Autumn, 630 CA
Thirty miles south of the City of Etron, the sparse evidence of civilization faded away into nothing but green wilderness. There were no buildings, cobbled roads, or wheel tracks in the dirt. The only evidence of animal life that was immediately apparent in that forest were the small dirt pathways tread in the ground and the occasional flicker of underbrush as a rodent or squirrel scurried under a bush.
A burbling stream which did not appear on any existing map passed through the wilderness. No human other than the occasional monster hunter had seen this small, winding stream ever since the beginning of recorded history more than six hundred years before.
Walking beside this stream was a large, clumsy creature that stood out against the serene harmony of the landscape around him. This creature rhythmically struck a wooden cane against the dirt, scaring away the smaller forest creatures and informing every animal for miles around of his location.
That clumsy creature was me, Thale Feldrast. I took a brief break from striking my cane against the ground to look at my reflection in the stream.
From within the stream, a severe-looking teenager with black hair and red eyes peered back at me. Technically, I had just become a teenager a few weeks before. I had undergone a growth spurt over the past few years, and I stood at about 170 centimeters tall.
I had just turned fifteen years old, making me an adult in the eyes of Etronia. Naturally, the body I inhabited hardly felt very “adult” to me, but the young age of majority in the Kingdom of Etronia would make my future endeavors easier. They would be more comfortable around me now that they didn’t view me as an unnaturally advanced child.
Due to the measures I had undertaken over the past five years, my body was starting to diverge from the gaunt, sallow look of the original Thale Feldrast. Granted, I was still unhealthily thin, and I was certainly not in shape, but I no longer looked like I had a few months to live.
I was dressed in drab traveling clothes that were caked in a layer of dirt. The fine noble clothing was gone. The clothes I wore six years ago were far too small for me. My group had been on the road for more than a month at that point, and none of us had bathed in that time period. In any other circumstance, Thale Feldrast would have been bothered by such a situation, but I felt strangely content. I finally felt like I was fulfilling my role as a reincarnate in Ferrum.
In a contemplative mood, I produced a piece of paper out of one of the many pockets stitched into my clothing. On the paper was written a single word in English, though the word was written by someone who was clearly unfamiliar with the letters. It was only after looking at the word for several seconds that one could determine what had been transcribed.
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On the paper was a single five-letter word, written in all capital letters.
HELLO.
Thale’s Note
The Kingdom of Etronia was split, largely, into three regions. These regions were known as the Northern Realms, the Lowlands, and the Jagged Coast. In the Summer of 615 CA, a reincarnate appeared in each of these regions. Haydith and I took over the bodies of infants, whereas David York was able to keep his old body. I suspect that the System reached David before he was crushed by the rubble of the Cagliostro, allowing him to reincarnate completely intact. Most likely, the System would have preferred to reincarnate all of us with our bodies, but Haydith and I were dead by the time it reached us.
Either way, it wasn’t until the year 630 CA that I saw evidence that other reincarnates were present on Ferrum. If I had known to look, I probably would have made contact earlier. I visited Etron two or three times between 625 and 630, and I must have passed the Band of Bastards on the road half a dozen times. Hell, David and Haydith were both in Etron for about a month back in 625 CA.
The paper I held in my hand at that moment was the only piece of evidence I had of reincarnate activity. At the sites of major battles between the Band of Bastards and the orcish tribes, someone had carved the word, “Hello,” into the ground with a bladed weapon. I had heard tales of these carvings as early as 626 CA but didn’t think much of them. As an afterthought, I had one of my agents transcribe one of the strange carvings on a piece of paper. When I saw the writing she brought back, I knew that I had to start moving immediately.
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I returned the insignificant slip of paper that held a significant meaning back into my pocket. As an afterthought, I turned back to the stream and activated one of my Talents.
[Observe, Lvl. 9]
Name: Thale Feldrast
Class: Priest
Level: 19
HP: 59
MP: 299
Fortitude: 6
Strength: 6
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 20
Willpower: 16
Charisma: 13
Mana Conductivity: 2.5 μ/s
Tier: D
Skills: [Triage]
Spells: [Fly], [Gust], [Wind Knife]...
Talents: [Hellfire], [Observe]
Healing Potential: 85
Alignment: Scrupulous (Good)
Looking at my character sheet, I felt no small amount of pride. My mental stats had gone up and I had gained quite a few spells, but I was most proud of the increase to my physical stats. With my mind and the natural skills of my body, I had no difficulty learning new spells or gaining mental stats, but doing anything physical was an uphill battle.
Every one of my physical stats was twice as hard to increase as my mental stats. Considering my [Sickly] Trait and my age, I was probably at the highest level of fitness I could realistically hope to achieve without taking drastic action. My lifestyle had been incredibly active over those past six years, so it was only natural.
I had even been getting sick with less frequency and less severity. In the past, a cold would take me completely out of commission, and I could only function because of my Priest abilities. Now, in the year 630 CA, I could at least remain vertical as I was gripped by terrible coughing fits.
It was certainly a good thing that I was less reliant upon [Prayer], since the plan I was enacting at that moment would most likely cause my class to change to mage. At that moment, I was preparing to say goodbye to my current [Class].