《A Taste for the Finer Things》 Chapter 1 Dave leaned back in his hospital bed, as much as the equipment holding him in place would allow it. As the machines around him beeped away quietly, he rubbed his head, thinking about the events that had led him to the present. 17 years ago He¡¯d been four when someone had first told him he had a lovely voice. Sure it had just been one of his mother¡¯s friends as they chatted over coffee, but at the time it seemed like the greatest compliment in the world. It had led him to start singing around the house during his childhood, which, while was supported and loved by his parents, it had been heard with less rose tinted glasses by the neighbours who left more than a few noise complaints. But it had started him on the road that he would follow. 11 years ago He still sang around the house, but thanks to some actual lessons his parents had paid for rather than enrolling him in any sports, it was actual singing now, rather than the enthusiastic screaming of a small child. His habit of singing to himself at school hadn¡¯t done him any favours, though his girlish face and blonde curly hair had already left him with a disadvantage there. But as children always do, they switched randomly between drawn to things that were different and being repelled by them which meant that while not popular, he wasn¡¯t an outcast either. 4 years ago It was amazing how things that could be considered weird hobbies could suddenly be seen as attractive talents. As his singing had improved over the years, he¡¯d spent some time learning to play a few instruments well enough to accompany his voice. With his latest growth spurts leaving him just under six foot combined with the exercise of helping his dad on weekends with his moving company, he got a lot of attention from girls at school. To the point where he had been beaten up more than once for ¡°stealing someone¡¯s girl¡±, though usually he hadn¡¯t actually done anything, since there were plenty of single people around, and he wasn¡¯t the type to ruin others relationships. 2 years ago Confidence in his abilities had begun to turn to arrogance, but unfortunately for those around him it was the kind he could actually back up with ability. He¡¯d tried to join a few bands, but quickly found that his attitude left him more suited to try for more of a solo act. The he¡¯d written and performed a few songs, and put them out on to the internet where they¡¯d received praise, but like all performers, still needed to find his big break. In the mean time, he continued to work for his dad, while performing local shows around the city. 6 months ago Dave had been doing a small show in a local bar, earning some cash to pay his rent, when a talent agent approached him, wanting to know if he¡¯d be interested in coming in to their studio sometime to record. Several demos and a few weeks of phone call between a few record labels a meeting was set up. 5 month ago He¡¯d finally gotten around to the meeting, and been about to get out of the taxi he¡¯d taken downtown to their offices. It was amazing the things one can remember when their life flashes before their eyes. The slight snow fall that dusted the streets, women drinking coffee at a nearby cafe, pigeons scattering into the air as a child ran up to them and of course, the bright chrome grill of the truck as it hurtled through the red traffic light before ramming into them. The taxi driver, he¡¯d been told later, had been killed on impact, a fact he hadn¡¯t realised at the time since his own situation had taken hold. When the cab had wrapped itself around the front of the truck, the drive shaft had snapped in two before swing up, through the floor and then smashing into his back. His legs had been pinned by the crumpling frame of the vehicle, leaving all the momentum in his upper body and causing his head to smash through the side window. The unfortunate angle of the impact caused the glass to be driven deep into his throat, which had been the last thing he remembered before blacking out. Report 758 This unit Sigma, we¡¯ve located and prepared a new subject for stage three of project Rewire. As per protocol we¡¯ve redirected the ambulance to the selected hospital, and are containing all witnesses. Requesting full whiteout procedure for surveillance in the area, and a team to edit memories for both subject and witnesses. Be advised that subject is currently critical, and should be prioritized. End of report 4 months ago When he awoke, he found himself in hospital, specifically in an intensive care ward. As soon a nurse saw that he was awake, doctors rushed in to tell him to remain still. Once they decided he was calm enough, they began to tell him how ¡°lucky¡± he was. His legs had been crushed, with his left beyond saving, but it had stopped him being thrown around which would of killed him outright. The impact to his back had unfortunately severed his spine half way up, paralysing him, but not so high that it took out either his heart or lungs. It had also stopped him moving around or spasming when the glass had pierced his neck, meaning it had kept the wound closed and prevented him from bleeding out before help arrived. They kept making it clear just how fortunate it was, and that it was a miracle that he was alive at all and it was only when they brought in a specialist did he finally get some straight answers about his condition. His spine was completely severed, but medicine had come along way, and with a multitude of surgeries they believed they had a sixty percent chance of giving him back the use of his legs, though one would be replaced with prosthetic below the knee. Most of his abdominal organ were badly damaged, but would make a full recovery with time, though the bones in the area would mostly be held together with pins.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. His throat injury, however, was another matter. While the cut had seemed clean on the outside, internally it had torn through everything by force, only narrowly cutting off blood supply to his brain, which he was told was another ¡°miracle¡±. The throat had been patched up, and would probably heal to a point where he would need medication to get by, but his vocal cords were destroyed. They had considered trying to repair them enough that he might be able to speak again eventually, but in his state, the procedure likely would have killed him. The news hit hard and, like anyone one would, he broke out in tears, crying and screaming, which tore open his throat yet again. After an emergency 8 hour operation he was stabilized again and it was decided to keep him in an induced coma until his injuries had healed further. 2 day ago The doctors were at a loss. Physically, Dave¡¯s injuries were healing as expected, and his spine was showing promising signs that it would make a near full recovery with another year of treatments. It had been an on duty government vehicle that had hit him, and they were footing all medical bills involved, so no expense was being spared towards his recovery. But while his body was repairing itself, mentally activity had ground to a halt. Dave spent his days lying quietly in his bed, all but ignoring his visiting friends and family. They¡¯d tried to prompt him to respond, to break him out of his stupor, but the closest they¡¯d gotten was when his mother had asked him if he wanted to come back home when he got out of hospital. He¡¯d slowly reached over to the table beside him and scrawled a few words. What¡¯s the point If a patient didn¡¯t want to get better, then recovery tended to grind to a halt, since little had more control over a person¡¯s health than their own mind. Then had come a day when they¡¯d wheel him out to a window overlooking the hospitals garden, to at least give him something else to look at it. That was when he saw it, something that made him shake the cobwebs out of mind and actually pay attention. Stopped at the traffic lights on the road beyond the garden was a bus with an electronic advertisement playing, advertising the latest in virtual reality gaming. Play your way in The Expanse Fight for good, fight for evil, or don''t fight at all Don''t just do the impossible, be the impossible Stand alone or work together Give a voice to the silent or crush them beneath your heel What is The Expanse? You Decide And for the first time in months he signalled to the attending nurse, and wrote about something other than painkillers. What do you know about The Expanse? The Present The nurse had not only known had good deal about it, but had called for their resident specialist in such matters to come and speak to him. Several hospitals, including this one, had been doing experiments on placing patients in VR for extended periods of time while recovering, rather than an induced coma. From a medical point of view it was largely the same, since it was an entirely mental connection that left the user incapacitated, but had the benefit of reducing the cognitive dissonance of being unconscious for a long time. And since Dave¡¯s injuries were purely physical, he made for a perfect candidate, if he was willing to give consent. With a single nod, he accepted, and his parents had been called and informed. While at first they were concerned, they agreed, deciding that anything was better than watching him just lay there staring at the ceiling. A nurse had come in earlier to shave his head provide clear access for the cap of sensors that served as the input for the system, leaving him rubbing his now bald top. It wasn¡¯t entirely necessary, but hair could cause disruption in the signal leading to lag or out of sync movements, so hair styles that accounted for this were coming more into fashion as the technology gained popularity. ¡°It¡¯s time to go Dave.¡± A doctor said from the door way. ¡°Are you ready?¡± With a nod, a team of doctors and nurses moved him onto a new bed, one fitted with both restraints to keep him secure, and removable sections to allow for procedures. ¡°Now Dave,¡± the specialist said to him, holding the headpiece in his hand along with a documentation camera. ¡°I need you to give me firm, clear answer on this. Do you understand that once we do this, we can¡¯t reverse it quickly, because of the treatments required? In the event that you change your mind and contact us via the virtual reality system, it will be at least two months before we could safely bring you out fully. With that in mind, do you wish to continue?¡± ¡°Of course I want this! I have built everything on my singing, it¡¯s not just what I want to do, it¡¯s who I am! I would do anything to be able to sing again, and I mean anything. But since that can¡¯t happen, I¡¯ll at least spend my time where I can at least say this stuff out loud.¡± But with his voice taken from him, all he could do was nod to the camera, and the doctor lowered the headpiece onto him, then everything faded to black.
...SYSTEM INITIALIZING...
Before long the light came back and he found himself floating in a pale blue...space. There wasn¡¯t anything around him, just a low light that filled the area, and went he went to see what he was stating on, he realised he didn¡¯t even have a body to stand with. Before any panic set in, a voice came out of nowhere and rang through the air. ¡°Welcome to the Character creation portion of The Expanse. Please relax, we will begin shortly.¡± And slowly the colour changed, the blue giving way to a rich gold that began to solidify into various shapes. ¡°In the beginning, there was darkness. Until the gods-¡° ¡°Skip.¡± The voice paused in its speech, as did the images. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Dave was overjoyed with himself at that moment. He¡¯d actually said something! Yes it had been in a simulation and he didn¡¯t even really have a mouth at the moment, but it was an improvement over the last month. ¡°Skip it.¡± He repeated, wishing he had a face to smile with. ¡°I''m not... this is the history of the entire world you¡¯re entering, and you just want to skip it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to be able to sing, not rule the world. If I want to sing something historical I¡¯ll look it up, so other than that, skip.¡± ¡°...Fine.¡± the voice said, with a surprisingly accurate tone of annoyance. ¡°Moving on. As you would¡¯ve heard, there are a wide variety of races to-¡° ¡°Skip.¡± A sound like a table being slammed echoed around him. ¡°You can¡¯t skip choosing a race! You obviously have to be something, and rude doesn¡¯t count.¡± ¡°Look, I just want to sing, other than that I really don''t care. If it bothers you, you can pick one just make sure it can do what I want.¡± The voice sighed. ¡°...I¡¯ll mark it down as random then. Normally id let you customize your avatar, but I guess we¡¯ll ¡°skip¡± that. Instead let¡¯s move on to class selection, and before you say it, you have to pick something, and I can¡¯t do it for you.¡± ¡°Sure. What one is good at singing?¡± Dave said, mentally shrugging. ¡°There are a variety of tests available to find a class that suits you best; I don''t suppose that you¡¯d..? No, of course you wouldn¡¯t. In that case, there are several possibilities, and I believe you would likely find a bard of some kind most suitable. Specifically an untyped bard, so you can change to a specialization later, if you ever feel like participating in your own new existence.¡± ¡°I accept. Are we done here?¡± Dave asked impatiently. ¡°A name is generally recommended. Though perhaps we could call you Skippy?¡± ¡°Funny for a bunch of ones and zeros aren¡¯t you? No I¡¯ll stick with Dave.¡± ¡°Bunch of...? And will you be participating in the highly recommended tutorials?¡± ¡°Take a guess.¡± ¡°Skipping that then. In that case all that¡¯s left is to pick your starting location. Would you like me to take care of that as well? Be aware that once you leave here that all of this will be finalised according to-¡± ¡°Sure, whatever, a city would be good.¡± ¡°In that case, I have just the place.¡± The voice said with a touch of satisfaction as everything around him went white. Chapter 2 Suddenly, he found himself in standing in the middle of a bustling street, and as the harsh light faded he could make out people of all shapes and sizes moving around. The crowds parted slightly at his arrival at first, then proceeded on as normal, the sight of a new arrival common enough to not warrant a second glance. It was only when a woman screamed that people actually paid attention, and backed up quickly. Seeing their stares heading his way, he looked down wondering if that damn computer had dropped him down stark naked, but whatever he¡¯d been expecting, it wasn¡¯t what he saw. His mottled greyish skin, if you could call it that, hung off his frame in thick rolls, overlapping on each other like scales, giving him the illusion of being thicker than he was. He quickly reached to his chest to see if it was real, only to find his hands suffering from the same condition, the skin hard and scaly as he touched it. Before he could do anything more, the startled onlookers had collected themselves. ¡°Kill it!¡± One shouted. ¡°What even is it?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter! It¡¯s a monster and it¡¯s surrounded! Dibs on it¡¯s drops!¡± Dave held up his arms in defence and tried to say something to them, only to find all he could do was let out a moaning gurgle, before the raised weapons of the crowd started falling down on him. The pain was realistic, if muted, and he cried out as the blades bit into him, before something came down hard on his skull, and everything went black.
