The problem with prophecies is that people won’t accept them if you tell them exactly what will happen and when. They need to be vague, to the point of being meaningless. The deities always want to mess with fate for their games, and free will throws a wrench into the works of any meaningful prediction. Hubris of the powerful always gets in the way, which is why the events of the prophecy didn’t happen as planned.
#Levyna’s Perspective
Smoke caught her eye, off to what she assumed was the west. “That smoke is awfully black. But it’s not enough to be a forest fire. When in doubt…” Her voice trailed off as her legs started her in that direction.
As she walked she took stock of what was going on. On each hip, she wore a dagger, each finely fashioned, and inlaid with mystic designs.
“Wait a sec…. Let’s see.” She drew the daggers and brought her body into one of the favorite stances from the game. One dagger held in a backward grip, in front of her with the other held off to the side.
“
“Oh shit!
“I have to remember to switch elements. There’s no f-ing F2 key here like in Clan Assault. Oh yeah… Air!
The trip was continued much faster in the air. The view was uncluttered apart from the town or village that burned in the distance. As she got closer she remembered her quest.
“Those are definitely demons. Classic too. About ten feet tall, red-skinned, horns, tail with pokey bit at the end. Definitely demons.”
“Angry demons too!” She said as she moved to the side to avoid a fireball sent her way.
“Well let’s see. If this works.” She landed about five hundred feet away. She threw her daggers up into the air as she saw her character do many times in the game. A quick spin and an outstretched hand-pulled something out of the air as her daggers disappeared.
“Awesome! Wildborn!” A staff was now held in her hand. “Now I’ll show you why they say a wizard’s staff has a knob on one end.
A large flaming boulder appeared in the air over the forces of demons coming towards her, followed by several more. The sound and air pressure from the explosion ruffled the Elementalist's short skirt even from that distance away.
“If I find out who designed this wet dream of an outfit, I’m going to slap him. At least it has bloomers… Clouds of Jenna!” The fire on her wrists changed to a stream of lightning charged water that swirled up her arms.
“
“
#Warnik’s Perspective
The morning came a few hours later, leaving the Mountain Man and the Half-Demon a chance to rest after exiting the cave. The path was visible to the two in the predawn gloom. They waited until the sun had peeked over the horizon before taking the path.
“Looks like we’re in a valley, though it seems strange.” The taller of the two commented.
“Strange in what way?”
“Looking at the far side of the valley there are peaks of mountains, but it seems like there isn’t much depth. A couple of peaks lined up almost in a row, a few here and there to block off the passes, but after that ridge there’s nothing.”
“Could be vulcanism, Warnik, you know like how Hawaii was formed, traveling along a hot spot.”
“I suppose so, it still seems to be strange.” His shrug punctuated the misgivings of the conversation.
“Now that we can see, it looks like we have about a thousand feet to the valley floor.”
“Hell of a climb, Warnik. But there’s a village by the mountains, I wonder if the path will come out there.”
“Yes, strange.”
“What’s strange now?”
“It’s about a thousand feet down. But more importantly, it’s a thousand feet up. That’s a hell of a walk for a score of cultists. We didn’t find any food or any changes of clothes. Which means?” He paused and looked over at the half-demon.
“They were hungry?”
“Yes. But it can also mean that there is a camp near here. Or that the entire village is full of these cultists. What did you call them?”
“The Cultists of Dregenor.”
“Right. Well, they might not be friendly.”
#Levyna’s Perspective
“That… Was disappointing.” The Elementist looked around the devastation she caused and spent some time looking through the results she got from whatever was printing something to her eyeballs.
— You have defeated a Red Demon Level 15
…
— You have defeated a Red Demon Overseer level 25.
— For defeating a foe more than 10 levels over your current level you have earned bonus experience
— For defeating a foe more than 15 levels over your current level you have earned bonus experience
— For shamelessly destroying an Elven Agricultural Preserve you have earned the title Ecological Hazard.
— You have gained 4 levels, and 20 bonus attributes to assign. First-class perk is available.
“That’s less disappointing. I guess that means I’m level twelve now. I wonder how to check.”
