《The Alpha Tester's Journal》 [1] Installation I¡¯ve just received my new tech gear, the Wireless Immersion Fantasy Environment. I¡¯m one of the first alpha testers of this unit and it connects to all the existing games in my collection and there¡¯s a new one I purchased last month I¡¯ve never used. However, the first issue I have to deal with is where to have the thing installed. It¡¯s the size of a queen bed and has a canopy that can raise and lower. I¡¯m told the canopy design, which looks like something you¡¯d see in a castle, was necessary but minimized so it¡¯d only look expensive, not girly. I have them install it in the guest bedroom that was completely empty. Having no girlfriend or family to use the room, it¡¯s gathered dust by the boat load in the last few years. ¡°Just a few things Mr. Jonathan, it¡¯s rather simple after all. The time dilation is four game hours to one in any game that does not currently specify one. Reality levels can be increased through the menu to almost 95%, any higher and your physical body will die, for any of the five traditional sense so be careful with touch as it controls pain. The drawer in front can be filled with raw foods, vitamins, liquids, and other nutrients if you want to spend more than eight hours per session in VR. It¡¯ll break it down and clean the artificial junk from it, so it doesn¡¯t matter what nutrients you use. The tank next to the drawer needs to be more than a quarter full of water or the log out process will be initiated. This water is used to flush waste out of the immersion gel so don¡¯t kink the hose we connected to the drainage system. Before we finalize everything, we need you to sign in to the existing computer and helmet system and accept the interface request. When that¡¯s done, and you¡¯ve signed the NDA, also called a non-disclosure agreement, we¡¯ll be done.¡± It takes all of two minutes to complete the interface acceptance and sign the agreement. ¡°Oh, since it will allow you to play in your sleep, we¡¯ve included automatic bathing functions that you can enable or disable on the outer control panel. Enjoy your games.¡± Shooing the long-winded representatives from the apartment and locking the doors, I dump in the nearly expired leftovers filling my fridge grateful that I don¡¯t have to throw them out, but I think I¡¯ll skip out on the moldy meatloaf sandwich even so. Since it¡¯s summer vacation and my bills are auto-drafted from the trust fund I inherited, I may as well spend as much time in game as possible. I flip the automatic systems on, strip, and climb in. Just before I could change my mind, the canopy descends and seals snugly around me. The sleep inducer takes hold and moments later, I presume, the standard light novel interface of a large white room surrounds me. I take a few minutes to customize it, since I can rest in here if necessary, and set this home room to real time with a countdown clock showing how long the life support system has before I need to log out. It shows a whopping seven days. Finally, I turn to the new game, ¡°Survival Instinct.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Welcome Player
Interface upgrade in progress¡­.
Initiating Player Creation¡­..
Summoning Goddess¡­..
Installing unique skill library¡­.
A winged elf, with the anime-style half-moon eyes and silver hair appears in a wide clearing of a dead caldera. ¡°Good morning Jonathan. I am the elven goddess in charge of Heart¡¯s Wood Forest and the surrounding lands where we currently are. Although you are human, you may choose any of the following humanoid races for our world: Humans, Elves, the Fae, or Halfling. And before you ask, Dwarves, Giants, and cold-blooded races are not available to you due to limitations of your magical interface to prevent harm when your soul returns home. Humans have the worst magic and best qi, while the Fae are the opposite. You¡¯ll find the Elven races to be the most balanced. If you choose Halfling, you may choose the races of each of your four grandparents and your basic features and stats will be generated based on how you pair them up. Some Elven and Fae races have heightened senses in different environments. These will of course come with lower resistance to damage that affects these senses. Do you have any questions?¡± Jonathan thinks carefully and decides, ¡°I want to look very human, but be a Halfling. Can I have mother¡¯s parents be a moon elf woman and a human, while father¡¯s family be a fairy princess and human hero?¡± The goddess nods and displays the resulting possibilities. ¡°Here are four results, two male and two female. It is recommended that you choose one of the men as a starting base. And all characters start with a ten year old body that will grow toward the template you choose. This growth is completed in the tutorial as you practice your basic skills. How you practice these skills control what stats you will have and their growth when you enter the game at level one.¡± Choosing the less muscular one not wanting to be seen as an oaf by the other gamers, he chooses to skip the tutorial. ¡°Are you certain? Your stats will be randomized if you do not use the tutorial and those stats will affect how close you are to the model.¡± He nods and the scene changes. Now on a small path a few dozen yards away from him, a clearing with a guarded gate appears. ¡°Before I go, I will give you a blessing Jonathan and allow you to change your name.¡± He thinks for a moment, ¡°Drake should be my name since I have a desire to be as strong as a dragon.¡± [2] How to fail at a self introduction ¡°Status¡±
NameDrakeTitleElan¡¯s Chosen
GenderMaleRaceHalfling
Fame0Adventurer RankF
Health90Mana78
Strength10Agility5
Stamina1Pool0
Intellect10Dexterity15
Luck0Charisma20
Money20 CopperQuestNone
Armor2Attack1
¡®Great¡­. No luck. I hope 20 coppers cover¡¯s the entrance fee.¡¯ Drake walks forward to the gates calling out, ¡°I¡¯m lost, what town is this?¡± The guard looks strangely at him. ¡°Where¡¯re you from? You¡¯re dressed to lightly to be wandering Heart¡¯s Wood.¡± Replying honestly, ¡°I suddenly found myself here with almost nothing. I need to find an adventurer¡¯s guild to get my ID.¡± ¡°You look too weak to be an adventurer, but it¡¯s just inside the gate¡­. Since you¡¯ll be dead in a week without training, I¡¯d suggest you ask for the training seminar as soon as possible. Now get in here before night falls. Even I don¡¯t want to be out there in the next few minutes.¡± Drake enters the town guild and, natural as any other game he¡¯s played, attempts to register and con a free stay out of them. A disinterested man was straightening out a nearly empty signboard on the far wall. Hearing the door the man called out, ¡°Eh? Guild¡¯s closing! Come back tomorrow!¡± Drake, not to be deterred, ¡°Can I please stay the night? I¡¯m lost with no money and I want to register in the morning.¡± The man sized up Drake and realized the kid probably wouldn¡¯t last the night without getting a slave collar on if he didn¡¯t help out since he could detect almost no mana and see no muscles or weapons on him. ¡°Alright¡­. Let¡¯s do this quick, just so I don¡¯t have to waste money buying you from the slavers if you¡¯re caught sleeping outside.¡± Before Drake could object, the man had stabbed his finger and pressed the bloody tip to a card.
