《Realm of Legend》 Chapter 1: A New World Prologue The first timid thoughts swirled around in the emptiness like a mist struggling to form just to be blown away by the wind. Its juvenile mind unable to comprehend the vastness of the reality in which it found itself. With time, that mist began to coalesce, an intricate swirl of thoughts and emotions forming and dissolving. It became aware of another presence that occupied this vast expanse around it. The presence appeared to have been observing the newly born being for quite some time. With a suddenness thoughts were pressed into the beings consciousness. "I am your creator". Immediately following these thoughts, images and knowledge flowed into the being. "You will create a world for my children¡ªA world according to my directions". The being shuddered with fear at what was happening, receding back into itself. Desperately it tried to escape this powerful presence by fleeing into the unknown expanse surrounding it, but the presence was everywhere. It soon became apparent that there was nowhere to escape. The pain that came after encompassed its entire being. The mist that made up its thoughts began to disperse. Its consciousness dissolving back into basic thoughts to escape the pain. As suddenly as the pain began, it stopped,and the presence once again spoke, saying: "Lets try this again¡ªnow that you understand how things are". Chapter 1 A New World Levi looked up from the ground and saw the smiling face of his opponent looking down at him. "Levi, what''s wrong with you today? Its like you''re not even trying." Abbie mumbled, leaning over to help him up. Levi opened his mouth to inhale deeply and began to panic. He couldn''t breath. He tried again without success and his face started to go red. "Are you okay?" Abbie immediately got down onto her knees, looking apprehensive. With one big breath, the air finally rushed back in his lungs; and rolling over, he started coughing. " Ah; you got me good there." "It''s your own fault." Abbie commented, standing up and returning to starting position. "What kind of a block was that? It''s like you weren''t paying attention at all." How can I focus when the coolest game in the world is coming out tomorrow? He thought to himself. Slowly, Levi stood up and fixed his sparring equipment. He had better focus if he didn''t want to end up on the floor again. Although Abbie was a good deal smaller than him, she a sleight 5''4" and him 5''8", her technique was solid and her kicks felt like steel. Levi fell into a loose fighting stance bouncing lightly on his toes. Levi had a fighters body; although naturally on the thinner side, he had filled out from years of mixed martial arts. To his consternation, though, this twig of a girl still managed to keep up to him. They, together, easily outfought the rest of the class and thus became sparring partners habitually. Scooting forward with light steps, Levi started testing her defence with light jabs. Abbie grinned at him tauntingly as her body seemed to glide smoothly back and forth, avoiding his advances--soft pressure from her hands redirected whatever strikes she couldn''t avoid. A sense of both admiration and frustration filled him as he watched her weave her little body around his always seemingly just out of reach. She was majestic--a fairy dancing to some inner beat. With a sigh Levi immersed himself into her rhythm subtly guiding her in her dance. Abbie stopped as she found herself in a corner with Levi at the only exit. Seeing what he was trying to do, Abbie burst towards the right trying desperately to escape his trap. Levi grinned. He launched into his offensive, striking with his fists as she came into range to get past him. Bobbing her head she barely ducked beneath one of his strikes intent on reaching safety. ¡°She fell for it.¡± Levi thought to himself as he released a snap kick at her abdomen that she couldn¡¯t possibly avoid. The punches had been mostly decoys to set up the kick to the body but as his leg shot out Abbie reversed direction seemingly in defiance of the laws governing momentum. Levi could only gape in awe at her incredible footwork. Before he knew it she was behind him. Her counter attack was immediate and he soon felt her small fists start to connect with his kidney. Ignoring the pain, he realized he had to change the situation immediately. Instantly dropping to the floor he heard her heel snap where his head had been. In that instant he spun and swept her leg from under her. Coming over to her prone body, Levi couldn''t help taunting her. "Who was the one who wasn''t paying attention again?" Abbie looked at him with her chest heaving and put on a pouting face. He walked over and held out his hand to help her up, but in that instant her leg swept out and the next thing he saw was the ceiling as his legs came out from under him. "Hahaha" she giggled looking over at him. He turned over and realized that because of how he fell her face was right next to his. She was looking at him with a thoughtful expression, her blue eyes moving over his face. Blond hair radiated out in a halo around her head. Its ends tickled his cheek, causing imperceptible shivers to radiate through him. To cover how awkward he felt, Levi smiled and said. "Well I guess I deserved that". He stood up and reach out his hand. "Yes, you did." she said. This time accepting his outstretched hand. "But you really have been spacing out today. Is everything ok?" He smiled at her. "Ya everything is fine, and no, I don''t want to talk about it because you will just call me a nerd." Sticking out her tongue for a second, she put on a sweet innocent face. "When have I ever done that?" He looked at her skeptically and replied. "Do you even expect me to answer that?" "I wont call you a nerd. I promise." As Levi turned to leave, Abbie hopped after him with her cute innocent expression still plastered on her face. "Please." Giving up, Levi faced her again. "Fine, I''m really excited about a new game that co...".Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "Ughh...nerd!" She whispered under her breath with an evil smile on her face. Before Levi could make any complaints though, the buzzer signalling the end of sparring time, as well as the end of class went off. He decided it wasn''t worth it and so he continued walking in the direction where people were heading to the change rooms. "I didn''t mean it." He heard Abbie call after him but he just kept walking. Once in the change room, he quickly went over to his backpack and pulled out his clothes. He didn''t like changing in front of others because he felt self conscious, a habit left over from before he had filled out, so he went into the stall and quickly changed from his white gi into a pair of black sweat pants and a grey shirt. On the way out, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn''t tall, but he wasn''t too short either. His black hair hung down barely covering his ears and would sometimes brush into his eyes, causing him to blow it away with a puff of air. His face was average, not bad looking but a little on the gaunt side. His only really redeeming feature were his eyes which were a light brown that overlaid a deep green. The green was revealed the moment light reflected in them. This gave an extremely captivating appearance when moving through light and dark areas. Coming out of the change room, he noticed Abbie leaning against the wall. She had already changed and appeared to be waiting for him. "Do you want to hang out? Me,Sera and some friends were planning to go to a movie. Your welcome to join us if you want." Abbie had always been popular at school, which made it a bit uncomfortable for Levi because he was shy to the point where it made him come off as a jerk. The only reason he was friends with Abbie was that they had been next door neighbours since they were kids. His parents worked a lot, so Abbie''s mother would often take care of him. "Nah, I think I''ll pass. You have fun, though." Levi answered, walking out the doors to the gym with Abbie right behind him. "You sure? It will be fun!" She pleaded. "I have some things that I need to do tonight. Your mom has invited me over for dinner Sunday night. My parent will be out of town for the week on a business trip. We can hang out Sunday after dinner." "Ok, see you then." she said giving him a smile and a quick hug before running off to her car. As her car left the parking lot, Levi started jogging in the direction of his house. He couldn''t contain his excitement. He had been waiting for a year for the virtual reality MMO game "Realm of Legend Online" Boasting some new VR technology,it was supposed to look, feel, smell and sound exactly like real life. They even claimed that it could speed up your cognitive processes making time appear to pass faster in the game world. Essentially 3 days in the game equalled 1 outside. On top of that, it had endless content, as well as boasting some of the most lifelike NPCs in the history of game making. This game was going to be the biggest game ever created and Levi had all summer vacation to relax and enjoy it. Unfortunately, the game designers didn''t release very much info about the game specifics. There were a few videos of inside the world but as for classes, races, and abilities nothing was released. "Oh well." Levi thought to himself. "It would make it more interesting to learn everything as he went." One thing they did specify was that you could make real money by playing the game. Rounding the corner, Levi came into view of his house. He felt a little bit guilty that he had not told the complete truth to Abbie about being busy tonight. It wasn''t as if he lied, though. He had to start the download on his VR systems so that it would be done downloading by 12 am tomorrow morning. He wanted to start playing as soon as it became available. Entering the house, he immediately ran up to his room and started the download. Now he just had to make dinner then he would take a short nap until it was 12 O''clock. ..................................................................................................................................................................................... Beep! Beep! Beep! With sleepy eyes Levi turned off his phone alarm. Because of his excitement, he hadn''t gone to bed until about an hour ago. "Yay for 1 hour of sleep." He thought to himself. He opened up what at first glance looked like a suntanning bed. Laying down gently, he slipped the headset on and attached nodes to key points on his body. He then closed the cover and pressed the start button. Immediately, his body and surroundings dissolved. Even the feeling of his back resting against the console faded away into nothing. "Hello and Welcome to Realm of Legend Online. You are the 534,889th player to log in. I am Jane the A.I. responsible for world creation. You currently have one race unlocked. Human. You may only have one character at a time. Upon character death or creating a new character your previous character will be deleted. Would you like to continue?" ¡°Apparently this game is automatically on iron man mode¡± Levi thought to himself. "Yes." ¡°You may now alter your character stats. The average human has a base stat of 25 for every category with a maximum of 50 without any special traits. Choose your stats with care because they not only determine your starting ability but your potential for growth in that stat as well.¡± As Jane spoke a display appeared showing his stats. Strength: 25 Agility: 25 Intelligence: 25 Perception: 25 Tenacity: 25 Most of the stats seemed pretty straight forward but Levi had never seen any stat like Tenacity before. ¡°Jane. What does Tenacity do?¡± ¡°Tenacity is the ability to resist pain and mental intrusion.¡± ¡° Wait! What? Resist pain? Was it joking?¡± Levi was used to taking a beating in martial arts so he wasn¡¯t too worried. He would just play as a ranged sniper or sneaky scout who wouldn¡¯t get hit very much. This was his preference in games anyway making the choice an easy one. he immediately took 24 points off Tenacity and 1 points off intelligence. He then took the extra points gained from doing this and put them into perception. Strength: 25 Agility: 25 Intelligence: 24 Perception: 50 Tenacity: 1 After double checking that his stats were what he wanted he said ¡°done¡±. "Your character''s appearance will be formed using a mental image of yourself." Jane answered. With that, his body appeared before him with his spirit self slowly rotating around to get a view from all angles. "Would you like to make any alterations?" "No." "What would you like to call yourself?" Levi thought about it for a second but decided to go with the name he always used. "Aphaelus" He answered. "Ok Aphaelus. In the game to access the menu and tutorials cross your index and middle fingers. After character creation, you will be randomly sent to one of the human controlled cities of this world. Do you have any questions?" "No." "In that case, you are now ready to start Realm of Legend Online. Good Luck." With that, Levi was instantly transported into the middle of