Name:
Levyna Hawthorne
Class:
Novice of the Elements
Level:
Novice of Elements (8)
Foreign Class:
Elemental Raider (ER)
Attributes:
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
(20 available)
Strength
7 (+40 From ER)
Carry Limit:
235
Agility
9 (+100 From ER)
Grace Level:
3 (+2.2 Stanima/s)
Endurance
9 (+110 From ER)
Stamina Points:
60 /238 (+4/s)
Durability
2 (+60 From ER)
Hit Points:
15/134
Intelligence
7 (+140 From ER)
Max Spell Level:
1 (special) (+1.5 Mana/s)
Wisdom
15 (+140 From ER)
Mana Points:
54/310 (+1.6/s)
Charisma
8 (+90 From ER)
Persuasion
+9
Appearance
8 (+120 From ER)
+12 situation bonus to persuasion
Class Skill
Level:
Class Skill:
Level
Fire Resistance
12 / Second Tier
Water Resistance
10 / First Tier
Earth Resistance
10 / First Tier
Air Resistance
10 / First Tier
Fire Affinity
20 / Second Tier
Water Affinity
15 / First Tier
Earth Affinity
10 / First Tier
Air Affinity
18 / First Tier
General Skill
Level:
General Skill
Level:
Linguist
5 / Second (Final) Tier
Persuasion
1 / First Tier (base)
10 / First Tier (Charisma)
12 / Second Tier (Situational)
Pocket Space
3 / First Tier
Titles: Hero of the Eighteenth Rise of Demons, Ecological Hazard, Naturalized Immigrant
Special Equipment: Wildborn (Advanced Class Staff of Elements), Immoliator (Advanced Class Dagger of Elements (Fire)), Aerator (Advanced Class Dagger of the Elements (Air)), 8 invisible gossamer bags, Elementalist Gauntlets (Apprentice Class), Female Apprentice Cloth Armor (Apprentice Class), Swashbuckler’s Boots (Apprentice Class).
“That’s really f-ed up, no idea what it means. I’m level eight. Oh, I have to allocate the points.” She had twenty points and eight places to put them.
“I went through a lot of mana, and stamina in that fight. Intelligence helps boost my mana recovery. And seems to help my spell level. So I need Endurance, Intelligence, and Wisdom. Durability helps me survive. I’ll just put five into each!”
“What about these titles?”
Hero of the Eighteenth Rise of Demons: This person has been called as a hero to fight in the eighteenth rise of demons. Fighting for the anti-demon forces holders of this title can rally the armies and might even be able to rally kings to their cause. Charisma check is required.
Ecological Hazard: Through your wanton destruction of fertile land you have earned the Ecological Hazard title. Plants have begun to fear you. Gardeners hate you. You do not have a green thumb.
Naturalized Immigrant: You have been summoned from another world where you held great power. Here you will start overpowered but beware of your hubris. You look tasty to dragons, fear the ketchup.
“I don’t know about those titles. But the skills look to be self-explanatory. What about that class perk.”
Available Class Perks:
— Fire Talent: Req Fire Affinity 1 / Second Tier: Your fire-based spells are 50% more effective, cost 25% more mana, and cast 25% faster.
— Water Talent: Req Fire Affinity 1 / Second Tier: Your water-based spells are 50% more effective, cost 25% more mana, and cast 25% faster.
— Earth Talent: Req Fire Affinity 1 / Second Tier: Your earth-based spells are 50% more effective, cost 25% more mana, and cast 25% faster.
— Air Talent: Req Fire Affinity 1 / Second Tier: Your air-based spells hit are 50% more effective, cost 25% more mana, and cast 25% faster.
— Elemental Performance: Req Grace 1, Appearance 50. Your somatic components form a performance, allowing you to flow from one spell to the next. Maintaining the rhythm for longer increases the effectiveness and decreases the cost of both mana and stamina. A prolonged performance may draw the attention of lesser elementals.
— Elemental Grace: Req Grace 2, Appearance 100, Elemental Performance. Your performance has increased. Greater bonuses are achieved for the flow of the action. A prolonged performance may draw the attention of medium elementals.
— Elemental Dance: Req: Grace 3, Appearance 150, Elemental Grace. Your performance forms a dance. The effectiveness of the spells you cast can be controlled by your movements. Actions of your dance may mesmerize lesser opponents (Charisma check required). A prolonged dance may draw the attention of greater elementals.
— Elemental Patron: Req: Grace 3, Appearance 200, Elemental Dance, Attention of a sentient elemental. Your dance has drawn the attention of an intelligent elemental. Beware the attention might be more than you want. Your dance has increased the chance of mesmerizing equal opponents. You may summon elemental servants of your patron of greater and greater abilities as your dance continues.
