Age: 5 years old, Day 1
The piercing light disappeared abruptly and I was shrouded in darkness. The darkness didn't bother me, however, I was lying on the coldest slab of metal my Gluteus Maximus ever had the pleasure to come into acquaintance with. As the slab began to move, I saw a circle of light appear at my feet that expanded into what could only be described as a clean room. There was nothing in that room, no furniture, no carpet, not a single thing. As I was drawn forth from this cylindrical prison(I later learned that this was an artificial womb used to incubate our totality) I began to see blurred humanoid shapes. My eyes slowly adjusted to the fact I was surrounded by 3 individuals leaning over me with inquisitive looks on their faces.
“Is it alive?” Human 1 asked.
“Of course it is, the artifact will not open unless there is a viable candidate within.” Human 2.
“Hush Jamus, he is not an it and Dempsey we should talk to him and not over him, can’t you see he is trying to figure out what is going on?” Human 3. “Hello little one, I am Veronica Shadows. We are the selected mathematicians, physicians, and doctors selected on this continent to bring you here. We wish to be the first ones to welcome you to Aether.”
“Thank you Veronica. Can I please get off this slab and into some clothes?” I tried lifting myself off the slab and found out my limbs were not responding as I had expected. Trying not to panic, I lifted my arms and found they ended only a foot and half from my body instead of my accustomed three feet out. They felt like I had slept on them and the circulation was just now getting into my extremities. Looking at my hands I saw ten pudgy little fingers waving up at me as I coaxed feeling back into them. Those hands lacked any defining characteristics, in fact, all the scars and lines I had earned over the past century were gone. Trying to sit-up was a struggle as my new muscles were not responding in the accustomed way yet. Taking pity on me, Jamus reached behind my back and slowly propped me up, allowing me to dangle my legs over the edge of the slab.
Dempsey brought an outfit over for me to wear and Jamus kindly helped me into a simple black outfit made out of leather. It was quite supple and felt like a tanned rabbit’s skin. There were no distinguishing markings on it with the exception of a stylized shield over the right breast pocket. The shield was a solid white with a book in the background with a sword and wand crossed over it. The whole ensemble was reminiscent of a military school uniform.
“I know they said I was going to have a new body and it would be young, but I wasn't prepared for this. May I please have a mirror to take a look at myself? And why do I understand you? Shouldn’t we have different languages or something?” I wasn’t panicking, but I was getting worried how I would explore this new world if I was stuck in this body. I mean here I was hoping to jump right into the world and see dragons, werewolves, or whatever fantastical creatures there were, but I could barely even sit up.
“It’s simple really, it is your avatar. Your avatar takes any vocalization and translates it to be comprehended in your brain. If you were to pay attention to our lips, you would see a slight difference in movement compared to what you hear. Doesn’t your world have something like that” Dempsey said pompously.
“Sorry, I just got translated from an old rickety body into a new one across who knows how many parsecs and years, and you want me to pay attention to your lips? No thanks, you’re not my type. My world does not have anything like it, else I wouldn’t be in this situation of wanting to come to your world.”
Veronica interjected herself between me and Dempsey and held a mirror before me. As I looked into the mirror, a vision appeared that I couldn’t quite believe. There was no gray hair, no wrinkly face, and no hunched back. When I lifted my shirt to see if the appendectomy scar was there all I could find was smooth skin. What stared back at me from that mirror was something from my wildest dreams. Using Dempsey as a support, I stood for the first time on this new world and marveled at my new body. I would guesstimate my height at 4 feet tall with a sturdy bone structure. Not sure about weight but I would put it close to 45 or 50 lbs (22.5 kgs). My skin tone had a slight tannish look with dirty blonde hair framing my face. Leaning into the mirror I looked into my forest green eyes. The light within those eyes seemed to hint at many hidden depths and wisdom beyond my physical years.
“As you can see your outward appearance is physically healthy and your avatar’s translating function seems to be working. Our prognosis from your current weight, height, and historical documentation that you will reach a height of 6 ft 5 in and weigh in at 250lbs. But we won't find out until your 17 or 18 for those final numbers. Your avatar will keep track of those numbers and feed them into the compounds database along with your daily journal. One nice thing about the avatar system is that they act as a perfect secretary that logs every conversation and activity for future reference. No need to worry about privacy issues either as only the King, his appointed judicars, or anyone you designate can access those files. The next thing we need to do before we let you go rest is perform a status check. Simply state your avatar’s name and show status. A word of advice, do not share your status with everyone. In the first few years this was implemented people shared willy-nilly, if you pardon the phrase, with their friends. This led to petty jealousy and quite a few fights. If you want someone to see your information just say their name along with the avatar and status.”
I absorbed Veronica’s words as I thought back to my days in the military and keeping your cards close to your chest.
