Lord of Creation

by Lawrence Blackwood

  I impulsively wanted to pump my Strength and Constitution, but checked myself. I needed to put some serious thought into who and what I wanted to become. Personally, battlemage sounded pretty badass, and tanks were always cool but never had the destructive power that I liked. I decided to drop 7 on Con, to make sure I didn't die and to boost my health regen to a massive 7.7 per minute (Aw yeah!). After that, 4 went to Int and 4 to Wis, even though I didn't know any spells yet. Wait. Did I?

  I quickly flipped over to my Spells tab.

  Here is your current list of usable Spells-

  Magic Missile (Newbie)- At the Newbie level, Magic Missile is essentially a small, explosive Roman candle. With careful planning, flammables may be used to maximise this weak attack. Mana per cast is 10 - [Int or Wis (whichever is greater) /100]. With each 20 levels of Magic Missile (Newbie), an extra missile is added. Delay between shots is 1 sec - [Int or Wis (whichever is greater)/1000]. Deals 5-8 damage per bolt, but increases in proportion to Int and Spell level.

  Illumination (Newbie)- Illuminates a small area around the caster. Area and control over brightness will increase with caster and spell level. Mana per Minute of use is equal to one casting of Magic Missile.

  I closed the spell screen, and tried to use Illumination. A barely noticeable glow flickered around me, then failed. I tried again, this time saying the word "Illumination!" A soft, warm ring of light surrounded me for about two feet in each direction. "Holy shit. I just cast a spell. A real life, honest to God spell. Holy shit. Holy shiiit."

  The spell was cool, but impractical for now because I could see just fine. I canceled it, but couldn't stop myself from reactivating it. I felt like it was a tiny bit easier, and I would eventually be able to cast spells without having to say their name. Or so I hoped. I pushed deeper into the tutorial dungeon, hoping to blast some skeletons and refill my Exp bar, which now read 1/53.5. The next level requirement was a lot lower than I was expecting, which was great.

  The few rooms had about the same amount of boneheads as the second. My Magic Missile barely did more damage than my club, but I continued to use it to try and level it up. I quickly jumped to level 4, almost level 5, which gave me 30 more points to spend. I put all 30 points into Wis to let it catch up with my other stats, giving me a solid 74 total Wisdom. It was a large number, but I knew it couldn't really be all that much seeing as it only took me half an hour or so to level up 3 times.

  I was just glad to finally be nearing the end of the tutorial dungeon. If I remembered correctly, there were only two more rooms to go. The next one would have a few Level 1 Skeletons, and the room after that would have a couple Level 2 Skeletons and a Level 2 Decaying Zombie. The Level 1 Skeletons were a fair bit stronger than the Level 0s, but gave a little more precious Exp.

  The Level 1s managed to barely push me to Level 5, which annoyed the crap out of me. If I was close to leveling up before I fought the stronger monsters, I could time the level up to heal me if I got into a pinch. I did it all the time in games, so it should work here, too. I doubted that the battle would hinge solely on my ability to cast Magic Missile, so I pumped all 15 points into Strength, for a total of 95.

  I did a decent amount more DPS now. Not a lot, but a few extra points of damage could never hurt. I barged into the next room wielding my Bone Club as valiantly as one could wield a brittle Skeleton bone and retain their dignity. The first Skeleton fell under a barrage of hits that shattered both it and my club. Fortunately, the body had just supplied me with two more!

  Oh shit. It took a moment for the pain to register, but there was a knife in me. It was a superficial hit to the arm, but it hurt like all hell and blood was staining my shirt a slightly darker shade of red. My Health dropped almost 30 points, which left me with just over 100 after my Str and Con boosts. I pulled the knife out of my arm, wincing at the pain.

  "Holy shit!" I barely got my Bone Club up to block a strike from the Decaying Zombie, who wielded a rather awful looking iron short sword. It was more Skeleton than anything else, but the difference in Strength was noticeable. My club shattered, but the sword bounced back. I shot a Magic Missile at the Zombie, aiming for the eye. I missed its eye, but the burning projectile shot straight up the thing's nose. If that isn't a critical hit, I don't know what is! Sure enough, the undead meat sack stumbled backwards, momentarily stunned.

  Not taking any chances, I plunged my dagger into its eye. I never got a chance to check the thing's DPS, but I hoped it was enough to kill the Zombie. For good measure, I summoned another Bone Club and beat the monster's head into a squishy pulp. Double tap, am I right? I quickly snatched up the Zombie's pitiful loot.

  The other skeleton was approaching, but the longer reach and higher DPS of my new sword made quick work of it. Another Level Up dinged, which meant I was Level 6. That was cool, but I felt wiped. Fighting minimally powerful versions of the weakest undead creatures around was a hell of a lot more work than it looked.

  I gave Endurance 10 points, and Intelligence 5. Hopefully there was a milestone bonus for attributes when they reached a certain level. I would have pumped Strength to 100 right now, but I knew Magic Missile, which was now level two, could be more than formidable if I upgraded it and my Intelligence enough. Besides, I was pretty sure my mental capacity was actually increasing, as were my other "Attributes". Before long, I'd be a bone-a fide badass. See what I did there?