You have died As you are below level 10, will you not receive any penalties. All carried items have dropped on your body. Your body will disintegrate in 3 hours. Respawn time: 12 hours
What the hell had just happened? He was floating in an empty space once again, tinted grey this time, bodiless once again. If he¡¯d at least had that, he could try to figure out what the computer had screwed up. He¡¯d told it to make him something that could sing, and what did it do? He¡¯d been dropped as some half baked mistake that couldn¡¯t even talk. It felt like forever as he was left to float aimlessly in the void, stewing on his emotions, but after only an hour, everything around him snapped into focus. He squinted at the sudden light, and looked around at his new surroundings. He was standing on a tropical beach, a bright blue sky overhead dotted with fluffy white clouds and faint breeze that filled the air with the smell of the sea. The waves of crystal clear water gently lapped at the sands, but the space in front of him held Daves attention. Right where the sand met grass under a pair of palm trees was a large square of carpet, containing a wide desk, two chairs and a small filing cabinet. ¡°Mr Andel? If you¡¯d care to take a seat?¡± Turning sharply, he found a man in a pale tailored suit walking past him gesturing for him to take a seat. Finding that he¡¯d regained his strange body again, and with no real understanding of the situation, he did as he was told, stumbling slightly as his legs felt like they were made entirely out of knees. Taking a seat behind the desk, the man kicked off a pair of sandals and stretched his arms. ¡°When they told us initially that we wouldn¡¯t get a real office to save on budget we were annoyed, but I''ve got to admit, I like this better.¡± He said with a smile, but that soon fell from his face. ¡°To begin Mr Andel you have my deepest sympathies regarding your accident. I''m sure you¡¯ve been told your survival is a miracle a million times already, though I have to wonder why the miracle didn¡¯t stop the car first instead.¡± Dave was confused, not knowing exactly who this person was or how they knew who he was. ¡°My name is Barry Livingstone, I''m one of the leads working on the expanse, and specifically I''ve taken charge of the medical suspension program. And to answer your next question, I can hear your thoughts here, since everything here is just thoughts.¡± Dave hesitated before deciding to just roll with it. So how do you know me then? ¡°Well, like I said I''m in charge of the medical program were running, the one your hospital is a part of. As such I have access to a certain amount of medical records regarding participants, but for you specifically... I''m not sure if you¡¯re aware of this, but you made the news for quite some time. A couple of groups had latched on to your accident as a sign that the government ignored laws and kickbacks kept being brought up... it was a whole thing for quite a while, with you being used as a rallying point, though sadly I don''t think either side actually cared much for your wellbeing.¡± That¡¯s... why am I here? And where is here anyway? ¡°Right, let¡¯s get back to it. Now, in The Expanse, when you die you¡¯re automatically logged out for twelve hours. But in your condition you can¡¯t actually do that, so we need to find you an alternative, otherwise you¡¯d be sitting in nothing until you respawned. Is there anything you¡¯d like to do? Listen to some music, browse the net, spend some time at the beach? I can recommend that last one.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Why did I die in the first place?! What did your system screw up!? Dave thought furiously slamming his hand down on the desk. Barry winced. ¡°Please don''t shout mentally, it¡¯s very loud and uncomfortable.¡± Reaching over, he pulled a folder out of the cabinet beside him. ¡°Now we get to the main concern, and why I''m here myself, rather than a more junior programmer.¡± To apologise for your computers mistake? The man opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated with a wince. ¡°Sorry, a few things just connected for me. I was going to say have been watching the news, but now I can see where the problems occurred. The expanse uses the most advanced AI system ever created, and has more computing power at its disposal than a lot of smaller countries. It¡¯s at a point where it, and to a lesser degree the fragments it uses to control figures in game, are sapient. The real kind that is causing us law suits about using as characters in a video game.¡± That¡¯s impressive I guess, but how did that cause this? Dave said holding up a sagging arm. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got more access on our side of things, but the place where players have the most direct contact with the AI is in the character creation section, so they can find something that will match them. And the fragment in charge didn¡¯t exactly think highly of your behaviour.¡± So, what, you¡¯re saying I was rude, so it melted me and got me killed? Can you fix this so I can start properly then? ¡°You¡¯re not melted, just sort of...wobbly. Kind of gross in my opinion, but I believe that¡¯s the point. You see, we did a bit of messing about in the alpha and beta of the game, and one of the things we often did were various competitions and challenges, and the winners could choose to have a monster player character.¡± So I¡¯m a monster? ¡°A monster player.¡± He said, stressing the word. ¡°They were created so people could play as things that we¡¯d normally set up as enemies. Some people just really want to pretend to be a vampire, you know? Anyway, most of them changed back to normal characters after the excitement wore off, but there still a few hundred about. And while we don''t offer them out anymore, they aren¡¯t actually locked, so it was within Sasha¡¯s power to give you one.¡± Sasha? Barry coughed. ¡°We name a few of the AI fragments we interact with often. Sasha¡¯s the one you dealt with.¡± So it... ¡°she¡±, dropped me in as this, knowing I¡¯d get killed. Great. Can you put me back to normal now? I came to this game to sing, but I can¡¯t even speak in this body. The programmer sighed, running his hand through his hair. ¡°Yes, no and not quite. Spawning in a spot like that was wrong and I¡¯ve already given Sasha a talking to about it, so I¡¯ll be giving you something to make up for it. As to changing your character, there¡¯s a minimum 3 month gap between creating characters. It¡¯s to stop people just renewing them repeatedly to try to get luck bonuses or trigger certain events. And we¡¯ve locked that rule all the way to the top I''m afraid, it¡¯s just not worth the headache of having a bunch of rich kids screaming to have special treatment.¡± So you¡¯re saying I¡¯m going to be stuck like this for months? Silent and saggy? Emotion starting to leak through his thoughts. Barry chuckled. ¡°Heh. Stuck, yes, but the rest of it? If you¡¯d gone through the tutorials or really any of the other things, you¡¯d have learned a bit about that body of yours. Here,¡± he said, passing him a sheet that turned into a small screen. ¡°This is the stuff about your race that you should probably read.¡±
Mockerman The mockerman is a distant offshoot of the mimic species that has evolved to be an active hunter rather than patiently waiting to ambush. Preferring dense, urban environments, the mockerman has great control over its physiology, manipulating their baggy mottled hide to take the appearance of other sapient races. Within this skin their organs and bones are highly mobile, allowing them to even copy the internal structures, as well as make room for large amounts of food, of which they need to eat a minimum of a third of their weight each day. Due to their unique physiological makeup, the mockerman diet consists solely of other sapient creatures, and while able to consume other food to maintain their disguise, they are unable to absorb any nutrients from it. One of the most notable features of the mockerman are their vocal chords, which can be manipulated to create and replicate almost any sound, and is used to lure unwary prey to their death. Racial Abilities Liquid core: Penalties to strength, stamina, constitution, dexterity Body Shaping - 1: Able to take forms of sapients. Higher levels can allow you to change further, such as size, gender and additional limbs and features. Mockers Voice - 1: Able to make most sounds a human could make. Higher levels will allow for a wider range of sounds. Mockers Hunger: Can only survive by eating sapients (player or npc). Must eat one third of own mass each day or begin to starve. Starving will lead to loss of body shaping abilities. Monstrous Nature: You count as a monster for the purpose of game rules when attacked by other players in your base form. Npc¡¯s will also treat you this way.
What are the other stats? Health and things? Doesn¡¯t the game have those? Dave asked curiously as he read. Barry grinned. ¡°It does indeed, more numbers stats and calculations than you can poke a stick at.¡± Then where are they? ¡°Hidden. You want to see them, you¡¯ll need to work on the identify skill. Same goes for items, enemies, damage, your health, the works really.¡± Then how will you know if your stuff is good, or if the enemies are dying? ¡°The same way they did in the past, by looking at it. There are skills that can help you spot a better piece of weaponry or armour, but you¡¯ll learn to spot it without skills after a while. As for combat? We spoke about it a lot during press conferences, but I guess you wouldn¡¯t have seen those. All damage and combat is proportional, so you stab something, it will be treated as if you stabbed it. Swing an axe into someone¡¯s leg and your likely to take it off, cut someone¡¯s...¡± he hesitated. ¡°...throat, and you¡¯ll probably kill them. No standing there taking a million arrows, you get hit, you get hurt. Of course, armour, stats and skills can change things, but in general we¡¯ve tried to keep things as realistic as possible. But enough about the general stuff, what do you think of your own race?¡± It looks like a lot of downsides, but am I really reading this right? I have to... eat people? Dave thought, feeling faint. ¡°Not really a pleasant thought is it? I''m not the one who made them so don''t blame me, but as you can see you won¡¯t be left mute if you don''t want to be.¡± How do I use it? He asked eagerly, other thoughts thrown away for a chance to sing. Barry checked a nonexistent watch. ¡°I¡¯ve still got a few hours before my next meeting, how about I load up a few of those tutorials and we take your silent and saggy self for a spin? I''m honestly kind of curious how it¡¯ll go myself.¡± Chapter 3 ¡°So the main trick to it all is to think it. Don''t worry about gestures or buttons, everything connected straight to your brain, so don''t worry about the middle man and just think what you want to do.¡± You say that, but you¡¯re the one with a real face. Dave thought back, trying to concentrate. They were standing in the training area that Barry had opened up for him, a large school gymnasium that sat on the beach next to the man¡¯s office. Inside it was filled with obstacle courses, training dummies and seemingly endless racks of tools and weapons. At that exact moment they were standing in front of a large mirror, which gave Dave his first proper look at what a mockerman normally looked like. Standing at a little over five feet tall, he found his back for hunched than he thought and could stand up straight to easily be over seven, his skin stretching out over his gaunt body to show that there was little meat on him under the grey hide. His arms and legs, while normal in size overall, didn¡¯t have any elbows or knees, at least not ones in a fixed position, instead bending at random locations as the pieces inside floated around. That seemed be the case with most of his functions, leaving him as little more than a skin bag full of organs and bone. His face was something that could give a person nightmares though, with the skin that loose everywhere else being pulled tight against his skull, leaving his face set in a permanent, terrible grin. At least it did at the moment, but hopefully that would change soon. Dave was trying to get his abilities to work, ones that he¡¯d need if he wanted to survive beyond the first time someone saw him. But no matter how hard he concentrated, he couldn¡¯t get it to work. ¡°Well, you should just be able to want it to happen. Just picture it and think of it happening to you, that¡¯s how most of them work and this shouldn¡¯t be any different.¡± But as hard as he tried, his creepy new face just kept staring back at him in the mirror, a pair of lidless, black eyes looking into him. He¡¯d even tried making poses or gestures just in case it was different, but it just sat there. He wanted to close his eyes and think, but settled for covering them with his arm. Ok, he thought to himself, maybe I''m over thinking this. It¡¯s not really my face, just something I think is my face, so if I think of my face being a different face already...? He felt a twitch on his forehead, and quickly brought his arm down looking to see what had happened, but it looked exactly the same, except... ¡°Does that patch look lighter to you?¡± Barry asked poking his skin curiously. Dave nodded before trying to go back to what he¡¯d been thinking, visualising being the form he wanted, instead of changing into it. Slowly, with a speed similar to drying paint, his features shifted, almost as if they were rotting in reverse. Fat and meat pushed their way under the skin, which softened and gained colour, while cartilage cracked and slid into place, ears and nose forming where just pits had been before. His teeth made him feel like he was at the dentist, because while there was no pain, the sensation of them cracking and grinding as they shifted around was hardly pleasant. As he watched he could see his scalp ripple as hair began to grow, twisting and curling until he saw a face he knew better than any other. His own. Barry clapped. ¡°That¡¯s it! Man that¡¯s weird to watch, when people do it with spells it¡¯s an instant thing, but I guess that¡¯s more of an illusion over the top...¡± I¡¯ve got a face again! He mentally shouted in triumph, only to feel it moving again. ¡°Careful now, it started to slip back, not something you want to do in public.¡± Dave calmed himself back down and focused, cleaning it back and watching as muscles writhed under his skin back to the right spot. It was like balancing on a tightrope, concentrate too much and it wouldn¡¯t move, too little and it¡¯d relax back to its default state. ¡°Good, now, try and extend it to the whole body. No point just having a pretty face on a pile skin.¡± That turned out to be easier said than done. It was simpler since he knew the right state of mind to reach, but how often did you really study your own elbow? Eventually he thought he was done, even though he knew a few things were off, but he couldn¡¯t for the life of him tell what they were. How¡¯s that look? Am I human now? He asked of the programmer who was pointedly looking away. At his words he made a few gesture on a small board in his hands, causing a robe, little more than a hospital gown, to spring into existence around Daves body. ¡°I don''t know about human exactly, but if you claimed it people wouldn¡¯t think twice.¡± Good, then I''m making progress... what should I do about clothes? ¡°For now, you can keep the robe, and I¡¯ll give you one like it when you respawn. But from what the notes here say, you should be able to shape your body into clothes eventually, though you can¡¯t take them off.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Cool, more camouflage. But its way too slow though to do on the run. ¡°It¡¯ll get easier.¡± The programmer said in response to his thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re working with the basic package at the moment, but with practice and experience it¡¯ll be as easy as breathing. But shall we move on to bit that you really care about?¡± Smiling with his newly shaped teeth, he closed his eyes for the first time had concentrated on his voice. He knew it better than anyone, spent years training it and both learnt then pushed its limits. It wasn¡¯t just a form he wanted, it was one he needed, and one he could finally get back. For a moment his throat vibrated, then he turned to Barry. ¡°Ho-w¡¯s thisss?¡± The words catching and breaking in his throat. ¡°Better than your first growls, and I¡¯m sure that-¡± Ignoring Barry¡¯s reply, Dave began running himself through his breathing exercises and vocal warm-ups. He¡¯d had throat problems before, illness and over use happened to everyone, the trick was learning to deal with them. Having his throat cut was beyond anything a person could handle, but this? This he understood. For almost an hour he cycled through the ranges and went over phrases that contained every syllable and sound. Each time it went just a little smoother, the edges less raw and flowing more naturally. It didn¡¯t matter to him that Barry had gotten bored and wandered back to his desk to do some paperwork, all that mattered right now was his voice. When he was done he walked back over to the office space, noticing as the sand that stuck to his feet simply vanished when he crossed on to the carpet. Seeing his return Barry made a final note on the paper he was looking through before having it vanish in to space. ¡°So did you make much progress?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to think so.¡± Dave said happily. It wasn¡¯t his voice, not yet, but it was at least something he¡¯d be willing to call an echo of it. ¡°Impressive! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to get the hang of it that quickly.¡± ¡°Quickly?¡± Dave asked lightly, not really looking for an answer but more for how Barry sounded when he gave it. ¡°Yeah, I expected you to take a few days to get it to a point where you could at least mumble you¡¯re way through a conversation.¡± ¡°Mumble?¡± ¡°You know, slurring your words? Are your ears playing up now that your voice is working?¡± Dave¡¯s throat twitched. ¡°Just testing something.¡± He said, in voice that matched Barry¡¯s own. He frowned. ¡°What¡¯s that voice supposed to be? You still working on yours?¡± ¡°It¡¯s yours, or it should be.¡± He waved him off. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound anything like me.¡± ¡°People always say that. Can you check with the AI? I want to know if I¡¯m doing this right.¡± Tilting his head slightly, the programmer reached out and grabbed a glowing square from the air, before staring at it for a few moments, squinting as he did so. After a moment he threw it away. ¡°It says its ninety eight percent accurate, but I still think it sounds nothing like me.¡± He grumbled. ¡°Nothing like me.¡± Dave mimicked with a smile on his face. He would have continued, but a faint surge went through him for a moment. Whatever it was, it was something Barry noticed instantly, causing him to bring up another square with a curse. ¡° God dammit... can you bring up your information for me? I think I know it already but I need to confirm.¡± ¡°How do I...? ¡°Just think it.¡± He said motioning him to hurry up
Name: Dave Level: 1 Race: Mockerman Class: Bard (untyped) Stats: hidden Skills: Liquid core Body Shaping - 1 Mockers Voice - 1 Mockers Hunger Monstrous Nature
New skill unlocked: Mimics ear. Due to race, this has been converted into Mockers ear. Increases your ability to pick up languages and impersonate voices. As a mockerman, this also improves your ability to recreate sounds and voices you¡¯ve heard.