“Lourdes, show Status”
Status WindowNameLoganAlignmentNeutralAge5Level1ClassN/AStrength15 + (.15)Vitality10 + (.1)Agility15 + (.15)Luck18 + (.18)Wisdom15 + (.15)Intelligence15 + (.15)Health (Vitality*10)101Health Regen ((Hp/100)*2)2.02Stamina (((Str+Vit+Agi)/3)*10)135Stamina Regen (Sta/100)1.35 sp/minMana (Int*10)151Mana Regen (Wis*10)1.51Critical Chance1.8%ResistancesFire0Heat0Ice0Cold0Poison0Venom0Dark-5+ (.05)Light0Nature20 + (.2)Wind0Racial Benefits-Receive an additional point to Vitality per level
-Health Regeneration is doubled
-Low light vision
-Nature Affinity and Nature Resistance: +20
-Dark Resistance: -5%
-Elven relationship: Friendly
-Dwarven Relationship: Suspicious
-REQUIREMENTS NOT METBlessingsDo to being of the Aos Si race you are favored by the Aspects
Blessing of the Aspects: +1% to all stats and resistances
“Age 5 again, at least I won’t have worry about diapers” shuddering as I said that, since just yesterday I had to rely on them and they were not a pretty sight to behold. “So what are the plans folks, I know I am an oddity, but surely you have others that you need to get ready for.”
“No we don’t,” Veronica said “Our city was only allotted one womb, and that can only be used once every year to incubate a new transferee. The Totality program is still in a testing period with bringing Transferees over from your universe, but we are slowly gaining momentum.”
“How many Transferees are here besides me?”
“Other than you, no others are at this facility. However, we do expect to receive another in a year from now. Before you ask, there are approximately 1200 transferees divided up over 300 cities with no others on this continent this year. Rumor has it that a transferee was brought to the main continent a year ago to test the system, but you are officially a T1. That’s transferee, year 1. As for this continent, apparently you are the only one from your world that wanted to partake in a frontier lifestyle. Sorry to say the immediate area is no longer considered frontier lifestyle as it was 25 years ago when we transferred Berck to your world. In those years, King Alfred has expanded our country by leaps and bounds. But, you will learn more about that over the course of your stay here. Jamus here will take you to your room and familiarize yourself with the estate.”
“Thank you Veronica, I look forward to seeing you around.”
“I look forward to working with you as well Logan, I will be one of your teachers, specifically covering math and the physical laws of this world. You will have a chance to meet some other of the teachers over the next couple days. We are here for you, and want to ensure you have a good understanding of your new world.”
As an aside, I asked “What does Dempsey teach?”
“Don’t worry about him he is in charge of the womb and will not have much interaction with any Transferees outside of the first couple of minutes. But, before we let you go there is something you should always keep in your mind. There are many Natural Laws that man cannot ignore here in Aether. Unlike the rules and regulations that us mortals make that can be circumvented and are fallible, these laws will follow you anywhere you go.”
“The primary one is this: For every action that you take there is a consequence. Know that whatever you do the Creator is always watching. The consequence of your actions does not have to be punishment but it can also be rewarded. As you accustom yourself to your surroundings you will find that lifting heavy objects or reading books will boost your statistics. The harder you work the more blessing the Creator can bestow upon you.”
“The second law is this: Blessing that are not used will wither and be lost. Any skills that you do not use in a year will become less proficient for the following year. If a sword master becomes lazy and does not keep his skill in practice a novice will surprise him. If a Master craftsman relies only on his apprentices to make his wares his skill will get rusty.”
“Anyways enough of that for now, go rest. You will have a lot of time to ask questions during the time you’re here.”
I followed Jamus slowly out of the room and into what to me seemed like an old English estate. Wood and brick were everywhere with light globes hanging from the ceilings which gave off a soft glow. My room was just a short trek, but by the time we got there I was sweating up a storm and had to lean against Jamus to even make it.
“Great job in walking this far Logan, it is expected of the new ones to have trouble walking 100 yards, but it is expected. Your muscles are brand new and you need the time to adjust.”
“No worries, what is the expected adjustment period for me.”
“For the first week you will go through a habilitation period of walking, stretches, and simple motor functions. Combining that with a steady diet of food and rest should have you up and running like any 5 year old. Once the healers feel you are ready, we will begin your education.”
“Let me guess, I have to learn about this new world, because if I don’t I will cause great harm and calamity will ensue.”
“Yes and no, we need to teach you the main languages, monetary systems, religious interactions, geography, mathematics, and so forth. It won’t be to intense, but the Canum Magistrate insists that everyone be able to communicate on at least basic terms wherever you are at.”
