Tess awoke precisely an hour before sunrise, as Timekeeper enabled. What surprised her though was the sight of a notification.
Patch 1.342.63802 has been applied to the Tutorial.
“What does that mean?” she said aloud.
In all her time within the Tutorial, Tess had never seen a notification about any patch whatsoever. If not for the myriad of fellows that passed through, she would not have even known what a patch was.
“So the System got a fix.”
It got a fix.
It got a fix?
It got…
“...a fix!”
Tess leapt out of bed and sprinted through the cottage. She burst out of her room, through the main living area, and burst into Olivia's room.
“OLIVIA!! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW! IT GOT A FIX!” Tess shouted.
Olivia shot upright in frightened alertness between the sudden intrusion and shouting.
“Tess? What are you talking about?”
Tess grabbed Olivia by the shoulders and started shaking her rapidly.
“It got a fix!”
Olivia still had no idea what she was talking about, but her focus was distracted by the annoyance of another notification screen. She read the stupid thing in a huff.
“Oh. You mean this patch thing?”
“Yes! Do you know what this means?”
“No?”
“It means the System noticed an error in the Tutorial and fixed it. What is the biggest error?”
Tess looked at her desperately. Olivia sat racking her now well shaken brain.
“You?”
“That's right! Me! And if I got fixed, and I'm not gone, then I should be able to leave! I can leave!”
Tess broke down at the thought, collapsing into heavy sobs. So many times had she dreamed of leaving the Tutorial and each time she was denied. She had thought that she had given up the hope of leaving, only to find herself trying after each apprentice. But now there might be success when she tried.
Olivia gently patted Tess's head.
“I see. So you're leaving then?”
Tess nearly choked as she fought through the tears. Wiping her eyes and nose on the bedding, Tess shook her head.
“Not just yet. I should see you off. And I think I should prepare a better manual for those that will follow. I've seen too many stumble through the System's manual and walk out weak.”
“Will the patch let you do that?” Olivia said, thinking about the fact it was patching the Tutorial.
Tess paused.
“I guess I'll have to find out.”
She ran off, leaving Olivia sitting in tear stained and snot covered bedding.
“Great.”
The next couple days were a flurry of activity as Tess set things up to be inviting and comfortable around the cottage for those that would come after. She prepped wood for the fires and scrubbed every surface until it was clean to her satisfaction. At night, she wrote late until it was nearly sunrise again. She baked all sorts of foodstuffs, preserved fruits, and dried meats. Much of the food went into her bags, as she had no idea how long they might sit before the next person might even touch them. She also loaded Olivia with plentiful provisions.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Finally, Tess sorted through the copious amount of gear sets she possessed. She opted to keep one of every set she had crafted, so as to be ready for any situation. Then she dumped the rest here at the cottage, in an organized fashion.
Olivia, meanwhile, had spent most of the time training, at Tess's insistence. Truthfully, she found the idea of fighting appalling and wanted nothing to do with it. In the frenzy of Tess's preparations, Olivia had quizzed her about the existence of certain skills that were less combat oriented and as a result had picked up a number that she valued a lot more. She was much happier with her own choices and the future she knew she was going to have once Tess was a thing of the past. Tess did not even notice the switch of her focus, which caused her to laugh in private.
“Bye you crazy bitch.”
When the day came that Tess was ready, she stood in the doorway, staring at the inside of the cottage for what was hopefully the last time. A large book sat prominently on the table, the only thing apparently out of place.
“I'm going to miss this,” she whispered.
With a flick of her wrist, she put out the last candle within and shut the door. It creaked as she did so, the hinge she had never gotten around to oiling letting out a final protest. She smiled as she secured the latch, something she had never really bothered to do, being the only person here for the long-term. Why had she even put it in? In the hopes of this moment?
The babble of the river drew Tess’s attention. The water wheel spun slowly in the current, but she had disconnected the mechanisms for now so as not to burden them while no one was here. The small fish pen had a healthy supply of larger fish for easy catching.
The small garden, field, and orchard she was placed together drew her eye next. Her Farming skill made the crops grow rapidly, so just these tiny areas had supplied her plenty through the long time. She had adapted the fences around them in the last few days, releasing the chickens from the complete confinement of their coop so as to defend the areas from insects. She just hoped the fences would hold against foxes and such predators.
“Are you ready?”
Tess turned to Olivia.
“Yes. Yet, at the same time, no,” Tess responded.
“Well, I have no idea where to go. So you have to lead the way.”
“Use the Mapping skill I taught you.”
“Not interested.”
Tess sighed as she adjusted the pack on her shoulder. There was no real need to carry the slightly heavy pack when she could just stuff it into one of the numerous homemade magic bags she had, but Tess had wanted to feel some of the weight of the journey ahead.
“Alright. This way.”
Tess walked along the path that followed the river. How many times had she come through here? How much of the path existed because she had walked it? These questions popped into her head as she listened to the birdsong through the trees. At the clearing, she diverted up to the familiar cart with the market stall setup around it.
“Hello Adventurer!”
“Hello Charles. I’m finally going to have the chance to leave!”
“Would you like to browse my wares?”
“Buy.”
“Certainly. I have a wide variety of goods to offer!”
“The Random Box, please.”
Tess placed a handful of coins on the stall in front of her. As Charles placed the box there, the coins vanished into nothingness.
“A pleasure doing business! Do come again!”
“I don’t think that will happen, Charles.”
Tess turned away before she heard a sharp intake. She looked back at Charles, but as ever, he had on his overly cheerful grin. She smiled once more before departing, missing the single tear that emerged from Charles’ eye as he kept his watch over the shop.
Tess and Olivia continued on past the moon spider webs, who had easily reconstructed the damaged portions where Olivia had gotten trapped. Olivia made sure to put Tess in between herself and said webs, not desiring another encounter. Tess remembered numerous apprentices who had gotten caught up in the webs, so Olivia’s time only stood out as the most recent.
The journey continued through the forest before arriving at the base of the hill. Atop the hill sat the obelisk, surrounded by its contingent of stone archways. Together they walked to the edge of the stone archway ring, pausing as Tess glanced to Olivia.
“It is time. You are as ready as you want to be. There isn’t much else I could teach you,” Tess said.
Tess went in for a hug, only to be rebuffed.
“No. I’m not your friend,” Olivia vented, “Frankly, I hate you. You are rude, pushy, and arrogant. Do this! Do that! Get up! Go to sleep! You’re not my mother, and I refuse to listen to you any further.”
Tess was stunned. She had genuinely believed that Olivia had matured a bit since her arrival. Instead, she found herself the subject of vitriol from a fellow member of the Tutorial. The feeling was short lived, as it was not the first time that such a situation occurred though. Additionally, Olivia would be gone to her new world very soon, with Tess off to a different one.
“I see. Well, the obelisk is right there. If you won’t go first, then I will.”
Tess stepped around Olivia and approached the obelisk. A feeling like that of hunger arose within her. She wanted this. What had been denied to her was so close, and she wanted it badly. Tess reached out her hand and touched the obelisk.
Player ‘Theresa’ has completed the Tutorial. Would you like to exit the Tutorial?
“Yes.”
There was a flash of blue light as the obelisk and stone archways lit up.
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Elsewhere
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“Oh… That’s not good,” said the lesser deity.