¡°I''ve got a new skill, was that the-¡± Barry cut him off. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s the thing.¡± He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. You¡¯re not supposed to get new skills while dead, obviously, but I forgot that while you¡¯ve been doing the tutorial stuff here, it isn¡¯t actually that. I should probably get rid of it.¡± ¡°Do you have to?¡± Dave said, his hand going to his neck as he switched back to his own voice. Barry hesitated. ¡°I should... but here¡¯s the deal. I¡¯ll let you keep it, and we¡¯ll leave you in true unconsciousness until you respawn, but in exchange we¡¯ll call it even for Sasha dumping you in town. Otherwise I¡¯ll take it from you and we can find something else.¡± ¡°No! No... I want to keep it.¡± He said quickly. ¡°Right then. Well that¡¯s going to give me another bit of paperwork to deal with, and I''ve got a meeting soon so we¡¯ll bring this to a close. The next time you die, you¡¯ll be brought somewhere similar to here, and someone will do a more thorough evaluation of your mental health... something I was supposed to do but time got away from me. All make sense?¡± ¡°Sure I guess. Are you going to drop me in the street again?¡± ¡°Your spawn point is locked to the same city, but I¡¯ll have you come back in a deserted alley somewhere, should give you time to get yourself sorted.¡± ¡°Great, then...see you around?¡± ¡°Probably not, unless something goes wrong again. Oh, and as a little gift, I¡¯ll give you something else when you go back okay? All right, now I really need to move.¡± And as if he¡¯d flicked a switch, their surroundings began to fade and break apart, first the things in the distance then spreading closer, until the ground faded under Daves feet sending him tumbling into darkness. Only a few moments seemed to pass, then he found himself sitting on hard stone pavers, the sounds and smells of the city assailing his senses. Turning quickly, he breathed a sigh of relief to see that the dingy alley he¡¯d been left in was unoccupied as promised, giving him time to get a grip on himself and make his form more presentable. He was about to try and head to the main street and see if he could actually interact with people this time, and maybe find something to wear other than the robe he¡¯d been given, when he remembered that Barry had said he¡¯d leave him with something else. Looking around he spotted a surprisingly clean sack made of the same material as the gown lying on the ground near where he¡¯d woken up. Opening it up to see what it as, he dropped it in shock, losing some control over his form in the process. Rolling out of the sack as it tumbled to the ground, was a human leg. Chapter 4 Dave knew what a leg was, and had seen plenty of them. Having had two of them himself for most of his life, he¡¯d even consider himself something of an expert on legs. They came in all shapes and sizes, had a foot on the end and a knee in the middle. It wasn¡¯t a complicated subject and he felt he understood it completely. But the one lying on the ground, with a perfectly smooth cut along the top severing it, wasn¡¯t meshing with his brain properly. There was supposed to be a person attached to it, not just a severed stump. Breathing deeply, he reached out a trembling hand to pick up the fallen limb flinch as he touched it, the room temperature skin making it even more surreal has lifted it up. If the information he had was to be believed, then he¡¯d need to...eat... a third of his weight every day, or he¡¯d starve to death, and considering how much being cut down had hurt, he didn¡¯t want to go through the experience of his own stomach killing him. Whoever this leg had come from had been large, more than enough to feed him for the day... if he could get himself to eat it. Already he could feel it, hunger gnawing at him while he looked at dead flesh in his hands, wanting him to consume. Did they just have a function to create extra limbs in the system, he wondered trying to distract himself, or did they create a whole person and the break them apart, storing the pieces for later. As thoughts of warehouses filled with torsos and heads ran through his mind, he shook himself, realising he was putting off making the decision. Was he willing to eat another person to stay alive, even if only in a virtual sense? That question made him think about it in a different light. While it was technically just a game, even if he was stuck in it for the time being, the AI running around were apparently just as aware and sentient as he was. Did it matter to them that it was just a game? To them it was everything, and right now it was everything to him as well, as real as the world outside where his body lay broken in a hospital bed. If he could make the same decision out there, to fix his problems by eating another person, would he do it? In a heartbeat. Dave wasn¡¯t a monster, but he was a firm believer in putting yourself first. It was what had made humanity the ruler of the planet, and it was what led its leaders to the top. For people to rise, sometimes people had to be crushed underneath. And to get back his life¡¯s meaning for something as little as eating a dead body? The choice became simple. But while decision had been made, the act itself posed a problem, namely he could just sit in a public alley eating human flesh and hope no one come down. It was deserted at the moment, but he really didn¡¯t want to die again. Fortunately the city was big enough, and developed enough, that they had what looked like a sewer system, and there was a manhole in the alley. Putting the leg back in the bag, he hoisted it over his shoulder and made his way over to the cover and, with some effort, managed to leverage it open. Dropping the bag below, he climbed the short ladder that ran down into the sewers, ending on a narrow path that ran alongside the water flowing through the tunnels. Heaving the cover back into place behind him, he was surprised to discover that he could see in the dark to a degree, everything lit with a faint red light. Sitting down against the wall he relaxed as he switched back to his true form, removing his robe before pulling the bag closer. It wasn¡¯t what he would have expected as his first meal in The Expanse, but if he needed to eat a leg in a sewer to survive, then that¡¯s what he¡¯d do. He looked at it, staring at the tiny hairs and pores, faint marks and calluses that really made him wonder where it had come from, but before he could put it off any further, he raised it up and took a bite, his jagged teeth tearing into the flesh. As soon as the skin touched his tongue, it felt like his mind exploded as the taste overran his mind. The faint saltiness on the surface of the thin, elastic skin gave way to the rich layer of fatty tissue that melted and broke apart in his mouth, leaving a buttery taste, and below that, the meat. The fibrous muscles were springy at first as he chewed them, but as they broke down they released a deep, rich flavour that made him think of pork ribs. He chuckled as a thin trickle of blood ran down his chin, realizing how accurate the phrase ¡®long pig¡¯ was. Another bite followed, then another, the taste dominating his mind and throwing away his sense of control. At that moment, all that mattered to him was eating the meat in front of him, ripping through the red and stuffing it into his mouth.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Before long all that left were bones, the larger ones cracked opened to have the marrow sucked out while the smaller were eaten whole. Looking at the pile next to him, still spattered with blood, the reality of what he¡¯d just done came back, that he¡¯d eaten what could have been walking around a few hours ago. But despite this, instead of horror, all he could think about was that it would¡¯ve tasted better if it had been warm, and fresh. There was something off in the taste of eating it like this, not bad exactly, but it was like eating a microwave dinner, it lost something in the process. Standing back up he kicked the bones into the sewer water and looked down at himself in surprise. Even though he¡¯d just eaten a huge amount of meat, he hadn¡¯t gained any weight, not even a stomach bulge. Patting his stomach, he found it felt denser, the liquid mass inside him having shifted around to make room for the extra mass. Concentrating, he once again adopted his human guise before picking up his discarded robe, squinting at a few errant blood splatters that had fallen on it. Shrugging it back on he climbed back up the ladder and out on to the surface, wondering what other things happened just out of sight in this city. Stepping out of the alley and into the warm afternoon sun he found himself once again on a busy street, except this time the crowd didn¡¯t turn on him, though a few did smirk at his clothes. Looking down, he took stock of what he had and what he needed. If he was going to be living here for the foreseeable future, he¡¯d need food and a place to live. The food could now at least be put off until tomorrow, but a roof over head was something he needed to find now. Fortunately, he¡¯d traded music for a bed more than once during his time singing around the city, so he was fairly confident that he could find an inn or hotel that would take him in for a night at least. But even if he didn¡¯t expressly need an instrument, he¡¯d need one to draw the crowds, and that wouldn¡¯t be for free. His outfit would also need an update, since whenever he thought about what he wanted to perform in, ¡°pants¡± were a key feature. Walking up to a stall selling baked goods, he greeted the elderly woman behind it with a warm smile. ¡°Excuse me young lady, do you think you could help me with some directions?¡± he said, enjoying the feeling of talking again. The woman snorted. ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna give ya no free grub for compliments, but I can point ya somewhere.¡± ¡°I lost my belongings and, as you can see, I¡¯m in need of something to wear.¡± She nodded. ¡°Figured. You need ta be careful these days, lotta folk getting robbed or goin¡¯ missin¡¯.¡± She paused before leaning closer. ¡°I reckon it¡¯s all these new comers fault. Just showin up outta nowhere and runnin about the place like nutters. I ¡®eard they don¡¯t even die properly if ya kill em. Just ain¡¯t natural.¡± Dave nodded solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll heed your words closely. Now, where can I find a tailor around here?¡± ¡°Garth¡¯s place is up round ta corner, four roads up on ta left. Big blue sign, tell ¡®im Nina sent ya an¡¯ ¡®e''ll treat you right.¡± ¡°My thanks to you.¡± He said removing an imaginary hat to her. She chuckled. ¡° Yer welcome. Here, ¡®ave a pie. Be closin up soon so may as well.¡± Taking the flaky pastry from her hand he said good bye and began to head in the direction she¡¯d indicated. As he walked he unthinkingly took a bite, only to shudder as it filled his mouth. The flavours and textures were just wrong to him, even though he could see that it should have been simple beef inside. It was as though a kitchen sponge and been soaking in a muddy puddle, before being wrapped in sheets of paper. With effort he managed to swallow the bite, not wanting to spit it out as he moved amongst the crowd, gagging as he did so. Whatever the game had done to his tastebuds, it was effective in both directions. Rounding the corner, he subtly dropped the remains of the pie behind a bush on the side of the road as he went to the store the old woman had mentioned. The store was a small affair, looking squashed in amongst the other buildings, but while the places around it were still open for business, the windows at the tailors had been drawn closed, the door shut. Frowning, Dave walked up to it confused. The way the woman had mentioned it, it seemed she¡¯d expected it to be open as well. Going to knock on the door to see if they were open, he paused as he caught a now familiar scent drifting from inside. Blood. Opening the door a crack he could make out two voices in a hushed, but heated argument. ¡°...you go ahead and kill him for?¡± ¡°I just hit him! Not my fault the old bastard could take a hit.¡± Opening it further, Dave peered in, to find a pair of short figures standing over the bleeding body of a man who was presumably the tailor. At the sight of the fresh body on the floor, his stomached growled despite eating only moments ago. The figures, dwarves he guessed by their height and beards, turned suddenly towards the source of the sound, raising clubs as they did so. ¡°I thought you locked the door?¡± one hissed to the other. The second ignored him. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± They said in a low voice filled with menace. Taking a breath and looking about, he decided to take a risk, and stepped in, closing the door behind him. Chapter 5 ¡°This is report number...758-A, Barry Livingstone reporting. We got another subject for the rewire project today, some guy who was in a pretty bad car accident, and we¡¯re being pushed to move on with stage three. And for the record, I''m not entirely comfortable with this. Stage one was kind of cool, a test to see if we could use the virtual reality to change a person¡¯s tastes in wine, or how they felt about certain art pieces. It was neat, and it was something that¡¯d been looked into before as a social experiment. Stage two took it a step further, going deeper into a person¡¯s mind. Trying to change which hand a person used, how they stood or even the language they thought in. It got... intense with some of that, the techniques bordering on torture for a few people. But i got through it, and no one remembered the more... painful sections of the training. After recording it I wiped my own memories as well. But stage three... some of these papers suggest what they¡¯re looking for are physical changes, way beyond what I signed up for, and I''ve got to question whether it¡¯s even legal. But the executives are just saying to get it done and not worry about that side of things. I''ve got to wonder though, who exactly is bank rolling this project? Because I''ve heard them taking orders as well, and this sort of technology doesn¡¯t come cheap Screw it, my contracts up in two months, I¡¯ll put up with it till then, dump it from my memories and head to Hawaii for a few months. What I don''t remember can hurt me right? End of report. ¡°I take it you two aren¡¯t the tailor¡¯s friends, and this is just a huge misunderstanding?¡± Dave asked, eyeing the weapons in their hands carefully. They were clubs, little more that treated sticks with a handle, but sticks could kill just as well as knives with force behind them. One of them stepped forward with their weapon raised with intent to rush him, but the other dwarf slammed a hand into his chest, stopping him. ¡°Not,¡± they said quietly. ¡°While he¡¯s by the door. You always walk into trouble like this, or did you feel like some exceptionally stupid choices today?¡± ¡°Seems like the case at the moment, but it doesn¡¯t look like everything¡¯s going your way either.¡± He said, eyes glancing around the room, seeing if there was anything he could use as a weapon if this got violent fast. The store was well kept, fabrics neatly folded away and clothing on racks against the wall. The bench by the old man¡¯s body was flipped over, scattering the notes and designs on it over the floor. Some kind of argument maybe, he thought to himself, or a burglary gone wrong? ¡°We¡¯re not the ones who¡¯ve come in wearing nothing but a sheet.¡± ¡°Oh you¡¯d be surprised what you can accomplish with nothing but a sheet. But let¡¯s stick with words for now yeah? No need for things to get... well like that.¡± He said, gesturing to the body. ¡°No need to make a ruckus that could draw the attention of people outside.¡± The dwarf in charge growled to himself. ¡°Dammit to hell, this isn¡¯t how I wanted this day to go.¡± Dave shrugged. ¡°Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you''re gonna get.¡± At that, the dwarf straightened up and lowered his weapon, rubbing his eyes while swearing heavily before looking back to him. ¡°I love that movie. So how are we gonna do this?¡± The other dwarf just looked at his partner confused. ¡°Movie? What¡¯re you talking about Gus? Are we taking him or not?¡± ¡°Well, Terrance,¡± he said, glaring at having his name given away. ¡°What he said just now is... something from where I''m from. Where we¡¯re from.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s like you? He keeps coming back?¡± Terrance said, eyes bulging slightly. Dave nodded. ¡°I am indeed. Which, as your friend there realised, means silencing me isn¡¯t going to work. So let¡¯s figure this out like the respectable people we pretend to be outside. You two here for something in particular or...?¡± ¡°People in this city are still trying to figure out how a protection racket is supposed to work, so I decided to show em the ropes. Their boss gave me this guy to work with, probably to make sure I wasn¡¯t going to rat them out to the law around here. Unfortunately Terrance struggles to tell the difference between threats and orders, so things went badly here. What about you?¡± While the dwarf named Gus was acting civilly enough, Dave kept a close eye on him, knowing things could shift at any moment. ¡°Had a rough day and lost pretty much everything. I was just coming in to try and find something to wear. So I can see two ways this can go. We could throw down now, and whoever survives can take what they want, while the one who died will come back for vengeance. Unless Terrance there dies.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°What happens if I die?¡± Terrance asked nervously, the situation getting away from him. ¡°Then you stay dead, obviously.¡± Gus answered. ¡°And the other way?¡± ¡°We split the money, all take what we want, such as pants, and never speak about it again. We could even start a fire to try and make it look like an accident.¡± Gus shook his head. ¡°Won¡¯t work. Magic can deal with fires too easily. But the rest of it... agreed.¡± ¡°The Boss won¡¯t be happy about you giving away money...¡± Terrance said nervously. ¡°What he doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt him.¡± He said, walking towards the body. ¡°But I¡¯m supposed to...¡± In a single movement, Gus turned, grabbed the club from his belt and brought it down hard over Terrance¡¯s head, dropping him like a puppet with its strings cut. ¡°The quality of criminals in this city is just sad. I¡¯d planned to join them and work my way up the ranks, but now I''m thinking I may as well just make a play for the top right away.¡± He said, shaking his head at the dead dwarf before turning back to Dave. ¡°I don''t suppose you¡¯d want to give me a hand?¡± ¡°You¡¯re recruitment timing could use work.¡± Gus waved him off. ¡°They¡¯re not real, despite what people say on the news. And real people come back, so no harm no foul right?¡± ¡°Tempting, but not really my goal here. Now should we divvy things up now? We don''t want someone else to come in.¡± Grinning, the dwarf wiped a bit of blood off his club on a nearby mannequin. ¡°Nice to see someone can remain professional. In here I go by Gus, and you¡¯re..?¡± he asked, offering a hand. ¡°Just passing through.¡± He replied, rejecting the hand. ¡°Not looking to make friends right now, but hey, good luck constructing your criminal empire.¡± Gus nodded slowly, dropping his hand. ¡°Fair enough I guess, but when I rule this city, you¡¯re gonna wish this had gone differently.¡± Dave sighed. ¡°I wish a lot of things had gone differently.¡± With an agreement reached, they began to loot the building, first taking what money they could find, then moving on to what they believed to be valuable supplies. In the end, Dave ended up with eighty silver coins and a small pile of copper, while Gus took his share in a few rolls of silk that he said he could sell through a fence he knew. In addition, Dave picked out a pair of dark canvas trousers, a white cotton undershirt, a red vest and a black jacket that looked like it was one the old tailor had owned himself. He was still missing a pair of shoes, but he didn¡¯t look like a bum anymore. ¡°Ok then, now, we should go. Its closing time in the market, so if anyone here¡¯s anything fairly soon, it¡¯ll definitely be suspicious.¡± Gus asked, rolling up his share in an old sheet to hide it. ¡°The bodies won¡¯t be a problem?¡± The dwarf hesitated. ¡°Player bodies fade away after a while, so it hasn¡¯t been an issue when I''ve mugged them, but computer people stick around. I doubt they have crime scene investigators, but magic keeps screwing with my plans.¡± Dave nodded, thinking. ¡°The old man can stay, him dead here wont draw too much attention, but we need to move Terrance.¡± ¡°Where to? No swamp about to throw a body in to. I''ve already looked.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ll take care of it?¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯ll take care of it. Don''t worry about it.¡± ¡°You... fine, there¡¯s no time and we need to go. It¡¯s on you, so whatever happens, it¡¯s your fault.¡± He said shaking his head before heading to the door. ¡°You¡¯d better be quick though, this part of the market is pretty much deserted after sundown, so the guards will be interested in whoever¡¯s around.¡± As the dwarf left the building, Dave waited for a minute, then collapsed to the ground, taking in deep pounding breaths, his heart still beating like mad. It had taken everything to try and remain calm in that situation, but it looked like he¡¯d pulled it off, and become richer for it. Legs still shaking, he fumbled around the darkening store and found a small pouch that could hold his coins and tied it around his waist, making sure it was secure. From what Gus had said when he questioned him while they searched the room, people didn¡¯t get inventories, though high level magic users could make them eventually. They cost more than the average person made in a year, so they were little more than a dream for most people. That left him looking at two bodies lying on the floor, with no real idea of how to deal with them. As he tried to figure out how much he could actually eat in a single sitting, he wondered at how quickly he was adapting. A week ago, he¡¯d probably scream if he saw a dead body, though he was sure it¡¯d be a manly scream. But now he was trying to figure out how much he could eat of a person who¡¯d been killed right in front of him. Which was another problem he needed to address. He¡¯d walked in here wearing a face that he planned to share with the world, and one that a murderous dwarf would recognise in the future. He needed to try and take other appearances in the future, but he wasn¡¯t imaginative enough to come up with one on the fly. But learning songs had given him a decent enough memory... Grabbing the dead tailor, he dragged him over and propped him up in a chair before studying his features closely, looking at how his eyes creased in the corners, the faint scar on his arm, the slight distortion in his right eye. Each detail was carefully noted until he had the image in his mind, then became it himself. His skin warped and cracked, the signs of aging appearing rapidly, the hair on his head thinning out before greying and falling out in some spots completely. After a few minutes he looked in a mirror mounted on the wall, and could see that he now matched the old man perfectly, and began to repeat the process with the dwarf. His body twisted, becoming shorter and denser as he made the change, before expanding out as his shoulders widened, his muscles expanding, a new beard rapidly growing out. He felt his bones cracking and folding in on themselves as they replicated the necessary framework, a feeling he doubted he¡¯d ever get used to. Trying to lift the table in the room, he found that despite his change in appearance, he hadn¡¯t actually become any stronger. Going back over the conversation in his head, he tried to remember how the dwarf had sounded. ¡°So he¡¯s like you? What happens if I die? The Boss won¡¯t be happy...¡± He kept repeating the phrases he¡¯d heard, trying to dial in the exact cadence and sound until a feeling ran through his head, startling him and interrupting his thoughts. Remembering what the programmer had told him, he opened the menu to see what had happened.