And thus began my school period. During this time I began to learn the following concepts:
I became proficient in Human, Elvish, and Dwarven. Of the three languages Human was the hodge-podge language that evolved into what it is today by combining and warping the other languages of the world. Elvish was a flowing language that was like a flowing stream wandering through a summer’s forest. It was mostly soft spoken and respectful, but it could be dangerous and explosive if you are not prepared. Dwarvish was the exact opposite it was like an army marching, short choppy steps, but having a dignified power behind. A small blessing from learning these languages is that I received intelligence and wisdom bonuses. For Human, I received only + 5 wis/int; however, for dwarven and elvish I received + 10 wis/int each. I guess because human is so prevalent it is not considered as beneficial as dwarven/elvish. Besides the bonuses, I felt it best to master the languages so that I didn’t have to rely on Lourdes to translate everything. A side benefit of such a young body is that my learning curve was much shorter than that of a 100 year old man. When I asked about this, Veronica explained that up until the age of 17 or 18 youths do not have a set learning standard. They simply absorb the knowledge and apply it as needed. It seems once they graduated from the University at age 18 their learning capacity begins to taper off. This isn’t to say they become dullards it just skills and status bonus become harder to earn.
The next logical progression from languages was to the religions of Aether. I won’t get too much into the religions but they fall under two paths. The Creator or the Fallen. The Creator has 8 Aspects each of which has their own churches and disciples. They are the Healer, the Guardian, the Judge, the Craftsman, the Musician, the Shepherd, the Farmer, and the Purifier The counter-faction to the Creator is the Fallen who has 4 of his own aspects. The four are Temptation, Disease, Corruption, the Void. The Fallen and his cohorts are spoken of in hushed whispers as the boogey men and are often blamed for any calamity or mishap.
The math is slightly different than what I am used to. Fortunately they use a decimal system; however, here there seems to be a heavy prevalence of 8s. That’s understandable since their Creator has 8 aspects. The number 8 is also very prevalent in their timing standards. 64 seconds = 1 minute, 64 minutes = 1 hour, 24 hours = 1 day, 8 days = 1 week, 8 weeks = 1 month, 8 months = 1 year or 512 days.
The longer days made sense if you compare Earth to Aether: Earth’s year breaks down into 365 days or 8760 hrs or 525600 minutes while Aether’s year breaks down into 512 days or 12288 hours or 786432 minutes roughly 1.5 times longer. Aether sits within their Suns temperate ban allowing relatively Earth like weather systems with greater disparities between summer and winter. With Aether having a surface area of 295.5 million square miles and a radius of 4849 miles, Earth would be a dwarf in comparison. Gravity is slightly heavier here as well, but since my body will adjustto it as I grew up, I am not too worried (gravity is equivalent to 1.08 x Earth normal).
From what I understood, it would take one year of education and adjusting to this world before I could officially leave the confines of the crèche. When I say officially, I mean I am not going to let them keep me confined to a 160 acre ranch and I am determined to explore. As soon as I could I started exploring the ranch confine. The dormitory was located along the southern wall, and my room had a window that overlooked a ravine. The western and eastern walls were adjacent to several wooded copses intermixed with corn and wheat fields. The northern wall was broken halfway with a wooden gate that showed glimpses of a road that lead to the capitol. I couldn’t sneak out through the northern gate due to the guards that were stationed there 24/8, but I did find another option.
Each day, I am allotted 4 hours of free time and I made the most of it. I tested my body out by running and abusing it as only a 5 year old could. One of my favorite areas was the lake which I frequented often during the warm spring and summer months. Outside of swimming, I climbed trees, chased birds, and enjoyed a brand new body. The caretakers and Lourdes had told me that the more I do an activity I would begin to receive benefits. It didn’t take long before I started seeing them.
Strength + 1
Strength + 1
Strength + 1
Strength + 1
Vitality+ 1
Vitality + 1
Vitality + 1
Agility + 1
Agility + 1
Agility + 1
Intelligence +2
Intelligence +2
Intelligence +2
An interesting side note on intelligence is that the maximum amount of skill points you can gain in a month is 2, at least from reading. You can read as many books as you want in a month but 16 books is what equates to 2 points. Thankfully the staff explained that to me before I fried my brain trying to game the system. The information has to be absorbed and used in order for it to be beneficial. Unfortunately, no wisdom comes from reading the books on hand. It wasn't until the next year did I find out about a way to help raise that statistic. With this knowledge, I made it my goal to read my allotted 16 books every month for the rest of my life.
Jumping (Beginner Lvl 1)The ability to jump higher and farther, obtained after many attempts to jump over and across objects.
Each level improves by 10%
Jump distance = 4 feet
Jump height = 2 feet
Climbing (Beginner Lvl 1)The ability to climb higher with heavier weights, and support oneself, obtained after many attempts climbing trees/rocks.
Each additional level adds 5 lbs.
Climbing weight = support your own weight (80 lbs)
Climbing type = need full hand/foot holds
running (Beginner Lvl 1)The ability to quickly get from one point to another.
Run distance = 1 miile
Run time = 16 minutes
Cost = 5 sp.min
Day 125
The climbing ability is what led to me finding my exit route from the compound and my shot at some exploration. Along the southern wall there was a rain culvert that took the fall off from the roof, redirected along the wall then, into the ravine and eventually several miles downstream into the ocean. I was climbing a tree that overshadowed that particular culvert and saw that there was a grate partially bowed in. Just a glimpse of that gap, with sunlight streaming through, hinted at a much greater freedom for me.
