2 Chapter 1 - Plate Day
"Today I will have a plate. Today I will have a [Name]", the boy exclaimed. Four times a year, at the solstice or equinox of each season, Plate day was celebrated. It was the day when his learning as a child ends, and his life as an adult begins. On each solstice, every child that had turned 18 since the last Solstice celebrated earning their plate. This was also the occasion that a child earned a [Name], became a citizen of the Northern Kingdom, and was assigned a class based on the skills they had pursued during childhood. The Boy was 18 now, making him above the threshold for adulthood. The Boy had learned that many lifetimes before, when governments ruled the world, no-one could decide on when a child became an adult. And different aspects of adulthood were granted at different ages. There were a few sages that still spoke of the time before The Shift, before the great calamity, before the plates. But most were gone now, having died of old age, or of an inability to overcome the difficulty of a new world. The ones still around were to be respected, but also to be feared. You only lived past your few first hundred years if you were able to gather the power to do so.
The Boy wondered what class he would be. If he was an Artificer like his father, he would work towards earning his own toolset, maybe opening his own workshop. It was both a blessing and a Curse, as for most, education stopped when a person earned their plate. Only those who were best suited for further study continued their lessons, having funding for their education provided by the magistrates. But just as those who worked hard to achieve received gifts from their work, so to was there punishment for those who squandered their youth. Those that did not heed the warnings of their elders and do not attempt to pursue their interests, ignored their studies, and spent their years in leisure were cursed to have no ambition, no drive, and no name. They were collectively called 'The Content'. Although no one had ever seen an upset Content, anyone not a content considered it a fate worse than death. The Content were inherently peaceful, and were assigned jobs that were too menial for the average worker, such as delivering mail, collecting trash, or manning a information desk. The Boy would have thought it was just a story, but his father Ben and his mother Sara took him to a plating ceremony when he was a more willful child. They let him watch, watch those that received their plate, and watch those who had their plate broken, their eyes become glassy, and a number be burned into their neck by the magistrate. Content were not people. They were property.
Before The Shift, most humans would have been considered The Content, because most never fought, or even did anything outside their simple daily routine. But that was the curse of the Content. They could not fight, nor defend themselves. Should a life-threatening event happen, they face it with their tranquil certainty. Before The Shift, very few people learned to fight because humans had very few threats. But in this world, humans were a tasty meal for many creatures.
But The Boy was not worried. After he had seen the Content, he had made sure to not squander a single day of his youth. And although his community was not rich, he took every opportunity to learn from all of those in his Burb who were willing to teach. He lagged behind most students in the number of intermediate skill, because he only learned two skills past the Novice level, but that is how he would be set apart. While most focused on being the best at abilities that they felt an affinity to, the boy had spent time learning from everyone. He knew when he had gained a knack for something, and even though he couldn't see his plate, he knew each time he had learned the basics of a new skill. It was as if something 'clicked' in his head. He may have never had a chance to master magical teachings, or technomancy, or typewriting, but he made sure to learn from every adult in their Burb willing to teach their skills. It was all part of his plan, one that started when he was but a small child. He remembered back to his first class on the plates, when he was just 6 years of age.
***
A small gathering of children sat around one of the town elders. Although she was many years of age, she only looked as old as his parents in his eyes, yet he could tell she was far older. He could feel the power coming radiating her, like a warm and gentle breeze in summer that smelled of jasmine flowers in bloom.
"Alright children, today we will introduce you to the plate. Has anyone ever seen their plate?"
A few children raised their hands. The boy recognized them as the children of casters and nobles. "Aren't you the lucky ones! Being given a glimpse of your plate gives you an idea of how it works. For everyone else, today we will show you what a plate looks like. And we will go over what each attribute does, as well as what it governs. Now children, I cannot show you my plate, because it would be too difficult to go over, so I will need to project one of your plates for the class. Can I have a volunteer?" The boy was quick to raise his hand, but he was beaten out by a girl with curly brown hair and bruised elbows and knees. He knew she was one of the ones who was under the care of Fenris, the woodsman. The other kids knew her as a 'Orphan of the Wood'.
"Thank you Child! It is very brave of you to show your plate to the classroom."
The Town elder touched the girl on the arm and waived her hand. Suddenly a large projection a grey transparent page floated in front of the classroom. The Boy was thankful he could already read. The boy looked at the information that appeared before the class.
Name: Nameless Level: Plateless Class: Classless
Affiliations: None
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Endurance: 6
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 6
Charisma: 6
Luck: 6
Skills:
Affinity – Life Magic
Novice Survival Skill
Novice Bow skill
"You see, until your sixteenth year, all of your attributes will grow by one to match your current age. That is why you feel very special on your birthday, as your attributes all increase by one that day. And on the plate day following your 18th birthday, that is when you earn a plate, a class, and a Name." The town elder looked impressed "Take note children, for this child has done much work in such a short time, she may be the same age as you but she has already become skilled in 3 different areas. And although you cannot improve your level and attributes until your plate day, this is the time to discover new skills, and find your calling in this wild world."
One boy spoke up "If we don't get to specialize until we get out plate, and cannot increase our abilities until then, what's the point in putting in any effort."
The elder's gaze softened, but looked sad as well "Because child there is only one fate that awaits those who choose to not put forth any effort. They forever live the waking sleep of The Content. They live a life of servitude, they have no desires or needs, they choose not to find happiness or love, and they rarely live past 60 winters." The elder continued "If it is truly your wish to not face the harsh struggle of this world, you can choose to become the Content. It is not a big choice that happens when you receive your plate, but instead it is the actions you take everyday to not put in effort. The is how The Content are formed."
Another child asked, "What do these attributes mean?" The Elder smiled. "Each attribute has many facets to it. But I will explain it as simply as I can for you children. Strength is what allows your parents to pick you up and throw you in the air. The higher the strength, the farther they can throw." And with this the elder smiled. "Agility is what allows you to not only find bugs in the forest, but also catch them with your hands. Endurance is how long you can play with the local hounds before you get tired. Intelligence is how easy it is for you to understand difficult and confusing things. Willpower helps you when you feel sad or angry. Charisma helps you get along with other children. Luck is how well you get along with the world."
On that day, the boy decided he would learn everything. There would not be a skill he would not learn to do, and he may not be the best at any skill, he would be the best at knowing the most.
"Now Children, this is the time to learn from others. We will have presenters come and visit this class each day this week to go over which skills they teach, and you can choose which you want to learn. It will be up to you to find what you enjoy doing, and what feels natural to you. Just remember, it is very easy to acquire skills prior to your plate day, but afterwards it is extremely difficult, so you must apply yourself now to have a successful future."
A child piped up. "Can we learn magic?" The elders gaze softened. "Each family in only required to teach enough to give you a Novice level, and help you learn if you have an affinity for their teachings. So if you wish to learn magic, you must show an affinity."
***
The boy remembered this memory as he brought himself back to the present.
"Today I will have a name" he said again, as he put on his good boots and well tailored work clothes. He headed downstairs from his room above his parent's workshop. His parents were Artificers, crafters producing all manner of non-magical machinery and apparatuses. And although they did not produce magical equipment, they did build the machinery that ran off magic and technomancy. His parents Sara and Ben were excited to take him to the ceremony. Although they were a bit worried. He had never shown an affinity for their work. And other than being given a glowing review from Jericho the guard captain for his [Marksman] skill and being able to help with [crafting], he had shown no other skills. At least not to them. Although Sara and Ben were unsure what class The Boy would be assigned, they were sure he would not be Content. So they locked up their workshop and prepared for the drive over. No work was done on the plate day, and the Boy's brothers and sisters were too young to come along, so they stayed back home, tending the garden.
The boy exited the shop with his parents. His family, because of their trade, was one of the few families outside of nobles and mages that had access to an autocart. And today, his father Ben let him drive the machine. He knew how to drive. He had made sure to learn. [Crafting] was a skill and so was [wield magic objects]. But this specifically fell under [Pilot - Autocart]. Should he be chosen to follow in his family's footsteps, his father made sure that he would be able to do so.
He wondered how he would assign his points attribute points. He knew he was given the ability to sacrifice some points to get immediate boosts in others, which could speed along more advanced skills and abilities. He also knew that if he dropped any below attribute below 10 it could become a slight problem, and if he lowered one below 5 it would be a serious hinderance in life, but the lower abilities could be increased with hard work. Its just they would improve at a slower rate than his higher abilities. He knew he would get more points as he grew in Level, but he was told that most common people's level never increased past 60. Heroes and such extended far past that, and there are tales of those that have levels in the lower hundreds. but those are just stories. He had never heard of a level higher than 96, which was owned by the Grand General of the Northern Kingdoms, the most important person in The Boy's country. And although He would never meet the grand general, he would get to meet a representative of the Grand General today. On their plate day ceremony, a copy of their plate was recorded and taken to the capital by a Magistrate. Magistrates specialized in administration were the ones responsible for recording plate information and ensuring that any newly named were placed in the best place in the kingdom for their skills to flourish. Whether it be crafters, adventurers, or mages, after the boy received his name and his plate, the world would be open to him.