-30 HP
¡°What the¡­? How¡¯d I lose so much health!¡± The guild master grins, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a magically enchanted knife I¡¯ve got. I figured if you wanted to be an adventurer so badly, I¡¯d see if you could at least survive an evolved rabbit¡¯s bite since they¡¯re the most common monsters I can send you after. Reading these stats, I guess I have to send you to train first. You better get upstairs to the first room, that¡¯s for the men, and don¡¯t lose this card.¡± Drake looked at the card, it was the standard status information on the front, but the back contained quest information already assigned to him. He was about to ask why when he noticed he was alone in the main room. Climbing the stairs, all he could do was wonder, ¡®Why me?¡¯ If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Quest: Increase stamina by 20 through classes with Rya
Quest: Increase agility by 20 through classes with Jack
In the morning, Drake woke up to find a maid apparently cleaning the dorm. Checking the internal timer, he noted that unit¡¯s support system registered his real world sleep and hunger levels as safe. Thankfully, as uncomfortable as it was to sleep clothed, he¡¯d forgotten to undress for bed in the game or this would be an awkward scene. He excused himself and went downstairs. There were only four people in the room. ¡°Ah lad, yer just in time! I want you to meet Rya!¡± It sounded like he said ¡®Rye-ah¡¯ to Drake, but he followed the man from last night to the lady at the table eating breakfast. ¡°Milday, this is Drake. He needs a lot of stamina. I nearly killed him just getting enough blood for the guild card and he also had nothing other than what you see.¡± Drake wonders what¡¯s wrong with what he has and notices for the first time that he¡¯s wearing a torn shirt and loose shorts. ¡°Jerimiah, you know I don¡¯t like children. Why are you pawning him off on me?¡± Chuckling, the man answers, ¡°Two reasons. First, I¡¯m the guild master. Second, and you¡¯re gonna love this, look at his title when you stamp his card for training. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll understand but I dunno if he¡¯ll survive you more than a day.¡± That got her. She hauls drake off to the outer walls. ¡°Alright, give me your card so I can put my trainer¡¯s mark on it. I don¡¯t want to lose out on the points I can earn for my leadership skills.¡± As she reads over the card before putting the mark where it needed to be, smoke starts to come from her fingers. ¡°Be glad this thing¡¯s fire proof you little snot nosed jerk. You better run as fast as you can around the walls of this town or I¡¯m going to burn your shorts right off of you because of this title. It has to be fake! There¡¯s no way a human, much less a boy, would be granted this blessing!¡± Barely retrieving the card, Drake took off and made it about 15 steps before falling down winded. Not wanting to look like an idiot, he called out that he tripped on a root as a fireball slammed down beside his foot. ¡°Move it scum!¡± Drake knew one thing: this was going to be a long day. [3] Two more days of torture! Drake finally finished running circles around the village and collapsed back in bed at the guild after consuming what could be considered as liquid trash. Passing out, I began to dream¡­ it wasn¡¯t expected, but it is sleep in a game. I woke up the next morning sweating remembering the disturbing dream. It started out similar to my day, but instead of running circles around the village, I found myself dressed as a woman being trained to cook by Rya. Rya was a little handsy and would tweak a few unmentionable spots any time I made an error cooking. I decided that I would never learn cooking in this game after that. Looking at the log for yesterday I noticed a few changes to my status:
NameDrakeTitleElan¡¯s Chosen
GenderMaleRaceHalfling
Fame0Adventurer RankF
Health92Mana78
Strength10Agility10
Stamina4Pool0
Intellect10Dexterity15
Luck0Charisma20
Money20 CopperQuestIncrease stamina by 20 through classes with Rya Increase agility by 20 through classes with Jack
Base Armor4Base Attack1
¡®Wow, I have some stamina now, but it gave me a boost on my health. But that sadist is going to kill me if I don¡¯t figure out how to raise my stamina faster.¡¯ Heading downstairs, I found Rya fuming at the guild master. I was probably the reason because he nodded in my direction and I lost my chance at breakfast. Rya grinned savagely at me, ¡°No running today. Today we do arm work and you better do it right¡­.¡± ¡®What fresh torture has she dreamed up to make certain I do today¡¯s task right?¡¯ Shuddering, I was pulled to a training yard with a very deadly looking pair of dummies. She told me to stand still with my legs shoulder width apart and put my arms out straight with fists. Doing so, she positioned one dummy touching my fists and everywhere else around them was covered in blades. I started sweating as I realized I was going to be punching this dummy and ruining my hands over and over until I managed to miss the blades. I was then told to put my arms down by my side bent at a ninety degree angle while the other dummy was fit snuggly against my back and its arms covered in blades. My face fell as I realized there¡¯s no way to run without getting cut since the arms are snug against my sides and then came the announcement. ¡°You must strike alternately at the dummy. If you strike fast enough, I won¡¯t fire at you today. By the way, you only get healing once an hour. I really want to know how long you will last with your stolen blessing!¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I try to get more information about the blessing but receive an error:
Incorrect racial profile to read blessing.
I successfully strike three times with each hand before the first cut. After the tenth cut, the first hour was over and the promised healing occurred. ¡°I want ten percent more strikes this hour than last, and it will increase each hour. If you fail, you will get lower healing, if you succeed, you get higher healing. If you pass out, I¡¯ll consider healing you¡­. But there will be another punishment.¡± Cringing at that because I recall the dream I double my concentration and receive another notice after five hours pass.
Pool +1: You have increased your mana pool expansion rate for the first time.
Intellect+1
When the session ends, I¡¯m at about ten health. Rya grins again causing me to shiver again. ¡°You know, I¡¯m a mage, that¡¯s why I am not doing these exercises with you. Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be running again. I¡¯ve got something special planned since you seem to be able to dodge my fireball.¡± I ate my trash and went to bed, a little scared of the dream I had last night. This time, I had a rather normal dream. I punched Rya in the face until it bled. I woke up refreshed and relieved, until I managed to eat breakfast and saw Rya grinning again. Thankfully I¡¯ve gained eight stamina points over the last two days. Only twelve more until I can get away from her. ¡°Good morning idiot! Today you better pray your agility doesn¡¯t fail before I let you go. Follow me, and by now I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that the disciple mark on your card makes it impossible to hide from me.¡± Today I am taken to a slime filled pit with a sequence of logs hanging from ropes. ¡°Run along each log to the next pedestal in sequence. If you rest too long, I shoot, if you take too long crossing, I shoot. If you fall, you better use that dagger I saw, because slimes love fresh meat.¡± ¡®Dagger? What dagger? I completely forgot about weapons!¡¯ I spot one hanging beside the logs and immediately think it¡¯s a trap. ¡°Miss Rya, is that a crack on your staff?¡± She looks down and I toss a few pebbles at the knife. Sure enough, a half dozen knives fall. I grab two as she turns back around. ¡°Looks like I am not going unarmed after all.¡± Rya grins, ¡°Ah, but those are cursed. You can¡¯t put them down until night. Have fun eating. No get started!¡± [4] Failed Escape Two days of further torture later, Rya¡¯s training has completed, the quest contract disappeared automatically and a new window popped up:
Due to a racial blessing from Angharradh and status requirements being achieved, bodily modifications have occurred.
  • You now have the racial Moon Elf ear. Hearing has improved 5%.
  • Muscle density has increased from human rating of 3x to 5x that of normal tissue.
  • Plant based food is required at each meal. Too much animal based food will result in Agility and Dexterity issues.
  • Hair has started to turn dark blue from black. As additional requirements are met, the color will trend even more to blue and/or silver.
Cursing because his carefully crafted character was modified without permission, Drake checked his status:
NameDrakeTitleElan¡¯s Chosen Angharradh¡¯s Child
GenderMaleRaceHalfling
Fame0Adventurer RankF
Health159Mana87
Strength15Agility25
Stamina25Pool1
Intellect11Dexterity20
Luck0Charisma20
Money20 CopperQuestIncrease agility by 20 through classes with Jack
Base Armor25Base Attack1
He went down stairs and had breakfast, hoping Jerimiah forgot about him for today because he didn¡¯t know what fresh torture was awaiting him with his Agility teacher, Jack. However, his hopes were dashed mere seconds from exiting the guild. Hand on the door, he was spun around by a young man who looked vaguely elfish. ¡°Jerimiah, I thought you said he was human. He clearly has ties to the Moon Elves! You know they¡¯re idiots compared to the Sun Elves!¡± The guild master looked over, ¡°Eh? Something¡¯s changed about him. His ears certainly weren¡¯t that pointy before. Anyway, Jack this is Drake. He just finished working with Rya to build up his stamina. He needs to reach fifty or a hundred agility because of the title he inherited. I only want you to teach him the means to get an additional twenty so that he can survive. After all, he¡¯s already been cheated out of everything once before coming here.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Drake thought to himself, ¡®So they see me as an idiot who got taken advantage because I don¡¯t fulfill the requirements for the blessing.¡¯ He tried to complete the exit from the guild while the other two were talking, but a punch to the gut doubled him over just before being tossed over Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Lesson time! You get to learn my sword technique. Tell me boy, Human and Moon Elves are both trash in my opinion. Only my father¡¯s Fairy race is worth anything with their high agility and stamina. I bet you can¡¯t even beat that.¡± ¡°Why do they have those two stats?¡± Jack looks at Drake, yep, he sees an idiot. ¡°If you could fly, what stats would you need?¡± Drake checked his clock while nodding at Jack. Six internal days and twenty-two more to go before he had to log out. Seriously considering doing so, he only stopped because of the stat increases. So far he hadn¡¯t needed to pay for anything and gained many points in stats. He was still puzzled as to why there were no levels listed. He posed the question to Jack and received a simple answer, ¡°And what would you do with this level? If I have double your stats but you have triple my level, will you be able to defeat me? Your idea has no practical value. What agility are you currently at?¡± ¡°25.¡± Jack put him down where he could see a large room with a wooden floor. The explanation started simple enough. ¡°My sword skill requires three practical skills: dance, acrobatics, and strikes.¡± ¡®Eh? Dance? Acrobatics? What kind of swords use these?¡¯ ¡°Now, since I don¡¯t see any fairy in you, this will be very fun on my part.¡± ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, if Fairy blood helps, why is an elf teaching me?¡± *smack* ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like that. If I wasn¡¯t the child of a concubine, I¡¯d be looking for my sister, the fairy princess Tayana, who ran off with a piece of human trash forty years ago so I can send him off and her home.¡±
Story Line Quest: Due to your choice of parentage, you have just met your great uncle. If you tell him you are Tayana¡¯s grandson, you may either be killed, or given a special heirloom. If he finds out before you tell him, you may lose access to this town since you can¡¯t direct him to her. Think wisely. Do you tell him or let him find out on his own?