I waited until the next day to ensure that I had my trusty knife and a full water bladder. Approaching the tree, I peered around to make sure no one had eyes on me. Seeing that there were no windows on this side of the crèche, and the guards were only at the main gate several hundred meters away with foliage between us, I was certain that no one was watching. Climbing up the tree and swing out onto the culvert did not pose that much of a trouble. The trouble would come in the form of getting back to the tree since the branch I was on whipped back to its normal height. The branch was barely within reach if a belt or rope was used to pull it close. Anyways, the branch could wait until later as the culvert and grate offered a tantalizing image.
As I approached the grate, the gap loomed larger and larger, having been worn down over time. I squeezed through and rushed along the tunnel and into the sunlight. The sight before me was an awe inspiring landscape. Not really. It was a ravine that ran for several miles east and west, and was 15 to 20 feet deep. The other side of the ravine was a short stone’s throw away and was pocketed with wash outs and miniature caves. It might not be the Grand Canyon, but I would make this my territory now, my own little fiefdom. Over the next couple of months there wasn’t a gulley or shallow cave within 2 miles of the culvert that I did not explore or know my way around. My imagination slowly rekindled, as I defended my territory from hobgoblins, snarks, and dastardly ruffians of the vilest repute. Each game I played and scenario concocted boosted my statistics even more.
Wisdom + 3
Luck + 3
Imagination (Beginner Lvl 1)The ability to imagine scenarios in greater detail and see it play out before you.
1 Scenario at a time
3 components (people, time, scenery within 10 feet)
Duration: 1 minute
Day 241
The imagination skill I knew would be of great use in the future, but right now I used it to daydream by imagining my great castle and my countless soldiers marching in my armies. I got so good at imagining things; I almost mistook the foot prints and cart tracks as another daydream. Upon closer investigation, the footprints were at least twice my size and almost triple my weight. This ravine was never traveled by anyone in the three months I had been traversing it. So, to see someone invading my territory was something that could not be ignored. Logically, the individual had to be coming through here at the darkest part of night. Furthermore, the cart that he/she would be using is heavily laden since the parallel lines dug a couple inches into the earth.
That night I did a stake out of the ravine to discern what was going on, but nothing happened. Have you ever just sat in one placing trying to stay awake? Every single noise I heard that night seemed like a boogeyman was coming to get me. All that happened was that when I woke up the next day I was drenched with the morning dew, after having falling asleep in the grass, and had 30 minutes before I reported for my first class. Now one might wander about why the instructors were not cognizant of my comings and goings. The answer is simple. Logically they know I am a 100 years old, but emotionally to them I am a 5 year old boy. They think a five year old will stay in bed and listen to their instructions. But, I was happy to abuse that image if it got me out of their eyesight and a little bit of freedom. So, I waited patiently, if by patiently you mean bored out of my mind, for three nights running until finally on the fourth night I heard a clamor coming from the east. I scuttled along the ridge of the ravine going from bush to bush to see if I can find out what was going on. As I approached the area, I saw the cart in the middle of the ravine with a cage on the back. The cage was empty with the door hanging loosely from a broken hinge. A steady thumping could be heard of an object being thoroughly hit. With each thump, a steady stream of vile invectives was being spewed. As I peered over the northern wall of the ravine, I saw a man with a bloody face and arms wailing on a black mass with a whip. I should have left right there and then, but I heard that mass let out a whimper. Right then, I knew I could not let that animal be abused like that anymore.
Have you ever lost control of what you are doing? I have twice in my previous life. One was over a stupid beverage and the other was over a friend being beaten up. The first occasion I was joking around with a friend sending barbs back and forth when he knocked the drink over me. The next thing I remember was I was on top of him with my hands around his throat. I snapped out of it, thankfully, before anything else happened, but it was scary. The second time I at least had a better reason. Another one of my friends happened to be a real quiet type and didn’t interact much with others. Not sure how it started, but two guys just started hitting him and pushing him around. That curious snap happened again and I was over there in an instant. I grabbed the first guy by the collar and threw him back into another room, and then shoved the second guy down. I must have yelled as well, because a group of people came over to see what was going on. The two guys stopped and wandered off, and nothing came of it. But, those two instances are seared in my mind and scare me of what could happen when I lose control of my anger.
As I stood on the precipice, something in my mind clicked and I was air born with my knife drawn. The next thing I realized, I had collided with the individual and we were tumbling over each other. We came to a rest with me on top and the unknown individual under me with a confused look on his face. That look was frozen on his face for all eternity. My jump combined with the surprise attack had brought the knife down between his shoulder and his neck just missing his leather and the subsequent tumbling had ripped the knife out through his neck. Looking down at the body, you could see his tongue flapping out from his throat in what would be called a neck tie party in the old west.