His mother Sara looked worried. She knew he had put in the effort to not become one of the Content, but he was not like his father. He had his father's curious mind, but it expanded past automatons and auto devices. The Boy didn't worry like her. Today was his day, and on the day that she learned her first born son's name, the boy would become their first named child.
The boy continued to drive. The road from the family shop to the Burb's gathering building was only twenty or so minutes. The drive was more ceremonial for the boy, a showing that his father considered him a man. There were several children already present for the plate ceremony. There was the girl of the woods, the son of a noble, two boys from another crafter's shop, and the youngest of the town's mage. Most of their families were also present, and standing next to the town elder there was a stuffy looking man in brown robes. He must be the magister assigned to today's Plate day ceremony.
The boy was the last to arrive, as he did not have to start the journey early. Most families walked and it took a few hours to walk the distance He had traveled with the auto-carriage. The Magistrate was polite but looked a bit impatient to start, and as The Boy arrived the ceremony could begin. Everyone gathered funneled into the gathering building. The boy and his family quickly exited the autocart and followed everyone inside.
The gathering building was present before The Shift. It was known as a "church" back then and worshipped one of the old gods. At the front a stone sat between two halves of an old altar cracked in two. The long rows of pews were perfect for the families. The magistrate and town elder spent spared no time in setting up and motioned for the children to form a line as the boy and the five others came forward. The magister stood there with six blank plates sitting upon a small stand next to him. The town elder then began to speak. "As is tradition, here at this stone altar, before the divines, the magistrate, and our family, we learn our name for the first time. We also learn who we are, and get a glimpse of what we may to become. With the support of the Grand General and his elected Magistrate, you will receive your name. Today you will meet with a spirit of the divines. Some think it is THE divine. Others believe it is a messenger. One thing is for sure, the meeting is unique to you, and it will seem strange but you will be guided into your attributed and given a class. Listen to the spirit, as it will know how to best grant you a chance at greatness. And take your time. No matter how long it seems for you, it will only be a moment for us here." The Elder was cut off by the magistrate, "Now lets begin. Will the first child please come up and be known."
First up was one of the crafter sons, he walked up, touched the stone. There was a brief pause as the stone glowed. Then the boy stepped away. "My name is Gilly, I am a crafter. If the divine favors me, I will craft an something worthy of Legend." Then as he said these words, his right arm glowed and a box appeared, as if drawn into his skin in hot coal. Then on his left arm an Anvil was drawn. Gilly winced, but this was how plate magic worked. It was how you could view your plate at any given time.
The appointed magistrate came over, and touched Gilly's plate square. He then touched the first of six tablets that were set to the side of the stone. As he did this, the information from Gilly's plate was copied over to the magistrates physical plate. "Gilly your status has been recorded. Work hard in your craft and should you show enough progress, the Crafters guild will be open to you" Gilly's plate was then set aside into a box that the Magistrate had prepared to transport the plates. The Boy could swear he watched Gilly's gaze grow sharper, and his form become more lithe, but less powerful. His expression was a little less cheerful. The Boy thought to himself, "It must be a physical representation of his changing attributes"
The children continued to file forward. Next was Gilly's brother. "My name is Thom, and I am an Artificer. If the divine favors me, I will earn the title of Master Technomancer." There was a slight cheer. The Boy knew that Technomancers were rare. As long as the divine favored him, he would be granted quite the life. He watched as Thom's right arm was branded with a small square for his plate and his left arm received the symbol of the circuit, the basis for the artificer's work.
Next was the girl of the wood, Fenris' oldest adopted child. "My Name is Rachel. I am a Ranger. If the divine favors me, I will be named a Wardkeeper of Terra" As expected, the girl who grew up in the woods would find it to be her home. But she had a name now, and it was Rachel. And he arm was emblazoned with an Arrow.
Now the Noble's son came up. He lazily walked up to the stone and touched it. "I am Content". There was no sound. The Content already knew, as did his family. His eyes glassed over and a quiet smile appeared. The Magistrate's expression did not change. He took the plate that was to be this boy's and broke it, causing it to fall into dust. He took out a small magic device and a notebook. He flipped to the latest entry page and wrote down this child's information. He then adjusted some knobs on his small device, and the metal end began to change shape, as if to display backwards letters and numbers, and began to glow red. "Content, Your designation is 'A48F2E'. When this is called you will listen to the commands of whomever has summoned you." the magistrate then burned the name into his neck. "A48F2E, You will wait in my auto-carriage where I will deliver you to your next assignment."
The boy knew he was next. He walked up, with his parents, Sara and Ben smiling at him, and with a steady hand he touched the Stone.
As if transported by magic, he found himself standing in a bright white room. Sitting across from him was a ball of light and shadow. It gave the boy a feeling he was being judged. "Ah, interesting. Many skills you learned, but never followed through on boy. I guess you thought you could keep them all. Foolish, but brave. I have not seen one with your spunk for a while." The boy saw his status and gasped. He thought he had learned maybe twenty or so skills. But his list showed dozens of skills. "Normally I rarely see children with as many as you. They tend to specialize in one area or another. You though might have made a new record. You are exactly the person that this world is meant for. Curious, Ambitious, Clever, and a bit foolish. If it were up to me, I would let you keep all your skills. But I am bound by the rules of my station, and I must assign you a class." The boy interjected, "Why not? I spent much time learning all those skills! Instead of focusing in on the skills surrounding one class or another, I took them all in. So I am to be punished because I diversified? How is this fair?" The spirit paused, then responded. "Arguing with a being of divinity? A bit foolish indeed, but your point is well defended. I am still bound by my rules, but there is one thing I can do. There is a special class. I cannot let you keep all your skills, but I can make it easier to relearn them. The downside is you get no class specific skills so you will not learn anything at a faster rate. How does this sound?"
The Boy thought about it. He did not want to be limited in what he could do in this world. So he asked the spirit. "How many skills will I get to start?" The spirit answered, "I will let you keep only two. But since you will be losing the progress you have made in the many skills you have, I will be moving these to the next level. It will also help, since you will not improve these skills any faster than any others, as you will not have class skills. The benefit is that you can pick any two skills." The boy thought for a minute. He knew he would need to keep a combat skill and he should get a relevant skill to go with it. He looked at which were most developed. When he looked at the skills he had learned most were novice, but two were intermediate. He had one combat skill that was higher than normal, as it was at the first level of the intermediate category. This was what he took time to practice with every day, and that was his skill with the rifle.
"I will choose [Marksman]" The ball glowed as it spoke "Good! This world is a dangerous place. What else will you choose?" He looked. His most advanced skill was crafting, but he didn't want to forsake all of the difficult to find skills he had unlocked. He could not pass up this bump though. "Then I will take [Crafting], like my father" The spirit paused, as if to smile.
"Very Well, I name you Serin. You are…"
***
Serin began to speak, as he did he felt a searing pain on his right arm. Then he felt a searing pain on his left arm. The right arm was the normal square of the plate, but his left arm was not a shape he was familiar with. It was a scroll with a sideways 8 adorned within. The town elder noticed this symbol and reacted immediately. Serin saw as in an instant, the whole world went grey and it seemed as if time stood still. The elder's voice entered his mind. "Boy, I was afraid of this. You will not speak what has transpired. I am casting an illusion spell on your left arm and the plate but we can only fool the magister, the magic will fade from the plates. When time starts again, you will say your name and say 'I am a monster hunter. If the divine favors me, I shall conquer a Titan'. This will buy us time. Are you ready? Say it now!"
Time ticked forward, and Serin spoke spoke the lie as he was told "My name is Serin. I am a monster hunter. If the Divine favors me, I shall conquer a Titan'. He saw the symbol on his left arm flicker, the change into a scythe.
As this happened, the gathering hall let out an audible gasp. The magistrate smiled, but it was not a kind smile. "Good, a Monster hunter. We always seem to need more of those. They are a self-regulating population, if you understand my meaning." Serin did not, and as he looked around he noticed his mother was crying. His father was holding her, pale as a sheet. The magister touched Serin and his plate, and as his details were recorded, he could see that the details were wrong. It showed his Charisma as 4 but he did not feel ugly. It showed his wisdom as 6 and that also couldn't be true because he was able to understand what was going on. His strength said 24 and that also couldn't be true. He knew that his attributes had not changed at all.