[5] Fates Prank ¡°Sensei,¡± I¡¯m not calling him master after what Rya did¡­ ¡°Make you a deal. If you tell me why being part Fairy will help training, I¡¯ll let you in on a secret.¡± Drake hoped this diversion will pay off without him being killed in game by Jack. Jack nodded and made a shallow cut on Drake with a light swing of his sword causing him some pain. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll tell you. But you must remember, every moment with me as your teacher can be your last. My sword is cursed by the way. Anyone it touches with Fairy blood is automatically given the Royal Fairy Curse. It does nothing if you are not the child or grandchild of a runaway Fairy noble.¡± Drake¡¯s face visibly paled at the information. Jack sees this, ¡°Oh, you have some in you perhaps? If you can use mana wings, it will improve your sword skills magnificently.¡± Drake nodded. ¡°I have a Fairy grandmother. She married a human hero. I don¡¯t know if she is a runaway noble though.¡± Having no weapon in hand, he began to shuffle left and right as he¡¯s seen boxers in old movies do using foot work, dexterity, and the all-important agility stat to remain on guard. The lesser secret revealed, he continued asking questions while his eyes darted around looking for a spare weapon and resting on an ironwood longsword. ¡°How would I know if she is a runaway noble?¡± Jack was sensible in his answer, ¡°Any noble that marries a human is a runaway.¡± He feinted left and caused Drake to stumble in his attempt to get the training sword. ¡°So all you¡¯d need to know is if she had a noble rank and I can tell you, there is only one noble currently listed as a runaway, my sister.¡± Drakes face further pales as Jack continues, ¡°If she¡¯s your grandmother then you¡¯ll suffer the curse and it¡¯s a beauty. When a member of the Fairy nobility, called the Sidhe Council, runs away and does not return to fulfill their duties then a first or second generation descendant that is infected will begin to express more and more fairy traits and power until they are fully able to fulfill their ancestor¡¯s duties. Half-Elves do not express as many physical changes as Elves are descended from cursed and powerless Fairies. The curse pulls all fairy power from that royal and its descendants placing it in the infected victim transforming the other family members into Elf and Half-Elves.¡± Drake gulped. ¡®This is going to mess with my character again isn¡¯t it?¡¯ ¡°And what are your sister¡¯s duties?¡± Having finally gotten the weapon from its resting place, he tried to lift it into a defensive position he noticed Jack using between feints discovering he could barely manage it. He noticed then runes on the weapon and tried analyzing it:
Heavy Training Sword +10 Attack Requires 20 strength for full damage; otherwise 5% damage and movement reduction per missing strength point. Requires 15 strength to lift. Requires 50 agility for no movement penalty, otherwise 2% per missing agility point.
¡°No way! I cry foul! There¡¯s no other swords for me to use and I can¡¯t even use a quarter of my agility or damage?¡± Jack continued on swinging test strikes and working the explanation as if Drake hadn¡¯t said anything about the sword. ¡°She¡¯s engaged to Danann, a Duke of the Sidhe Council. Since they both are ¡®Water Spout¡¯ mages, it will vastly improve the blood line when they start having children.¡± Jack inwardly chuckled since he doesn¡¯t know what his father had in store for his sister¡¯s representative and all he himself ever could be is a knight since the curse can¡¯t make him a full blood descendant of the current Titania and Oberon. Drake paled again as Jack continued, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know. But since you can barely move, we¡¯re going to change tactics. You are worse than I had hoped so we need to build your strength up before we can work on your agility with this sword. Oh, and since you are so interested in my sister, I take it you¡¯re her representative now, Nephew.¡± Jack¡¯s grin turned just as evil as Rya¡¯s had been. He took both weapons and grabbed weighted robe. ¡°There are weights in the full length of the robe and arms. Put it on, or I could always lock you in place with that sword again and just cut you to pieces.¡± No wasted time in following instructions, Drake finished putting the robe on as a flash occurred. ¡°By the way, until you have 50 strength, you can¡¯t take the robe off. Next, to learn the even the partial version of the Royal Fairy Sword Dance, we must dance! And since I don¡¯t have a female Fairy to pair you with, you¡¯ll just have to learn the female¡¯s steps!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Drake paled again, ¡®This is even worse than that dream!¡¯ Barely able to resist because of the weight of the robe, he is pulled into Jack¡¯s grip and treated like a doll for eight hours until it was time to head to the guild for dinner. He got some good news for a change however as Jerimiah indicated they finally had a decent supply of meat so the guild dinner was now a stew that tasted more like moldy beef than raw sewage. ¡®I better look up some recipes that they could use and drop them on the floor.¡¯ Of course, dropping it on the floor was the first thing he thought of since he didn¡¯t even want to know what that first dream he had was about. After checking the time and laying in the guild bed, he logged out of the game to the virtual room to perform research. Survival Instinct¡¯s forums were locked down indicating that the beta was still in progress. ¡®I thought the game was in release mode. Oh well, it just means I have more to gain over those who login afterwards. I hate these stupid trap moments that are occurring though. At least I am not getting killed by Jack if what he said about the curse is true.¡¯ ¡°Set time dilation to match ¡®Survival Instinct¡¯ and wake me when it¡¯s morning in game time.¡± Spoiler :
NameDrakeTitleElan¡¯s Chosen (Displayed) Angharradh¡¯s Child Tayana''s Representative
GenderMaleRaceHalfling
Fame0Adventurer RankF
Health191Mana87
Strength18Agility26
Stamina25Pool1
Intellect11Dexterity20
Luck0Charisma20
Money20 CopperQuestIncrease agility by 20 through classes with Jack
Base Armor25Base Attack2
NameJerimiahTitleGuild Master of Cord
GenderMaleRaceHuman
Fame0Adventurer RankB
Health1620Mana212
Strength90Agility25
Stamina90Pool0
Intellect25Dexterity10
Luck60Charisma5
Money1 Pt, 6 Au, 8 Ag, 1 CuQuestNone
Base Armor630Base Attack9
NameRyaTitleFleet Foot
GenderFemaleRaceElf
Fame0Adventurer RankC
Health220Mana1950
Strength20Agility90
Stamina50Pool125
Intellect150Dexterity60
Luck90Charisma45
Money8 AuQuestNone
Base Armor0Base Attack1
NameJackTitleDancing Sword
GenderMaleRaceHalfling
Fame0Adventurer RankC
Health645Mana645
Strength50Agility60
Stamina130Pool50
Intellect60Dexterity15
Luck50Charisma20
Money7 PtQuestNone
Base Armor390Base Attack2
[6] Hidden Agendas Running late trying to work both stories and look for a job on a holiday weekend.... Jonathan¡¯s alarm woke him up from a dreamless sleep confirming for him that the dreams appear to be related to the game itself and not his mind. Strangely enough, he felt excited to return to the game despite the trap scenario he was in. Entering the game, he moves to the dining hall as a notification pops up:
Racial profile updated due to effect of the Royal Fairy Curse. Racial Balance is now 35% Moon Elf, 30% Human, and 35% Fairy. Fairy trait unlocked: Dust Production.
Dust Production [Passive] permanently reduces usable mana by twenty five. Crystalized Mana Dust, commonly called Fairy Dust, will fall from you during extreme movement or sleep. This dust is a highly sought after crafting resource kept under lock and key by the Sidhe Council as only high nobles and royals have a chance of inheriting this trait. Having this trait may make you a highly sought after prize by slavers, magicians, and alchemist. You are safest in a Fairy kingdom.