Several stunned minutes later, as I struggled off the man in an attempt to get to the bloody mass of fur I dislodged a medallion from one of his pockets. I mindlessly grabbed it and stuffed it into my pants pocket and continued to crawl to see if I had saved it in time. As I got closer, the animal’s feature began to coalesce into that of a bear. It couldn’t have been more than a year old as it was just a little smaller than me. There was blood matted into the fur and open wounds seeping blood into an every widening pool. I didn’t notice any major arterial bleeding, but to make sure I slowly inspected the cub. The cub flinched as his wounds were inspected, but did not put up a fight. The major wounds I field dressed with water and strips torn from my uniform. Some of the gashes could not be simply bound but would require stitches to suture close or at least a competent healer to cast a recovery spell. Scooping up the cub into my arms was a struggle, but I slowly transferred him into a fireman’s carry over the shoulders and began to trudge up the ravine towards the crèche. After a half hour of trudging along with many, many stops and only traveling a half mile, I knew I was going to have to stash the cub somewhere in order to get help or supplies. Thanks to the many months of exploration I proceeded to a small cave hidden behind a rock formation. Wrapping the cub up in my cloak and using a hollow in a rock for water bowl, I left the cave and tried to get back to the crèche.
But, without noticing it dawn had already commenced and my presence was missed at both breakfast and my first class. As I approached the wall from the east I heard shouts and several people beating the brush. Passing into a clearing, one of the guards saw me and shouted out to everyone else. Within minutes I was surrounded by the whole staff of the crèche all worried about me and why I was covered in blood and my clothes ripped and torn.
“Stop it, I am okay, back off a little.” I shouted.
“Are you sure your covered in blood?” the Director proclaimed.
“It’s not mine, but can I talk with you privately Director?”
“Yes, yes, everyone head back to the compound, Victor you stand guard over there while we talk.”
Slowly I explained what happened over the past four days. As I did, the director face got darker and darker until I felt he was about to explode. Once I was done, the director had to control his rage, but called over to Victor.
“Place Logan in confinement, no one is to talk to him until this mess is over.”
I was led back to my room, and the door locked. As I waited, I went through my messages that Lourdes had for me.
Righteous Anger (Beginner Lvl 1)When someone is being abused or when an injury needs to be avenged your anger wells up within you. Your Strength is doubled, intelligence halved for the duration of the affect. First strike damage is doubled. Duration 20 seconds.
You struck your opponent in the next for 23 damage. Due to Righteous Anger being in effect damage is doubled. Due to attacking from a height greater than 7 feet damage is doubled. Due to striking a vital point damage is doubled. Due to surprising your foe damage is doubled. You have done 368 dd.
You have inflicted major bleeding upon your target. -100 hp/min
You have killed an unknown man. Infamy -100. WARNING: Negative infamy will cause people to become wary and eventually hostile.
Level Up
Level Up
Level Up
Level Up
First Aid (Beginner Lvl 1)By applying cloth to an open wound you have learned first aid. You are able to seal minor cuts and abrasions with bandages.
I divvied up my 20 stat points: 4 to strength, 12 to agility, and 4 to luck. Thanks to my racial attributes, I received 4 Vitality points
[
Status WindowNameLoganAlignmentNeutralAge5Level5ClassN/AStrength24 + (.24)Vitality17 + (.17)Agility30 + (.3)Luck25+ (.25)Wisdom43 + (.43)Intelligence48 + (.48)Health (Vitality*10)171Health Regen ((Hp/100)*2)3.42 hp/minStamina (((Str+Vit+Agi)/3)*10)239Stamina Regen (Sta/100)2.39 sp/minMana (Int*10)485Mana Regen (Wis/10)4.3 mp/minCritical Chance1.8%Fame-100ResistancesFire0Heat0Ice0Cold0Poison0Venom0Dark-5+ (.5)Light0Nature20 + (.2)Wind0Racial Benefits-Receive an additional point to Vitality per level
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
-Health Regeneration is doubled
-Low light vision
-Nature Affinity and Nature Resistance: +20
-Dark Resistance: -5%
-Elven relationship: Friendly
-Dwarven Relationship: Suspicious
-REQUIREMENTS NOT METBlessingsDo to being of the Aos Si race you are favored by the Aspects
Blessing of the Aspects: +1% to all stats and resistances
As I allotted my last stat point, my body began to shake. Curling up into a ball, I was struck by the fact that I have killed my first person in this world or my own. What was I going to do? Was I going to jail, prison, or some unheard of goal for the rest of my life? I began to panic as the reality hit me of what had occurred. After an hour of just shaking in my bed, I sat up and pushed aside my worries. I had to think with a rational mind and especially start working on my defense. Reviewing my activities up to this point, I remembered the medallion I pulled from the body as I was getting up. Pulling it out of my pocket to take a closer look revealed a circular bronze medallion. No gold or glitter, just simple bronze with a stylized whirlpool surrounding a black stone (assumed obsidian). There was nothing that I could gleam from the surface of it. As I stared at the stone, I felt like it was slowly dragging me into its depths.