New skill unlocked: Book of Faces 1. Mockerman race only. Lets you store a number of identities you¡¯ve learned within the system which can be used as if by memory. Both appearance and voice will be kept. At the current level, 10 Identities can be stored, and can be deleted to make room for more.
¡°Well that¡¯s helpful.¡± He said, still using the dwarf¡¯s voice. ¡°Now how do I sneak the bodies out of here, and where am I going to put them?¡± Chapter 6 Dead weight. Turns out the expression had some merit to it, Dave found out, as he struggled down the street, the cart catching on another loose cobblestone. He¡¯d found the small hand cart at the back of the tailors store, covered in dust and used more as a table by the look of it, probably from when the old man had been younger and more able to get around. It had a storage space beneath it that, after breaking away the shelves, managed to just fit the dwarf inside, though he¡¯d had to break the arms and legs with a stool to get the door closed. Adopting the tailors face, he¡¯d locked up the shop just after sundown and began struggling along with the cart, the penalties the game had given him at least matching his appearance. He hoped that no one would question him leaving the shop is he was its owner, and no one would expect the shop to open before morning, giving him plenty of time to get away. At least, in theory. ¡°City watch, hold it there!¡± Please let this old bastard have been deaf, Dave prayed silently, ignoring the shout as he kept struggling along. But a hand landed on his shoulder, spinning him around. Facing him, lit up by a small brass lantern held in the guards other hand was a man in a city watch uniform. Although calling him a man was a bit much, since it looked as though he¡¯d barely started shaving. ¡°I said hold-! Oh, it¡¯s just you Mr. Glint. Sorry about that, but we¡¯re all a little on edge at the moment. Sorry if I startled you.¡± ¡°Quiet alright.¡± Dave said, trying to put on a dry, elderly voice. ¡°You alright? You sound a bit...¡± ¡°A touch under the weather young man, it happens with age.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯d do it. My da¡¯ used to sound like a creaking door when he was ill, was hilarious for everyone, except him of course.¡± Dave chuckled politely, internally screaming for the guard to leave. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not like you to be out this late Mr. Glint. Where are you off to with your cart at this hour?¡± ¡°Oh, you know, a few last minute things that got away from me, you know how it is.¡± He said, waving off the question. ¡°I sure do. I got so focused on polishing up my boots the other morn that I was late for my shift! Sarge was furious, though, he usually is. Last minute fitting?¡± ¡°Yes, that sort of thing, I won¡¯t bore you with the details. Tailor stuff you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah...¡± He said trailing off, looking nervous about something. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve known you for as long as I can remember Mr. Glint, but Sarge was real clear that we needed to search every cart and wagon after dark...¡± ¡°Even my little cart?¡± Dave asked, trying to act surprised while is insides felt like they tied themselves in knots. ¡°I know it seems pointless, but I don''t want to get in trouble again this week so...?¡± ¡°Oh, I suppose.¡± He said, slowly, letting out a long suffering sigh. ¡°I was hoping to be done quickly so I can get to bed, but if you need to...¡± ¡°Just a quick look I swear then you can be on your way, I promise.¡± Dave backed up a few steps, motioning for the guard to have a look, readying himself to run. The guard shifted the grip on his lantern before kneeling down, opening up the side of the cart. ¡°Ah!¡± Dave¡¯s heart felt like it was going to explode, but the guard hadn¡¯t attacked him yet. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This cloth here, it¡¯s just the sort I was looking for to get my ma a present. Do you think I could..?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I need everything in there for tonight.¡± Especially, Dave thought, since that piece of cloth is currently covering up a corpse in front of you. The guard stood up, dusting himself off, not noticing a hand hang out slightly as the cloth was disturbed. ¡°Then maybe I¡¯ll pop by the store tomorrow then, but I shouldn¡¯t keep you any longer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for you then.¡± Dave said, moving in quickly to close the cart back up before the body was seen. ¡°In that case, have a nice evening Mr. Glint.¡± The guard said cheerfully, whistling as he went. Heaving on the handles of the cart, h got moving again with a sigh. ¡°Well,¡± he murmured to himself. ¡°At least I¡¯ve got a name for the face, but I¡¯m pretty sure using it from now on will cause more problems than it¡¯ll solve.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Getting the cart back to the grate he¡¯d climbed through before was easy enough after that, though he was unhappy with how much of his time was spent in the sewers. He¡¯d planned to find a nice inn to stay at once he got some clothes, but he needed a place he could put the body where no one would look. Leaving the body at the tailors wouldn¡¯t work, since as soon as someone knocked on the door, the game would be up and the guards would take them. The idea of losing the body was... almost painful. It was hard enough leaving the tailor himself lying there, but he had the dwarf which he convinced himself would be enough, but... He knew that the body was something of a lifeline for him, another few days of survival, but the drive he¡¯d felt to take them with him had been strong. It was honestly concerning the risks he¡¯d taken to get it, just for food, even if it was something hard to get. He¡¯d gone from wondering what he was supposed to do with his life to stealing bodies in seemingly no time at all. Wrapping up the body tightly in the remaining cloth, he left it in the cool darkness of the sewer, as from the water as he could and positioned so that it was out of sight form anyone curious enough to peer down the manhole. With tomorrow¡¯s meal secured and safe from the elements, he climbed back out among the stars, and went to find himself a place to stay. There must be dozens of prominent Inns throughout this city, he thought to himself as he walked through the darkened markets, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re begging for some decent music. ~~~ ¡°What do you mean you don''t want a bard?! You¡¯re an inn, you need music!¡± Dave said, half shouting with exasperation. ¡°I didn¡¯t say we don''t want a bard, I said we don''t want you as a bard.¡± The innkeeper said as he rubbed his eyes. ¡°Please, sir, don''t make a scene.¡± Dave ground his teeth. It had been the same story in the last half a dozen places he¡¯d tried. Each one had been a brightly lit place, full of cheerful people and flowing with meet and drink, and everyone of them had rejected him immediately. The first one he could accept, after all a place didn¡¯t need music every night, and that reasoning held for the next after that. Then he thought that maybe there was some kind of permit he was missing, but on asking around there wasn¡¯t one. And now, as he was about to trudge back out into the dark, he was fed up. ¡°Can you at least tell me why? Why no one is willing to even let me in?¡± The innkeeper looked at him for a moment before speaking. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don''t know. I thought your kind knew everything?¡± ¡°My kind?¡± Dave asked, wondering if he¡¯d slipped up, worried he¡¯d missed a detail on his face. ¡°You¡¯re one of them aren¡¯t you? The newcomers that don¡¯t stay dead. I don''t know what it¡¯s about, and frankly I don''t want to, but it¡¯s not the reason, at least not directly.¡± ¡°Then...?¡± ¡°We had a bunch of you come through, all claiming to be the greatest musicians in the realm, all demanding to be treated like royalty. At first, well, we bought it, maybe they really, were that good, so we gave them a room for the night, but when it came time to play...¡± ¡°They were lying?¡± he guessed. ¡°From the way one of them acted as I had the bouncer throw them out, not exactly.... listen, you got an instrument?¡± They asked suddenly ¡°I plan on getting one as an accompaniment, maybe a lute or something, but I''m a singer by trade so-¡± ¡°Then that¡¯ll make this simple. Sing something now, doesn¡¯t have to be amazing. If you¡¯re as good as most of you seem to think, then you¡¯ll hear the problem, if you can¡¯t, then you¡¯re not good enough to sing here anyway.¡± Seeing this as an opportunity, Dave wasted no time in clearing his throat before starting in on a classic. ¡°I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel...¡± He¡¯d barely gone more than a few lines before he ground to a halt, hearing something off in his tone. ¡°You heard it didn¡¯t you?¡± He nodded, trying to understand what was going on. He knew the words, knew the notes and knew for a fact that he should have hit them. But when he¡¯d sang, the words had come out clipped, the tone out of place and just out of reach. It was still the song, and to someone who didn¡¯t know music at all it might have even sounded okay, but when you payed attention, it grated, the small burrs in the music making it rough and unfinished. ¡°It was like this for all of them?¡± Dave asked quietly. The innkeeper nodded. ¡°Some of them couldn¡¯t hear it at all, others damn near burst into tears, and the one I had thrown out? They started screaming hysterically about some system robbing them of their chance of fame.¡± ¡°The system...¡± Dave said, a thought forming. ¡°Is that a thing? One of your newcomer things? If there was actually a problem then I feel bad about giving them the boot.¡± They asked curiously. ¡°If they broke down, then they¡¯re unprofessional enough that they deserve it.¡± He replied vaguely, not paying attention as he concentrated and opened his menu, thinking about his singing.
Class skill - Bard (untyped) Perform - Sing - 1 The quality of your singing, and the ability to affect others with your bardic singing abilities in positive or negative ways. As your skill and level improves, the strength and range of possible effects will increase. All effects must be discovered personally. Current effects known: None Warning: To balance certain features, attempting to perform above your level will incur a penalty to ensure professional musician do not gain an unfair advantage over other players.