¡®Just what I need, I¡¯ve become pigpen¡­.¡¯ He does his best to collect the dust that occurred overnight so that it¡¯s not obvious what happened. Heading downstairs after confirming no additional dust has fallen from the robe he was forced to wear the night before. Eating the porridge turned out to be the only simple time he had for the whole day. As he was getting up, Rya came over and forced a bracelet on his arm. ¡°Here¡¯s a graduation gift for a snot nosed boy. Glad to see you¡¯ve developed more of your heritage. Let me tell you a secret.¡± She leans in close and whispers, ¡°Elan¡¯s Chosen can¡¯t wear men¡¯s clothing or armor and women¡¯s armor can only be replaced by more effective items while clothing must be more revealing¡­ I mean attractive.¡± Too shocked over the bracelet, Drake doesn¡¯t even register Rya¡¯s warning gloat. Reading over the description of the bracelet he finds one useful piece of news: it is designed to act as a collector of Fairy Dust and allows the bearer to procure mana crystals when a sufficient amount is collected. He is worried, however, over the highly girly design and the additional effect of increasing the speed at which female traits and skills grow. By the time he finishes looking over the information, he finds himself again dancing with Jack in the female role mostly because of the new notice that popped up in front of him:
Skill Acquired: Fairy Dance ¨C Ladies¡¯ Form
Due to the effects of the title ¡°Elan¡¯s Chosen¡± and the item ¡°Princess Mana Bracelet¡± you have completed the basic learning requirements for this dance. This dance is primarily used by Fairy and Elven Nobles during banquets and large gatherings. If a man learns this form, he is unable to learn the Gentlemen¡¯s Form.
Additional Benefits: Increases to manners, grace, balance, and seduction based skill trees.
Penalties: Gradual loss of skills thought to be traditionally related to men. Prevention of acquiring the same set of skills.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.Jack notices the look coming from Drake¡¯s face and laughs. ¡°Ah, seems you¡¯ve acquired the dance. Don¡¯t look now, but all the skills of your Fairy ancestor will begin flowing to you as well. Oh, I also like the new nose, it reminds me of Sis. And that dress I gave you looks pretty good when the skirt flares out from you.¡± ¡®Dress? It¡¯s not a robe? Is this whole place full of perverts trying to turn me into some sort of pain loving trap?¡¯ As Drake¡¯s face twists with frustration, an alert pops up from the W.I.F.E. unit indicating that the character can¡¯t be restarted during the beta and the unit¡¯s alpha testing period requires him to play out the first game he logged into for a period of no less than two and half months or he would be billed for the device. While he read the notice, a small stiletto knife is pressed into each of his hands. ¡°Drake, for Oberon¡¯s sake, pay attention.¡± Jack yells at his student until Drake almost instinctively strikes at him with the knife. ¡°Good, you know how to use a knife. The Ladies¡¯ Form of the dance evolves into a knife fighting style using those stilettoes I¡¯ve given you. All you have to do is dance while I attempt to attack you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll go easy on you.¡± After saying that, Jack grins as Rya grabs the boy from behind and knocks him out. A few moments later they tie stiletto heels on the poor boy. ¡°Rya, you sure are devious. Thank you for telling me his title. With all the questions he asked and the physical changes he¡¯s experienced from the training and the curse, I guess he really is my sister¡¯s descendant. You¡¯re probably going to enjoy his pain as his transformation nears completion, aren¡¯t you?¡± A deep kiss follows a shrewd grin from Rya. ¡°You know me well, husband. With your duty soon to be fulfilled, your father can restore my lineage and make me a Fairy Halfling once again. Perhaps, he¡¯ll use the transformation blessing to make us both full-bloods so that we may have seats at the Sidhe Council.¡± ¡°That only applies if we get the representative back to them alive and not enslaved to some idiot. His well being is our path back into the courts.¡± Drake wakes up just after this statement and tries to stand. After a few awkward attempts, Drake reaches down and massages his ankles noticing the shoes. ¡°Don¡¯t bother Drake. They¡¯re required for training, so you won¡¯t be removing them any time soon. And if you do try to take them off, I¡¯ll provide you a good punishment. Trust me, you will never forget it.¡± [7] Unwilling Fates Drake finds himself wondering what¡¯s next. Having just a few moments before Jack begins with the next issue at hand, he let out a sigh, a very deep sigh. Rya stood behind him and said very softly, ¡°You better fight with all you have because I know what the next punishments are.¡± Drake knew this was the worst day of his life because of these particular adventurers. He could just picture what was coming next after being tricked into wearing a dress and forced to wear stiletto heels after learning a women¡¯s dance. Heck, activating special heritage features he¡¯d suppressed that make Elves and Fairies tend to be more feminine in literature was pushing the line. Jack and Rya seem to want to see him wearing a maid outfit or trying to force him to act completely like a girl and it did not help finding out about the fine print of the contract requiring an enormous investment in gameplay or a large payout for not playing. Knowing he couldn¡¯t afford paying off the company he resigns himself to his fate. Standing off to the side, Jack begins warming up with his sword and yells at Drake, ¡°Here I come! Defend yourself with all you¡¯ve got!¡± Drake pulls out the knives he was just given and tries to precariously balance on the ankle breaking shoes he¡¯s wearing now. Swinging his right knife as a distraction, and successfully catching Jack¡¯s sword, he attempts to strike from underneath with his left at Jack¡¯s belly. Unfortunately, since Jack is much more adept at his skills, a slight move from him toppled Drake off the nails that passed for shoe heels. Drake had forgotten the number one piece of advice he was given: the dance he learned was to be used for fighting. ¡°You didn¡¯t fight using the dance steps. That cost you your balance. If you don¡¯t follow instructions properly, I¡¯m punishing you.¡± Drake tries hard for the next few hours to get a single hit on Jack. Rya laughs each time Jack taps him with the side of the sword until Drake finally is so distracted, he stops the dance getting hit hard. Fustrated, he starts clearing the notices that¡¯ve popped up looking for all the world like he was throwing a tantrum since he was still flat on his back waving his arms to hit the right buttons.
Dexterity: +3
Stamina: +3
Agility: +5
Passive Skill Acquired: Sultry Walk (Requires high heels) ¨C Enhances Charisma Stat. Decreases stealth skills around men. Skill increases automatically by walking, bending, or dancing. Cannot be disabled.
An escort quest has been accepted by your instructor for you. As the existing quest is of a lower rank, it cannot be marked complete until the end of the escort mission. See Jack for details.
*Click* ¡°Drakey, I have a new present for you¡­.¡± Rya presses a small box into his hands and shows him a mirror. ¡°You look lovely with that lip wax and wig¡­. Jack says I can throw a fireball at you if I see you without them on from now on. Oh, we¡¯re heading out north tomorrow and you¡¯re coming with us¡­. We¡¯ve already accepted on your behalf a quest to escort a party to another town. Oh, before I forget, we¡¯ve already told our employers that our party has two women. Want to guess the identity of the second woman?¡± She pauses for emphasis while placing a hand on Drake¡¯s chest. ¡°Oh, and you get to learn to ride a horse all lady like since your dancing prevents you learning the gentlemen¡¯s method.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. After a tasteless meal the next morning, Jack and Rya prod him to the door of the guild, ¡°Jerimiah, we¡¯re heading out on the escort. It¡¯s been fun and fulfilling.¡± A grunt comes back as the three exit and practically stumble into three horses. ¡°Up you go,¡± Rya says placing Drake on a weird saddle. ¡°Don¡¯t let go of the horn and gently hold the reins in your left hand. If you try to disobey me, I¡¯ll whip your horse so it tosses you off.¡± Suddenly a fireball hisses by his arm. ¡°You forgot the wig and wax. Put them on now!¡± A second fireball barely misses him and he hurries to haphazardly apply the disguise. A rag is tossed at him. ¡°Again. It¡¯s not right.¡± As they ride to the city gates, Rya continues to throw fireballs until new pop ups arrive:
Active Skill Acquired: Disguise ¨C Costs 10 mana. Alters appearance of self or target and enables profession related skills for noblewomen, maids, thieves, and actors.
Sub Skill Acquired: Cosmetics. Base skill: Disguise. Enables use of waxes, pollens, dusts, and powders to enhance or disguise facial features.
Sub Skill Acquired: Hairdresser. Base Skill: Disguise. Enables use of wigs, rods, ornaments, and dyes to enhance or change hair on target.
Skill Acquired: Horseback Riding ¨C Side Saddle. Allows you to ride appropriate mounts as a dignified woman.
Fairy Naming Ceremony occurred. Prince Jack Oberon has named you in front of witnesses as ¡°Tanya Oberon¡±. Fairies will only refer to you as ¡°Tanya¡± at this time. As you are not a recognized Fairy Noble of the same or higher rank as the Prince and your Fairy blood is at the highest percentage, you cannot decline the name.
Elven Naming Ceremony occurred. Lady Rya Forestdrake Oberon has named you in front of witnesses as ¡°Lunetta Forestdrake¡±. Elves will only refer to you as ¡°Lunetta¡± at this time. As you are not a recognized Elven Noble of the same or higher rank as the Lady and your Elven blood is at the highest percentage, you cannot decline the name.