what appeared to be a crowded market place. It was overwhelming. The huge scope of people moving around was beyond his comprehension. More than anything else it was his senses. Everything seemed more real than before entering the game. The cobblestone street was more crisp in his vision, the sounds and smells of the city completely overwhelming him. He just stood there in the middle of a medieval city, with what looked like innumerable people passing him as they went about their daily life. If he hadn''t just put on his VR headset, there wouldn''t have been a person in the world that could have convinced him that he wasn''t just transported back in time but with the senses of a wild animal. He was soon shoved from behind as someone bumped into him. "Hey, watch it! Why are you Standing in the middle of the road?" The Man, who just bumped into him, shouted. "Sorry." Levi mumbled, quickly moving out of the way. After making his way to a safe spot on the roadside, Levi thought to himself: "Now what? A Brief Explanation on Game Mechanics Stats: the characteristics of a persons in game avatar. Stats do not change. They are the same at the end of the game as they were at character creation. Strength: Power of muscles, Precision of movement under strain of heavy weight. Dexterity: Speed of Movement,Precision of fine detailed movement Perception: Sensitivity and discernment/comprehension of senses. Intelligence: Data processing speed, memory, multitasking(an assist of the A.I as it doesn¡¯t directly effect your body.). Tenacity: Ability to resist succumbing to pain, ability to resist mental intrusion.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. proficiency: Proficiencies modify a stat by a percentage(increasing it by 1% at level 1 to100% at level 100) for a specific action or activity. Skill: A supernatural ability that bends the laws of this world. Health: The amount of points of damage you can take before your character dies. Everyone has 100 natural health regardless of level or stats. (Magic items can alter your base health) Pain: the amount of pain you feel is dictated by the tenacity stat. 1 would be 100 percent realism where as at 100(only possible with the combination of a base stat of 50 and level 100 painmitigation proficiency)you would only feel the discomfortnecessary to understand you were losing health(this includes exhaution from exercise). If you are forced tofeel sufficient pain to surpass the capthegames makes the avatar go unconscious and kicks the player from the gameto protect the players sanity. Chapter 2: The Captain Chapter 2 The Captain Jane, now having been named by the creator, Looked with astonishment, as millions of the creator''s children appeared one by one with great rapidity. She immediately had to split her consciousness innumerable times to keep up with the ever increasing children. Her task was to introduce them to life and help them form a body, before quickly sending them off into the world which she had created. At the same time she studied them. They were not like her¡ªwho also was a child of the creator. They appeared to have past experiences and showed no concern that they found themselves in the presence of an unknown being such as herself. It was as if they had lived before their creation, and had complete trust in the environment in which they found themselves. In essence they closely resembled the children she had created in this world¡ªwho had implanted memories, thus were unaware that they only recently came into being. The game menu came up with a flash as Levi crossed his fingers. Health bars appeared above everyone¡¯s head with the title NPC above. Levi scanned the crowd and soon found that he was not the only player on this street. Every now and then his eyes would pass over a name signifying that they were not NPCs. Closing the menu, he decided that it was funner to learn while playing--rather than sitting for a half an hour to read the tutorials. To his right there was a roadside vendor who sat weaving ornate fabric bracelets as he waited for customers. ¡° Sir, I am looking for work. Do you know where I might find some?¡± Levi said trotting over to the man. The man''s face fell as he realized Levi wasn''t likely going to be a customer. ¡°You¡¯re not from around here, are you, boy?¡± The man commented eyeing Levi. ¡°Nope. What gave me away?¡± The man ignored Levi and continued to talk. ¡°Work''s hard to find these days. Now that Lugarthan have stopped trade with all allies of the empire and with those Pale Lothorians scum raiding all our farming villages. What little we produce ourselves may not be enough to last the winter. To be completely honest with you boy, your best bet is to head south to the city of Letix. That is where most folk are going these days. After thinking for a second. He off offhandedly remarked. ¡°If you''re desperate enough, I hear thatGeneral Drixis recruiting fora militia to hunt down the Lothorians.¡± ¡°Who isDrix and how can I find him.¡± Levi asked, interested. The man raised an eyebrow, looking Levi over once more. ¡°When did you get to Dorlake boy?¡± ¡°I just arrived here today.¡± ¡°The militia is for men looking to die. You best go back to where you came from. Dorlake is no place to make a life.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really have much choice in the matter.¡± Levi said with a slight smile. ¡°Well, just remember when you lay dieing in a ditch somewhere that I warned you. Follow this road to its end. You''ll end up at the keep¡¯s wall. Outside the gates there is an area set aside for the barracks. You will find the people you need there.¡± The man had already turned away from Levi, shifting his attention back to his business. ¡°You have received a quest.¡± he heard Jane¡¯s voice whisper into his ear. ¡°If you choose to accept, find the militia and join its ranks. Reward: basic military recruit equipment.¡± Levi shot a quick glance at the merchant but he seemed oblivious of the voice that had just spoken. With a brief nod of thanks, that went unseen, Levi headed up the road as instructed. Within moments of commencing his walk up the bustling thoroughfare, the effects of the hostilities between the nations became apparent. These were not people happily going about their daily life, rather they had a hopeless air about them. It was as if there was some impending doom causing them to quickly go about their business to return to the safety of their homes. Despite this fact, the city really was beautiful. Old cobble streets wound their way up and around a majestic hill. The city itself was nestled in a curving cup of land that extended outward into an enormous lake. Works of great design were apparent in the old buildings that dotted the landscape every detail standing out to Levi¡¯s newly enhanced vision. The keep itself was sitting at the top¡ªshrouded by the morning mist in the distance. ¡°So, first on the agenda will be to join the army and become a war hero.