He walked back to his parents, and his father hugged him. "I will be taking the autocart home now, I have to prepare…" At this his mother just held him and cried. His father continued, "Your mother will want to spend the walk back with you. He didn't know what a monster hunter was, but that is not what the spirit told him. He would have to talk to the elder.
As he was thinking, the last boy walked up to the stone. As he touched it, his complexion lightened and his eyes darkened. He started to cough a bit. It was a wet cough Then he spoke "My name is Allister, and I am a Necromancer. Should the divine favor me, I shall become a Shade." The room went silent. The magistrate was taken aback. He copied the panel and confirmed the information. "So no one warned you that learning Life Magic and Dark Magic together can result in this? No worries. The Town elder will explain what will happen to you and the monster hunter. With that, the ceremony is completed, and I am off with the Content to the next Burb. I have two more ceremonies to get to this day. Congratulations on your plates, and I look forward to seeing your progress in the next five years. "
And with that the room emptied, except for Serin, his mother Sara, Allister, and Allister's Father Sterbin.
The Town elder spoke first to Allister. "Allister, until your plate is updated to show Aura control, you will cannot live in this town, or any town. You can trade with the traders on the road, and you can stay the a few nights in an inn, but you must stay on the move. Necromancers attract dark things, and until they are in control of their aura, they are too dangerous to have in a town. Your father will ensure you are well prepared, and if you apply yourself to both types of magic, you can control it. Now please, go with your father and gather your supplies. You will leave with Serin in the morning. I must speak to Sara and Serin."
Allister and his father left. Sara was still wiping away the tears. The elder spoke to Sara, "Sara, I am sorry for the deception but Serin's fate is far worse than a Monster hunter." Sara was confused and the worry came back in a rush "Serin is Boundless" and with that, Sara fainted.
***
"What do you mean by boundless?" Sara was waking up. The town elder started to speak "A Boundless is a person with no limit to their potential. If a person shows they have an aptitude for learning and improving themselves in any skill, they are boundless." The Elder continued "normally a person can learn many skills in a lifetime, but they may only master four of five of them, if they are lucky they can upgrade one or two skills to the grandmaster level. But a boundless is different. With time and hard work, a boundless can learn any skill, grow any skill, master any skill. And there is no cap to learning it."
Serin was excited! This was exactly what he wanted to be, to be someone who was not limited in what they could learn. "Then why is my mother so upset?" The town elder then showed defeat. "Because we live in the Northern Kingdom, and here all boundless are killed or are chained, forced to serve the grand general, they must purposely curb their abilities, for if they grow too powerful, they are executed."
Serin didn't know what to say. "Then why did you tell me to say I was a Monster Hunter? Why not say I was a Craftsman, I could have hid here!"
The elder then looked terse. "My illusion will only hold until the Magistrate's copy of your plate is updated. Even if you crossed the oceans, if you choose not to update your plate, it will update itself. And when the grand general finds out, he will be coming for you. When that time comes, you will need to have learned to run and fight." Serin thought back. "Doesn't the plate record where I came from? Won't they come and punish you?" the elder smiled. "That information is recorded in the magister's book, and has been changed to reflect that you were not plated here, but in a fictional burb on the other side of the nation.
Serin sat there blank. His mother Sara sat there as well. Then she spoke "Serin, Say none of this to your father. Elder, please contact Jericho."
***
The walk back was silent, and was already late afternoon when Sara and Serin arrived. Serin's father, Ben, had been hard at work. His tool bench had been set for the creation of weapons of war. The old handcart, a family heirloom, had been setup as an auto-cart, the powering stone pulled from the family autocart. Inside the cart was clothing, rations, and various other supplies. Ben had stocked it with books on how to identify minerals and their uses, as well as a bullet caster, a handheld device for creating rifle projectiles.
Ben looked at his Son. He had been working, not making autonomations or gearings, but casings and bullets. Weapons of war. Serin knew his father got his start working in the Grand General's foundry. But his father had made so many bullets in such a short time. Ben began to speak, "You will need to keep your casings, or cast them yourself. If you can find someone who can use Terramancy to form metal casings for you, all the better. Follow the measurements in this guide for turning strike powder into blast powder. I have included notes on finding and identifying these minerals." He loaded a casing.
His father droned as he worked with a seemingly single minded purpose. "Make sure you use the right ammunition for the creatures you face. Learn to use new weapons. Do not limit yourself by the skills you have, instead learn new skills." Another casing loaded.
"Remember that Mages and magical beasts almost tend to have a protective barrier surrounding them, so you will need to keep A Mage-Killer attached. It slows down the round and quiets the shot, making your weapon more lethal to magical beasts. Fire rounds are useful against the undead. The silvered bullets are good towards the lycanthropes and fey do not like the iron rounds. Keep their tips covered in wax. They might rust."
Another casing loaded.
Ben worked through the grief. "They will be pairing you up with the Allister, the necromancer boy. That's bad for both of you. He will be attracting the dark things and you will need to kill them. Keep him alive and he will do the same. You are a good boy Serin, make sure to keep Allister in the light as well."
Another casing loaded.
"And finally, make sure you keep your weapons' ammo stock high. Do not use more ammunition than a bounty will pay for. I am sure Sara is calling in the favor from Jericho. Listen to what he says. He will keep you safe. When you can, get the equipment and means to create your own casings. It's too expensive to keep using others. You have your rifle and axe, but make sure have more weapons than you know what to do with. One day you may need them all."
Another casing loaded.
"If you ever have questions, I will be at the gathering hall between Twelve and One every Sunday. If you can find a messenger, send a letter. I will pay the charges." Ben was not processing his goodbye. He knew his son might be going to a different place for work, or even a different burb. But being on the move, it meant really saying goodbye. He didn't know how long it would be until he would see his son. "It might not be the life we were expecting Serin, but I am still proud to call you my son."
Serin spent the rest of the evening with his father and mother, crafting the tools that would start him on his journey.
***
Sometime before dawn, Allister was dropped off by his father outside the workshop where Serin and his family had been working through the night. Growing up, Serin did not spend too much time around Allister, and conversation was always brief, but cordial in their combined lessons. Allister greeted him with a nod, and a wet cough. Serin was pretty sure that Allister had lowered his endurance score to raise his other attributes. He remembered back to his plate. None of his scores had moved. They all had remained at and he could not raise or lower any of them during the ceremony.
He remembered the walk back, the town elder telling him about his scroll, "A person's left arm mark identifies their class to others, so your scroll is unique to the boundless. Like you can will your plate to appear, you can also will your scroll's information to appear. Others will not do it as often as you, as their skills will progress slower, unless they are their class skills. Reviewing your skills and plate often in front of others will imply this information updates often. To the informed, it is a giveaway that you are boundless."
Bringing himself back to the current situation, he watched as two more people walked up. Jericho, who walked with a cane and one automaton leg, and Rachel, with travel gear and bow in hand. Allister looked at her with brow furled in question. She looked at Serin and then replied to Allister's unspoken question. "Fenris prepares us for the world. He does not prepare us for this Burb. I may have been an orphan when he took me in, but when I leave the Burb, I am an orphan no longer. Also, there are already too many mouths to feed in the woods here.". Allister nodded his understanding. Fenris' responsibility for her growth ended the moment she became a ranger, and now to progress farther, she had to leave the safety of the known.
Serin looked at Jericho. He carried an old rifle and axe. As he set his pack on the cart, there wasn't a sound, as if nothing had dropped. He knew Jericho as he had spent a few months learning everything he had to teach. Within the Burb he served as guard captain and when asked he said he was a soldier, but was now retired. As his teaching duty for children, he had taught them to hunt the large rats that served as teaching fodder. Serin was pretty sure he kept stock for hunting, and it was very quick who had a knack for fighting and those that didn't. For many children, he was their first introduction to fighting. Now Serin understood. He wasn't a soldier before he came to our Burb, he was a Monster hunter.
Sara looked at Jericho, "Serin, of my blood must survive in this world." And she extended her hand and continued, "Teach my son everything you know. Teach him to survive as a monster hunter. More importantly, teach him to work with the Necromancer and the Ranger and the dangers of this world. Teach him to succeed in a life as an Adventurer. Do not reveal who they are to anyone, and do not place them in a situation where they must take innocent life. And when you feel they are ready to survive without you in the wilds, you may come back, knowing your debt to me has been paid."
Jericho's expression soured when he was told Allister was a Necromancer, but he then remained neutral. "I understand. I agree to your terms" and he stuck out his hand. Sara shook on it, and a small light flickered between them. Serin recognized it as contract magic.
Serin's worries were eased. Contract magic was powerful, and depending on the debt being paid, the cost of breaking it can be steep.