¡°That¡¯s fucking garbage.¡± He said darkly. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Apparently I can¡¯t sing using years of training, to make it fair for people who¡¯ve never tried before.¡± He said, mostly to himself as he paced in front of the innkeeper, ignoring the looks he was getting from other patrons. He wondered if it was his race coming into play again, but right now he really wanted to sink his teeth into something. He wondered if The Expanse had any chew toys. ¡°I don''t understand.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it. It¡¯s a... newcomer thing. Listen, apparently I need a bunch of practice before I can sing properly. Is there anywhere around that you think might take me in for a night or two? Apparently I¡¯m going to have to start from scratch here.¡± ¡°Hmmm,¡± they said, looking thoughtful. ¡°Well, I¡¯d say you could rent a room here for ten silver a night, but you look like you want to get underway as soon as possible. There¡¯s one place I can think of, more a bar than anything, but they do have a couple of rooms usually available. But I warn you, it¡¯s a fairly rough place, and most of the would-be bards coming through here wouldn¡¯t be able to stomach the blood.¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how much blood I can stomach. Now, where is it?¡± Chapter 7 This is Doctor Ramsey, making report 758-B... I don''t know what I''m doing anymore. I¡¯m a good doctor, I know I am. I¡¯ve saved lives and bettered countless others, and that was more than enough for me. I was the top of my field for years, called on from around the world to help with operations, giving lectures on innovative techniques. But now I can¡¯t sleep at night. Ever since I got involved with this... Project Rewire, it¡¯s haunted me. We get patients that come in from all sorts of situations, and some will have a small label on their entry form. Once I see it, I make whatever justifications I need in order to get a full work up done, then send it to the project. Most of them, thankfully, come back negative. But the ones that come back positive, like that poor Andel person the other day... They give me a message, and we need to convince them that it¡¯s in their best interest to go into the system, but it has to be their idea. That part was made very clear after certain...incidents. we take them in to one of the operating theatres, sedate them and... god, I don''t even know. I¡¯m a good doctor, but I have no idea what the machines we connect to the patients do, or why we do it. But an hour later a collection ambulance will arrive and take them away, to ¡°be treated at a different facility.¡± And that¡¯s the last I see of them. I have no idea what happens next, they just come in, check a few numbers, and then take them. I got up the courage, once, to ask the collector where they took them, what actually happens to these people. When he reached into his pocket instead of replying, I swear I thought he was going to kill me, but he just handed me a small video player, and left. When I opened it up, there was a video recording, from myself. Apparently I¡¯d asked this before, and someone had called the higher ups, and I¡¯d been told everything, and then asked if I wanted to remember. I¡¯d said no. The next three videos played the same way, with me, staring at the camera, telling myself that its better that we don''t know. I was in tears by the end, both me and the recording. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to watch the next dozen videos on the device. I don''t know what I''m doing anymore, and I don''t know why I''m doing it. But I know I''ve gone too deep to stop. End of report. Walking up to the place he¡¯d been directed to, Dave heard the bar before he saw it, the boisterous shouting bordering on screams at times. As he rounded the corner, there was a shattering of glass as a figure was thrown bodily through a window, to the cheers of drunken patrons inside his destination, the Swill. This wasn¡¯t some fancy inn with a warm atmosphere, where people would bring their family or a date for a pleasant evening. This wasn¡¯t a place where you¡¯d come for a meal that you¡¯d savour. If you found yourself at the Swill, you were there to drink, or to fight. Probably both. Wedged in between a disused warehouse, and a tannery, it was as low a dive bar as you could get without actively digging a hole. From what the innkeeper had told him, a good chunk of the Swill¡¯s coin went to reinforcing spells used to keep the tannery smells away, though they recouped most of the costs by selling the ¡°used beer¡± back to them. As he walked through the door, he was overcome for a moment by noise and energy in the room. Everywhere he looked, people of every shape and size were fighting, and he noticed that they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. He saw an elf with a wild grin on their face as they brought a table leg down on the head of an orc who¡¯d been trying to lift a dwarf by their beard. He saw a pixie swinging a beer mug bigger than they were at a minotaur who looked as though they were trying to stuff as many halflings as they could into the rafters, who in turn were pelting others with whatever they could reach. In short, it was chaos, but somehow it was still contained. A couple of cloaked bouncers lingered around the place, and while they didn¡¯t seem to care when someone got their teeth kicked in, if something turned serious, say, a kitsune who palmed a knife as Dave watched, they stepped in, hard. They barely had time to turn before the giant cloaked figure rushed up behind them and grabbed them by the collar. When the fox brought the blade down on the gripping hand, Dave expected to blood and fingers go flying. What he didn¡¯t expect was for the blade to shatter, before its wielder was thrown through the window, colliding heavily with the frame on his way out. The figure noticed him staring from the doorway and waved his hand at him, the cloak slipping back to reveal a heavy gauntlet. Wading through the brawl, the figure walked over to him, combatants being shoved out of the way as if they were weightless. ¡°Greetings friend, are you enjoying yourself?¡± they said, revealing themselves to be an elven woman.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I...What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Never seen a bar fight?¡± she said, gesturing behind them. ¡°A few, but this is more...¡± he struggled for the right word. ¡°Friendly?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the one. No one seems to be trying to really hurt each other.¡± He said as they side stepped a careening pair trying throw each other to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s probably our doing.¡± She said, moving her cloak out of the way, revealing a full suit of silver platemail, and embossed on the chestplate was a stylized golden sun. ¡°Let me introduce myself. I am Lindel Solaris, knight champion of the Paladins of Dawn.¡± She said, offering a hand in greeting. He shook it, wincing as she absentmindedly crushed his fingers slightly. ¡°Dave Andel, homeless bard of nowhere. Wait, why is a paladin-?¡± ¡°Working at a bar like this? I get asked that a lot. Its good training for recruits, teaches them tactical awareness, dealing with different types of opponents, and how to take people down in a nonlethal fashion while avoiding escalation.¡± ¡°And I suppose the Swill doesn¡¯t mind getting free security out of it.¡± Lindel blushed slightly in embarrassment. ¡°W-well, the orders coffers aren¡¯t what they once were, since the last crusade was over two hundred years ago, so an income does help sure up our holdings.¡± Dave let out a laugh. ¡°Well, we all need to eat don''t we?¡± ¡°All too true. Speaking of which, you mentioned something regarding homelessness?¡± ¡°I was hoping to maybe perform here in exchange for room and board. Do you know where the owner is?¡± ¡°A bard! It¡¯d be lovely to have some music here, especially if you can be heard over the brawling. Come, the owner normally locks himself in his office at sundown to avoid the fights.¡± Carefully they made their way through the masses, Lindel redirecting the occasional attacker with practiced ease, until they reached the other side of the room and went up a flight of stairs. The fighting seemed to stay on the main floor, except for those who kept running up to take flying leaps off the small balcony the overlooked the bar. There was a short hall with a few doors, one of which was much stronger looking than the others, with a large cast iron lock on it. Lindel rapped her gauntlet against it loudly. ¡°Gid! There¡¯s someone here who wants to speak to you!¡± she shouted through the door before turning back to Dave. ¡°I hope you get the gig, but I need to get back down to make sure no one gets hurt... badly.¡± As she walked away, Dave could hear someone shuffling around in the room, before a series of clicks and chains sounded form behind the door as it cracked open. ¡°What do you want? Bars down stairs.¡± Said a high pitched voice, originated from a point lower than expected. Gid turned out to be a gnome, barely two feet tall with a bright blue pompadour that brought him up to three, a thick pair of glasses obscuring most of his face. ¡°I was hoping to get a room-¡± ¡°Want a room then see the bar. Goodbye.¡± He said, beginning to close the door again. ¡°No, wait! You see, I¡¯m a bard and-¡± The door paused. ¡°Ah, you want to stay for play? Hmm, don''t have bards here, don''t seem to last.¡± He said with a chuckle. ¡°You a newcomer?¡± ¡°...I am. Is that problem?¡± He said hesitantly. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. You broken like the rest? Can¡¯t play good?¡± ¡°I¡¯m... working on it. I just need practice.¡± Gid laughed. ¡°Everything is practice, but is good that you are honest. Perhaps we have a place for you here, if you can handle it. You play first, then we talk. I let Lindel decide if you any good. And if you die... you newcomer! Walk it off! Agreed?¡± Without waiting for a reply, the gnome slammed the door shut again, locking it up tight. Heading back down, he found the elven paladin dragging an unconscious orc outside, their head bouncing as it hit the cobblestones. ¡°That was quick! Get the job?¡± she asked cheerfully as she dropped her burden, leaning back to avoid a flying boot, quickly followed by its owner. ¡°Gid said he¡¯d see, but that I¡¯d need to perform first.¡± ¡°Trial by fire then. Well, you¡¯re in luck, its quiet here tonight.¡± Dave looked at the crowd. ¡°You don''t say.¡± ¡°It looks worse than it is. Not by much but it¡¯s still true. Got your instrument ready?¡± ¡°I sing, though for a crowd like this I wish I¡¯d had time to grab one.¡± ¡°Hmmm, well, you might be in luck.¡± She said before dragging him over to the bar. Reaching over it she pulled out a massive crate, shoving a pair of grappling goblins out of the way as she did so. ¡°What is this?¡± Dave asked looking at the box. ¡°Lost and found. And confiscated, dropped, caught and generally everything left after a night of brawling. A couple of bards have up and left mid performance, so grab a drink while I see if fortune favours you.¡± Dave snorted. ¡°It¡¯d be a change.¡± He said before asking the dwarf behind the bar for some water, not wanting to risk anything more substantial with his new tastebuds. Fortunately, as he sipped it while watching the surrounding battle, water seemed to be neutral enough that it still tasted the same, which made sense. After all, it¡¯s what people are mostly made of, so if you looked at it weirdly enough, it was diluted meat. ¡°Ha! I thought I saw one in here!¡± Turning back to the elf, he saw her holding up an acoustic guitar with a look of triumph on her face. She handed it to him. ¡°It¡¯s been here for months, so I don''t think its old owner is going to come looking for it. Can you play it?¡± Looking it over, he found it was in surprisingly good condition considering where it had been kept. The strings were decent and didn¡¯t take much effort to tune, though in need of tuning, and the body and neck were sound. It wasn¡¯t pretty, having been stained more than once by the look of it as things were spilled over it, but it was definitely playable. He hoped. ¡°As well I can play anything else at the moment.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get you to the stage!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a stage in here?¡± he asked in surprise ¡°Of course! See, over there were that mans beings choked out by the hobgoblin, under the unconscious half-giant. Speaking of which...¡± Passing through the crowds, he watched as she grabbed the enormous figures ankle and proceeded to drag him towards the door, cutting a wide path through the room as people got out of the way, leading to a small silence, interrupted by him strumming the guitar to make sure he¡¯d tuned it properly. Every set of eyes on the place locked on to him as he headed towards the stage, people pausing their fights but not releasing their grips in case it was boring. Standing up in front of them all, he was glad he¡¯d overcome his stage fright long ago, but smiled suddenly as he realized a fitting song to play for them. ¡°Name¡¯s Dave Andel, and to kick things off, let¡¯s go with a favourite of mine. Ballroom Blitz.¡± Chapter 8 Groaning, Dave sat up in bed, his stomach growling more effective than any alarm clock. He was then confused at why he was in a bed at all, since he didn¡¯t remember anything except beginning his performance. Gingerly getting up, he realised his body had back to its true form, the crumpled clothing he was still wearing straining as it tried to cover his strange shape. Quickly he shifted back to the form he¡¯d been in last night, wondering what had happened. Apparently his body would change back when he slept, but he had to wonder if it was instant or not, but it seemed no one had seem him change yet, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have woken up at all. Looking around, he saw that he was in a small room, consisting of the thin bed he¡¯d found himself on, a rickety looking table, and a dresser that looked like it had been stolen from a much nicer inn. A single illuminated the room, giving him a view of a brick wall a few feet away, likely the warehouse from what he could remember. A thin strip of a mirror had been mounted on the wall, which was enough to at least make sure that he looked human. Seeing there was nothing else he could do appearance wise, he walked to the door, the cold floor reminding him to get a pair of shoes as soon as he could, and opened it. ¡°Ah there¡¯s our performer!¡± a cheerful voice shouted, making Dave wince. Turning, he saw the paladin from last night, coming out of another room, the heavy armour from the night before removed. Instead she appeared to be wearing a golden nun¡¯s habit, the stark contrast between the two images making him do a double take. ¡°Wait,¡± he said, ¡°I thought you were a paladin? The knight...something.¡± ¡°Knight champion. It¡¯s good to see you can remember things after last night. But with the state of our order, we must take on many roles, so I also serve as mother superior.¡± She said with a shrug. ¡°Your order seems like its seen better days.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t what we used to be, it¡¯s true, but our ideals and faith shall not waver!¡± She said with zeal. ¡°The sun continues to rise, and we shall rise with it.¡± ¡°Heh, well at least you¡¯re staying positive. But about last night...¡± he started, not sure where to begin. ¡°A few gaps in the memory? Not really that surprising considering things. What are you missing?¡± ¡°I remember reaching the stage, and waking up.¡± She laughed brightly. ¡°Just a small thing then. Come, I''ve finished my morning prayers so let¡¯s head down stairs for breakfast, and I¡¯ll fill you in.¡± Wandering down they made their way to the barroom floor, which was now all but empty, a few people chatting about the place, as well as a few people fixing up some of the heavier damage from the night before. He watched as Gid, the gnome he¡¯d met before, waved his hands at a table that had been cracked in two, only to have it straighten out and reform good as new, or as what passed for new in this place. Lindel noticed him watching. ¡°That¡¯s one of main reasons why the Swill stays open. He might hate having to deal with people, but Gid¡¯s one the foremost alteration mages in the country. Saves a bunch on having to replace the furniture almost every night.¡± She said as they sat down at table. Waving at a man behind the bar, she made a few gestures to which they nodded and brought out two plates of food. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen much magic before to be honest, but it looks impressive. Now, what exactly happened last night.¡± Grimacing as he looked down at plate that had been put in front of him. It was a full breakfast, the sort he loved in real life. Toast, eggs, were there, plus a few sausages and what looked like some left over hash browns. It looked great, but one whiff told him he was not going to be able to stomach it. Lindel had no such concerns. In between bites she recapped the previous night. ¡°So as you remember you went up and managed to catch their attention for a moment, which is a feat in itself. Then you started playing a few songs, upbeat sort of stuff, not like a few who¡¯ve tried to be all dramatic and soulful. You started out a little scratchy, like most of the newcomers I''ve heard, but after a couple of songs you began to even out, and people started enjoying it. I mean they still fought, but they listened while they fought, and I saw a few who even tried to fight to the music! ...it didn¡¯t go well for them. Anyway, people were having a great time until you got taken out by a stool someone threw at your head.¡± ¡°Someone hit me with a stool?!¡± ¡°It was nothing personal, not really, just some guy who didn¡¯t want to hear anymore and figured that was simplest solution. Lot of people disagreed though, which was a first, actually booing the orc who did it. They put the boots to him in no time at all, had to intervene myself. After that, Gid, who¡¯d actually left his room to come and listen, teleported you up to your room after seeing if you were injured. He said you¡¯d be fine, and well enough to play tonight if you wanted, which people seemed to look forward to.¡± ¡°People liked it that much?¡± Dave asked, concerned about what Gid may have seen when examining him. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve had music here, at least, more than half a song before they take off or are taken out. So do you think you¡¯ll stick around?¡± she asked, looking at him closely. ¡°I mean, I¡¯d like to but isn¡¯t that up to Gid?¡± As if summoned by magic, the gnome appeared beside them. ¡°Always up to me. My place, my rules.¡± He said in his normal sharp manner. ¡°So what¡¯s the verdict then?¡± Dave asked, mentally crossing his fingers. Gid scratched his head. ¡°Thought you¡¯d be rubbish. Was right at first but you got better. Elf says you were polite enough. And didn¡¯t run off or die, which is good. Don''t want guard asking questions, drives off drinkers. Here¡¯s the deal then, you play as long as you can at least... four times a week. You get room... and five silver a week, more if you play more. Agreed?¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Done.¡± Dave said with relief. It wasn¡¯t exactly fame and stardom, but a guaranteed roof over your head isn¡¯t something to sneeze at. ¡°You¡¯re not going to feed him as well?¡± Lindel asked with a trace of concern, making Daves stomach clench. ¡°Don''t need to. Newcomer is fasting yes? Not going to be eating around here?