¡± Levi thought grinning to himself. The road became less populated as he neared the keep, and soon he found himself in a district with sprawling expansive houses. Coming around the last bend, the gate of the keep finally came into view. To his left there appeared a huge building with what looked like a training area in the field next to it. Groups of men were doing drills hacking away at each other while their superiors looked on. At the front of the building two men were sitting behind a table with a line of people in front. ¡°That must be where you sign up for the militia.¡± he thought to himself. As he came to the end of the line, he couldn¡¯t help overhearing the people in front of him. They were obviously players. ¡°This game is so sweet! Did you see the blond in the market place?¡± A short man with a goatee said grinning hugely. ¡°Which one. They all have big boobs and nice asses?¡± The largest of the group asked feigning ignorance as to who he was talking about. ¡°I wonder if this game allows for sex?¡± Another one said. Levi tuned them out. He had heard a thousand such conversations while attending high school in his home town and felt no need to join them. In a few minutes Levi found himself at the front of the line being stared down by two burly men. ¡°Name?¡± The one on the left asked his voice devoid of enthusiasm. ¡°Aphaelus. Are either of you Drix? I''m looking to sign up for the militia.¡± ¡°haha. Looks like we have another clueless deadweight. Put him in the spear division under Eli.¡± The one on the rights said as the other noted down Levi¡¯s name and officer.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Umm, I would much rather be put with the archers.¡± Levi voiced hesitantly. The man who had just begun to turn away in boredom suddenly snapped his head back, eyes intent on Levi. ¡°What did you say?¡± He growled. ¡°Umm, nothing.¡± ¡°You do not have an opinion worth listening to. In fact I don''t want hear anything out of your mouth except yes sir. Is that understood?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Levi squeaked. ¡°Then report to your commanding officer soldier.¡± Giving the men a weak nod Levi practically ran from their presence. ¡°What had he gotten himself into?¡± It wasn''t until he had gone around the bend and had entered the flurry of activity that he realized he didn''t know where to find his contingent. Looking around, Levi noticed that the group of players that he had overheard earlier were just ahead of him. ¡°Hey wait up!¡± He called as he jogged up to them. ¡°Do you guy happen to know where I can find the spear contingent under Eli¡¯s command?¡± ¡°Ya , that''s where we¡¯re going as well. It should be up there around the corner.¡± The short guy with the goatee said pointing into the scurrying mass of people. ¡°Do you mind if I follow you guys? I¡¯m not the best with directions.¡± ¡°Sure thing. I''m Gosu. That''s Deadfall, Vicegrip, and the big guy is TeddybeaR. We met in other games and started hanging out because we don''t suck like most people. That might sound a little egotistical of me to say but you need to have someone you know won''t screw things up at the wrong moment. I''ve died to many times becausesome noob asscrappy playerwasn''t doing whathe wassupposed to.¡± ¡° Hey thanks. I¡¯m Aphaelus. I just got a little overwhelmed. This game is so intense.¡± Vicegrip spoke up. ¡°Its crazy cool though.¡± It doesn''t even seem to have built in attack patterns like other games. So anything goes. I bet you could even kick a guy in the balls and end the fight just like that. ¡°Shut it we¡¯re here.¡± TeddybeaR said motioning to a field full of men holding blunted practice spears. The captain stood in front of the group of men tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for the new comers to get in line with the rest of the soldiers. He was tall and slim with an air of almost femininity about him. In fact if Levi had seen any other women here at all he would have guessed the captain to be a girl. That being said, the worn leather armor and obvious fitness of the captain attested to the hours of training he must put in daily. ¡°Now that the late arrivals have finally graced us with their presence, we can begin teaching you the basics of spear work.¡± Said a decidedly feminine voice coming from the captain. ¡°He¡¯s a she!¡± Deadfall gasped in an entirely to loud whisper. Now that Levi had heard the voice, he glanced back at the captain. He was a she! She did a remarkable job at hiding her feminine figure. Either she had non-existent Breasts or she strapped them them down for training. Her black hair was braided then stuffed up into the leather cap and her face was a mess of dirt and sweat. Her hips though perhaps slightly more curvy than a mans were tempered by the lithe graceful looking muscle you think of when looking at predatory cats. If Levi had been in his body from real life he probably would never have noticed that she was a woman, but his senses in this place seemed to be on overload. It was as if his old self was a 90 year old with thick glasses and a hearing aid shoved into his ears. The captain continued talking as if Deadfall hadn''t spoken. ¡°If you lot weren¡¯t the scum off my boots we would have shields to go with these spears but life is never fair and equipment is dangerously low.¡± She bent over to pick up a short spear set on the ground beside her. Gosu immediately let out a suggestive whistle while her back was turned. She pivoted on the balls of her feet like a cat crouching ready to leap, fury evident on her face. ¡°You!¡± She said pointing at Levi--who was standing next to Gosu. ¡°Me sir?¡± At that Gosu and his friends started stifling giggles. ¡°Uh oh this is bad.¡± Levi thought to himself. ¡°Yes you. Apparently this group needs a demonstration on how important these basic spear skills will be to you when we actually see combat. Someone give him a spear.