Several hours later, the director knocked on my door and entered jolting me from my reverie. “You are a lucky, lucky boy. We investigated the scene and found the body like you described it. The constable recognized the body as that of Johnny the Rat, a known smuggler, who operated in these areas. We found an order for a Shadow Bear on him deliverable in two days to a drop-off point. That drop-off point is unknown as the previous cart tracks have been worn away with rain and wind. The constable is disappointed that you did not notify us of the early tracks, but is thankful that you were able to stop Johnny from completing his order. You should also be thankful that the bear was able to tear into Johnny as much as he did. By the time you came along, I am sure Johnny only had 50 percent or so of his life left as the cub had opened up several deep wounds in his arms and legs. I saw the damage you did to his body, and frankly I am amazed that one so young could do that. One thing is for sure the Aspects were looking out for you last night. As a reward, the constable has authorized 100 silvers to be given to you for dispatching a known smuggler. Congratulations on this monetary reward, as you will need it for what comes next. The question that needs to be answered is what are we going to do with the bear?”
While the director was talking, I received a message that my infamy was wiped clean and I was instead give +100 fame for ridding the world of a poacher. I mentally sighed with relief that I would not have become a criminal so early in my life. I told Lourdes to clear the message and asked” What you do you mean about the bear? Can’t you just release him back into the wilds?”
“I am afraid not. He has gone through several traumatic situations and shows the mark, albeit very few, of pit fighting. So there are only two options: one he is to be put down as humanely as possible or someone takes care of him as a familiar. Since you saved him, we thought to offer you the chance to form a contract with the cub. It would mean you are responsible for all his actions, but he would be your companion once you leave here. Be warned if you make a contract with the bear you will most likely receive a class from the Creator.” The next part I almost missed since he muttered quietly “who would want to be a pet class.”
I ignored his muttering and thought about the possibilities. From my classes up to this point, I knew this world was vastly under-explored and to have a companion to watch my back would be a great boon. Having a bear follow me around could get interesting especially in a crowded town, but in the wilds it would definitely be a deterrent from any hostile forces. Food costs would be expensive, but I had the reward money and if I trained him to hunt for his own food that expense will dwindle. As I weighed my options both for and against, the director patiently waited for my answer. Both he and I knew that this was a big decision and should not be rushed into. I think I paced for a good half hour trying to see all the potential hazards and pitfalls of this decision, but I had several things playing against me thinking this through in orderly fashion. One, I loved bears. Some of my favorite stories and cartoons were those of bears. Two, as a gamer I always enjoyed pet classes. Three, it’s a bear and I wasn’t going to let them kill it.
“I will attempt a contract with the bear.”
This time when we exited the compound we went out through the North gate and traveled back to where the cub was holed up in his cave. The director and I walked in silence, as I tried to understand and slowly assimilate all that had happened in the last 24 hours. I had killed a man (he deserved it), received 4 levels (thanks to the help of the cub), gained 100 silver for the smuggler, gained 100 fame for ridding the world of a level 14 lowlife at such a young age and level.
Frankly, I was surprised that I received 4 levels for taking out the poacher, but once I asked Lourdes, she explained it. Each level is 1.5 times harder to get then the previous one.
ExperienceLevelExperienceLevelExperience10114052101260831513912423141368535152052653163078780174617812018692691801910389102702015584
The way experience is earned is that the experience of the mob divided by eight (for the Aspects) divided by the number of people fighting; that number is then multiplied by one times the difference in levels (mobs level always first) divided by 100. Lourdes had to show me numerically so that I could understand.
XP = {[1368(the mobs experience)/ 8 (1 point for each Aspect) / 2 (the poacher and me)]*[1+ ((14-1)/100]} = 94.05. Those 94.05 XP points then go towards my level experience. 94.05-10 (level 2 requirement (rqmt)) – 15 (lvl 3 rqmt) – 23 (lvl 4 rqmt) -35 (lvl 5 rqmt) = 11.05 XP points 21% of lvl 6 rqmts.
We hiked down into the ravine, about a hundred yards away from the cave, and slowly approached the opening. Our pace slowed down drastically in order to prevent the bear cub from startling.
“Approach the bear slowly, palm out and facing down. You need to place your hand on his head, and state “In the days of old, man and beast formed bonds of familiarity, as then so it is now. I offer my friendship and companionship to you. Let us travel together. Follow my lead and I will take care of you. Do you accept this bond?”
Following the directors direction, I approached the bear cub. The director prompted me through the speech to the cub. Upon completion, a new avatar appeared next to Lourdes. This avatar was
“So you’re the one that saved me. I thank you for my life and am curious about what the years ahead for us.”
“You are welcome, I couldn’t have saved you without your assistance. It was only after you had almost killed him was I able to get him. So, what’s your name?
“No name, I was kidnapped from my cave mere weeks after being born. I was to receive my name at the end of last year’s summer. The elders of the bear nation would examine us and then formally name us.”
“Let me take a look at your stats and maybe, and maybe I can think of a good name for you.”
