Have you ever fallen? From a roof or a pull-up bar? Do you remember that moment of weightlessness? That moment when you forget up from down and your world starts to spin? Well, that's what it's like to be born. As long as you forget the sudden cold that assaults your body, the heaviness of your own limbs, and the fact that you can literally feel the flow of your blood switch directions. That last one is the worst.
The midwife's hands shook after she passed off the newborn girl. Despite how hard she tried to keep herself calm, her face betrayed how uneasy she felt. The child was silent. Completely. Not a single sound came out of the child's mouth. “Madam,” her voice quaked. The mother, a middle-aged woman who by all accounts should not have been able to bear another child, was exhausted.
“Yes?” The woman's face was covered in sweat and the streaks of tears could still be seen. “Mary? What is it?” The new mother saw her midwife's face. The woman's eyes were wide and staring at the child. A girl. Then the mother saw it. Her child's eyes were open, staring right into her own. Not a single fidget or wiggle. She just laid there. For a moment, the briefest of moments, the woman thought her child was dead. Until the girl blinked. She sighed as she saw her daughter's chest rise and fall. She could see the girl's heartbeat. And, once she was paying attention, she could see the child's body quake with every beat of the girl's heart.
“The child's not crying, Madam.” Mary's hands caught each other. Her fingers twisted and fidgeted. “Bad omens, Madam.”
“Bad omens? Whatever do you mean, Mary?” The woman did not know much about these omens. She was from the south, where the weather was always warm. It surprised her to no end how superstitious the northerners, including her husband, could get.
“The child, Madam, the spirits have claimed her.” Mary's teeth started to chatter. Her eyes darted side to side. “Give it to the snow, Madam. You cannot keep what the spirits have claimed.” It was then that the woman finally lost her nerve. “I won't stay. I cannot have the spirits turn their eyes upon me and mine, Madam.”
“Mary! Wait!” The woman's words fell on nothing as her midwife fled. It was the last thing she expected to happen. The woman had helped her give birth to her other three daughters. But as she looked down at the crystalline blue eyes of her daughter, eyes that looked exactly like her husband's, the worrisome comments of her midwife drifted from her mind.
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The child in question could hear every single one of their comments, but was otherwise preoccupied. There was a reason she didn't make a sound. She was far too perplexed to do so.
What the hell is this thing? My thoughts were focused on a big blue box that took up the entirety of my vision.
Name: ???
Age: 0
Level: 1
Classes: None
Titles: Lady
Traits: Loved by Winter, Ice Born, Noble, Highborn
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Attributes:
Strength: 3
Dexterity: 3
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 4
Willpower: 6
Charisma: 3
Free Points: 6
Skills:
Spirit Perception (Lv 1)
Cold Resistance (Lv 5)
Heat Resistance (Lv 1)
Feats:
None
Feat Points: 2
Statistics:
Health: 70/1.75 per day
Stamina: 60/6 per minute
Mana: 40/4 per hour
Conviction: 60/6 per hour
There was so much to take in. I didn't even have a name. And what were all these other numbers? It took me longer than I would like to admit to come to terms with my new reality. But when I eventually calmed down I was able to more thoroughly examine the box that took up my vision. Looking at the zero that represented my age I couldn't help but feel confused. I wasn't 0 years old. I was 28 and I just... I can't remember what I was doing. I can remember a lot of things, but it's all just information. I know I lived a life, a full one. I could remember english and math, even the history of the nation I used to live in. But I couldn't remember actually living there. I couldn't even remember what my name was.
I know I should be freaking out right now. What with two giants looming over me and making weird sing-songy sounds. My mind just...it just wouldn't. So, I looked through the different things in this box.
The second things to catch my attention were the different categories. Well, the Titles, Traits, and Feats to be exact.
Titles – States given to you be those that are more powerful than you. If you gain more power than the one who gave you the title you will retain said title. Titles can be removed by sufficiently ranked individuals or certain events.
I only had one title.
Lady – The title automatically given to daughters of noble houses. If you are married or otherwise gain a noble title of your own you will lose the title of Lady. If your house falls you will lose the title of Lady. This title gives no bonuses.
It was thoroughly unexciting. I felt slightly disenchanted by it though I wasn't sure why. That train of thought brought me to my 'lack of personality'. I know, a weird term, but one I think fits the best. It's strange being like this. I know, academically, that I should have certain likes and dislikes, but I just didn't. Or I didn't know what they were yet. That sounded far more likely.
My inspection continued with the four traits I had. I didn't know if they were a lot or not, but surely it couldn't be common, right?
Traits – Natural manifestations in your body. Traits can either be passed on by breeding or gained by performing actions that leave a permanent mark on both your physical and nonphysical person. Traits cannot be removed.
Loved by Winter – You are loved by the Spirits of Winter. They will never let you fall under sickness in cold, icy environments. The Spirits of Winter will seek to help you in all tasks. Be careful, Spirits do not always help in ways that are beneficial to you. Grants +2 to Con and Will. Grants 1 Lv of Spirit Perception and 2 Lvs of Cold Resistance.
Ice Born – Your body and spirit are aligned with Ice and Cold. You do not suffer from natural cold beyond slight chilliness. Ice and Cold magic, both secular and divine, bends to your will more readily. Elementals of Ice and Cold see you as one of their own and will not attack you initially. Grants access to certain feats. Grants +2 to Con and +1 to Int and Will. Grants 2 Lvs of Cold Resistance.
Both of these traits fit each other perfectly. Memories of ice magic, all from videogames and fantasy novels, came crashing into my head. I mean, these alone would set anyone up for being a mage. A good one at that. My other two traits, Noble and Highborn, also seemed to go together. They, along with my title of Lady, also gave me an idea of what kind of life I had apparently been born into.
Noble – You are the child of two nobles, both of which have this trait. This trait can only be gained by being the child of nobles. If you lose your noble title and then have children they will not have this trait. Grants +1 to all Attributes. Due to your lineage you are granted 1 Lv in both Cold Resistance and Heat Resistance.
Highborn – You are the product of two noble lines stretching back generations. The Highborn can in some ways be considered a different race from the common rabble. Grants access to certain feats. Grants +1 to all Attributes per Level. Grants +1 Feat Point per Lv.
Putting all these things together so far I can assume that I am actually quite a bit more powerful than your average newborn. From what I can tell most children are not born with any sort of traits at all, and even nobles are rarely born with anything more than Noble and Highborn, which are quite a leg up on their own. But I have two more. Not only that, but they also go well together. I was itching to learn more about the attributes but I wanted to take a look at the feats first.
Feats – Feats are certain characteristics that are gained from spending Feat Points. These points can be gained from doing various difficult tasks, inventing something new, or by leveling up. Feats can be sealed or restricted by certain magics and other abilities.
Current Feat Points: 2
Spend Feat Points?
Yes No
I couldn't help myself as I pressed 'Yes'.