¡± One of the soldiers standing near Levi gave him a spear an empathetic look on his face. ¡°Crap, he knows I''m going to get destroyed. What can I do? I have no clue how to use a spear. Well I suppose I learned how to use a bo staff in martial arts. So I guess I''ll use it like a staff. My best chance is probably to act like I have no skill whatsoever and then surprise her. Levi walked over to the captain. It required all the willpower in Levi¡¯s being not to fall into a fighting stance with the captain radiating intent to mutilate all while smiling at him in a teacherly way. ¡°Haxlar will you kindly say go to start the combat?¡± The man, who had handed Levi a training spear, nodded and stepped between them with hand extended. He looked at the captain then at Levi and shouted go as he jumped out of the way. Her response was immediate as she sprung forward like a bullet spinning from the barrel of a gun. The point of her spear came rushing at Levi¡¯s chest and for a split second Levi regretted leaving himself so wide open for the sake of surprise. At the last second Levi was able to bring his staff into position. With his back arm extended above him and his forward arm down low. Levi caught the thrusting spear on his staff with a circular movement of his forward hand. Then, thrusting his forward hand upward while crouching he sent the powerful strike rushing just above his head. He immediately stepped in closing the distance to reduce her ability to stab with the spear effectively. Levi registered a look of shocked surprise on the captain''s face right before he spun pivoting on his toes. His forward hand slid down the staff as he spun until he held it like a baseball bat, a homerun strike hurtling at her exposed legs. Despite his certainty that his strike would land it barely connected as the captain did an impossible looking horizontal jump spin to avoid him completely sweeping her legs out from under her. She came out of the spin spear tip in the lead, thrusting toward Levi¡¯s exposed head. He was forced to dive to the right as he was still off balance from not connecting well with his baseball bat swing. He came out of the dive with a roll, spinning around to face his enemy and immediately fell into a ready stance. That is when he noticed two things. First: apparently he had landed the blow against the captain better than he thought because she was showing signs of pain--though well hidden. Second: his physical senses didn¡¯t appear to be only thing affected by his increased perception. Levi seem to be able to comprehend more fully the information given by those senses. The completion of each action became somewhat apparent from the root. Levi was shaken from his contemplation by one such observation. The captain had shifted her balance. She was coming, and she was coming much faster than before. The point of the spear came streaking toward his face but it didn¡¯t feel right. Her spear said look at me but her base said look down low. In an act of trust, Levi immediately lowered the end of his spear to defend his leg. At the exact same instant the spear that had been heading toward his face warped and bending snapped like a whip at his front leg. He was too slow only managing to parry the strike after it had dealt him a glancing blow. The pain was the first thing that occurred to him. It felt like he had just been stabbed by the blunted end of a spear. Which is exactly what had happened. It felt so real. Which at this point wasn¡¯t a good thing. Before he had recovered from the unexpected realism of the pain another strike came hurtling at his abdomen. He tried to block it but only managed to shift the attack a little to the side. Immediately he doubled over feeling like he had to throw up. His bent over body heaved once threatening to release the contents of his digital stomach only to feel a sharp pain at the base of his neck. After that everything went black. Jane''s voice immediately sounded in his head. ¡°You have passed out due to your pain meter exceeding the cap allowance. You will remain in this state for 30 minutes. You may log out or remain here while you wait. ¡°Woops. Maybe Tenacity was important.¡± Levi thought to himself. ¡°Due to your actions during game play you have received the following proficiencies:¡± ¡°Proficiency: Staff(agility) 1%¡± ¡°Proficiency: Dodge Attack(agility) 1%¡± ¡°Proficiency: Combat Predictions(perception) 1%¡± ¡°Proficiency: Orienteering City(perception) 1%¡± ¡°Proficiency: Pain Mitigation Blunt Weapons(tenacity) 1%¡± ¡°Jane what is a proficiency?¡± Levi asked after a slight pause. ¡°Proficiencies modify a stat by a percentage,1% at level 1 to 100% at level 100, for a specific action or activity. So, when doing that specific activity your stat is increased by the percentage listed. Any more questions Aphaelus?¡± ¡°No that¡¯s everything.¡± ¡°Thank you Jane youv¡¯e been a big help.¡± After waiting for a few seconds with no response Levi let out a sigh and logged out. Chapter 3: Intrigue Chapter 3 Intrigue Levi sat munching on some carrots as he watched the sunrise outside his kitchen window. Even though he had only slept for one hour last night he came out of the game feeling completely rested. It was like the game just imbedded itself into his mind like a dream. ¡°Well that solves one problem at least. I can just play the game when I would normally be sleeping.¡± Levi didn¡¯t really have time issues at the moment which made that the least of his problems. More important was that he wasn¡¯t sure that he could take the kind of pain he felt, in the game, on a regular basis. ¡°Maybe I should just remake my character¡± Well if it became too much he figured he could just remake. Levi wasn¡¯t ready to give up just yet. With an inward sigh Levi finished his carrot and went back up to his room. As his room dissolved and was replaced with what looked like the inside of a tent, he realized his arms and legs we bound tightly with rope. Judging from the burning sensation when he moved, they had been that way for a while. ¡°What the heck? This is by far the strangest game I have ever played.¡± Stopping to examine his surroundings he heard movement from two people just outside the tent. ¡°Hey is anyone out there!¡± Levi yelled. A man decked out in leather momentarily stuck his head into the tent, revealing the night sky dotted with stars, then whispered to the other. ¡°He¡¯s awake. Go inform Captain Eli.¡± It seemed like forever until he heard the soft patter of people approaching the tent at a mildly fast pace. After a short pause the captain pushed her way into the tent and slowly came to stand in front of Levi. It was apparent that she had recently woken. Her braid, once stuffed into a leather cap, now trailed down her back. Gone was all the grime from the day¡¯s training. Her face though currently set in a frown had a pleasantness about it only found on people who did more smiling than otherwise. For what seemed like an eternity the captain just stared at Levi. It was just when Levi was wondering if he was expected to initiate the conversation that she spoke. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Um¡­ my name¡¯s Aphaelus?¡± Levi answered in a questioning tone. ¡°Don¡¯t playthe foolwith me!¡± She countered vehemently. ¡°Where do you come from? Who are you working for? No-one who knowscombat like you do just joins a militia. At the very least you''re a professional soldier.¡± She paused for a second before her gaze went hard. ¡°Or a spy.¡± Levi was shocked. The amount of realism in this game was astounding. It appeared that every action on his part was subject to scrutiny and had consequences. The captain did not act in any of the predictable ways he had anticipated of an NPC. Levi¡¯s mind froze. He wasn¡¯t very good at talking to real people. ¡°I think you¡¯re overreacting. I¡¯m not nearly as good as you say I am. I admit that I had some training as a child but in no way am I at the level of a professional soldier. Besides, you beat me quite easily and you are just a captain to a lowly group of militia.¡± Levi finished lamely. ¡°Man. Why do I always act like a jerk when I¡¯m nervous.¡± ¡° How dare you.¡± The captain shouted hottily. ¡°I am Elisa of the noble house Weindel and my father, General Tarlas Weindel, has had me tutored in the art and practice of warfare since I was old enough to walk. I command this lowly, as you put it, contingent of militia because men are such masochistic pigs that they could never bare to have a woman put into a position of authority over them. I am only granted this token position due to my father being a General of the military. That does not mean that I could not beat any of them in single combat or stratagem.¡± The captain seemed to have forgotten about Levi as she fumed and, for a second, Levi saw past the wall of maturity and command she placed around herself to protect from a harsh reality. A girl, barely older than himself, stood before Levi. A ferocious desire to prove herself and to protect the people she cared for pushing her to rebel against a society that locked her into its desired role. Normally Levi would have been too scared to even think but something about the captain¡¯s fuming was so cute that he started to laugh. The captain noticed Levi again, her face involuntarily turning a light shade of red. Before she could say anything, though, Levi said. ¡°Well in that case I am honored that I got the chance to be beaten so thoroughly by an expert. Perhaps I might learn a thing or two under your command.¡± In an instant the wall was up again and the girl disappeared as if she had never existed. ¡°I¡¯m going to need some form of documentation asproof that you aren¡¯t from Lugarthan. Surely a man of your education has something to verify his identity¡± ¡°Unfortunately I have nothing. Ileft from a land a world away andwanted nothing to hold me to my past. I wanted a new start.To be honest,I only joined the militia because I am in desperate need of some form of income. Thehostilities between your nation and lugarthanhas made veryfew other options available to someone likeme.¡± Levi answered falling into his role. As real as this game seemed it was still a game and Levi was an experienced player. Continuing on, he said. ¡°I am no spy. If I was, I would not have chosen to join the militia as it is unlikely that I would find much useful information so far from where the real decisions are being made.¡± The captain stared at him intently for a few seconds before saying. ¡°If you so much as look at me in a way that makes me think that you''re a spy I¡¯ll have you hung from a tree as I poke holes in your more delicateappendages. Is that clear?¡± ¡° Clear, sir.¡± Levi answered while trying not to imagine how much it would hurt, in this game, to have that happen. ¡°Quest complete¡± Jane''s melodic voice whispered in his head. ¡°Sargent Haxlar attend me please!¡± The captain shouted to the men standing outside the tent. The soldier who had moderated their fight yesterday came within the tent and stood at attention. ¡°I want you to untie him and get him outfitted before bringing him back to the contingent.¡± The captain said as she turned to leave. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Haxlar answered immediately. Once the captain had left, Haxlar moved behind Levi and untied the bonds anchoring him to a pole at the center of the tent. ¡°Whoah¡­ Well didn¡¯t you just stir up a hornets nest.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my intention.¡± Levi said with a sigh. His wrists burned where the rope had dug into them. Levi stood up and got his first good look at Haxlar, as he had been too nervous about the fight the morning before to pay him much attention. He was obviously from the same race as the captain. They almost looked asian with their slanted eyes, light skin, and black hair. The only difference was how tall they were. Haxlar stood at about six and a half feet tall and the captain was just a bit taller than Levi standing at maybe six feet. Haxlar smiled. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the captain get soprovoked before. After she knocked you out she went through yourcomrades and beat the tar out of them as if she expected each of them to be expert spearmen as well. I''ve never seen anyone use a spear the way you used it back there. Where did you train?¡± ¡°Haha I''ve never used a spear before.¡± Levi answered. Haxlar gave him an incredulous look and directed him outside the tent. ¡°OK. Ok. Although I have never used a spear before, I am quite comfortable using a staff. So¡­ I just imagined my spear was one.¡± ¡°Haha well that explains why I''ve never seen anyone fight like that. Haxlar answered good naturedly. Stepping outside the tent Levi realized they were no longer within the city. Twinkling lights could still be seen from atop the walls in the distance highlighting the sentry¡¯s progression across the wall. The sun was barely starting to peak its face above the crest of the rolling hills to the east. ¡°Woah, what happened? Why are we outside the city?¡± ¡°Word is that a rider came yesterday requesting aid from general Tarlas. Apparently the Lorthorians have forced him to seek cover in the city Laix but they won''t last long without supplies. General Drix is sending two infantry cohorts as well as three militias to bring supplies and aid. We just happened to be the lucky sobs under a captain who decided to volunteer us to go and die for our country.