Status WindowNameN/AAlignmentNeutralAge1Level7ClassSpectreRaceShadow Bear (Elite)Strength45Vitality39Agility20Luck0Wisdom15Intelligence15Health (Vitality*10)390Health Regen ((Hp/100))3.9Stamina ((Str+Vit+Agi)/3)350Stamina Regen (Sta/100)3.5 sp/minMana (Int*10)150Mana Regen (Wis*10)1.50Critical Chance0ResistancesFire0Heat0Ice0Cold0Poison0Venom0Dark15%Light-5%Nature0Wind0Racial Benefits-Receive 6 points per level
-Low light vision
-Dark Resistance: 15%
-Light resistance: -5%
-Dwarven Relationship: SuspiciousSkillsDarkness (Beginner lvl 4)The ability to control the shadows around oneself to augment fighting abilities.
Absorb shadows within a radius of .4 meters (increases by .1 per level, .1 meter = 1kg)
For every .1 meter absorbed: strength increases by 1%, agility decreases by 1%
Cost: 5 mp/minShadow (Beginner level 2)The shadows are your friend, shadows will absorb and conceal you. Any movement will cancel your concealment.
Cost: 50 mp
“Darkness and shadows, hmmmm, Erebos, was a god of primeval darkness in the mythology of my world. Yep, Erebos would be perfect for you, how does that sound?”
“As you wish.”
With that acceptance, Lourdes started showed me the message that came in.
Class Change! Do to your forming a bond with a beast of the world, naming said beast and being of the Aos Si race the class “Grand Beast Master” is now available. Do you accept this class?
Because of the directors prompting, I had a feeling this might happen and respond “Yes, I do.” There was no great lights shining down from the heavens or a trumpet blast congratulating me on my new path in live. There was a rush of power that hit me from my head to my toes. Scrolling through my status page there were several things that stood out.
[table]
Status WindowNameLoganAlignmentNeutralAge5Level5ClassGrand Beast MasterStrength24 + (.24)Vitality17 + (.17)Agility30 + (.3)Luck25+ (.25)Wisdom63+ (.63)Intelligence48 + (.48)Health (Vitality*10)171Health Regen ((Hp/100)*2)3.42 hp/minStamina (((Str+Vit+Agi)/3))*10239Stamina Regen (Sta/100)2.39 sp/minMana (Int*10)485Mana Regen (Wis/10)6.36 mp/minCritical Chance1.8%Leadership25Fame100ResistancesFire0Heat0Ice0Cold0Poison0Venom0Dark-5+ (.5)Light0Nature20 + (.2)Wind0Racial Benefits-Recieve +20 to wisdom
-Receive Leadership skill
-Receive an additional point to Vitality per level
-Health Regeneration is doubled
-Low light vision
-Nature Affinity and Nature Resistance: +20
-Dark Resistance: -5%
-Elven relationship: Friendly
-Dwarven Relationship: Suspicious
-REQUIREMENTS NOT METBlessingsDo to being of the Aos Si race you are favored by the Aspects
Blessing of the Aspects: +1% to all stats and resistancesSkillsSummon Familiar (Beginner lvl 1)Due to forming a bond with a familiar, you are able to summon a familiar to your location once a day. All XP will be shared evenly between your familiar and yourself whenever you are within 5 km of each other. At later stages, multiple familiars may be summoned. If your familiar should die, it can be resurrected by sacrificing the XP equivalent to its level. WARNING: you can lose levels by resurrecting a familiar.
Summon period: 24 hrs
Cost: 250 mpCall of the Wild(Beginner level 1)Due to your ties with nature, you are able to call animals to your aide. Any animal that hears your call within a 1km radius must be of Good or Neutral alignment and will be teleported to your location. WARNING: If an animal should die in response to your call, infamy and loss of XP will be applied in correspondence to the level of the animal.
Number of Animals: 1
Duration: 32 secs
Cost: 100 mana per animalAura of the Familiar(Beginner lvl 4)Due to the close bond with your familiar, you can gain a portion of your familiar status and resistances.
Percentage: 1%
Cost: 5 mp/minJumping(Beginner level 3)The ability to jump higher and farther, obtained after many attempts to jump over and across objects. Each level improves by 10%
Jump distance = 79 inches
Jump height = 40 inches
Cost=25spClimbing(Beginner lvl 3)The ability to climb higher, carry heavier weights, and support oneself, obtained after many attempts climbing trees rocks. Each additional level adds 10 lbs
Climbing weight = support your own weight + 30 lbs (90 lbs)
Climbing type = need full hand/foot holds
Cost=5sp/min
running (Beginner Lvl 4 )The ability to quickly get from one point to another.
Run distance = 1 miile
Run time = 15 minutes ( 1 level = 16 seconds)
Cost = 5 sp.minImagination(Beginner level 6)The ability to imagine scenarios in greater detail and see it play out before you.