Jericho looked at Serin. "We leave within the hour. Allister, you were a fool to dump your endurance in favor of intelligence, but with your slightly higher intelligence, you know that now. So it's the first thing we will train. Put your pack back on, you will walk today until you collapse. Then we will put you in the cart. Rachel, ride on the cart. I will need you to read this book." He handed a book to Rachel, its cover worn but Serin could make out two people laughing and holding hands on the front. "Its on personal relationships. It was smart of you to dump Charisma for Agility, and working alone it would have given you your best chance, but to work in a team, you will need to bring this up. Both of you must understand, you will work on increasing your lowest attributes first because they are your weakness. And in the wilds, your weaknesses will get you killed."
He then looked at Serin, "And you did the dumbest thing of all. You didn't change a thing. All of your stats are now your weakest, so you will now have to improve them all" Jericho thought for a second. He looked down at his left arm, and saw bandages under his shirt. He then smiled and said "Place you pack on, you will be pulling the cart."
Serin frowned, "But this is an auto-cart. It can move itself." And Jericho smiled again. "Its either pull the cart or carry Allister when he faints. Now say your goodbyes."
***
Agony.
Pure Agony.
That is what Serin felt. They had left at dawn and stopped at noon. They were outside the burb, but still in the safer areas. The main roads were patrolled by the grand General's Army, and as long as they didn't stray too far from the main roads, the dangers were not as great.
Serin was done for the day. He might have been able to continue until dusk but after 4 hours of walking, Allister collapsed into the cart. He was running a mild fever and unable to continue. With the increased load, Serin was only able to keep pulling the cart for another two hours until he to was too exhausted to continue.
Jericho had the cart pull off the road, and looked at Rachel. "Rachel dear, there should be some wild basil near here. If you could fetch some, as well as buckets for the water it would be appreciated." Rachel's expression soured but she didn't refuse. Jericho used a few stones to create a simple firepit, then pulled some kindling from the cart and started a fire. Not with a lighter or steel, but with a spell. Serin was entranced, he had always wanted to learn elemental magic, but spells were usually handed down from family member to family member, and unless you were taught, it was beyond reach. Serin looked at Jericho, and Jericho could sense his passion for learning. "You are too tired now boy, but it is within your reach, so rest for now. When Allister wakes, I will have to teach you all the magic you will need for adventuring."
It was three more hours until Allister woke, fever broken. He sat up, moved to the small campfire, and started eating the food Jericho had set out. He then saw the poultice that had been made and felt the remnants of alchemy on his forehead. He looked to Jericho, who then motioned to Rachel, "If you want to thank anyone, thank the girl. She collected the herbs needed to break your fever and speed your recovery."
Jericho then began to speak, "for today's lesson we will talk about energy. It is all around us, and it is what fuels all living and unliving things in this world. It keeps us breathing, casts our spells, and keeps us from dying. Who knows the most important energy for adventurers?" Allister began to answer first "It is Magical energy, it is how much magic you can wield and how quickly it returns, which is why Intelligence and willpower are the most important traits.." "NO." Rachel piped in "Life energy is most important, which is why Agility and Strength are the most important. Being able to dodge attacks and withstand them as they hit you, as well as fight back are most important." Both Allister and Rachel were staring at each other, then looked to Jericho. Jericho looked at them and smiled "Both are good answers, but I have a feeling that Serin has learned today what is the most important for us.". Serin Smiled. "Stamina. I can't move, and even if I could cast spells, my arms are shaking so much from strain I wouldn't be able to aim." Jericho smiled. "This is correct. The ability to move and keep moving is the most important. Not every creature can be fought with strength or magic, but every creature can be run away from if your endurance is high enough."
Jericho continued. "Today you will learn a new spell. A simple spell. Its less of a spell, and more of an agreement between each of your plates. This spell is called [Status]. To cast it you simply recite the phrase 'I wish to know my status'. After you do it a few times you can access your [System] without speaking the phrase. But for the first time, it helps." The three team member did that, then felt the magic fall over them. Next to the mark for his status plate, Serin saw four bars with numbers inside them. The red one said showed full and said [80/80], The blue one was full but was greyed out, it also read [80/80], and his yellow one showed about half full and said [39/80]. The final one was white, and showed 200/1000.
Jericho continued. "These are your Life, Magic, and Stamina bars. They are numerically represented to help you understand how you are dealing with the world around you." Serin then asked, "what about the fourth bar?" Jericho stopped. "I am sure it is hard to see because its empty but this white bar with a black outline represents the experience you have earned in the world. Whenever you learn a new skill, increase a skill a level, or complete an official task with an experience reward, this bar will begin to fill. Out here in the wilds it will begin to fill quicker than those of your peers who stayed in the burbs." Serin remembered the jobs his father would finish and the slightly glowing parchment for the special jobs he always made sure to complete early. Allister interjected at this point, "But all of those things can be done in a Burb. Why will we advance out here quicker?" Jericho smiled. "Two reasons, young Allister. The first is you are with me, and you will be pushed harder than you ever were in that tower you called home." Allister frowned, "And the second?" Jericho's smile grew even bigger, "because you can also get experience from killing."
Rachel knew this, which is why she was quiet, and continued on her book. Allister was taken aback. Serin asked "So you are going to push us every day we are out here, how will that increase our skills? We were told learning skills and improving our lower attributes was extremely difficult." Jericho then smiled. "When your white bar increases high enough, you will gain a level, as well as 5 points. You can assign the points you have garnered into your attributes. You could spend time increasing your lowest skills but this would be a waste. There is a better way to increase lowest attributes. When a skill outside of the normal skillsets of a class is practiced enough, its governing attribute may also be increased."
Jericho was interrupted,"But the elder told us that there are only so many skills we can learn and we can only master those inside our skillset".
Jericho said "this is partially true. You can master any skill, but the farther they are away from your core skillset, the slower it will increase beyond the Intermediate threshold." Serin frowned, "so what is to stop anyone from mastering a skill outside their skillsets?"
Jericho then smiled "There are 100 levels to a skill in each rank, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Master, and Grandmaster. Increasing skills outside you skillset takes four times the time to increase in levels past intermediate level, and ten times the time past advanced. If Allister focused on only running, he would spend the next forty years getting the skill to Level 1 Master."
They all kind of sat there, "But rest assured, that is not what we are going to do. Allister will walk every day until he can start jogging, and then he will jog every day until he no longer passes out. Then he will run until his endurance is no longer a burden to the team."
Serin frowned. "How will we know that?" Jericho replied "Because of the second part of the [Status] spell. The three of you will clasp hands and say together 'I wish to show my status with my team'. This will let you see eachother's status. You will only have to clasp hands once, from then on, you can do it from feeling."
Serin, Rachel, and Allister clasped hands and recited the spell,
"I wish to share my status with my team"
As if it was always there, the health, magic, and stamina bars of Allister and Rachel appeared above them. Rachel had almost full stamina and both her magic and her health were full.
Serin say Allister's was a different story. His health was low but creeping up. And his stamina was still at zero.
Jericho saw how Serin and Rachel were looking at Allister. "Let me guess, his health is low, but refilling? And his stamina is at zero?" Serin and Rachel nodded. "That is because when your Endurance is lower than six, and it drops to zero, you health will drop to twenty percent of your max, which I would guess hovers right around four health correct?"
Serin and Rachel Nodded. "That's because his health is also 20, which means his strength is also four. You were a fool Allister to drop both your strength and Endurance. You are in for a long road ahead of you."
Jericho continued, "You will all be pushed to improve. If you take my lessons to heart and do not quit, you will increase a level within three days."
Rachel frowned, "I am reading this book, and doing as you say, but I have not increased any experience."
Jericho thought for a minute. "When you finish reading that book, and you have not developed a personal relationship skill, let me know and you will read it again." Jericho looked at her, "You also know life magic, right? What spells do you know?" Rachel stood tall, and spoke up. "I know [Recover], which can recover Stamina, and I know [Heal], which can heal light wounds."
Jericho smiled, "While technically correct, you are going to have to think about this mathematically. Recover does not recover Stamina, but exchanges your Mana for Stamina, either your own or another's. The same with Heal. This exchanges your Mana for Health."
Jericho looked at the three of them. You should all be recovered by sundown. We will travel by night, by the aid of the night sky. With no clouds it will be a perfect time to train your bodies, and with enough time, and a bit of luck, you will gain the [perception] skill."
Serin piped in. "The 'luck' attribute was never really explained to us. We were just told it affected everything we do." Jericho explained it to them. "Luck is the attribute that controls how often the world leans in your favor. If you live a quiet life in the Burbs, luck is not as important. But if you live a life outside of a Burb, Luck can mean the difference between life and death. It effects how often a non-class skill will be learned and how often a skill increase will give you an attribute bonus. If you are extremely lucky, you may even gain a Power or Perk. The downside is the only way to increase the Luck Attribute is to choose it is when you increase your level and gain five points to spend."