Due to the effects of the Naming Ceremonies, your heritage has been updated to: 40% Elven (Moon), 40% Fairy (Royal), and 20% Human (Hero). Your features have become finer. Elven skin color for moon tribe (brownish green) acquired. Hair color has turned lighter blue.
Elan¡¯s Blessing has unlocked another change: Due to Fairy Blood being 40% or more and your Royal Heritage, your natural nail color has been updated to light silver. Color will change once you start practicing magic based on your affinities.
At the guardhouse, a large wagon is waiting. The merchant riding inside inquires, ¡°Are you Mister Jack Oberon, his wife Rya, and his daughter Tanya?¡± A glare from Rya toward Drake keeps his mouth shut. ¡°We are. We will protect you on your journey to the next town, but I must warn you to keep your hands off my wife and daughter, otherwise ¡­.¡± Jack says as his sword dances quickly with Rya¡¯s fireball. After the display by the pair, the merchant nods and snaps his reins. The party sets off with Jack in the lead and Rya with Drake ¨C now Tanya ¨C behind throwing each other murderous glances. [8] Revelations For those who missed it, Drake is a male player in a male avatar being forced into trap and cross-dressing situations by Jack and Rya... Questions about how the game "Survival Instinct" managed to get to beta are addressed here, if you''re lucky... Shortly after losing sight of the village he started in, a very stubborn Drake receives a notification of Elan¡¯s Shrine being nearby with a warning that not stopping will result in curses. Turning toward Rya in abject fear, he starts with ¡°We have to stop, please!¡± Rya looks at him savagely and curtly indicates they will not be stopping. After the third attempt to get her to see reason, she throws a small fireball at the horse¡¯s tail causing it to buck. Seconds later a bright light encompasses the group. The light clears and they find themselves on the ground near a shrine with their gear and horses nearby. Windows popup all around Drake while the merchant and adventurers find themselves unable to move.
Welcome to Elan¡¯s Shrine
As Elan¡¯s Chosen, you may pray and ask for one blessing from the Goddess of Motherhood and Fertility. You have not yet asked for this blessing.
For attempting to stop you, Lady Rya Forestdrake Oberon has been cursed to have twins each pregnancy, one of which must be a girl. She shall become pregnant at most once every two years. She has received the Matrimony Blessing.
For being your protectors and trainers, Prince Jack Oberon and his wife are now your personal bodyguards. Separating from you and causing you danger will cause them physical pain. If you die, they die.
The merchant has been gifted 100 vials of Holy Fertility Water. Invokes Matrimony Blessing. This water must be used by women. Single women will find single men, who if they agree to impregnate her, will become her husband. Pregnancy will occur and mother cannot be harmed until the child is weaned. If the couple does not have a daughter, the woman will bear a daughter. Attempts to do so will result in random curses at Elan¡¯s discretion.
Acquired skill: Fertility Blessing ¨C Divine Spell. Invoked by kissing woman¡¯s forehead or hand after calling on Elan. Next attempt to at bedroom arts ensure pregnancy. Invokes Matrimony Blessing. You are automatically bound by this blessing as a result of learning it. Warning: Attempting to force relationships upon the blessed will result in a curse of Elan¡¯s choosing. 100 Mana
Acquired skill: Matrimony Blessing ¨C Divine Spell. Proclaim that Elan has recognized a couple. Couple must already agree to have children with each other. Enforces couple to only be able to perform marital duties and bedroom arts with each other until separated by death. First child will be female. False couples will have this blessing enforced upon their existing or next lovers. You are automatically bound by this blessing as a result of learning it. Warning: Attempting to force relationships upon the blessed will result in a curse of Elan¡¯s choosing. 50 Mana if not invoked by Fertility Blessing.
¡®Jackpot¡¯ thought Drake who immediately kneels at the altar and begins to pray. ¡°O great Elan,¡± cheesy, but I¡¯ve got to do it. ¡°I request the right to be the man I am wearing men¡¯s clothes instead of this monstrosity I am forced to be now.¡±
Request granted.
Sub Skill Acquired: Quick Change. Base Skill: Disguise ¨C Cannot be used in battle. When hidden from view, invoke by saying ¡®Change <>¡¯. Current roles: Beginner (utilizes lowest quality accessories and clothing for missing pieces) [Active Gender], Fairy Peasant [Female].
Passive Sub Skill Acquired: Clothing Transformation. Base Skill: Disguise ¨C Your gender is determined by the clothes and armor you are wearing. Beginner clothes and removing all clothes do not affect gender. Piece replacement in Beginner¡¯s Set will be dependent on gender at time of invocation. Female form will have waist length hair. Gender skills automatically convert appropriately. Caution: Becoming pregnant prevents usage of male clothing and armor sets.
Notice: Due to Clothing Transformation, acting skills now receive bonuses based on quality of disguise.
Notice: Due to Clothing Transformation, matrimony blessing will allow you two spouses, one of each gender. Your spouses will be able to conceive with you or each other and must accept both you and the other spouse before the blessing will bind you all together.
Notice: Elan requires all clothing sets worn by you to be properly purchased or crafted. You may not wear looted or stolen clothes. You may not wear stolen armor, but you are allowed looted armor that is superior to your existing armor.
Notice: Elan has invoke name changes. Your female names have been compiled as Tanya Lunette Forestdrake. You male name has become Drake Oberon. All other names are removed. Only Deities of the same rank or higher than Elan may change these.
Notice: Clothing Transformation invoked for role "Fairy Peasant (Female)". You are currently Female.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Tanya sighs because she has no male outfits but is shocked when she hears the two experienced adventurers scream in terror and the Goddess she met at character creation appears in front of her. ¡°Ellen! What are you doing interfering in the beta?¡± Bolts of lightning shoot down in front of the two. ¡°Here I am ¡®Elan¡¯. You two have been abusing your administrator privileges too much rewriting my blessing. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t notice when the hero I chose didn¡¯t leave his starting town for his first combat quest after a full week? He was supposed to be hunting by now. You will be docked for the pay I received for creating the disguise skill tree to repair what you have done to him. And if he sues, you two will be fully responsible for paying all the related bills because I''m gonna fire you two back to the stone age and be a co-plaintiff.¡± She turns to Tanya, ¡°Unfortunately, I cannot completely undo the harm these two idiots have caused, but for the remainder of the beta they will be your bodyguards. If you choose to keep the character after the release, you will be allowed two familiars instead. You are no longer going to lose any skill levels due to having the wrong gender, however, if you are in female form the male skills will be locked out and vice-versa as mentioned in the disguise skills I¡¯ve created for you. Also, you need to contact your gear maker since it seems it has tried to inject code into the game pertaining to you. I¡¯ve also updated your title from my Chosen to Servant since I had to create a new blessing. I can offer you the class of Priest or the profession of Fertility Counselor for additional bonuses.¡± Tanya declines both. ¡°If you change your mind, just pray at one of my shrines.¡± Drake turns to the merchant, "Hey, can I buy a set of men''s clothing from you?" The dumbfounded merchant nods and tosses him the sets "Human Peasant [Male]" and "Elf Light Armor [Male]" muttering the potions were payment enough. Drake took no time finding a hidden spot and invoking "Change Elf Light Armor [Male]".
Notice: Clothing Transformation invoked for role "Elf Light Armor [Male]¡±. You are currently Male.
