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Abrum had been training with the Aleqe in the training hall for 8 in game days straight. Only stopping to eat and drink and sleep. Abrum had gotten a total of 16 hours of sleep for the 8 game days. Needless to say, Abrum was “physically” and mentally exhausted. Abrum tended to fight with dual weapons, using one to defend, the other to attack. Those 174 hours of training were not fruitless. He had learned three important skills that would definitely give him a head start.

The blade mastery was extremely important. It gave a damage bonus to all bladed weapons. This basically meant, if Abrum was holding a blade, he could do damage.

The second skill was dual wielding mastery. This added a percentage of damage if Abrum was using two weapons simultaneously.

The last, most important, and the skill with the most painful learning process was sensing aura. This skill allowed Abrum to see the aura of people. This could act as a locating skill. He could plausibly fight numerous people with his eyes closed. Also, ones aura could reveal what one is feeling, or what they are like. The base of an aura tells what a person is like. They are usually on the white and black color bar, almost never will it have a different color, except if someone is insane. The outer ring will tell what a person is feeling.

Red for anger

Green for Happiness

Orange for excited

Blue for Calm

Black for Malicious Intent

Such a useful skill came with quite the painful cost. To gain this skill, Aleqe tied a blindfold around Abrum’s eyes and proceeded to smack him around for the next 6 hours until Abrum could defend himself without his eyes. Needless to say, Abrum wasn’t happy.

What he was happy about were various stat gains in Agility, Dexterity, Strength, Vitality, as well as the new stat Perseverance. That one was obtained near the beginning when Aleqe smacked him around ruthlessly for the first hour.

Currently, he was sparring with Aleqe. They were locked in combat, splinters flying left and right from the colossal might that was exerted in every swing. Abrum had a face that showed worry. His swings were becoming frantic, trying to keep up with the inhuman speed of his instructor. Aleqe had on a serene, but devilish smile upon his face as his strikes flowed like liquid, but contained the force of a bull. The confrontation ended in Abrum on the ground, clutching his side. Aleqe looked down at him with that ever smiling face

“You’ve improved exponentially, however, you always seem to break down whenever I start to move seriously.”

“OF COURSE! If you hit me even once, it hurts as if I was hit by a car! I know what that feels like!”

“What is this car you speak of?” Aleqe asked with a curious face

“Nevermind. How are your moves so fluid?”

“That’s simple lad, I can teach you how to do it, though, you’ll hate me for it.”

Abrum looked apprehensively at the smiling devil in front of him.

‘I want to learn that skill but after what happened on day four….’ *shudder*

“Ok, I’m probably going to regret this, but show me how it’s done.”

“Alrighty then boy, we’re going on a field trip, to outside the city gate.”Aleqe went to the back of the hall to gather some supplies while Abrum gathered up his twin wooden swords he had grown accustomed to using. After he was finished, Aleqe came out with a leather satchel that looked to be very heavy.

“Boy, come over here.”

Although Abrum didn’t want to, he knew he would get beaten if he didn’t. He approached Aleqe cautiously, however, Aleqe grabbed him and proceeded to attach metal cuffs with strange runes to his arms and legs. Abrum looked nervously to Aleqe and asked

“What are these?” In response, Aleqe just smiled his smile, raised his hand and yelled

“Gravitas Articavis”

Suddenly, the cuffs felt a lot heavier than they were and nearly knocked poor Abrum to the ground. He looked to Aleqe, but all he said was “Strength training” as he walked out of the training hall.

Abrum proceeded to follow Aleqe as they walked through the city. The hues the town once again amazed Abrum after being deprived of color after the merciless training. Aleqe was unphased due to his inability to see, however, he never bumped into a single person. There were many players in the town square advertising for a group.

“On a quest to slay the succubus that lives outside the city to the west, any cleric or paladins are welcome.”

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“I’m a level 40 ranger, willing to track down any monster for you.”

“Selling high grade Subjugation collars for only 30 silver”

At the sound of the last call, Abrum saw his masters face contort into a mask of displeasure.

“Something the matter master?”

“I remember the days when people would actually take the time to bond with the creatures. When the creatures would follow because of loyalty, not because of some magic…”

Abrum thought about this and asked the question,

“What do the collars do exactly?”

“They rob whoever or whatever they are attached to of their will. It doesn’t work on travelers though. Only a few can resist the collar, and those are usually killed off.”

With that being said, Abrum and Aleqe continued to walk in silence. They passed the gates and came to a field full of rabbits and foxes. This green expanse was bordered by a rapidly flowing stream. Beyond that, there lay the green forest, full of pine trees and conifers. The image looked like it was right out of a fairy tale… of course if you exclude the newbie players that were chasing the rabbits and the foxes, yelling fierce battle cries.

Abrum just looked at the scene in amazement. He then saw something that he felt wasn’t quite right. There was a mob of players chasing after two little white foxes. They were hurt and seemed to be bleeding from various cuts. The mob of players had them cornered against the wall of the town. The one who was leading them (short, red haired) pulled out a collar that was silver all around with a blood red gem in the middle.

Abrum pointed it out to Aleqe, and his face contorted in rage.

“Would you like me to take care of it master?”

Aleqe looked at him surprised, but just grinned and said

“Give them hell”

Abrum proceeded over to the players. Just as the red head was approaching the two white foxes, something leaped over the heads of the mob and landed in front of the two foxes. This person tilted his head up slightly, smiled a smile that would freeze the River Styx, and proceeded to slaughter those who would take away the free will of another.

In his mind though, Abrum was thinking to himself

‘I’m such an idiot, I’m going to get myself killed!”

He looked back over at the foxes. He saw the raw terror in their eyes. The fear of death, or worse, being made to live as one doesn’t want to. At that point, he resolved himself to protect them, even if it cost him his in game life. He turned to the mob and raised his hand with the sword and said

“Come what may, you have no right to deprive these animals of their god given will!”

Abrum then realized something. The STUPID GRAVITY CUFFS! He looked over at his master pleadingly, but his master just smiled at him. Abrum just sighed and turned to the mob, as they were looking at him as if he was retarded.

“They’re just animals, so why don’t you just give it up?” Jeered the red head with a belittling sneer on his face. In response, Abrum rushed towards him, preparing his wooden sword. But he couldn’t rush with the stupid gravity cuffs. Then he had a thought. If the gravity cuffs make movement hard, use as little movement as possible. He stood still and let the mob come to him.

They all came at him at once. Whenever someone attacked, Abrum merely redirected the swing to use it against another assailant. He swung sparingly, to reduce the amount of effort he had to use, ergo, he swung only when there was an opening. In no time at all, he had finished the noobs. He stood at the top of the pile and looked around. He looked pretty cool, but what was going on in his mind was very different from the surface.

‘HOLY TACOS I DID IT! THAT WAS SCARY! MASTER IS EVIL!!!’

After Abrum was finished with the noobs, he looked over to the two white foxes. They were cowering in fear after seeing their tormentors eliminated by the man in front of them with such ease. Abrum looked at them kindly, took out some meat from his pack, and gave it to the little foxes.

They were hesitant at first, unwilling to accept the meat from this powerful stranger, but then after a time, they began to devour the meat strips in front of them. Abrum watched them with a kind smile on his face. After they had devoured the meat, they came up to Abrum, and began to rub their heads against him affectionately. He smiled and petted them. As soon as his hands touched their foreheads, a blinding light was emit from his hands.

“W-what’s going on?”