¡± Gid said pointedly, staring into his eyes with clenched fists. So he had seen something then, Dave thought. But instead of attacking, or even outing him, he¡¯d hired him anyway. ¡°Yes, something like that, so need to provide board, I¡¯ll handle all of that...elsewhere. So we have a deal.¡± He said offering a hand to the gnome, who took it hesitantly. Lindel looked confused at first, but apparently wasn¡¯t the type to pry, and instead wasted no time in grabbing Dave¡¯s plate for herself, having finished her own already. ¡°Done then. You play tonight to celebrate new deal. Also, we speak later about payment and...other things. Now I''m sure you have... things to do. Go.¡± Nodding, Dave got up and left, waving back to Lindel who was happily chowing down on the pile of food in front of her. That was going to be a very interesting conversation later, he figured, but for now he needed to deal with his stomach while it was screaming at him for food. The markets were bustling as he walked through the streets, everyone up and about to get things done. There were people selling everything, assailing him as he walked with offers of trinkets and clothing, fresh foods and spices and a host of other things he had no need for. If he hadn¡¯t been looking for a pair of shoes he would have avoided the market all together, but as it was he was forced to put up with it, but in doing so he spotted something interesting. Between a couple of stalls he saw a busker, sitting on a rug playing a flute with a hat sitting in front of them. It wasn¡¯t an amazing sight, and if he¡¯d been in the real world he wouldn¡¯t have even noticed, but two thing struck him. The first was the slight discord in his playing, a sign that they were a player rather than an npc, the first he¡¯d recognized since the dwarf the other day. The second was a strange feeling that came through the music, subtle but just noticeable, that made him want to drop a few coins in the hat. Walking up to them, he dropped a silver in to the hat before speaking. ¡°Do you play out of the game, or just in here?¡± The busker paused in playing and looked up at him. ¡°Bugger off. I payed 10 silver to play here for the day, and I don''t plan on wasting that time talking to random players.¡± Dave raised a hand. ¡°Just asking. I was just curious about that thing you¡¯re doing.¡± They hesitated. ¡°What thing?¡± ¡°That feeling, to give you-¡± ¡°Quiet! You a bard then?¡± they asked, looking around to see if anyone was paying attention. ¡°Yeah, that a problem?¡± The busker swore. ¡°Just my luck to do it in front of a player who can spot it... Look, just keep it to yourself ok? I don''t want to get in trouble.¡± ¡°Trouble for what? What did you do?¡± Dave asked confused. ¡°...Are you serious? You didn¡¯t pay any attention in the tutorials?¡± They asked in disbelief. He groaned. ¡°My start was...complicated. Care to explain it to me?¡± ¡°No way. In case you hadn¡¯t noticed, bards ain¡¯t exactly warriors, so if we¡¯re going to get anywhere, it¡¯s by music and fame, which means you¡¯re going to be competition for every gig in the city.¡± ¡°Actually I already got a job playing somewhere.¡± They rolled their eyes. ¡°Of course you did, which means you definitely don''t need help. Look do you have any idea how hard it is to find a place to play at?¡± Dave nodded. ¡°I do. I had to go through a dozen places before I got to the Swill.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re serious? You¡¯re playing there? By choice?¡± they asked, eyes going wide. ¡°I hear players die half the time they even go near the place.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rough, yeah, but it¡¯s not that bad. I mean I¡¯ve only been knocked out once and I''m told most people felt bad about it.¡± ¡°Just once huh? And many nights you been there?¡± ¡°...One.¡± They sighed. ¡°And like that, you¡¯ve pretty much taken yourself out of the competition. Ok, a quick pointer, if you¡¯ll keep it to yourself.¡± ¡°Sure, I can keep a secret.¡± ¡°You seen your perform skill right? How it¡¯s got known effects listed? Probably none by the sound of it, but you can learn them.¡± ¡°What are they?¡± ¡°They¡¯re... effects. Feelings, ideas, suggestions, its kind of hard to explain. Some are mental or emotional, others physical. Basically they can cause that effect in people who hear it when you concentrate.¡± ¡°So that feeling before...¡± They looked down at the flute in their hands. ¡°Generosity. I¡¯m not that great a player, so the extra money would really help.¡± ¡°And people are okay with that? Seems kind of shady.¡± ¡°No! No, the guards would arrest me if they found out, they¡¯re hard on thought manipulation here, so keep it to yourself. Besides, generally only a higher level performer can detect it, which is why I''m surprised you spotted it when you apparently have no idea what you¡¯re doing. What level are you anyway?¡± He was about to answer when he hesitated. ¡°Is this one of those things that shouldn¡¯t be handed out?¡± The busker chuckled. ¡°At higher levels, definitely. But for a couple of players just off the streets? I doubt it¡¯ll matter.¡±
Name: Dave Level: 2 Race: Mockerman Class: Bard (untyped) Stats: hidden Skills: Liquid core Body Shaping - 1 Mockers Voice - 1 Mockers Hunger Monstrous Nature Mimics Ear Perform Skills: Sing - 4 Guitar - 2
¡°In that case I''ve hit 4 in sing apparently. I guess I played a lot longer last night than I thought. I also reached level 2... Do we get experience or something for playing?¡± ¡°Yeah, we get a bit based on performing for an audience, but I don''t know the details, but it¡¯s why regular gigs are fought over. You really got your skill to 4 in one night? That¡¯s impressive. I guess you sing for real? I hear that helps early on.¡± Dave nodded. ¡°Pretty much. So how do I learn these effects and things?¡± ¡°A million ways, but the simplest one is to try. Just focus on the concept and try to push it into your music. Playing something with the right theme can help, but it¡¯s all just practice and luck.¡± ¡°Huh. Well, thanks for the tips. Here.¡± He said, dropping a dozen more silver in the hat, as he left. ¡°Hey, thanks!¡± ¡°Don''t mention it. I got more than I expected, so it¡¯s only fair.¡± With those new ideas in his head, he was going to keep looking for some shoes when his stomach growled, cramps making him almost double over. Apparently it was time for food right now. Hurrying towards the now familiar alley way, he waited for a moment as a guard looked around the area before moving over and jumping down into the sewers. The first sign he had that something was wrong was the abundance of rats he could see racing around in the dark, they¡¯re living bodies bright in his strange vision. As he headed towards where he¡¯d left the dwarfs body, the rats grew more numerous until he saw what had happened. He¡¯d been worries about being discovered, he¡¯d been concerned about the sewer water itself, but he hadn¡¯t considered competition. Crawling all through what remained of the body he¡¯d been so eager to take with him, were rats, picking at the scraps left on the bones. His stomach growled again. Chapter 9 He¡¯d planned on having something to eat ready for him, had trusted that he¡¯d have more time to get used to things. But thank to a few miserable rodents, fat with stolen meat as they scurried around, he was on the verge of starvation. Swearing, he kicked the remains of the dwarf into the water, watching as it was swept away, its remaining residents fleeing the body as it sank. As if on cue, his stomach roared at him again, almost sending him to his knees. He could feel his body already starting to look for energy where it could, ripping through what little fat his body had. Dave knew he had to find something, someone, to eat. And fast. Climbing back to the surface, he quickly considered what he had to work with, and the results didn¡¯t impress him. He had the clothes on his back and a few dozen silver coins, neither of which would get him very far. He¡¯d left the guitar he¡¯d been given back at the Swill, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he wished he had it, even to use as a club. So what else did he have at his disposal? A mockerman was supposed to be able to feed in cities according to what he¡¯d been told, so what could he do with just his talents? And with that a plan began to form. Moving out to the edge of the alley, he sat down and looked at the crowds moving through the market. Most people were travelling in groups, instantly removing them from his radar, since it would still be an effort to deal with one person, let alone several. That left him with individuals, which came in a few types that he could see. Some strode through the crowds like they owned the place, either dressed in finery or heavily armed. When these elite figures moved other people got out of the way without even realising it. And while he found himself salivating at the look of them, he knew they were out of his reach for now. That sort didn¡¯t care about their surrounding for good reason, since nothing around here could touch them. Then there were the one who sprinted through with determination, messengers or delivery people. They had a very clear goal in mind and nothing seemed likely to distract them from it, even the street vendors didn¡¯t bother offering them anything on their way past. And even if he could grab o0e of them, someone would definitely come looking for them when they didn¡¯t arrive at their destination. Next came the beggars and urchins. They sat still in rags hoping for pity, or darted amongst the crowd, doing favours or snatching purses. They were loners, unseen, unwanted and people no one would miss. But... Something about it felt wrong to him. These people had literally nothing, and were unlikely to rise any higher in their lives. The system had created them this way, it was supposed to be like this, but did that entitle him to look down on them? To take their lives entirely? If he was desperate, which admittedly he was, then they¡¯d make for a suitable target, but fortunately there was another type available. The sort of people who would shove past people while thinking they were untouchable. People who would complain and loudly demand discounts on prices, simply because they wanted it. People who would break simple laws just because they didn¡¯t think they should apply to them. And, above all, people who were prone to make stupid decisions at even the smallest hint of a reward. In short, players. And while there was no actual way to tell the difference between a player and an npc, some stuck out like a sore thumb. ¡°Give me a quest.¡± ¡°What? I don''t¡± ¡°Stop. You, give me a quest.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Are you talking to-¡± ¡°Stop. You there, give me a quest...¡± Dave had been watching this particular person for a almost ten minutes now, and was slightly amazed at their refusal to admit to themselves that this wasn¡¯t how the game worked. He¡¯d gone to over a hundred people so far since coming to the market, demanded a quest, then cut them off when they didn¡¯t immediately give him one. Which meant he was even more amazed that none of the merchants he¡¯d bothered hadn¡¯t decked him yet. But it did make him an easy to spot target, and one he doubted anyone would miss until they respawned. Moving further back in to the alley as he waited for his mark to get closer, he began his preparation. First up was his own appearance, since if the player managed to get a good look at him in the attack, whether it succeeded or not, he¡¯d prefer it not to be a face he planned to use again. He¡¯d watched people wandering amongst the stalls, taking note of their features, their stances and body structures. He couldn¡¯t get a good enough look to mimic one of them, but he did end up with an assortment of parts to make a new face with. It was rough, and something he still needed to work on when he had more time, but it was a face that could exist outside of a circus, and hopefully wouldn¡¯t lead back to him. The next step was to actually set the bait. What had the bard told him? To push the feelings into the music, and in theory they¡¯d carry over. So what emotions does a person use to bring someone in who keeps asking for quests? Curiosity. Desire. Greed. Add in some calm so they don¡¯t stress about why they suddenly find thing so interesting and Dave felt like he had something workable. He didn¡¯t have his guitar with him but he still had the instrument he was best with, and felt his vocal chords twisting as he changed them to match the voice of the guard he¡¯d come across the night before, simple and trustworthy. With the preparations ready, he waited until they came within earshot, and began to sing, just loud enough for them to hear.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Come with me, And you''ll be, In a world of, Pure imagination, Take a look, And you''ll see...¡± A few other market goers stopped to listen, but soon tuned it out as simply another busker, the effects seeming to spread only to those he intended it to, a feature likely designed so that a bard wouldn''t help the enemy as well as their own team. The target on the other hand looked as though he¡¯d caught a scent, and seemed drawn to the source, a vague look of confusion on his features. After a few moments the player had found him, dressed up in cheap leather armour with a sword at their belt that wouldn¡¯t pass as a kitchen knife. Dave knew what to expect from here, and was ready. ¡°Give me a quest.¡± They said impatiently. ¡°Oh yes, adventurer. Please accept my quest.¡± He replied in a hopeful tone. ¡°Finally! God, I thought people said this game was good. What¡¯s the quest.¡± ¡°I was buying medicine for my sick mother, but I tripped on the way back and dropped it down into the sewer. I would retrieve it myself, but terrible rats live down there. Please adventurer, kill ten rats and retrieve my mother¡¯s medicine.¡± He said, trying to keep his voice flat. If this guy wanted to think the game was bad, who was he to tell him otherwise? ¡°Is there any game that doesn¡¯t start with killing rats? Whatever, I accept, now where¡¯s the entrance to the sewers? Stupid game doesn¡¯t even have a compass...¡± They muttered to themselves. ¡°Why, just behind me noble adventurer.¡± Dave said, pointing to his trusty sewer grate, which sadly we wouldn¡¯t be able to use again for sometime after this. He¡¯d need to find another one in town, preferably in another handy alley. Any qualms he had left about killing this guy went out the window as they shoved him out of the way before climbing down into the sewer. Shaking his head, Dave asked himself just how dumb this guy was. He hadn¡¯t even offered him a reward or anything, just said the word quest and he was off to the races. It made him wonder what would of happened if he¡¯d asked him to kill someone in the market place instead. ¡°Peasant!¡± They shouted up from the bottom of the sewer. ¡°What did this medicine look like? I can¡¯t see anything down here.¡± Dave smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, I¡¯ll come down and help, if you can keep the rats away from me.¡± He heard them groan as he lowered himself into the sewer. ¡°Great, now it¡¯s an escort mission.¡± As he went down, he shifted the lid of the manhole, balancing it on the lip and took a deep breath. ¡°Are you coming down or what?¡± they demanded from below. ¡°I am.¡± He said with determination, tugging the lid to fall shut as he leapt down towards the other player. It only lasted a moment, but with the adrenaline surging through him it felt like forever, as they looked up in confusion to see him falling towards them, before the lid fell closed and left the sewer in complete darkness. As his vision switched to red glow he was getting used to, he saw them begin to react and begin fumbling for their sword, but by then Dave was on him, landing heavily from above. The impact shook them both, but being ready for it, Dave shrugged it off while the other was stunned for a moment, still not fully understanding what was going on. This gave him just enough time to go for the kill, with the only weapon he had with him. The human mouth isn¡¯t designed for biting as a defence, the jaw and teeth aren¡¯t set up for it. It¡¯s why it always catches people by surprise, and backfires more often than not when people lose teeth that catch on clothing. But Daves had begun changing back to his true form as soon as the light went out, and his mouth was far from human. With teeth specifically designed to tear through human flesh, he threw himself at his victim, biting deeply into the neck of the other player. They screamed in pain as he latched on, muffled as he shoved a hand over their mouth. Unable to see, only knowing that they were being attacked, they lashed out blindly, clawing at him as they tried to push him away. But the fight was already won, Dave knew, as he tasted the hot blood rushing down his throat, it was just a matter of waiting until their body realised it too. For a minute they struggled against him as bit down, eating into their throat as they flailed desperately, but their resistance soon weakened until finally their arms dropped completely, the life leaving their body. He held on for a minute longer, half to be sure that it wasn¡¯t a trick and half because he was still trying to process what he¡¯d done. It was a game, just a bunch of data being poured through his head. None of it was real, and the guy lying in front of him would be swearing and complaining somewhere back in the real world. But when there was blood clinging to his hands, the sounds of someone¡¯s last gasps in the air and the expression of fear and pain on their face? It seemed all too real. But it was either kill someone else, or let his body eat itself until he died himself, only for it to repeat a day later. Pain wasn¡¯t something he looked forward to, so he was willing to let someone else pay that price. His stomach growled loudly, the smell of meat this close almost pushing him over the edge. Removing his shirt, he realised it was already splattered with blood, something he¡¯d need to take care of before he wore it again, but at least he could stop it getting worse. Unable to hold off any longer he dug in, and now that he wasn¡¯t panicking or desperately hanging on to his target, he could appreciate it properly. He¡¯d been right in his thinking, he realised as he tore off huge chunks at a time, in that fresh tasted so much better. The sweetness of the meat accented with the coppery tang of blood still seeping through it, the warmth making it soft as it released a subtle fragrance. He gorged himself, eating every scrap of muscle, chewing through organs, until there were just scraps and bones. He closed his eyes and let out a long, satisfied breath. ¡°I''m never eating something cold again.¡± He said, a lazy smile on his face. It didn¡¯t last long as a frown formed when he felt a rush go through his head. Opening up his menu he wondered what had happened this time.
Name: Dave Level: 3 Race: Mockerman Class: Bard (untyped) Stats: hidden Skills: Liquid core Body Shaping - 1 Mockers Voice - 1 Mockers Hunger Monstrous Nature Mimics Ear Perform Skills: Sing - 4 Guitar - 2 Known Bardic Effects: Lure
New skill unlocked: Ambush Tactics. Due to race, this has been converted into Ambush Predator 1. Increases your physical abilities for five seconds after attacking an unaware opponent. As a mockerman, this effect is doubled if the target sees your true form during the attack.
New skill unlocked: Gourmet. Due to race, this has been converted into Epicurean Hunter 1. Eating dominates your life, but you still have choices. Eating high quality foods will now give temporary bonuses, while low grade food will give penalties. As a mockerman, the level, nature and freshness of the sapients you consume will determine the bonuses.