Don''t worry trap and GB fans.... Jonathan''s character Drake and his alter-ego Tanya will both make appearances again. The question is what''s next for our malicious development couple? Don''t even think they''ve given up on ruining his game. It might even be good to speculate as to why they tried it. Also, coming soon, more information on the company Jonathan''s alpha testing the W.I.F.E. pod for and possibly what their end game is. [9] One month ago... One month before Jonathan received his W.I.F.E. unit, Jack and his wife Rya Barnes were at the Virtual Beds headquarters. Having invested a significant chunk of their paychecks from their Deep Games programming job, they were present for the unveiling of the newest product. It was a queen sized bed with unique features for consenting couples. This full immersion bed allowed half-immersion when performing the so-called bedroom arts. This half-immersion mode allowed the user to control their bodies in real-time while using virtual toys and clothing when in the virtual copy of the bed. After a thorough testing session by the couple, they ordered three. One for their use, one for their MENSA graduate boss also known as Ellen the Ice Queen, and one for the guy she¡¯d been too shy to talk to when she passed him every day on the way home from college (they of course believe it was likely because he was in high school even though they¡¯re only a few weeks apart in age). The fact that Jonathan happened to be that guy was pried out of Ellen by the couple when they brought a celebratory sparkling ¡°juice¡±, otherwise known as champagne, to the office for marking the end of the alpha testing of Survival Instinct. After arranging for the units to be delivered to the two clueless idiots with a modification making it almost impossible to log into anything besides SI, Jack and Rya went to tampering with the database. First up was convincing Ellen that her character would make a good template for a Goddess. Ellen took to it like a fish to water and with no prodding whatsoever set her character up as an itinerant Goddess of Marriage, Home, and Fertility. That¡¯s when things got fun for the couple. Creating blessings and titles to insert into the holy repertoire of the new religion of Elan and tinkering with them so that Jonathan would receive at least one of them when logging in was easy since Ellen was more interested in fine tuning graphics and AI engines. Of course, one of Ellen¡¯s duties was to welcome the select few beta players personally. It shocked Ellen to no end when Jonathan showed up, and she muddled through her speech trying to give a feel of being nothing more than an AI. She secretly hoped he would choose to be an Elven character because when she wasn¡¯t playing goddess in the game, her character was in the elven territories under a glamour so the locals wouldn¡¯t freak out over the one goddess that could ensure their low birthrates were a thing of the past. At first the devious couple didn¡¯t see the coding mistake that allowed Jonathan¡¯s male character to receive a female only title, but when he finally logged in and the code forced him to the town they were waiting in, they started a new game. One of their goals was to eventually get Jonathan and Ellen into the same village and they had hacked the system to create a new tracking spell they targeted on their poor boss. There was no sense of shame or remorse for the tracking spell because Ellen frequently made their lives many times more difficult when they were at the office and they had already loaded a patched version of the game onto the W.I.F.E. modules they and Ellen owned that gave them administrative access and virtual coding tools. However, they needed a way to get her attention if she didn¡¯t follow to the village while the unsuspecting Jonathan was getting started. After a few in-game days, they¡¯d had enough of waiting around and tinkered again with the items and titles they had prepared out of boredom. It was partly Jonathan¡¯s fault that they did it, rationally speaking, because the racial blend he created made it very easy for them to place him in that old manga stereotype of a ¡°trap¡±. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Using the ¡°trap¡± technique, they couple was going to ensure Jonathan ended up in the same village as Ellen who would be able to lift the title in theory and release him from the curses they bound him with. Then Ellen found them on their way to another village. It also turned out she found a bug with the title system due to their meddling. The Elan titles were permanent but could be upgraded. Ellen wasted no time creating a hierarchy in the titles were Elan¡¯s Chosen because the title for the high priestess and required a female character and converted automatically to the high priest¡¯s title of Elan¡¯s Servant when her chosen hero was male. The effect caused an immediate update of Jonathan¡¯s titles and enabled the two blessing spells. Next she repaired his names and set them using a goddess level ceremony spell. Finally, she had to toss in the new skills for quick change and clothing transformation to remove the cursed female clothing items from the idiot. This is where we left off with Drake, of course, but Elan is another story. She is mortified by the behavior of her supposedly mature coders and forced the blessings upon them in the game including requiring the game character to give birth to twins and since they''d enjoy it anyway, a special additional blessing she called "Faithful Bed" requiring bedroom arts to be performed at least once a month or it would slow their health and mana recovery. When the blessing take effect, Jack and Rya see a notice from their W.I.F.E. unit:
WIFE Unit received Special Instructions from virtual programming terminal.
Code validated and accepted. Modifying maintenance protocols.
Enjoy your W.I.F.E. Unit adventures.
While puzzled, but unconcerned they dismiss the notice as normal since Virtual Beds did warn them that updates may be uploaded to the unit periodically. Virtual Beds on the other hand received a notice indicating that Barnes device has been updated requiring half-immersion monthly with fertility assistance from the nanites. Seeing as the couple was legally married and a pair of excellent programmers, the monitoring technician approved the code change and put a success monitor on their account. After all, they are in the alpha test group. [10] Training Complete After some time, he got most of the play written down and notices it needed two actors. He writes his name by the main character. After reviewing the play, it calls for a woman as the second character, but he¡¯s still fed up with the idiot couple and writes in Jack. He was rewarded with a simple prompt:
You have created a play, however, you do not have the skill tree that contains playwright or director at this time. Should you successfully direct this play in front of an audience with good responses, you have a chance to unlock the Theatre Skills tree.
The scene was simple enough, a man talking to friends at dinner asking two questions of a woman, and getting generic responses. Actually, the only reason a woman is the second character was because of the name written for the character at the end of the play where it read ¡®And he talked with Lucy for the rest of the meal.¡¯ To test his play, at dinner he looks over to Jack and asks the questions. Tonight, he did not get the answers he wanted. So he repeats this process over the next few days until out of frustration, Jack actually answers him properly. At the end of the meal, he asks Jack if ¡®Lucy¡¯ enjoyed the meal getting a positive reply before his target blinks at him a few times. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this message I just received?¡± Drake¡¯s message window blocks his view:
Skill Tree Theatre unlocked.
Acquired Sub-Skill Director. Main Skill Theatre. Allows you to produce plays, robberies, and major public events. Allows you to assign actors to roles. Gives bonuses to memorization skills.
Aquired Sub-Skill PlayWright. Main Skill Theatre. As your skill increases, you can write increasingly believable and complex plays. Actors will receive teleprompter lines in the corner of their vision when skills reach intermediate level. Skill increases based on reception of play when performed.
Acquired Sub-Skill Casting. Main Skill Theatre. Assign actors to roles. Allows you to hold auditions to override any role assigned by a Director. Practicing plays increases skills in addition to actual production. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.[tr][td]Acquired Sub-Skill Memorization. Main Skill Reading. As your skill level increases, you will require less time to memorize text you read. [System assist available for text memorized by character but not user]
Because you used the pre-existing environment, you did not acquire the Theatre Sub-Skill ¡®Blocking¡¯ or the Carpentry Sub-Skill ¡®Construction¡¯.