Serin had heard of Powers and Perks. Powers were standalone spells and skills that could be used, but at a constant drain of either Health, Magic or Stamina. His father had a Power of [Total Concentration]. He could drain his Stamina to produce crafts faster, but when he stopped producing crafts he would be tired for several days afterwards. Perks were even more rare, as they gave permanent bonuses that ranged from common ones, like low-light vision and more nimble fingers, to extremely rare spells and abilities. For Rachel and Allister, the conflict was absolutely apparent on their faces. The ability to control their destiny and quickly increase their primary attributes, or have fate lean towards his favor. For Serin, he had no primary attributes, and he did not hold the same deficit as the others. All of his skills would increase at the same rate, assuming he was training them at the same intensity. So the decision was simple.
Serin would drop his points into Luck.
Jericho started to speak again. "In my earlier years, I never increased my luck past the number I left it at on my plate day, which was 10. This meant it was no benefit, but no deficit. I am truly to blame for the fate that befell me. So put a few points in during your travels."
Jericho started to clean up the campsite. "We have two more hours here. Take some rest, because at sundown we travel."
***
Their setup was simple. It was summer, and with nightfall and no sun to burn him, Allister removed his long cloak and put on his pack. Serin was ready to pull the hand cart. And Rachel sat back. Jericho lead the cart.
"Alright. Rachel, do not cast [recover] until the last possible moment. Until they are just about to drop." All three looked at Jericho, Rachel with curiosity, Serin and Allister with fear. "WHY?" they said in Unison. "Rachel, Your life magic skills will increase based off of two things, how dire the need is for the spell to be cast, and how strong of a spell it is. [Recover] and [Heal] are very simple spells. So to increase the experience you gain while casting, wait to cast." Jericho then looked at Serin and Allister, "As for you two, when we have time I can teach you all the basics of the analytics of magic but until then you must trust me. For physical skills, the lower your health or stamina are, the quicker the skill draining them will increase. This is called 'walking the knife's edge'. it is extremely helpful, but people get greedy and begin using this method in more dangerous situations, like combat. And when that happens, people die."
Jericho looked over at Allister "Allister, do you also know [recover] and [heal]". Allister nodded. "Allister, do you know any leech magic? "Allister narrowed his eyes and replied. "I know [Minor Leech]." Jericho smiled. "good! You will be responsible for keeping Rachel's magical reserves high, and since your magic will refill faster than the others, It should be a pretty good system." Allister said "I cannot leech very well from targets that can resist. I am sure your willpower will overcome any leech I attempt" Jericho smiled. "Right you are Allister. That is why you will leech away your own magic and give it to Rachel."
Rachel looked sick at the concept of receiving stolen magic. Jericho cut off her dissent, "It's freely given girl, so it will not come with the burdens of receiving leeched energy. And until we reach the next burb in a few days, this will have to do. There will be a mage or Healer who lives there that sells teaching scrolls for [exchange], which is the life magic version of the spell." Rachel looked at Jericho. "The next Burb is a week away on foot. Do you really think we will make it in a few days?"
"I do" Jericho replied.
***
Serin thought the first night was Agony. This was worse, because it had no end. The first night there was no concentrating on the road. There was just goany. The first hours were fine, but when his stamina finally started to give, Rachel began to drip feed him energy. It was like he almost going to pass out. But for 2 more hours. Rachel had to be extremely attentive to her task because she was keeping two people from passing out, Allister and Serin. Serin knew it was working though. Every now and then he would feel a flare of fire from his left arm and by the end of the night, he felt a flare from his right as well.
Dawn was beginning to crest as Jericho led them off the road and parked at the wood line. It had been an hour since Allister had started feeding her Mana, and the constant push of spells was beyond what she was used to. She was obviously suffering from brainburn sickness.
Jericho began to speak, "Rachel, did you only collect enough herbs for Allister's recovery yesterday?"
Rachel nodded her head, a small scarf covering her eyes.
Jericho responded "Good. It means this lesson will be learned hard. When you need something once, you will need it again. Dried wild basil can be used just as well as fresh wild basil for headache relief. Today's headache is your own. Today I will make food. When you can, review your Skills and attributes. You might have seen an increase. And remember, in the wilds, your attributes and skills are your secrets alone. They are all your teeth and your armor. If an enemy knows what you are, they can use it to destroy you. When we arrive at the next Burb, I only wish to learn if you have not leveled up, not how you have spent your points."
Serin looked at his wrist. His stamina was dangerously low, and his health and magic bars were unchanged. His progress to next level bar was blinking. He knew when he viewed his attribute plate and scroll, no one else was able to see it. He willed these screens to appear. His attribute plate looked different than before. A new notice was at the bottom. And there were little little symbols (+) next to all of his attributes.
Serin Level: 2 Class: Boundless
Affiliations: None
Strength: 16(+)
Agility: 16(+)
Endurance: 17(+)
Intelligence: 16(+)
Willpower: 16(+)
Charisma: 16(+)
Luck: 16(+)
Points to assign: 5
Serin was surprised. Something he had learned last night had increased his Endurance Skill. He looked over at his scroll. It was his first time since becoming Boundless.
Skills:
Boundless – MAX
Advanced Marksman – Lvl1
Advanced Crafting – Lvl1
Novice Encumbered Movement – Lvl 23
He missed the long list of skills he had before, but Serin decided to stay in the moment, and he focused in on his skills, one at a time.
Boundless
- This skill removes the leveling restrictions from all skills, in exchange the user only starts with two additional skills, and all skills will be learned at an equal pace, regardless of previous aptitude.
Advanced Marksman (AGI)
- This skill governs the use of long range single shot weapons and spells. As its level increases, the additional damage done increases.
o At Novice Level, the user can use weapons he meets the strength and agility score for
o At Intermediate level, the User can fire at targets at point blank range without suffering any penalties
o At Advanced levels, while aiming at a target at medium distance or greater, the User may spend stamina at a rate of 10pts per second to slow down time to increase accuracy
o Master: Locked
o Grandmaster: Locked
- Current Damage increase: +25%
Advanced Crafting (INT)
- This skill governs the creation and repair of arms and equipment
o At Novice Level, the user can repair arms and equipment with the correct tools and materials
o At Intermediate level, the user can repair magical arms and equipment with the correct tools and materials
o At Advanced Level, the user can create arms and equipment with the correct tools and materials
o Master: Locked
o Grandmaster: Locked
- Known Recipes can be copied into a crafter's book.
Encumbered Movement (END; STR)
- This skill governs movement while carrying loads beyond normal capacity.
o At Novice Level, the user can move at normal speed, even when encumbered
o Intermediate level: Locked
o Advanced Level: Locked
o Master: Locked
o Grandmaster: Locked
- Current Unencumbered weight increase: +5kg
Serin thought to himself as he reviewed what he had learned. He had not increased any skills other than this new skill, encumbered movement. He had gained 15 levels in the novice category. Due to this he had received an attribute increase in Endurance. He had also gained enough levels to level up. It seems he gained 100xp for every novice level he increased, and he had increased 15.
Serin thought back to his plan. If luck was the determining factor for probability of Attribute increase, that is what he would spend. Serin stared at his page, and as if his plate knew, the (+) symbols erased from his status page, and his Luck score increased to 21. It was the first time he had increased an attribute, but he did not feel any change.
He looked over to Allister and Rachel. Allister was looking bleak. His health was fine, but his magic was extremely low, as well as his Stamina, but today there was no fever. Serin thought, that must be amazing. If Allister can improve so much in a day, what would a week with this man do?
Rachel was another story. Serin had yet to use magic, but he heard of the headaches that accompany those that use magic for an extended period. And Serin knew that if Rachel had fully depleted herself, she would have been brainburned. Its where a mage uses all their magic, and higher level function ceases. The person wakes up with a very nasty hangover. His father had heard it described as "waking up after a night of losing fights and drinking swill". Serin stumbled over to Jericho, who was making breakfast.
Jericho looked over to Serin. "Do you know any magic, boy"? Serin shook his head. "Other than the spells you taught us, I have never been given training in magic." Jericho looked shocked. "I guess your parents couldn't afford lessons for you. Well you can learn a few simple spells that I have. They will quickly drain your Magic power, because you do not have any specialization."
Serin asked "If I learned a simple spell from you, could I eventually gain a specialization with it?"