Her concentration was shattered by the arrival of a boulder where she was standing. “I’ll pick something later. I have some demons to play with.”
#OniKaiser’s Perspective
The walk down the path was not too bad. The pair did have to pay attention to keep from stumbling down the slope. They did not find the cultists’ camp and reached the base of the valley.
“I think we go that way, my man.” OniKaiser pointed, “Hey Warnik, do you think I should change my name?”
“Why?”
“The system keeps asking me to change it.”
“Well, it is a kind of online handle, nothing someone would pick for their kid.”
“I could have had strange parents, you know.”
“Not that strange. What do you want to change it to?”
“Maybe something like Dimitri?”
“That could work, but it doesn’t really fit, I thought you were Japanese.”
“I gotta level with you man. I’m American. I live in Hawaii… Or I did… My grandfather was Japanese. And he taught us just enough to get by.”
“I thought you said the book was written in Kanji.”
“Nah, English. I just thought it would be cooler that way. And this Isekai shit stuff always comes with translation spells.”
“I think we’re almost to the town.”
The town was more or less than they expected. It was larger than most towns depicted in the games they played but more primitive.
The homes were made of wood instead of stone, and the rooves were made of thatch and not slate. The town was not large enough to have a wall, or there was not enough wild beasts, or bandits in the area to mandate a wall.
As they walked into the town, it was close to the evening meal. The two were hungry and thirsty.
“Hey, my man.” The new Dimitri stopped one of the villagers in the street. “Where’s the inn or tavern?”
“[The tavern is that way.]” A vague wave in the direction they were traveling. The villager quickly disappeared when Dimitri was distracted.
“Strange, he ran away.”
“Didn’t you notice when he looked at me his face paled?” Warnik said. “Maybe they don’t like barbarians?” Warnik was dressed in the medium armor his avatar wore in Third Shift Delver. If it could be described as anything it was ‘Classic Barbarian’. A horned helmet, leather strapping that was more form than function. Fur lined bracers, armored shorts, and fur-lined leather boots.
“You’re just too tall, and bulging out of those ‘clothes,’ he probably thought you were a pervert or something.”
“Don’t even go there.”
It didn’t take them too long to reach the tavern. Silence erupted as the two entered. There was a mix of races, mostly human but there were some beast folk and a few half-demons. Warnik was the only Mountain Man there.
“This seems to be a bit strange. Not like Third Shift Delver. The races are less mixed than that.”
“Yes, and you definitely stand out.” Dimitri walked over towards the bar, “We’re looking for drinks and two meals.”
“[Pay upfront. That will be two bronze lucre.]”
“Hrm.” It took a while but Dimitri finally figured out which coins to hand over. He looked up to his companion, “Let's find a table.”
Warnik had a look around, “Not much in the way of tables.” He said, “By the door, it’s hot in here.”
“[Over here.]” A shady looking cat-kin motioned to the two, “[You two don’t seem to be from around here.]”
Dimitri ambled over with Warnik bringing up the rear. “What makes you think that?”
The cat-kin poked the side of his head with a fingertip claw. “[Your ‘Undocumented Import’ title. Him I can’t read at all.]”
“Title? What do you mean?”
“[Bah, I knew it. You don’t know much about the system here do you?]” The smirk on the cat-kin’s face was very much like his more feline ancestors, “[You must have been summoned recently. It happens sometimes. The cultists are always trying to find and enslave their chosen one. But you… You seemed to have gotten away.]”
“You know a lot about me for just having met, my man.”
“[You must have been very powerful for the cultists’ spells not to stun you.]”
“Of course.”
“[But very naïve. If you don’t learn the system you will become a victim of it. It just so happens that helping you will help me. I’m Berdy.]”
“Ironic Name.”
Warnik sat after a few moments, keeping his face blank as he tried to pick up the flow of the dialogue. Warry, but calm. When he sat Berdy let out a sigh of relief.
“You seem to be warry of my friend here.”
“[You’re friends with a Mountain Man? Forgive me I forgot for a moment that you’re new around here.]”
“Warnik is my stalwart companion, my man. Now you said something about helping me…. Us?”
“[Yes. The system gives rewards at random, and quests at random. Sometimes to the benefits of karma. You’re just lucky I needed something to improve my lot with the system, for my next evolution.]”
“Fine, then why don’t you start from the top?”