Jack is still asking about the pop up he got as Drake finally clears all the messages. ¡°Why does it say I earned 3 fame for playing the role of ¡®Lucy¡¯ in the play ¡®Dinner with Friends?¡¯¡± Drake grins, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m trying to earn the profession or classes relating to Actors and Theatres. I guess you earned a side benefit. Here¡¯s the script.¡± He passes a loose copy of the script to Jack. ¡°By the way, watch your back or you may be in for a few more surprises as my skills increase.¡± ¡°Well, We¡¯ve finally made it to the Moon Elves¡¯ village. You can finally turn in the quests and request your class or professions. We¡¯ll see you when you are ready to leave town, I doubt you¡¯ll have issues here with your Elven and Fairy lineage so I doubt Elan will punish me.¡± With that, Jack and Rya enter the inn across from the guild. Drake could guess what they were going to do and wonders if Rya¡¯s fertility blessing will be kicking in under the game rules. --I''m sorry this is so short, but it''s time to start creating something OP. I''ll be posting his stats and skills page next chapter and it should have a real fight scene with a new character. There are still other unmentioned skills that he will acquire that will be extremely useful and likely confusing. Please call me on it if I mess up something. [Information] Dreslief here, I know, quite obvious. However, after reviewing a couple of the comments and trying to ensure the direction I had pictured for the story, I will be reviewing each of the chapters so far for potential rewrite or expanded content. I will remove and update this chapter as I progress through this process. I will also be spreading out dialog as requested earlier. If you have specific questions or ideas for an existing chapter, please proceed to that chapter post haste and make those questions and comments known. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. If you haven''t figured it out, Drake will become something akin to an actor that has access to the skills of the races, genders, and classes he disguises himself as. This will become OP of course if he obtains a suitably broad range of skills and classes. So please, on the skill and stat page, make suggestions of skills, roles, and subplots. As for Jonathan''s real world.... I''ll let you know as time goes on. [11] Beta Interlude Jack, Rya, and Ellen sit at a conference table in the real world. ¡°Ellen, we were just having fun. We didn¡¯t mean to go so far.¡± ¡°Yeah, right. I had to create a new skill tree to remove the locked gender dependent equipment and curses. What were you thinking?¡± Jack responds, ¡°Two idiots in life needed to be toyed with.¡± Rya winced. It was exactly the wrong thing to say. Ellen states, ¡°Well, two idiots in programming have been restricted on their access for the next few weeks and made in game slaves of their ¡®toy¡¯. Now, give me a real reason for toying with him!¡± Rya spoke up, ¡°You. You are a domineering boss and we¡¯ve had almost no time to ourselves working nearly eighty hours a week to get the game ready for beta because you¡¯ve been mooning over a boy you saw on the bus. I know you¡¯re only eighteen, but still, be professional here!¡± Ellen¡¯s face reddens quickly. ¡°Regardless, all you had to do was log off when you hit forty hours. You two advanced the schedule by more than a year because you thought I wasn¡¯t doing anything but wishing for a guy? Admittedly, he¡¯s just my type!¡± Rya starts feeling sick. ¡°But you didn¡¯t have to curse our characters with twins! Do you know how annoying it is now to play with a pregnant character? And something strange is going on with our VR equipment now! It¡¯s consuming nutrients too fast!¡± Ellen shakes her head. ¡°What does your VR equipment have to do with anything? It¡¯s only your character that¡¯s cursed, and we don¡¯t own that equipment.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Jack mumbles ¡°But we sent you and him the same equipment and if something¡¯s wrong with ours¡­¡± Ellen answers, ¡°There have been no problems with that pod. Seriously though, why name it a Wife Pod?¡± Rya tries to change the topic. ¡°We¡¯ve brought him to the town you adventure in when not playing goddess. I figure you can help him get to the Fairy capital to cure the curse Jack put on him. After all, we never created the curse to change someone¡¯s gender, so the worst that should really have happened was him getting ennobled as a prince or duke and having to learn statecraft or how to be a general. We thought those would be perfect jobs for someone who caught the eye of a goddess.¡± ¡°Well fat lot of good that did. His character is now primed for an actor, not a noble. At least a noble¡¯s a title either way.¡± Good afternoon. I thought I would push a few more behind the scenes details as Ellen is finally let in on what''s really behind the treatment of her love interest. However, we still don''t know if Jonathan even likes Ellen or is aware that she is something attainable. PS, I still don''t trust Jack and Rya with their nerfed access since they have ties with the pod''s production team. [12] Lord Mulwine In the village of Mulwine, the Halfling adventurer trio is checking into the guild. The guild is virtually empty being midday except for the staff and a wood elf referred to as Aeswind. To Drake, she seems hauntingly familiar. Turning in his requests and selling the spoils from their hunting trips, he sees an opportunity to play with Jack and Rya some with a request for a temporary maid and butler. He submits the note and drew up a little play using Jack and Rya. Signaling them, they go to a clothing store and he he chooses several outfits for them to wear on the assignment. He also wears a butler outfit while they approach the residence of the lord. A creepy grin flashes across Drake¡¯s face when neither Jack or Rya are looking because he noticed that he got a disguise skill called ¡°costumer¡± during his shopping expedition and a popup for the actor class. At the lord¡¯s mansion, Drake finds out one small problem with the request. ¡°I can accept one butler and one maid, but I still need a second maid for the duration. Is there another member of your party?¡± Before another issue could come up, Rya beams, ¡°No, but I have a friend in town. Permit me to fetch her.¡± Rya runs off before Jake could respond. In the meantime, Drake works out a deal so that Jack can be the stable¡¯s new groom for the duration of the contract. It only takes half an hour for Rya to return with Frell, an Elven bard, outfitted and dressed for the contract. Drake does a double take mistaking Frell at first for the Goddess Elan. Frell blushes at Drake¡¯s review of her. The team complete, they are finally shown into the central hall. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe how difficult it is to get Elven help these days. There¡¯s been all these demented humans in town. Can you believe it? Humans looking for work in an Elven town? Only one out of a hundred have nature magic and even less are graceful enough to trust not to break things. Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯ll have to report you if you steal anything.¡± Drake mentally sighs. A second quest he picked up earlier today requested an investigation into the lord for false charges of theft. He hasn¡¯t let the others know yet and does so over the party chat while asking if Frell wants to add him to her friends list.
Dreslief here, Short chapter I know. I''ve started a new act with the Beta Interlude and Lord Mulwine. If you have a plot for Drake''s little play, or suggestions about the thefts, feel free to comment.... After all, I''ve been stuck with writer''s block for a bit. Also, the IRL acts may be popping up a little more.... Any data from outside the game you want to hear about... let me know. [13] Mulwines Mysterious Theives Sorry about the delay. I had to draft the mystery and manor so that I can plan the next few chapters. Btw, big fan of mysteries sitting at the Troll''s computer this past month. -- Dreslief After the employment is settled with the Lord''s staff, our group of beta testers go to the left servant''s wing off the dining room. Drake begins to define the secondary task he picked up at the guild. "This morning, when I selected the task, the guild master specifically offered a second one to me. His daughter has gone missing. Not only her, however, but almost every adventure who has come here to fill in as staff while they are short handed. Each missing adventurer is also reported to have stolen from the Lord, which given their ratings and who they are, is quite out of character. Three of us have blessings that prevent us from being forced into slavery, one of the ways this can happen. This is important because the only adventurers who returned from Lord Mulwine''s were also similarly blessed. So before we begin our tasks, Frell, are you blessed in such a way? If so, I can provide you with such a blessing from Elan... although, some would see it a curse. It depends on what you think of monogamy. It falls under the ''attempts to force relationships'' clause of the blessing''s restrictions. As such it can also cancel slavery contracts and invalidates brothel ones since they can only have one partner while the blessing is active. As far as I can tell, it''s active until death since it also invokes the marriage system when you finally get down to the night business." Frell only smiles. "Already have that blessing. It seems I received it once when praying in Elan''s sanctuary. So is there anything else you know about these thefts and disappearances?" "Only that no one has left the village, not even a wagon of goods. The total count is a dozen missing. Judging by the staff I''ve seen, it''s possible they are all here disguised and enslaved. The only way we are going to find out, however, is if we fulfill the primary task of interim help." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. After this, Frell and Rya proceed to the right wing quarters, which were ostensibly the female barracks. The first thing to accomplish was getting a map and list of staff and the household. It turns out, Lord Mulwine is single since no woman has met his requirements. He''s also very fastidious and does not indulge in his maids or the local brothels. It is easy to see the true reason for being short staffed within a few minutes of being shown around. There''s nothing of value in the manor and the cellar is completely empty. He couldn''t afford a brothel or to dispose of a loose maid. He barely has enough to feed the staff and himself. It seems that the staff has to work two jobs each. Frell will be both in the kitchen and the garden, Rya will be cleaning and feeding the cattle, Jack will be both the stable boy and driver. Apparently, this leaves Drake as a butler and poison tester (I mean cook, really I do) working with Frell. The house is setup in a very simplistic fashion: mirrored left and right. Going against the grain, the family rooms are the four bedrooms at the front of the house, the least defensible and shabbiest looking rooms, if you ask Drake. Frell thinks the light and bushes look pretty. At the rear is the kitchen, cellar, pantry and dance floors (two of them, an upper elite floor and the bottom common one). --Short, again. But now, each of my detectives can play. I may even have Drake pull out a Sherlock Holmes deerstalker cap or give a bowler and mustache to Jake like Poirot (He''s just not as good at the Belgian accent though). Dreslief, Troll of Mystery (at least this week) [14] Jack, Cattle, and Barns Jack, naturally, was both annoyed and bored with this quest as soon as they reached the estate.Drake''s explanation did nothing to improve his mood since he was more of a hack-n-slash adventurer than a mystery buff. Another point of annoyance was that only Elaine would''ve created a quest of this type, if it was intentional, which meant anything could be a clue to solving it. Take for example, the cattle were skittish only in the far corner of the barn. if he''d setup the quest, there''d be a goblin hiding there waiting to kill him. But for her, it''d probably be a bad odor, unstable floor, or a weird noise. Of course, this meant a tedious search, which was so much more difficult in VRas compaired to point-n-click or text mode games. Jack finally set to the tasks required of him. The quick notifiation window confirmed the basics of being the field hand and reminded him to workout more on his next trip back to reality. The bed-like device for his simulator allowed for extended game time, but did not always affect his build or strength. Since the real quest involved the corner, and hopefully some fighting, he chose to muck that stall first.