1 Scenario at a time
3 components (people, time, scenery within 10 feet)
Duration: 6 minute
Cost=1mp/secFirst Aid (Beginner Lvl 1)By applying cloth to an open wound you have learned first aid. You are able to seal minor cuts and abrasions with bandages.
Right away, I knew the Familiar Aura ability would be used 24/8. My mana regeneration was just outside the requirement by .7 before the class chance but with the +20 to wisdom I had mana to spare. Hopefully by keeping it up and running I can level it up quickly. As for the others skills, I knew it was going to fun working with Erebos and couldn’t wait to start hunting with him.
I informed the director of what had transpired as we put together a stretcher to carry Erebos back to the compound. The hike back seemed to take hours, but it was quickly passed as in conversation with Erebos. I quickly ensured that he wouldn’t be calling me master every 8 minutes. That doesn’t mean he could do whatever he wanted, I just rather work as a team than master/slave.
Upon arrival at the compound, we hung a left down the path towards the stables where he would be staying. The director was adamant that the cleaning staff was not paid enough to take care of a bear and that it rested solely on my shoulders to care and feed for him.
I tentatively asked “Will I be allowed outside the compound? It would be easier to feed him if I had access to rivers and allow him to forage for food.”
“He may leave the compound at will; however, you cannot. Even though you have gained several levels by luck, we cannot in good conscious let you leave just yet. Speaking of which, for the remainder of your time in the compound, you will be restricted to the compound. To prevent this from happening again we have set up a ward around the compound to detect whenever a transferee leaves the boundaries.”
Many years later, I found out that the ward placed on my birthplace was shared across the planet to all the other birthplaces. It also brought to light a darker side of the Transferees. I never got a full explanation at that time, but it seems a cult, with ties to the Fallen, kidnapped several Transferees in attempt to utilize their Totality. How they thought to use it I am unsure, but the individuals that were kidnapped were found drained of their Totality with only their clothes to identify them.
For the next week, I was excused from all my classes as I nursed Erebos back to health with the assistance of the compound healer. The outward signs of injuries quickly faded with the healers administrations, but the inward turmoil Erebos was going through would take a while to overcome. As my parents used to say “It takes twice as long to recover from an event as the event itself.” In order to facilitate that healing process, I moved some blankets out to the stable to give Erebos a lifeline to latch on to. Erebos never snarled at me or shied away when I approached, but every time he heard loud noises or whips he became startled. It took him two years before he was able to hear a whip again without summoning a shadow to hide in.
Day 242
After the week of convalescence for Erebos, I had to figure out what my daily schedule would be like. It didn’t have to drastically change, but improvements were necessary. Upon waking up at 0600, I would get changed and go out to Erebos. Then I would coerce Erebos to join me on my morning run, 2 laps around the compound (2 miles). Remembering the bears of my world could reach speeds of 35 mph, it made me wonder what speeds he could reach in the years ahead. After the run, we went for swim in the lake to cool down. Three weeks is what it took us to get running and swimming skills added to our tallies. With each uptick in a skill or new one added our egos began to get bigger and bigger. In our minds we were to become the ultimate adventurers able to go anywhere in this world and we wouldn’t have to wait until my graduation from the University to claim our rightful place. Erebos played out the ultimate adventurer mindset and pursued every fish within the lake. I just sat on the lakeside and cheered him on, laughing at his antics as he learned the ins and outs of fishing. After many trials and errors he learned the proper methods to swipe a fish up onto the shore. After a month of practice he would be able to catch 2 or 3 fish a day and gobble them down without even sharing with me. Even though those trout like fish looked very tempting I was not going to get in the way of Erebos and his food supply. For his first year in life he had to fight and kill to eat and it would take time for him to learn that sharing food could be beneficial as well. Until that time he gobbled and snacked non-stop. This is not to say he was a glutton, but there wasn’t a food he’d turn his nose up at. Speaking of which around 0732 we would head inside for a lovely breakfast of eggs, ham, and bread. There is nothing like a loaf of bread with churned butter and honey in the morning.
Classes started at 0900 and went until 1300. I kept trying to get Erebos permission to join us in the classrooms; however, the director was adamant that the bear would stay outside or on the patio. So, after breakfast I would take Erebos to the North Gate and release him to explore the forests around us. I warned him that if he should get into trouble to send his avatar to me and I would send help. He just needed to remember that the communication would only work within 5 km of me and to be careful. His standing order was to blend with the shadows using his abilities, and as soon as he sees any animal he activate “Darkness”.
That first day when I let him go out in the woods I was sweating bullets. The director assured me that Erebos would be fine, and that if worse comes to worse I could revive him. Him saying that shook me, but I had to let the cub grow up and not be confined. My nerves were wrenched up into a ball of knots, when I received my first message.
“Lourdes, can you open that for me?”
“Logan, I understand your worry, but I can only pass you the messages not read them.”
“Fine, here goes nothing.”
Your familiar has killed a level 6 Fox. You have received 2.23 XP and your familiar has received 2.19 XP. You have 75% more before your next level.