Jericho smiled, "I like the way you think. If you haven't noticed your comrades used their entire stamina and magic bars today." Jericho looked at him. "Alright. I need to know where your greatest strength is. I don't want to know everything you know, but what are your top two skills?" Serin twitched, had he asked for three, he would have known I don't have many skills. "I have advanced [Marksman] and advanced [Crafting]". Jericho raised an eyebrow. "Surprised you didn't put more into agility. You seem stockier than the average Longshot. For now, a spell that can greatly aid you and complement your skillset is [Link]." Serin looked at Jericho. "What is 'Link'?" Jericho smiled. "It is hard to master, but you as a longshot only need the novice skill. When cast, it allows you to make mental contact with anyone within visual range. Per cast, you can send and receive one message. The message is what you could say in about a breath." Jericho's eyes flashed, suddenly Serin heard a voice in his head. The best part about this magic, is it does not require a verbal command, or physical manifestation. Serin was awestruck. How did he cast it then? And Jericho looked surprised. "Send a reply on first try. Even by accident, that is impressive Serin. To answer your question, Magic is about feeling and intent. For this spell, focus on the person you wish to Link with, and imagine a string going from you to them. Then think of the command [Message]. If you did it, it will feel as if the world is getting dull around you. Then imagine yourself whispering the words to your target."
Serin thought on this. Jericho looked at him "On tonight's travel, you will practice. You may not even cast if for the first Hour. You may fail several times. You will know because even if a spell fails, your magic energy still depletes. But if you succeed in casting it, you will have learned a new skill, and a good way to increase the crafting governing attribute without crafting." Serin got excited. Jericho handed him a plate of Stew. "Eat this, and then sleep. At 2pm, I will wake you and you will go with Allister and Rachel to collect herbs. She will be in charge, as any woods she travels in will favor her to you."
Serin swallowed his stew, then saw as Allister ate some as well, right before passing out. Rachel was already asleep. She would have to eat later.
***
At exactly 2pm, Jericho woke Serin. "Alright Serin, I am going to get some sleep. Time for you to gather supplies." Jericho handed him a small list "Have Rachel find these, and have her give a class on them. If she doesn't know, she doesn't know."
Allister was already awake and reading in his book. He set his book down and picked up an empty backpack. Inside he placed several glass vials and small reed cages. Allister smiled and said "if we are gathering, I have things I need as well."
Rachel looked hung over. She did not look upset. She took the paper from Serin. "Most of these are poisonous, and I would prefer handling them." She took several small pots from the auto-cart. "Some need to be kept, because the are useless within minutes of harvest." She perused the list. "These two are kind of simple, Mint and Wild Basil." She knew the remedies they were used for. "Serin, you go for mint, grab just the leaves. It likes to grow. Allister, find wild basil. I will take you and show you how to identify each and where to search. We will keep within eyesight of each other. I have a searing headache and if I have to come find you, I will make you regret it." She then saw Allister and his bag "I am sure what you are looking for will be found in the lower parts, the terrain slopes down. We should be able to be finished picking what we need, then we can group up and help Allister." Rachel grabbed her bow and arrows, as well as an axe. "Grab your weapons. Just because this forest is relatively safe, that doesn't mean you will not be in danger". Serin slung his rifle and grabbed his axe. He carried a pack of 10 shells.
And with that they set out.
***
The herb gathering trip went without consequence. Serin now knew how to identify 3 plants and, thanks to Allister's request, two different amphibians. Both he put in a cage that they did not enjoy.
Jericho was awake, as the sun was now starting to set. "Tonight we move again. Rachel, start chewing the mint before it starts to hurt. And Serin, practice [Message] until your magic gets to about halfway down. Then wait until it fills, then cast again. Also start chewing mint the first time you fail casting. Or you will be useless tomorrow." Rachel had eaten on the trek gathering herbs, so she was not hungry. She had even gathered some various wild fruits and nuts for later. She was now attaching the plants she had potted to the side of the auto-cart. Jericho counted the plants and saw that there were two of each. "Why girl did you grab more than one of each?" Rachel looked at him as if he had confused her, and his next response had him impressed. "Because we can sell our doubles to a healer in the next Burb"
***
Somehow this night was better, and yet worse. It took longer until Serin's stamina dropped, but he was starting to just figure out how to cast magic, even if every spell failed. Its like he could feel, with every failed spell, he would be paying for it later. He had felt his left arm burn several times, but not a single [message]. He had to prove to Jericho he was apt to learn spells, so Jericho could teach him more. He wanted, no he needed it, and Jericho had to see. Had to hear. I just want this [Message] spell to work, so I can be prepared for the wilds. Suddenly Serin heard a voice in his head,
[spell to work, so I can be prepared…This is not what I expected to hear. Especially not tonight.]
And with that, Serin had succeeded, as expected he felt a burning into his left arm.
Jericho strolled to be beside Serin. "Good show boy, but the only reason you succeeded in the spell is because you failed in a more important task." Serin remembered his instruction. Cast until his magic was halfway full, then wait for it to refill. Jericho looked at the other two. "Allister, do you know the [sleep] spell?" Allister shook his head. "I am sorry Jericho, but that is illusion magic, and I never learned it. Why?" Jericho simply stated, "Serin has never used magic before, and in an effort to learn his first spell, he is going to get brainburned"
It was still an hour before dawn but Jericho had them stop early. Serin was getting a bit incoherent, and he remembered being laid down and covered with a blanked. Muffled voices came from around. Then Serin lost consciousness.
***
Serin woke some time later. The camp was fully setup, and Jericho was teaching a lesson on monster anatomy. Serin went to stand to walk over. Jericho's lesson stopped. "Serin, the only lesson you will learn today is not to move while you are still under the effects of being brain burned." As if on cue, Serin felt himself vomit and fall over to his side, his head overcome with pain. Then he blacked out.
***
Serin Sat back up. It was still daylight. Rachel was skinning a deer. Allister was scraping the back of a frog with the dull of his knife. He wiped the residue into a cotton square, and then put it into a box. Serin looked around. Jericho came over and summoned a bright flash light in front of him. Serin instantly doubled over in pain, threw up, and blacked out again. Serin dreamed of bone broth and mint tea.
***
It was still daylight when Serin awoke. He felt fine, if a bit hungry, and a bit stiff.
Jericho looked impressed "Congratulations on your first brain burn! Seeing that many adults do not survive the first, being unconscious for two days is impressive." Serin then felt his clothes. They were clean and dry. Jericho looked at him. "I changed your clothes" Jericho said quietly. "We will have to get you something better than those bandages to cover your mark Serin." Serin froze. Jericho looked at him. "Personally I have no love for the grand General, but he keeps order so the people here follow him. If anyone else sees that you will end up dead. Or worse, chained." He handed Serin a bowl of Soup and a large sliver of venison. "We will have to teach you enchantment magics. And Abjuration magics. Both of which are expensive. But since you carry a rifle it be less detrimental than having you switch to a bow. Because we need to create an excuse for wearing Bracers, and right now you don't have one."
Serin didn't understand. Then he looked over at Rachel. Besides a light earth cloak and clothes, the only armor she wore were Bracers. He had never learned the bow, but he could understand. The bracers protect her arms from the bowstring and arrow. He then wondered. Why would I need one? I use the rifle. Jericho sensed his question. "With enough time and resources you can imbue armor with magic. But since you do not have the high enough crafting skill to innately create magical armor, you will need to instead use a work around, which is enchantments. As for the spell you are enchanting, well that's where abjuration would come into hand." Jericho then flicked his wrist and a shimmering blue light covered his left arm. "Every hunter must learn to use a shield. And this is much lighter than the heavy metal those brute types carry."
Serin thought about this, then looked at his new Skill.
Novice Link (INT; WIL) – lvl1
- This ability allows for various transmissions of information between the caster and targets.
o Novice Skill: Message: Caster may send one message to a person, and receive a reply. Length is determined by Link Skill
o Intermediate Skill: Locked
o Advanced Skill: Locked
o Master Skill: Locked
o Grandmaster Skill: Locked
- Message Spell Unlocked
Jericho continued, "It is good practice out in the wilds to not discuss your level, or your skills, with strangers. More experienced folk can see your general attribute level because it starts to reflect in your physical appearance. So you must be doubly careful to hide your magic skills, and your intelligence. Because people will start to notice your climb is a bit too quick. And for you, that would mean certain death"
Serin digested Jericho's words, then looked at his attribute plate. His Willpower received a bump. It was now at 17. The luck attribute already at work I guess.
Serin looked at his experience and was surprised. "In a few days I am halfway to level 3! All of this from learning a new skill and a bit more drudgery pulling an auto-cart."