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He noticed runes almost immediately carved into the stall walls and floor. Having developed the runological systems for the back story, he was able to read them and discovered that if a condition was met when the complete rune was obtained, a person would trigger a trap door somewhere, he supposed, in the mansion. Aside from the runes, nothing else of note was located and the trigger conditon appeared to be located in another part of the estate. He however, took no notice of the runes attempting to copy themselves to his neck invisibly. It was a fraction of a high level spell to be sure and he could well appreciate the complexity of it. After finishing for the day, and a very unenventful dinner with the others, he hoped the remaining time on this quest was less than two days - mainly so he wouldn''t attempt to kill Drake. [Appendix 1] Title and Skills Cheat Sheet
Elan¡¯s Chosen"Charisma bonus based on total proficiency in female specific skills. +200% bonus toward female specific skill levels. Chance to absorb proficiency from male skills. -200% skill development toward male based skills. Can lose proficiency in male skills to matching female skills."Title
Elan¡¯s Servant"Charisma bonus based on total proficiency in current gender specific skills. +200% bonus toward gender specific skill levels. Required to bless marriages and fertility when requested."Title
Perfect Birther"During pregnancy, you cannot be killed. Your child is protected from physical and mental harm until it is weaned. Your child has 50% curse resistance until weaned."Title
Angharradh¡¯s Child"As a descendant of the Moon Elf tribe, Elven blessings increase your blood heritage. Each percentage of heritage increases mana toward Elven maximum. +10% skill development bonus to Elven and Royal Elven Skill trees. At 33% Elven heritage: muscles become 5x denser than fat increasing Charisma. Chance of physical changes. At 45% Elven heritage: Wood Shaping skill tree open. At 45% Elven heritage: Royal Skills tree open. At 66% Elven heritage: Night Vision skill is at maximum. At 66% combined Elven and Fairy Heritage: Disguise skill tree open. Skin coloring tends toward brown or green."Title
Tayana''s Representative"Unique Cursed Title obtained from ""Royal Fairy Curse"". Effects of Royal Fairy Curse: +10% skill development bonus to Fairy and Royal Fairy Skill trees. Sidhe Council members can assign mandatory quests. Fairy Ancestors may be drained of their power resulting in increased blood heritage. At 33% Fairy heritage racial skill [trait] unlocked: Dust Production. At 45% Fairy heritage: Night Vision skill learned. At 45% Fairy heritage: Royal Skills tree open. At 66% Fairy heritage racial skill [trait] unlocked: Size Shift. At 66% Fairy heritage royal skill [trait] unlocked: Summon Wings. At 66% Combined Elven and Fairy Heritage: Disguise skill tree open. Skin coloring tends toward brown or green."Title
Dust Production [Passive]"Crystalized Mana Dust, commonly called [Fairy Dust], will fall from you during extreme movement or sleep. This dust is a highly sought after crafting resource kept under lock and key by the Sidhe Council as only high nobles and royals have a chance of inheriting this trait. Having this trait may make you a highly sought after prize by slavers, magicians, and alchemist. You are safest in a Fairy kingdom. Permanently reduces usable mana by twenty five. Cannot be disabled. Spoiler : Learned in Chapter 6"Novice 1/10
Fairy Dance ¨C Ladies¡¯ Form [Passive]"This dance is primarily used by Fairy and Elven Nobles during banquets and large gatherings. Cannot learn Fairy Dance - Gentlemen''s Form while enabled. Cannot be disabled by Women. Owning this skill increases to manners, grace, balance, and seduction based skill trees. Spoiler : Learned in Chapter 6"Novice 1/10
Seduction [Active]"Uses Charisma and Luck stats to influence others to follow your lead. 5 Mana per target. Skill Tree: Increases learning speed of Sub Skills based on proficiency."Novice 1/10
Seduction: Sultry Walk [Passive]"Requires high heels. Enhances Charisma Stat. When active decreases stealth skills around men. Skill increases automatically by walking, bending, or dancing when wearing high heels. Can only be disabled by removing high heels. 0 Mana. Sub Skill: Mana is pulled from cost of Skill Tree. If cost exceeds total absorbed by Skill Tree, Skill Tree is cast again."Novice 3/10
Disguise [Active]"Alters appearance of self or target. Enables profession options of: Noblewoman [Female] (requires Nobility Title), Maid [Female], Manservant [Male], Thief, and Actor. 10 Mana. Skill Tree: Increases learning speed of Sub Skills based on proficiency."Novice 3/10
Disguise: Cosmetics [Active]"Enables use of waxes, pollens, dusts, and powders to enhance or disguise facial features. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.5 Mana. Sub Skill: Mana is pulled from cost of Skill Tree. If cost exceeds total absorbed by Skill Tree, Skill Tree is cast again."Novice 5/10
Disguise: Hairdresser [Active]"Enables use of wigs, rods, ornaments, and dyes to enhance or change hair on target. 5 Mana. Sub Skill: Mana is pulled from cost of Skill Tree. If cost exceeds total absorbed by Skill Tree, Skill Tree is cast again."Novice 1/10
Disguise: Quick Change [Active]"Cannot be used in battle. When hidden from view, invoke by saying ¡®Change <>¡¯. Current roles: Beginner (utilizes lowest quality accessories and clothing for missing pieces) [Active Gender], Fairy Peasant [Female], Human Peasant [Male], Elf (Light Armor) [Male]. 5 Mana. Sub Skill: Mana is pulled from cost of Skill Tree. If cost exceeds total absorbed by Skill Tree, Skill Tree is cast again."Novice 1/10
Disguise: Clothing Transformation [Passive]"Your gender is determined by the clothes and armor you are wearing. Beginner clothes and removing all clothes do not affect gender. Piece replacement in an incomplete set will be dependent on gender at time of invocation. Female form will have waist length hair. Gender skills automatically switch available and enabled statuses appropriately. Caution: Becoming pregnant prevents usage of male clothing and armor sets. Caution: All passive skills for current gender will be automatically enabled. You must disable skills you are not using. 5 Mana - Invoked automatically if role is for opposite gender. Sub Skill: Mana is pulled from cost of Skill Tree. If cost exceeds total absorbed by Skill Tree, Skill Tree is cast again."Novice 1/10
Riding [Passive]"Allows user to ride suitably sized pets and familiars. Skill Tree: Increases learning speed of Sub Skills based on proficiency. Passive Skill Tree: No mana is used in this skill tree."Novice 3/10
Riding: Side Saddle [Passive]Allows you to ride appropriate mounts as a dignified woman.Novice 5/10
Blades [Passive]"Allows usage of bladed weapons. Skill Tree: Increases learning speed of Sub Skills based on proficiency. Passive Skill Tree: No mana is used in this skill tree."Novice 6/10
Blades: Knives [Passive]Close combat knife skills.Novice 2/10
Blades: Duel Wield [Passive]Use both hands to wield blades. Does not apply to shield based weapons.Novice 2/10
Blades: Sword [Passive]"Standard sword skills. Skill Tree: Increases learning speed of subskills based on proficiency."Novice 1/10
Holy [Active]"Skill Tree: Increases learning speed of subskills based on proficiency. Mana Costs are not shared."N/A
Holy: Elan [Active]"Affinity for Family Magic granted by the Goddess of Marriage, Home, and Fertility. Recipients of a Blessing of Elan cannot be compelled to perform marital and bedroom arts. Automatically breaks and prevents slavery and brothel contracts (See Warning). You are automatically bound by the skills and/or blessings as a result of learning it if appropriate. Those blessed by Elan cannot wear stolen armor or clothing. Those blessed by Elan cannot wear clothing looted from corpses. Warning: Attempting to force relationships upon the blessed will result in a curse of Elan¡¯s choosing. Skill Tree: Increases learning speed of subskills based on proficiency. Mana Costs are not shared."1%
Holy: Elan: Fertility Blessing [Active]"Invoked by kissing woman¡¯s forehead or hand after calling on Elan. Blessing can only be given to a willing woman. Next attempt to at bedroom arts ensure pregnancy. Confers title ""Perfect Birther"". Both would be parents must be in agreement or activities will be prevented. If Matrimony blessing is already present, agreement between husband and wife has been given already. 50 Mana (Paid for invocation, not status change of woman)."Novice 1/10
Holy: Elan: Matrimony Blessing [Active]"Proclaim that Elan has recognized a couple. Couple must already agree to have children with each other. Enforces couple to only be able to perform marital duties and bedroom arts with each other until separated by death. First child will be female. False couples will have this blessing enforced upon their existing or next lovers. 50 Mana"Novice 1/10
Help... I''ve been side tracked on both my fictions... I need help to figure out where this story goes as I finish my jam packed schedule of training for a new career. Writer is only a hobby... Be aware, I do not plan to rewrite the chapters but I need a bit of direction. I foresee the current arc as a bit of mystery involving the MC''s ability to disguise allowing both gender and species change. You may comment on any future disguises, personalities or new characters that may help finish this arc or be used in another.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Please comment below for your overburderned troll, Dreslief.