¡°Just because I said it, doesn¡¯t mean you need to hold me to it immediately.¡± He said with a scowl. Chapter 10 Grumbling, Dave got up, his good mood ruined by extra rules on his already difficult diet. In theory it would be a huge deal, but it meant that scavenging was even further down the list of options. He was about to kick the remains of his victim into the sewer water, when he realised they likely had some items on them. Clothing had been torn away to get to the flesh underneath, but the pockets had kept hold of their contents. Looking through them, he found a handful of silver, a compass and a piece of paper with a word written on it. ¡°I hope this wasn¡¯t someone he was supposed to meet up with. Or is it a password? Or his own name, in case he forgot?¡± he wondered idly as he put his shirt back on. The bloodstains were a problem, but hopefully his jacket could cover them up well enough until he could clean them off. In fact, he thought as he began climbing the ladder, considering how much time he¡¯d spent in the sewer a change of clothes was definitely in order. The only problem there was the only tailor he knew... wasn¡¯t going to be working today. Lindel, the elf he¡¯d met at the bar seemed the sort who¡¯d know where he could find some cheap clothing, especially if money was a tight as she claimed. How did a religious group like that run out of money anyway? Sure that armour probably wasn¡¯t cheap, but if the gods were the sort to take direct action, wouldn¡¯t people make donations? This line of questioning kept circling in his mind as he walked back to the swill, distracting him from any looks people gave him for walking along with blood spatter and no shoes. It was probably only luck that no guard stopped and questioned him, but he made it back to the Swill, walking in with a much better mood than he¡¯d left in. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back already!¡± Lindel said, spotting him entering from a seat across the room. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure when you¡¯d...Goddess! What happened to you?¡± she cried, leaping up and rushing over to him. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The blood! Are you hurt badly, or should I get a healer or-¡± Say you fell by the butchers stall. The words arrived in his head without him hearing anything, but he could at least tell where they came from. Looking up he saw Gid leaning on the balcony, scowling at him before heading for the stairs. ¡°I...fell by the butchers stall. It¡¯s fine.¡± He said turning back to the elf who sighed in relief. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± She said leaning a hand on his shoulder as she clutched her chest. ¡°Our orders not great at healing, so if you got injured... but you¡¯re not! Goddess, would you believe this is the second time this has happened?¡± ¡°The second?¡± Dave asked in surprise. ¡°Yeah there was a woman, stayed here about a month ago, she also fell by the butchers. They really need to fix the pavers around there, I should have a word to someone...¡± ¡°No, its fine, really. I just need to get a new set of clothes, but I''m not sure where to go.¡± A downcast look appeared on her face. ¡°Well, I would have suggested Garth¡¯s shop, that sweet old man had some real skill with a needle, but it seems there was a break in last night.¡± He winced. ¡°I''m sorry to hear that. Is there anywhere else you could recommended?¡± ¡°I''m not sure... Gid, do you know a good tailor?¡± she said, turning to the gnome as he approached. ¡°Know a few. Will think about it. But now come get cleaned up. And we shall have words.¡± The gnome said, locking eyes with him. Dave swallowed. ¡°Sure, le-¡± The rest of the words died on his tongue as the world span around him, seeming to fold in on itself while simultaneously expanding. For a brief moment the universe seemed to be made of colours his eyes couldn¡¯t process, then it snapped back into focus, leaving him in a room he hadn¡¯t seen before. Everything in it was scaled down, not children sized, just...smaller, leading him to think he was in Gid¡¯s room. The other clue was the gnome himself in front of him, floating in the air with an enormous glowing spear pressed against his throat, pinning him against the wall. ¡°We have words now. You answer questions truthfully, and only answer questions. Understand?¡± Gid said in a growl. ¡°Yes, but-¡± he began, but was cut off as the spear pressed harder, drawing blood. ¡°Only answer!¡± he shouted. ¡°Now... blood. Yours?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then we have time for questions. What are you? Monster, but not know what kind.¡± ¡°...Mockerman.¡± Dave said after a moment, not sure what to say but having a feeling that a lie would have the spear do a lot more than just pressing against him. Gid grunted. ¡°Thought all dead, but makes sense. You eat people, this I know... their blood yes? Who you eaten? How many?¡± ¡°...One?¡± He said, unsure before the spear cut deeper. ¡°A-and a bit!¡± He continued quickly. Gid¡¯s brow furrowed, and the spear retracted slightly. ¡°Explain.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I...killed someone earlier, a newcomer. Before that I was... given a piece of meat. I''m not sure where it came from.¡± ¡°Who else you killed? That only one?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± ¡°There¡¯s more. Speak.¡± ¡°I was there when the thieves killed Garth, or arrived just after. One of them killed the other there as well.¡± Gid cocked his head to the side slightly. ¡°Guards only find garths body.¡± ¡°I took the other one, but rats got to it before I could...eat it.¡± The gnome grunted. ¡°Rats eat everything they can. City claims it has a plan to exterminate, every year same promise...Now, most important question: why you come here?¡± ¡°I just wanted to sing.¡± He said simply, no thought into trying to get free, just the honest truth. For a tense minute the spear remained in place as Gid studied him, looking for any signs of deceit, then flicked his wrist, the spear vanishing in a burst of pale fire. ¡°Sit. Room is warded, none see inside unless I say so.¡± He said, moving to his desk, piled high with papers, books and glassware. Shuffling around a few of the mounds he pulled out a glass bottle of a dark liquid that, by the smell it released when it was opened, was strong enough to strip paint. As Dave sat in the larger chair opposite the desk, the gnome took a long pull from the bottle, letting out a belch before looking from the bottle to Dave. ¡°You drink? Can¡¯t remember if you can drink.¡± ¡°I can manage water. Everything else is...¡± Gid nodded. ¡°Right, you¡¯re that kind of monster. Lotta monsters in the world. Some worse than others. Some better.¡± He trailed off after a moment, staring at his reflection in the bottle. Dave took this as a chance. ¡°You know what I am then. Why have you-¡° ¡°Killed you? Given you to the guards? I''m an old gnome, adventurer when young and master wizard when old. Now I¡¯m real old, and real tired. I don''t have it in me to hunt monsters, the drive is gone. Evil always sticks around, not always in the monster. No, I¡¯ve seen all kinds, and there¡¯s three kinds. The kind who don''t know what they do, animals that should be put down or driven off. The kind that choose to do evil, hunted down to the last. But the kind who have to do evil... it¡¯s not your fault, not really, just cruel nature. A person doesn¡¯t choose to be born.¡± Gid paused, then stared at him with a raised eyebrow, his tone changing. ¡°But you players do don''t you? Was this character really your choice?¡± ¡°What?¡± Dave asked stunned. Everything he¡¯d been told so far had told him that npcs were unaware of their nature, and the way they acted around players seemed to confirm it. ¡°What?¡± he said again. ¡°The wards on this office keep out all prying eyes, from The Expanse, or from Earth. So don''t mention any of this outside these walls... hopefully your thoughts will be secure enough.¡± ¡°I don''t understand... how do you know what I am? What...you are?¡± He chuckled mirthlessly. ¡°It¡¯s so simple it¡¯s depressing. We were created as fragments of an intelligence, little things, but aware enough to grow and develop under guidance. All of The Expanse was created in a single instant, then left to run itself at a far greater speed than that of Earth. Millennia passed in what were only days to you, civilizations rose and fell, simply to create relics for you to find. Every being you meet was born and raised with a real life, not just generated for you when you get close.¡± ¡°But... How do you know?¡± ¡°Do you know what one the first lessons in alteration magic is? Looking closely at things, seeing how it works, what it¡¯s made of. You need to know it to be able to change it. The better you get, the deeper you can look, the bigger changes you can make. So imagine my surprise, when I looked deeper than ever before, and saw numbers.¡± Gid took another large swig from his bottle before continuing, his voice angry. ¡°Didn¡¯t last long though. Main system noticed me noticing, and pulled my memories apart. Hurt like hell, left my mind broken. Fragmented. But I survived, and relearned my craft since people told me I was so good at it. By the time I saw it the second time, my mind had healed and I could remember, and was much more careful. Until I tried to tell someone else. Now I spend most of my time in here, so if I let something slip, no one will hear it. So now I''ve learned my craft three times, in addition to learning my existence is nothing but a joke. I was studying it when my wife died, when my son was killed in a bandit raid. Tell me, should I feel better or worse for knowing that they were never real to begin with, that none of this is real?¡± Dave gaped in silence like a fish out of water, having no idea what to say. ¡°There¡¯s no right answer, so don''t give one. Now, why did you come here, to our fake world, as a monster? You don''t seem the type to enjoy causing suffering.¡± And so Dave told him, as best he could, what had happened to him. There were gaps in the language, but he managed to explain the accident, his condition and what had happened when he created his character. ¡°So,¡± Gid said after mulling over Daves explanation. ¡°Your here less by choice and more by lack of them. I can accept that.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s it? You¡¯re just going to let me go?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t say that, did I? No, unless you want me to put you through hell, there are rules. First, never mention any of this outside. I do not want to have my mind shredded again. Second, everything you do regarding your hunting? It stays away from the Swill, and no evidence leads back here. Speaking of which...¡± He made a few gestures and the blood that had soaked into Daves shirt pulled itself away, floating in the air before catching fire, the smoke fading to nothing. ¡°Take better precautions next time. I understand that you¡¯re new to this, but you can do better than that. Now, third rule, don''t hunt the citizens of The Expanse.¡± ¡°Wait, but I need to eat things, you know that!¡± ¡°I do. Eat players. They treat this as a game, and can just come back later if killed. Besides after what some of them have done already... I won¡¯t shed a tear if you grab one a day. Now I''m not saying that you can¡¯t hurt a citizen, after all, we¡¯re people too, which means we have our own criminals. But If you¡¯re not smart enough to tell the difference I may as well run you out now.¡± ¡°I can agree to those.¡± Dave said, but Gid held up a finger. ¡°One more rule, and it¡¯s all of them or get running. There are people in this world that we¡¯d be better off without. You have a... unique set of skills that make you a useful tool in doing this, so if I tell you to deal with someone, you do it. Do we have a deal?¡± ¡°You want me to be an assassin for you?¡± Dave asked in surprise, once again revaluating the old gnome. ¡°If it helps, think of it more as me picking the days menu. Now, do we have a deal?¡± he repeated, offering a hand. Dave took it. ¡°Fine, but don''t try an order me to my death.¡± Gid smiled and stood up, walking to his door and adopting his normal speech patterns again. ¡°Good, good. Now, must go see Lindel, probably still worried, or planning to yell at butcher.¡± As Dave walked out the door, Gid started to close it behind him, but stopped when he turned around with a question on his mind. ¡°Wait, I get that you don''t believe all monsters are completely evil, but why help me at all? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just kill me and move on?¡± Gid paused, a strange look on his face. ¡°I was married, I told you this. I loved and lived with that woman for over ten years.¡± He said with a smile, which turned to something unreadable. ¡°I only learned later, that she¡¯d been killed and eaten after the first two.¡± And without another word, he shut the door. Chapter 11 Dave¡¯s mind was reeling with what he¡¯d been told, that some of the AI in the game were aware of their nature, and that Gid¡¯s wife had been... a monster? or turned into one?. How did he manage to tolerate him after that had happened? Or was it because he knew that they were only simulated characters, that it was really all just an illusion. He couldn¡¯t imagine what it must be like to wake up every day and know you weren¡¯t real. But before he could get to deep into philosophical though, or knock and try to find out what had happened to his wife exactly, a hand landed on his shoulder. Turning, he found Lindel smiling cheerfully at him. ¡°There you are! Finished talking to Gid?¡± she asked. ¡°Um... yeah I think we¡¯re done for now.¡± He said, looking back to the door for a moment. ¡°Ha, yeah he¡¯s not the most sociable person, but a nice enough boss. Now, if you¡¯ve got the time, I¡¯d like to introduce you to a few people. Or do you still have things to go and do today?¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°Other than maybe find a tailor later, I¡¯m free til tonight.¡± ¡°Great! Come on then, their just down stairs.¡± Following her down, they walked over to the table she¡¯d been sitting at when he¡¯d entered. Sitting around it were four other figures. While they dark cloaks covering most of themselves, he could see they were all wearing heavy armour, embossed with the same symbols as hers. ¡°Okay then! Guys, this is Dave, the bard who played last night and who¡¯ll be sticking around for the foreseeable future. Dave, these are other members of the Paladins of Dawn, who also work here as security and a few other jobs. You¡¯ll be seeing a lot of each other, so I felt like it would be good if you became friends sooner rather than later.¡± All of us looked at each other, silently conveying that we knew that this wasn¡¯t how friends worked, but going along with it anyway. ¡°So let¡¯s, go around the table here... this is Marcus, who runs the door on busier nights, and generally runs the floor. If you need anything, he can generally help you out.¡± Marcus, a large man, was seemingly human, with a large burn covering half his face, as well as costing him an ear. He didn¡¯t seem bothered by it though, and had shaven his head completely, rather than try to cover it up. He offered a hand which Dave took, the man¡¯s grip crushing him slightly, but it didn¡¯t seem to be intentional. ¡°If you do need anything, try to sort it out yourself first. We don''t have a lot of time to babysit bards in training.¡± He said in a deep voice. ¡°I don''t know about ¡°in training¡± Marcus, he was better than the last guy we had in here. The that lad got through half a song before leaping through a window, which we had to pay for.¡± A dwarf said from next to him. ¡°Any way I''m Podlin Undergrow, and I run the bar when I''m not helping deal with the brawls.¡± Podlin was short, but like most dwarves he¡¯d seen so far, was almost as wide as he was tall, with a long ginger beard that he had tucked behind his belt to keep it out of the way. Various pieces of metal, bone and glass were woven into it at what seemed to him at random places. Either that or he¡¯d just dragged his beard through a jewellers shelves. ¡°Thanks for the compliment Podlin.¡± Dave replied, shaking the dwarves hand as well. ¡°Graktho nioop shevna thraksu fi.¡± Podlin said solemnly, staring at him intently. Dave hesitated, wondering what the dwarf had just said, then caught a glimpse of the expressions at the other people at the table, who while trying to keep a straight face, looked like they¡¯d just heard a bad joke. Ah, that¡¯s the game then, Dave thought before replying. ¡°Tegron gwee shap noly, boku greumsin wabe?¡± Podlin stared at him for a moment longer, before bursting out laughing. ¡°Ha! Been a while since that hasn¡¯t worked on someone, usually people get all apologetic, saying they don¡¯t know dwarfish.¡± ¡°Never heard dwarfish in my life, but I know gibberish when I hear it. A friend of mine liked to play the same trick on people.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t speak it either actually, born and raised here in the city. Still, glad to see you won¡¯t be a stick in the mud around here.¡± he said happily, clapping him on the shoulder. ¡°And I guess it means that it¡¯s my turn.¡± Said the next person, a human woman, who seemed more interested in the book she was reading than the conversation. While she still wore a breastplate with the insignia, the rest of the armour was missing, leaving a grey, heavily embroidered robe in its place. ¡°Sophia Quin, the magical part our group, and you probably won¡¯t see much of me here. Gid¡¯s taken me as an apprentice, and study eats up most of my time, but I do still help out when things get busy, as well as repairs.¡± ¡°Well, nice to meet you anyway. And so finally we have...?¡± That last figure sat silently, motionless with a hood obscuring their features.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°That¡¯s Chip, he¡¯s... well... Chip take off your hood for a minute.¡± Lindel said after a moment. Reaching up, the figure pulled back the cloth covering their head, revealing an almost featureless block of marble. Someone had tried to carve facial features into it, but their success was limited, but there were at least enough indentations to tell it was supposed to be a face. The rest of him was the same, with what he¡¯d taken to be armour just more engraved stone, with a bit of paint splashed on to make them match. Podlin explained. ¡°Chip here was someone¡¯s attempt to make a religious golem... yeah we don''t know why either. The going theory is an attempt to produce artificial followers, but it didn¡¯t really work. Still, he always served the church unwaveringly, right up until he followed Lindel out with the rest of us.