Jericho looked at Serin, "You missed a bit while you were unconscious. But when we get to the next Burb, I will show you how to make money in this world. In this world we must all contribute to a better future. So like crafters craft, and bakers bake, we are called to keep the wilds in check, as well as harvest valuable materials that can only be found in the wilderness. When we get to the next town, there will be an adventurer's guild. They are the only ones who grant permission to the Wildlands Request board for this area, and they approve all sanctioned quests in the wild." Serin remembered his father taking him to a similar board, "Jericho, is this like the Request Board back in out Burb?" Jericho smiled. "It is! However there were rarely any requests on your board that dealt with dispatching dangerous creatures or harvesting difficult materials. When they did appear on the board, the town elder would call me immediately and I would handle them." Serin realized he had taken for granted his sheltered existence. "Jericho, who puts up sanctioned quests?" Jericho grinned, "Anyone can pay the various guilds to put up a sanctioned quest, and you don't even need to visit the guild to do so. However I know that this is not required." Jericho leaned in. "There is magic in those boards, and they, like the plates we were gifted with after The Shift, are surely from the divines." Serin then nodded, "How does one pay for adventurers to come and help? How do they respond to needs of those far away from the boards?"
Jericho frowned. "I know that you can pay to post a quest with more than money. If you see a quest that has a reward other than gold, know that the cost to create that quest was great." Serin still didn't understand. "I don't understand. If people cant pay with money, how do they pay.
Jericho grew still. "Maybe a story can help explain. I saw a quest appear on the boards one night as I was looking for work. It was simple enough, slay a small band of Goblins that had been terrorizing outlying farms in the area. I had to show I killed the Goblin band by retrieving the ears of ten goblins, as well as the leader's club, then return any goods found to the location marked. The reward was outrageous, as it was a magic stone large enough to power several auto-carriages, or in our work, create at least a dozen blast-rounds. There was also an additional reward of an Unknown Perk." Serin was entranced by Jericho's tale. "So I went to find and kill these goblins. The reward was too great for such a job. It was not hard to find them. They had recently moved into the area and were not aware that they were close to a Burb with active Adventurer classes. So in about 12 hours from when the quest was posted, I had killed the band, collected the ears and the club, and went to the location to deposit the goods. When I arrived, I was not expecting to find a funeral." Serin was shocked.
Jericho continued. "I was greeted by the Burb elder who escorted me to a man who's eyes showed only fury and pain. As I handed him the ears and the club, he looked at me with pain. The ears turned to ash in his hands, and the man stood to break the club. It was then that the reward appeared before me. The town elder motioned be to take the reward and be on my way. I asked what had happened." Serin thought he might understand, but he held his words and let Jericho explain. "You see Serin, the night prior, the Goblin band attacked the farm. The farmer and his daughter fought them off but not before the goblins could steal the supplies and mortally wound the girl. I came to learn that as she lay dying, the girl begged the heavens. She begged that someone could help retrieve the supplies that the family needed to survive the upcoming winter. The father however, "Jericho paused, "The father wished only that this goblin band be wiped out." Serin then knew. "So you understand Serin, the quest that appeared the night before, there were two parts, two rewards, and two prices. The girl had died, creating her part. The father, he lost his only child." Jericho then smiled. "The perk is called [Animosity]. Whenever I face certain creatures, which for me are Goblins, I do double damage" Jericho continued, "This magic is deep. Its old. A father's heartbreak is powerful, and had he been a caster instead of a farmer, he could have easily fueled a powerful enchantment with his pain. Instead, it fueled a quest."
Serin never knew this about the world. "You see Serin, we are all connected. We adventurers would never survive without crafters and technomancers to make tools, and farmers and tamers to provide us with food and drink. Not all people consider the wilds a gateway to success. Some wish to create new strains of food, and some wish to run the best Inn in a Burb. But we all strive for a successful society."
Serin had a lot to think about. Jericho looked at him. "We will be camping here another day, but you will need to bring an offering to the Guild. Something that shows your skills as a monster hunter. Rachel will be offering some hides and Allister will be offering a breeding pair of poppyfrogs. You must also offer something. Without it, you will not be given permission to view the Request Board." Serin didn't know where to start. Serin didn't know what to do. Jericho laughed "Do you have any Alchemist fire? Or Fire Rounds for your Rifle?" Serin nodded. He had both. Jericho began to explain his plan. "You see, Allister still doesn't have control of his aura, and we have been moving each day for a reason. I can tell we have camped here too long. I can smell the sickly sweet smell of dead things coming to visit. They wish to test he who would become their new master. However, Allister is too weak to command them yet. So tonight, you will defend the camp." Serin was taken aback. "Defend it from what?" Jericho smiled. "Nothing too bad. Allister's Aura is too small for stronger dark things to take notice, but you will still face some undead." Serin then really looked around. Rachel had been filling cloth bags with various herbs and chemicals, and loosely tying them. Allister had been reading his book this whole time. Trees within 30 meters of the camp had been cut down. There were torches in concentric circles leading out from the camp. Jericho smiled. "Tonight you will be defending us."
***
The sun was setting. Rachel brought the bags over. "This is deadbait. If they get too close, throw these out and it will buy time." Serin was mentally preparing. "How long will it give me?" Rachel looked at him and said "as long as it takes for an undead to find it, tear it open, and eat its contents. So maybe a few minutes, depending on your arm."
Jericho had explained the plan. This was Serin's chance to earn his right to use the request board. This was his payment to enter the guild. "Serin we will not come to your aid. You must do this alone. When an undead is killed with fire, its body turns to dust and leaves behind a dead heart. A dead heart is a magic crystal that is extremely valuable for numerous applications.
Serin had asked, "How would the guild know I defeated these creatures and not just bought the crystals?" Jericho smiled. "Oh, the guild always knows. And if you had the skill or magic to fool the guild, you wouldn't need to lie to get in."
Rachel, Jericho, and Allister sat around the campfire. They had their weapons out and available, but they were not planning to engage. It was Serin's job to hunt whatever was coming for them. He had stacked the boxes on top of the auto-cart to give himself a bit of a perch. He had loaded himself down with alchemist fire, deadbait, and a bandoleer of fire rounds.
'I must keep a count of what I use, and will need to visit with an Alchemist or Terramancer to get the materials for making more.' Serin said to himself as he prepared. His rifle was a single shot, so he would need to aim carefully. The last lights of day were disappearing, and Allister whispered a spell. A small flame left his outstretched hand and sped along a winding path, lighting dozens of torches set out in the previous day. And just in time, as the smell of the dead was now noticeable to Serin.
***
They came from all directions. These shambling corpses were called "Zombies" based on an old fairytale from before The Shift, but unlike those, these would not turn you into a Zombie if they bit you. It would be like any other creature full of decay and disease biting you. Extremely painful, and if your constitution was weak, would most likely prove fatal.
Serin wasted no time, He scanned in all directions around himself and hit targets the moment he was sure he would cause a destructive wound, which for the undead was their head or their heart.
Round after round left his rifle. Serin took advantage of his Advanced [Marksman] skill and would slow down time for fractions of a second, spending his stamina. It was intuitive, and for these targets extremely useful. Soon though, he ran out of fire rounds. "Jericho, I am out of fire rounds!" Jericho smiled, "then you will need to aim for the very base of their head, where it meets the neck. Severing that will cease their movement. You will then need to kill them later with a torch." Serin grew worried. That was a much harder shot. And the first few rounds he missed, but eventually he started to do it. And like clockwork, he moved in a circle, firing rounds. He found when zombies grouped he could throw a bait bag followed very shortly with alchemist fire to immolate several. And as he concentrated on the fight, he never noticed as both his marks on his left and right arms burned throughout the night.
***
Dawn had come. The sun had risen. The zombies had stopped coming. Serin was exhausted. he looked at his status and saw his stamina was extremely low. He could not rest yet. He walked the clearing, torch and axe in hand. What zombies were immobilized he turned to ash with torch. Then from each pile of ash, he collected a small purple crystal with swirls of darkness inside. The crystal was about the size of his palm. As he collected crystals, he counted. He soon passed 50. He then passed 100. Then 200." I didn't think there were so many" Serin said to himself. He doublechecked the clearing. Then doublechecked his count. 247. He looked at his experience.
It was blinking, which means he had leveled up at least once. Jericho looked at Serin. "Don't get too excited. If you were planning on farming experience from zombies, that would work for a while, but not forever. Experience requirements increase with each level depending on your class. Additionally, as you get stronger than the foe you face, the experience it gives you lowers. We could do this for a few weeks, but eventually zombies would be too simple of an enemy and the experience would not be worth the time." Then Jericho smiled. "However if we are lucky we may find an extermination quest. If that happens, then the more you kill in the allotted time, the greater the reward."
Rachel and Allister were putting out their campsite and rolling out sleeping mats. Jericho started packing the auto-cart. Serin smiled. Looks like Jericho is going to let us rest. Serin was going to sleep. But first he wanted to review his plate and scroll. What he saw surprised him.
Serin Level: 11 Class: Boundless
Affiliations: None
Strength: 16(+)
Agility: 18(+)
Endurance: 17(+)
Intelligence: 16(+)
Willpower: 17(+)
Charisma: 16(+)
Luck: 21(+)
Points to assign: 40
Skills:
Boundless – MAX
Advanced Marksman – Lvl14
Advanced Crafting – Lvl1
Novice Encumbered Movement – Lvl 31
Novice Link – Lvl 1
There was also a new section of his scroll, and he was floored by what he read.