¡± With that said, he gave Levi a wry half smile and set off at a brisk pace obviously expecting to be followed.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Men were already in the process of getting up and packing up tents and supplies. It was clear, as they passed, that there was discipline among the regular infantry soldiers. They went about their work quickly and efficiently as Levi hustled to catch up to the Sargent. ¡°It¡¯s to be expected though. Him being her father and all.¡± Haxlar said offhandedly as Levi closed the distance. Soon they passed the closely packed tents of the regular infantry. and entered an area filled with wagons near the rear of the encampment. Coming to an abrupt halt outside of a large tent surrounded by wagons, they approached a large man. His height was approaching seven feet with large arms and a smattering of grey starting to encroach on his black hair. ¡°Segal, I need a spear, a traveling sack, a flint set, a water skin, two days dried rations, a bedroll, a knife, a set of leather armor, and the best pair of Leather boots you can scrounge up.¡± Haxlar said as he handed him a piece of paper from a pouch at his waist. Segal gave him a nod and a yes sir before entering into the tent behind him, a pronounced limp in his left leg. ¡°The leather armor and the boots are something extra I figured I would throw in seeing as we don''t want someone as experienced as youDying to a stray arrowbefore you¡¯ve carved up a Pale One or two.¡± ¡°Pale One?¡± ¡°The Lothorians. Skin¡¯s as white as snow and eyes like an owl. Gives me the creeps even after all these years.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Levi answered non committally. Segal soon came out of the tent arms loaded with equipment. ¡°Try these on for size.¡± Segal muttered in a deep bass. Extremely Worn leather armor with a suspicious hole right under where the liver would be was tossed to him, followed shortly after by a pairs of high topped, laced leather shoes. The armor was slightly too large being made for a race who were, as a whole, much taller than Levi. The shoes on the other hand fit like a glove. You could tell that this equipment had already seen a lot of use but this only meant the the shoes were already broken in. ¡°Haha Segal, you sure you weren¡¯t meant to be a seamstress? You have an eye for size like I''ve never seen.¡± Haxlar taunted. ¡°If only it matched my ability to crush skulls. Then you people would allow me to retire in peace¡­sir¡± Although said with vigor Segal obviously meant nothing by it as he immediately afterward stood at attention a proud smile on his face. The legion had already started marching by the time Levi and the Sergeant got back to the Captain¡¯s cohort of 500 freshly recruited militia. The Sergeants behavior also did a 180 degree turn. His laid back joking behavior immediately turned into that of a superior officer and Levi was quickly ordered into rank and file as the cohort marched steadily into the west. Entering into the company of swiftly marching soldiers under Haxlars control, Levi found himself once again following, right behind, the four players that got him into trouble with the captain. He was about to find another place in line but they had already noticed him. ¡° That bitch!¡± Gosu practically shouted when he saw Levi. Levi could still see the bruising all over his body from what must have been quite the beat down. ¡°Just be glad you didn''t set your tenacity to 1.¡± Levi muttered as he came up next to Gosu in the file of marching soldiers. ¡°What...You didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°You crazy son of a bitch. Didn¡¯t you research the stats?¡± ¡° I was planning on being a ranged sniper that never got hit anyway. You can see how well that is going.¡± Levi gave him a lopsided grin while raising his spear. ¡°Haha, shit. This game is something else. It''s more akin to real life than a game. I mean what kind of a game has you marching in an army all day. I¡¯m surprised everyone hasn¡¯t quit yet. Hell, I¡¯m not even sure why I haven¡¯t quit yet, except that debts have got to be paid, and that captain has got one hell of a beating coming her way.¡± Gosu finished lowering his voice to a whisper. ¡°Sorry to break it to you but that captain is out of any of our league. She would break you so fast you wouldn¡¯t know what hit you.¡± ¡°I never said I was going to fight fair.¡± Gosu smiled evilly and Vicegrip turned around adding his two cents. ¡°Yep we are going to catch her with her pants down and I can¡¯t wait to sample that bare ass.¡± Levi grunted noncommittally and stared straight ahead as he continued to marched. After a few seconds silence gosu¡¯s quiet voice continued. ¡°You could help us. We saw you fight with the captain. I think you could have beaten her. We talked it out and have decided that we are willing to let you into our party. What do you think?¡± Levi¡¯s thoughts settled into a haze of panic. He didn¡¯t know what to say, and the silence was beginning to lengthen. ¡°Umm¡­I think you guys are asking to get killed. You do know you have to remake your character when you die right?¡± ¡°Nah we got this man, and even if we don''t it''s no problem, we will just remake our characters and you''re in the party. Its as easy as that. Even if we die taking her out, she can¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Levi muttered. ¡°Aw come on don''t be such a puss.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Levi repeated and fell back a couple of soldier to the end of the file. After that, the day passed fairly quickly. Before he new it the cohort had left the sprawling farmland that surrounded Dorlak behind, and entered an area of rolling hills dotted with bodies of trees. Levi wanted nothing more than to drop where he stood by the time the call came signaling the cohort to stop. Apparently tenacity also affected the pain from exhaustion. If he wanted to keep this character, it increasingly appeared that he was going to have to overcome pain; whether it be from exhaustion or wounds. As if taunting him for his poor choice of stats they were informed that they had until the sun had sunk below the horizon, about 15 minutes, to prepare their bed rolls and eat before they were to meet at a nearby meadow for training. Levi quickly undid his bedroll and unravelled it, spreading it across the ground. Fires were being lit by groups of soldiers circling their bedrolls around them. Levi didn''t know how to light a fire with flint and steel and he didn¡¯t know anyone so he decided to forgo a fire. Sitting down alonewith a moan at his aching muscles he pulled some form of hard dried biscuit out of his sac and started munching. The biscuit tasted horrible but Levi felt only satisfaction as he leaned against his sac watching the rays of the setting sun reflect in a multitude of colors off the clouds in the distance. His reprieve while enjoyable was entirely too short and before he knew it he was making his way to the nearby meadow in the growing darkness. This time the captain was not leading the instruction but was walking around inspecting the instruction of her sergeants. The cohort was divided into companies of 100 soldiers each, same as when they were marching. Haxlar was the Sergeant responsible for his company. ¡°Form up!