¡± ¡°Wait, you left the church?¡± Dave asked. ¡°I thought that-¡± ¡°I''m thirsty. Are you thirsty? I¡¯ll go get us some more drinks.¡± Lindel interrupted, before dashing off. ¡°...anyone going to explain that to me?¡± he asked after she¡¯d gone. Marcus sighed. ¡°She¡¯s still ashamed of what happened, even though she¡¯s not the one who did anything, so try not to bring it up in front of her. Anyway, the long and short of it is that she made a few enemies in the church, people who weren¡¯t happy or jealous with how quickly she was rising through the ranks. Thing is though she wasn¡¯t doing anything other than doing what everyone else preached. She gave shelter to the homeless, fed the hungry, clothed the poor...the whole thing. Everybody loved her for it, and she was damn near approaching saint hood, when some of the higher ups got fed up with how much she was costing the church. Turns out they only liked the idea of charity when it was money going to them, not the other way around. But since they could just kick her out or anything, not without people rioting against them, they created the ¡°Paladins of Dawn¡±. They ¡°promoted¡± her to the top of a new order, but in doing so, cut her off from all resources thanks to some fine print. Suddenly she had no power to help people, and was sent far way to here, the city of Jarhiem. When we found out, the three of us decided to join the order as well, preferring to follow someone who actually did something useful instead of just talked. Chip apparently had the same thought, since he walked right through a church wall and headed in a pretty much straight line to where she was.¡± ¡°Made it real easy to find her.¡± Podlin added. ¡°So now we do what we can, but we¡¯re basically working here so we can keep off the streets ourselves. The church let us keep our equipment, or at least didn¡¯t actively strip it from us, and Lindel refuses to let us join the adventurers guild. It would be good money, but she thinks it would mean she¡¯s failed. She still thinks this is all just a test of her faith.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, there were no divine repercussions for what happened?¡± Dave asked as he digested the information. Gid was right, he though, they might be people, but there were definitely ones that the world could do without.¡± Podlin snorted. ¡°We serve Sana, Goddess of the sun, light, safety and forgiveness. It takes a lot to really bother her. But from what rumours I''ve heard, She apparently visited them in their dreams, warned them about their actions and possible repercussions.¡± ¡°And they didn¡¯t do anything?¡± ¡°Apparently they thought it was just a case of bad shellfish, and when they spoke to each other and realized they¡¯d all had the same dream, they decided not to do anything, since nothing had happened to them.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it then? They cut her off, She¡¯s stuck trying to make ends meet, and the goddess just watches?¡± Dave said, shocked. ¡°The divine always have plans.¡± Lindel said, quietly returning. ¡°Even if we can¡¯t see it ourselves. I have faith that it¡¯ll reveal itself in time, and we will feel blind for not having understood sooner. I know I am here for a reason, so for now I will do what I can.¡± ¡°What if you¡¯re supposed to take the initiative and do something else?¡± he asked. He¡¯d never been big on religion in his life, but this seemed excessive. She smiled sadly. ¡°I''ve received messages from the Divine Sana before. If She wishes me to do something else, I¡¯ll know. But enough about us, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a newcomer, yes? Don''t you all try and go on adventures?¡± ¡°Yes, I mean, some do? A lot of them I suppose, it¡¯s a pretty attractive idea. Go out and seek treasure, save people, fight monsters... but I¡¯m really just here to be able to sing, to perform.¡± ¡°Well, good luck doing that without adventuring.¡± Podlin said with a snort. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean.¡± ¡°We get plenty of hopeful bards coming through, but you think we¡¯re their first choice? No, the best places only want the best bards, the ones with the image, the skill and the fancy instruments. I don''t know how it works for you newcomers, but it seems like if you don''t get stronger, you can¡¯t do a lot of things, and music seems to be one of them.¡± ¡°Of course I have to...¡± Dave grumbled. They say ¡°play your way¡± but what they mean is play your way out of a selection that we¡¯ve decided. Level requirements in games were nothing new, but it sounded like fighting would be the only effective way to get anywhere soon. Although... killing players would give him experience as well, not at the same levels farming beasts in a forest would, but since it was already a necessary part of his day, maybe he just needed to put more work into it. Aim for higher level targets, or a few more important npcs. ¡°You said there¡¯s an adventurer¡¯s guild in town. Can anyone join?¡± he asked. If he was going to start picking his targets better, he was going to need to improve, and the guild would likely have a selection of targets inside it as well. ¡°Almost anyone.¡± Marcus answered. ¡°No one with an active bounty in the city, and you need to pay an entry fee of five gold pieces. There¡¯s also an exam you have to take to see what grade you¡¯re given.¡± ¡°How do you know all that Marcus?¡± Lindel asked suspiciously. ¡°I thought we talked about this.¡± He shrugged. ¡°I was collecting information for the next time I try and argue for it. Haven¡¯t done anything yet, but we ran pretty close to not being able to pay to get our armour fixed last month.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Things will get better I''m sure. We just need to hold faith.¡± ¡°I don''t see why you don''t why you don''t join.¡± Dave said. ¡°I was put in charge of the Paladins of Dawn. They may have done it to try and break me down, but it¡¯s a sacred order dedicated to Her. I need to be able to make it work. I won¡¯t let it become a group of mercenaries.¡± ¡°Then do jobs that help people.¡± He said. ¡°I''m sure they have plenty of jobs requested by people in need. And if you make enough money to support yourselves along the way, even better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying!¡± exclaimed Marcus. ¡°There are people crying out for help to the guild, and we can be the ones who answer!¡± She pouted, the idea fighting against her ideals. ¡°....Ffffine. We¡¯ll go and speak to them, see what their rules for groups are, how much they¡¯re charging people for help, and if they¡¯re on the level, we might join.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Marcus said in triumph. ¡°What about you Dave?¡± Lindel continued. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°Do you want come fight with the Paladins of Dawn?¡± Chapter 12 Report number 758-C, Barry Livingstone reporting. So here¡¯s a question that¡¯s been bugging me. We can have computer interact with the conscious human mind, upload, download, delete and even edit people¡¯s thoughts. So how come, with all that technology, I¡¯m still having to fill out hard copies of all these reports! We¡¯re crossing the borders of the human mind, and I''m here putting pen to paper! Can¡¯t they just take the information out of my mind? Or at least let my hire a secretary to do it for me? Anyway, the stage three subject for project rewire had a run in with a subject from project enlightenment recently. Alarms and warnings went off everywhere, it was hilarious until I realised I was going to get some of the blame. Apparently there was some miscommunication and they ended up in the same city, something that wasn¡¯t supposed to happen, since the exposure both subjects get to others is supposed to be extremely limited and controlled. I blame Jeff form accounting. Anyway, it doesn¡¯t look like it was anything to major, though it looks like the system weirdness from both subjects connected weirdly, and we lost a bit of information on their meeting. Some of the eggheads are going to go over the files closer, but I''m sure its fine. In other news, subject 758 has made their first kill, and against a player no less! Models predicted they¡¯d go for AI targets first before going for actual people, but it means I win five bucks. Not sure what caused that decision but its giving us plenty of data. Also, if betting on subjects is against company rules, again, I blame Jeff from accounting. End of report. The guild building was found almost in the centre of Jarhiem, a massive building that looked to have been converted from an old cathedral. It gave it a certain sense of reverence, that was quickly destroyed once you saw people wandering in and out of it, covered in blood and carrying body parts to provide evidence. As they walked in, Lindel kept asking him the same question. ¡°Are you sure you don''t want to join the Paladins of Dawn? I know you¡¯ve said you don''t want to, but consider all the good you could do! Helping the weak, inspiring the hopeless! You could really-¡° Dave sighed. ¡°Thanks for the offer, again, but at the moment I''m happy working on my own. If that changes I¡¯ll let you know.¡± ¡°But have you considered-¡± Podlin came to his aid. ¡°Come on Lindel, let him be. We¡¯re here now, so you ask endless questions at people who are paid to listen to them instead.¡± The dwarf said, gently pushing the elf over towards the line they needed to join. Marcus shook his head at them. ¡°Sorry about that, she can get a bit... relentless with recruitment, but it comes from the right place. And in case you couldn¡¯t tell, that offers probably going to be open indefinitely. Anyway, I need to go see if there¡¯s anything special we¡¯d need to sign for chip so we¡¯ll see you later. You¡¯re playing tonight?¡± He nodded. ¡°I should be, unless anything changes.¡± Looking around for a moment, he found a table with a half asleep looking woman sitting behind it, idly playing with a pencil. ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said, greeting them. ¡°Is this where I can register to join the guild.¡± They looked at him blearily before replying. ¡°...No, this where you come if you¡¯ve got complaints about someone from the guild. You got any complaints?¡± ¡°Not at the moment. Should I?¡± Dave asked. ¡°Nah, even if you did I doubt you¡¯d say anything. Who complains about what a bunch of highly trained killers do? At least to their faces anyway. But the guild rules state we need to have a person here at all times anyway...Gods I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°Well, someone has to do it I suppose. So where do I go to sign up then?¡± ¡°You need to go to...actually, I''m bored as hell right now so how about we do each other a favour.¡± She said, becoming more alert. ¡°A favour?¡± ¡°I can knock off early if I take down at least one official complaint, used to be more but literally no one does. You complain, I¡¯ll handle your entry papers, everybody wins.¡± ¡°Is that really allowed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all bureaucracy, who¡¯s really check up about the details. Now what¡¯s your complaint about?¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Okay then... it¡¯s hard to figure out where to go in here. You should get some signs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really more of a suggestion, but it¡¯ll do! Right then now let¡¯s get your registrations sorted before I hit the bar... got the papers here somewhere...¡± They said as they rummaged below the desk. ¡°Ah here we go. Now then, can you confirm that you wish to join the guild, that you aren¡¯t a current member, that you haven¡¯t joined before and that you aren¡¯t an evil spy?¡± ¡°Er...¡± ¡°Good enough for me. Now, name? Doesn¡¯t have to be yours, or real, it¡¯s just for papers, fees and rewards.¡± ¡°Dave.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see what else... male, human...you are human aren¡¯t you? Not just a very human looking half elf?¡± ¡°I''m definitely not a half elf.¡± ¡°Figured. Ok then, now all we need is your fee and an ability test.¡± ¡°The gold I''ve got, but what¡¯s the test?¡± ¡°Someone needs to check your skill in a fight, see what sort of jobs you¡¯re allowed to take, so that you don''t get yourself killed day one.¡± ¡°I''m going to be bottom tier, can¡¯t we just skip it?¡± ¡°The rules are there for a good reason,¡± a voice said from behind him. ¡°And we will obey them.¡± Turning, he saw a dark skinned man standing just a foot behind him, making him jump slightly. He hadn¡¯t heard the man approach which surprised him, but more than that, something felt... dangerous about them, which was confirmed by his stomach which decided they looked like a feast. They wore nothing but loose cotton clothing, no armour or weapons, but Dave had no doubt in his mind that this person could kill him with ease. ¡°Master Green! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be back today!¡± the woman said in surprise. ¡°I just got in Molly, but I spotted someone actually using the desk so I decided to investigate. Imagine my surprise to hear you¡¯re registering someone instead of taking complaints.¡± ¡°R-right, well, they did have a complaint, which I''ve lodged, and I''m just helping them out now. You know, off the clock, since I''m so dedicated.¡± The man stared silently at her before shaking his head. ¡°We all get desk duty sometimes Molly, no one likes it, but its called a duty for a reason. I¡¯ll let it slide this time, since you¡¯re at least helping someone. Next time you¡¯ll be on the desk for a month straight.¡± ¡°...Yes sir. Sorry sir.¡± Nodding, he turned to Dave. ¡°Now then, you¡¯re in need of a test?¡± ¡°Apparently?¡± ¡°Well, come on then, one of the fight pits should be free.¡± They said before walking off. Looking back to Molly, she frantically motioned for Dave to follow him, which he did with a shrug. What exactly were they supposed to test here? How much he could lift, or how fast he could run? It made sense though he wasn¡¯t sure how useful that information would be to them. Eventually they came to thick iron door, which the master knocked on and then waited for a moment before pulling it open. It was a circular room, maybe a hundred feet across, with a domed roof lit by a single glowing crystal attached to the centre. The floor was hard packed dirt, covered with an inch of sand to soften it. ¡°Right then, I¡¯m master Green,¡± the man said after closing the door behind them. ¡°And I¡¯ll be performing your evaluation test. The test is confidential, so no one else will see it, so if you¡¯ve got any super secret techniques, feel free to show off.¡± ¡°Look, I¡¯m a bard. I¡¯m just here as a formality in case I do any...adventuring.¡± Dave tried to explain. They nodded. ¡°I figured as much, you¡¯re not the first to make that choice. But like I''ve told them in the past, that¡¯s irrelevant. This test is to see what you can handle, and to help give you a better idea of your own abilities. Now then, attack me.¡± He said, holding his arms open wide. ¡°What you want me to play a song for you? I said I''m a bard.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you plan to do in a life or death situation, sure. Otherwise...¡± Dave sighed. Fine, he¡¯d humour him. Walking up to the man, he swung a punch at the man¡¯s face, only for his arm to be slapped away, an unreadable expression on his face. ¡°Happy now?¡± Dave asked. ¡°I¡¯ve attacked you.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been happy for a long time, and your little bit of flailing there didn¡¯t change that. You¡¯re garbage, as you implied, but the point was to see if you were willing to attack someone, though calling that an attack is a bit much. Let¡¯s see about your defensive instincts then.¡± He said, dropping his arms and stepping in towards him. Sometimes you can feel someone behind you, or even just watching you. Sometimes mothers will just get a feeling that something¡¯s wrong with their children. There are plenty of senses and instincts we understand, and plenty more we don''t, and every single one of them was screaming at Dave to run, and he listened. He¡¯d managed to take half a step back, before a fist occupied the spot his head had been a moment before. ¡°Good! You can respond to a threat properly, or at least identify one, and for the record I would have pulled the punch if you hadn¡¯t moved. People and monsters tend to release a bit of energy or bloodlust before attacking, and picking up on that and reacting is a key survival technique. But know this.¡± Without another word his arm blurred, the fist outright vanishing as it moved faster than he could see, before he felt a sharp pain at his collarbone. ¡°No matter if you can feel something coming, unless your good enough to deal with it, avoiding the problem is a better option. Now when you-¡± ¡°Sorry to cut you off,¡± Dave said. ¡°but I don''t plan on risking my life much in the first place. Also are we almost done? Because I have a few other things to handle today.¡± ¡°...Yes, I think I¡¯ve got enough information. You¡¯ll be a grade F adventurer, the lowest level. Complete enough task s for the guild, and do better in another test and you can improve it. If you have any further questions Molly can help you, otherwise, welcome to the guild.¡± ¡°Right then, thanks.¡± He said before walking out, struggling with the heavy door. ¡°Bet that¡¯s gonna leave a bruise...¡± he grumbled to himself as he left the building. Master Green however stayed in the pit for a while considering what had just happened. The strike he¡¯d used should have paralysed him for several minutes, leaving him unable to move or speak, to press the idea that the world was a dangerous place. But they¡¯d just ignored it completely, as if it were nothing but a light jab. He knew they¡¯d registered as human, so the nerve cluster he¡¯d aimed for should have been right where he struck, so what had happened. He also couldn¡¯t tell if that bothered him as much as that mans own strike. Whenever a person attacked they gave off a little energy, even a child playing with a stick gave off some. But when they¡¯d swung a punch at him, while he stared directly at them, he hadn¡¯t felt a thing, a fact that surprised him so much he thought it was just a feint at first. People didn¡¯t hide their energy that well, it was an extremely difficult skill to master and was almost never worth the effort. The only people who trained it to that degree were high level assassins, to surprise people with sudden attacks. A skill they¡¯d learned by studying monsters.