Perks:
Animosity
- Undead – Additional Damage to the undead type 100%, however you have gained their Ire.
It seemed that Luck was the correct trait to drop his points into, as his Agility had raised two levels by simply increasing his marksman skill.
Serin was stunned. He was almost a quarter the way to the level most people achieve in their lifetime. And he knew why. It was his Boundless ability. His [Marksmanship] skill should not have leveled as quickly, but under the rules of the boundless, All skills level at the same rate. Serin was tempted to increase his other attributes evenly, but seeing the effectiveness of luck, he was going to stick to his plan. He willed 22 of his points into luck, and sent 18 of his points into his other traits. Now his luck was sitting at a fairly high 43.
He looked at Jericho, "Other than being lucky or completing quests, is there any other way you can get Perks?" Jericho smiled, "There are two ways I know of. The first is raising any attribute above 50. Most adventurers have at least one primary trait above 50, so after a few friendly high level adventurers compared notes, We have learned of all but Luck." Serin was truly excited. He may learn a perk that no other person has, or at least not well known. "But you won't have a skill above 50 for at least a year." Serin then thought. "What about the other way?" Jericho smiled. "You can gain a perk for accomplishing a great deed. Such as single handedly dispatching a horde of zombies." Jericho smiled and Serin knew he knew. "Before you decide to start taking on hordes, realize each creature type you gain animosity towards, you will have gained their Ire" Serin looked quizzically. Jericho continued "If there are a group of us together, and a zombie has a choice to attack Allister or you, they will attack you."
Serin understood. If he fought solo it wouldn't be any different, but this could be used to the advantage of anyone who knew.
Serin then looked at Jericho. "What are the Perks that someone can receive for increasing their attributes to 50?"
Jericho smiled. "Well they all sort of make sense. Strength will grant you a boon to your Health or to your Physical might, while agility will give you low light vision, or the Dash ability, If you still have 2 legs." Jericho winked, "Endurance makes it so you can run unencumbered without losing stamina or it can greatly reduce effects caused by pain. Intelligence immediately doubles your Magic Energy reserve or gives you a Magical Secret. Willpower removed the effects of brainburn or greatly increased the speed in which magical energy regenerated, although you will still pass out if your mana hits zero. I have only heard rumors on Charisma, but I heard you gain some type of skill to trick others, although I cannot be sure. " Serin was excited. He could hit luck in three levels.
Jericho grinned "You see Serin, I discovered, too late in life, that for Adventuring classes, Luck was the best skill to increase early. I still have not increased past 50, nor can I find someone who can admit to having luck past 50. But I do have a pretty high intelligence, so I can tell you will be able to do it while we are together. All I ask is that when you do it, tell me what it is."
Serin had only one question. "What is a magical secret?" Jericho thought. "It is a Spell or Perk that is unique to every class. For Monster hunters like us, We gain the [Reaper] Perk, which refills our Energies each time we kill an opponent. Great when fighting hordes of low level creatures." But Jericho smiled, "I don't think you have to worry about that one though."
Serin was excited but he knew he needed sleep. He looked over to Allister and Rachel. "Why did you only tell me this. Why not explain all this to them?" Jericho reaction was deadly serious. "Serin, although I promised your mother I would watch over the three of you, by Contract I am only beholden to ensuring your survival and that you can succeed out here. As being bound by blood to this contract, yours is the only life that if I do not complete my duty, I risk my own." Serin was drawn aback. This seemed to be quite the debt. Instantly Jericho's face drew in the a grin, "also, I already explained all of this to them when you were passed out with brain burn."
Serin laughed at this. "So what did my mother do to garner this debt from you?" Jericho smiled. "The tale is pretty simple. I was crawling away from an attack by a Fiend-Bear. Although I had slain the creature, It had gravely wounded me. Your mother was returning from a transport between Burbs with this very auto-cart when she found me on the side of the road. Knowing that she could not move me, she cared for my wounds, ensured my survival, and spent the evening fighting off the Necro-Scavengers that had come for me. In the morning, when I had stabilized, she escorted me back to her Burb. She then worked with your father to fix me up and install this auto-leg. By town law only homeowners were allowed to reside more than 3 days, so she gifted her fathers old home so she could ensure my recovery. After my recovery, the town elder assigned me the official title of guard captain of the Burb and gave me the daily responsibility of training basic hunting and weapon techniques to all of the children who were plateless who did not have a teacher in their family. Unofficially, weekly I scouted the woods and killed anything that might try to establish a presence and threaten the town." Serin grew nervous. "If you are here with us, who is filling in for you?" Jericho smiled, "you know, I wondered about that as well, and almost refused to leave. But the night that the elder called me she brought me a roster from that day and a roster from before you were born, each detailing the combat skills of the Burb." Jericho chuckled, "Most burbs have maybe 20 or 30 people with a single combat skill. The night before I left, that number was 480." Serin blinked. That was almost a quarter of the Burb. Jericho continued, "If families continue to pass down their knowledge, I would be obsolete, but the town elder let me know I would always be welcome to teach some of our more wayward students." Jericho then changed his tone. "Get some rest. Tonight you are pulling the cart. The next question I hear from you better be in my head." And with that, Serin went to sleep, exhausted from a night of slaying.
***
The cart moved along. Allister walked with is backpack, but after only a few days he looked like he was having a bad time of it, and not literally dying while walking.
Serin however did not feel that this was as difficult as it was the last time, and it took much longer for his stamina to drop to a level that was difficult for him to continue. He had also learned that if he wanted to get his messages across, he had to keep his transmission messages short until he increased his level. So his conversation with Jericho was mostly one sided, as the message received was based more on the target than the user, and Jericho's Link Skill was much higher.
[Only perks at 50?] Was Serin's thought to Jericho. He looked at his magic gauge. As it was a short message and the target was not far away, only about 10 feet, it only took 5 of his Magical Energy (ME) to cast. He knew that would take about 5 minutes to refresh, as his ME recover rate was around 1 per minute. Jericho had a very high link skill, as he could almost fill that entire time with a message.
[No, but anyone would be a damned fool to tell you theirs. Admitting to a skill higher than 100 makes you a target in this world. Besides the numerous factions, including our 'glorious' grand general, that would see you as a threat, people with skills that high end up having an Experience point value to match. People would kill you just for the extreme experience boost. Its why Request boards have Experience based bounties for people who are considered a threat to humanity, or just a threat to the ruling class.]
This gave Serin Pause. All plates were recorded. They were proof of citizenship in this nation.
[Do you have one?] Was Serin's question.
Jericho laughed out loud.
[Calling me a damned fool then huh? This knowledge would be helpful to your survival, so if I withheld it and you died, I could be held liable by the contract. I have two. The first is for my Agility, it's called [Sixth Sense] and lets me know when anything within 300 feet has hostile intent towards me. The other I did not want to tell you to steer you off course as most try for this early. But at Endurance 100 one of your abilities is called [Timeless] and it effectively halts the aging process. You can still die of old age, it just takes much longer and you will never look it.]
Serin thought about this.
[If you're a target then how….]
That was all the message he could get out. Jericho figured it out though.
[How am I alive you ask? A few reasons. First, I have invested in quite the set of equipment to make myself hard to find, and second is a gift from your mother. This Leg she installed she did so with a very special enchantment. It is called the "cripple's humility". While I wear it, or are in need of it, my experience value is near zero, and anyone who kills me is cursed to have a permanent penalty to experience. Any bounty on me would be against a level 74 Monster Hunter with a negative experience return. I have not made enough enemies to make that worth anyone's while.]
Serin smiled. Only his mother would think like this. She probably did it so he did not bring trouble to the town. And then Serin thought about what he said. This hunter was level 74. He admitted to two skills at level 100. He then saw Jericho had crooked teeth and a slightly bent nose. He had seen almost zero magic and he watched him huff as he lifted crates. He must have dropped all of his ability points into Endurance and Agility.
Serin felt a slight burn in his left arm as he asked another question.
[How long will you be with us?] Jericho then looked at Serin.
[I will stay with you until I am sure you are safe, or until the wilds take me. As I am aware of your condition, I will do everything in my power to prepare you for this world, but you have many things you must do to ensure you will survive in it.]
Serin then stopped asking questions about the future. He asked a pointed question. [What skills can you teach me?]
Jericho smiled. [I will teach you everything I can, and what I cannot, we will find those that will.]
Their conversation continued, slowly, throughout the night. This night, however Rachel did not get Brain burned, and Allister was able to set down his pack before falling to the side.