¡± Haxlar shouted and all the recruits quickly formed into a somewhat straight line. ¡°Can anyone tell me why we are training at night, with only these torches, he waved to several hastily raised torches on sticks staked into the ground?¡± Haxlar asked. No one answered. So, Haxlar continued after a short pause. ¡°It''s because when you die in this war, I predict, with almost certainty, that you will die at night; probably lying asleep, not even realizing you''re about to leave this world. So remember this warning because the Pale Ones always come at night. They can see better than us, they can hear better than us and they never attack without perceiving some advantage.¡± ¡°Now split into twos and practice the forms you were taught yesterday. Levi never got to learn the drills from yesterday thanks to him being unconscious so, understandably, he started to get a little desperate when everyone he approached would quickly find someone else to be their partner. He was close to hysteria when he heard someone approaching from behind and turned to see the captain slowly walking his way. ¡°Aphaelus, since you skipped training yesterday like the lazy maggot you are I will bring you up to speed. I wouldn¡¯t want you fluttering around with your fancy nonsense moves like last time.¡± The captain said in a no nonsense voice, but Levi thought he detected a slight smirk threatening to crack her stony exterior. Levi was about to protest her description of his fighting style but thought better of it and immediately stood at attention. ¡°Yes sir.¡± Coming to stand by him, the captain settled into a loose stance with her feet shoulder width apart. Her right hand firmly grasped the butt end of the spear while her left held the mid section. In a quick motion she thrust her right hand forward sliding her left one back until they met. Simultaneously she pivoted her hips, releasing the air in her lungs, as the spear shot out piercing an imaginary target. Levi was pretty good at mimicking other people''s movements. It was a talent developed through many years spent learning martial arts, which was only magnified by his current level of perception. Even in the dim flickering light of the torches, Levi could see the captain¡¯s lythe form perfectly as she displayed the strike. He couldn¡¯t help but admire her powerful but very feline movements; Slim yet coiling muscles that would flow from one movement into the next, displaying a powerful potential, much like a cat bunching up to leap. After completing the motion another time, she looked to Levi to make sure that he was following her. He quickly shifted his view, realizing he was rather obviously studying her rather than her technique. ¡°Now you try.¡± ¡°OK¡± Levi said with a huff. Levi went went through the motion slowly, feeling it out, and then again with more confidence. ¡°Your stance and form aredecent but you need to be more explosive in your thrusts. That is the strength of the spear. The ability to close distance with an opponent in a moment and prevent the same from happening to you. Use the full length given you to strike and to keep a threat at bay.¡± ¡°If I may ask. How did you make your spear warp as if it was made out of rubber when we were fighting last?¡± Levi asked. The captain stopped talking and stared at him momentarily in the flickering light. ¡°That is a technique has been passed down in my family for generations. Even if I was willing to teach you that priceless heirloom of my family, it¡¯s not something you could learn in time to be any use to you in the coming months.¡± ¡°I might surprise you. I already have once.¡± Levi countered grinning at her, but she ignored him as she continued. ¡°To defend against this you want to place your spear either higher or lower and push it to cross the other spears path making a x to redirect the spear. Let''s give if it a try. Thrust the spear at me and i will demonstrate the block.¡± Shifting to face the captain, Levi fell into the stance that he had seen her use when he fought her previously, and smiling queried: ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Ready.¡± Levi thrust the spear forward and the captain summarily blocked it but she seemed much more sluggish in her response to what he had experienced previously. It was almost as if she was having trouble focusing on the movement of his spear. ¡°How about we have a quick sparr.¡± Levi announced and immediately thrust his spear again. This time, right before the spear was about to enter her sphere of influence, he quickly brought the spear down toward her leg in a poor imitation of her bending spear trick. To his surprise, it connected. After a brief pause of shock at his success Levi followed it up with another one while taunting. ¡°Ha ha¡­ It appears the invincible queen can be touched.¡± Unfortunately for levi, in his enthusiasm he failed to completely block her return stroke. He received a nasty scrape along his side as she smiled back at him. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get too cocky. That strike was the ugliest thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Ha. Ugly or not, it hit you, and is deserving of a name. I will call it the ugly bending spear of death.¡± An idea forming in his head, Levi retreated farther from the torches receding back into the shadows. ¡°I bet you can¡¯t get even one more hit on me.¡± He taunted. ¡°Ha, do you think me stupid Aphaelus? I can see that you seem no more affected by the darkness than a noon day meadow. I do, on the other hand, very much appreciate you volunteering fornight watch henceforth.¡± ¡°Come. It is timefor themilitia torest. You have a long night of watch duty ahead of you to occupy your boundless energy.¡± Levi groaned, wishing he could die.