budget for clothes would sky rocket. And I am too broke to be able to afford new clothes.” He finished with a smile.
As he spoke, Aiko’s posture straightened out, and there was a visible relaxation in the skin around her eyes. Doubly so after Bjorn made his joke. “Thank you for your kind words, and the offer is always on the table.”
With that they both set back to work. “Hey Aiko, when you say you could turn us into werewolves, how does that work?”
“That one is pretty simple actually. From my understanding Lycanthropy is a curse, and that curse is carried and spread through our saliva. So all we would need to do is bite you on one of the full moons and then on the next full moon you would turn into a werewolf for the first time. That first night we would make sure that no one other than us are around, because you lose all control of the first transformation, and you would go feral. Not to worry though, it only happens on your first transformation. Every other time passed that the desire to consume and kill is still there, but very muted. To the point where I have never seen any adult lose their control.”
The rest of the day was spent with some of the more experienced carpenters teaching Bjorn about jointery. He didn’t think that it would matter all that much, but the carpenters kept an eye on Bjorn as he worked, and boy did he make mistakes. It was around every 4 or 5 minutes that someone would correct the way Bjorn held his chisel, or the position and angle at which he used it to smooth and cut the smallest part of the wood. The guidance paid dividends, because it allowed Bjorn to quickly gain skill levels in carpentry. why haven't you guys built some sort of defense?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, from my understanding you all have lived here for at least 4 years, in those 4 years you haven't built some sort of defensive structure. No ditches, no moat, no wall, not even a basic tower. Why not? I would think that it would help incase of what happened.”
“Well up until the bandits attacked our only threat was monsters and creatures. Most monsters and animals have better survival instincts and senses than humanoids. As such they can sense what we truly are. Leading to most monsters avoiding the village of werewolves.”
“But in the grand scheme of things around 90% of the time you are actually humanoids and not the werewolves.” Bjorn asked.
“Again you are spot on Bjorn, but the thing is most creatures have an inane sense of their strength in comparison to what the strength of their opponents are, and as such they know generally which fights to take, and which ones to run away from. As for us we are fortunate that they typically think we are the same power level we are when we are transformed.”
“But you see that’s the thing I don't understand, for the most part you are just as weak as a normal human, or whatever race you are. Why would they feel something different?”
Aiko said something in a language that Bjorn didn’t know. But by the inflection and tone on her comment it was something along the lines of ‘Lord help me’ “I don’t fucking know Bjorn, I don’t know how animals and monsters feel. I just don’t know.” Aiko snapped out. “Stop asking the exact same question 4 different times just worded differently.” After her outburst she stood, looked at Bjorn and turned around and stomped away.