  To my dismay, there was no loot chest to be had, and my Anatomy Book was still empty. Maybe tutorial monsters didn't count? That would also explain the lack of chests. Still, the 47 Coppers I collected, along with my dagger and sword, had me feeling pretty awesome. I was living out a dream I had had way too often to be healthy, and I was loving it!

  I tried gloriously kicking the dungeon's exit door open, but it didn't budge. So much for being a badass. Oh well, the handle worked just fine. I swung the door open to a set of stairs leading to open air, and wrinkled my nose. Until the fresh air from above washed over me, I hadn't realized just how nasty it smelled in the dungeon. Stars shone above, similar to Earth's, but they didn't make any familiar constellations.

  For as far as I could see, light green grass spread with sporadic but large copses of trees dotted around. I picked a direction at random and began walking. It isn't like I could get even more lost, right? Right?

  I found a spot to rest under some trees, careful to hide enough so that a casual glance around wouldn't reveal me. I was honestly pretty wiped from the fighting, and could use the rest. Besides, I could get my bearings better in the morning. None of this except the dungeon was similar to any game I'd ever played. But what was there to do? I settled into the soft grass and was quickly asleep.

  Shit. Literal shit. I smell so bad. So bad in fact, that I woke myself up. I didn't actually crap myself, but it sure smelled like I did. A notification dinged at me, guiding me to the Spells tab.

  Gentle Scrub (Newbie)- Lightly cleans the body. Not enough for serious messes at lower levels. Each cast is equivalent to one single ply paper towel. Mana use is 1 per Level of Gentle Scrub.

  No way! It wouldn't do much for the smell at this level, but eventually it could be one hell of an asset. If magic was this easy to come by, I'd soon build up an arsenal. But so would everybody else... I pushed the dark thought away. So what? I'd show this world who's boss, maybe even start my own kingdom.

  Were there kingdoms here? Or even other humans? I'd assumed there were, but you never knew I guess.

  After enough uses of Gentle Scrub to almost half my Mana pool, I set off again. My stomach grumbled, and I remembered one very important thing. I had no food. Or water. I would find something eventually. For now, I could live off of rainwater.

  It was a couple hours before I saw anything remarkable. A lone animal, similar to a pitbull sized antelope, wandered aimlessly. It was small, but the twin horns on its head looked dangerous. Luckily I was downwind of the little thing, so it couldn't smell me. Animal Planet was good for something at least.

 
As I studied the thing, a popup appeared in my vision, before disappearing. I decided to look at it, hoping to find some info on my potential prey.

  With a thought I pulled up the Anatomy Book

  Gunzi- These small cousins of Earth's antelope are Herbivores and prey animals, but approach with caution. High Dexterity and remarkably sharp antlers make for a nasty surprise.

  (Note. Your knowledge of this animal is limited. Further encounters are required to access more detailed information.)

  Damn. Well, at least I knew that the Book was as useful as I thought it was going to be. I was more wary of the Gunzi now, but I felt kind of silly. The thing couldn't have weighed more than 60 pounds.

  I noticed that my Exp bar was considerably more full now. Maybe an added benefit of furthering the Book? Or just a species discovery bonus?

  Gathering my courage, I zipped as many Magic Missiles as I could at it, once again aiming for the eyes. This time, my gambit paid off. The first one missed, but the second through fourth ones hit. One landed where it was supposed to straight into the eye, and one crashed straight into its eardrum, but the last struck it almost harmlessly in the hoof.

  Then, I was on it. Almost. The thing hopped away from my swing faster than I would have thought possible. High Dex indeed. I swung again, trying to use the sword's length to score a hit. It didn't work.

  Oh, screw it. After the next attack, I threw a Bone Club at it as hard as I could. It cracked against the Gunzi's skull, breaking the weapon and sending the animal sprawling into the dirt. When the weapon broke, a popup appeared. A few hasty stabs later and I had made my first non-tutorial kill. Hell yeah! I'd be eating good tonight. Could I put something this big into my inventory? I tried, and it worked, but I could feel the ethereal weight of it spread across my shoulders.

  Another bright Level Up icon appeared in front of my face. I mentally made it less obtrusive; the distraction could get me killed someday. The little beast gave out a fair chunk of Exp that brought me to Level 7, and almost halfway to 8. I wanted to spend my points right away, but an idea struck me.

  I mentally opened my character sheet, and tried to create my own bar. One for Fatigue that would show how long I needed to sleep and how much time I needed between rests. Maybe, just maybe, if I got Endurance high enough I wouldn't need sleep! I could level so much faster! To my surprise, it appeared much more specific than I intended.

  Unlearned Ability- Sleeplessness-

  Your high Endurance, certain Spells, or advanced Abilities have granted you the ability to stay awake for extremely extended periods of time. During times of great stress or exertion, a short rest may still be required. You do not yet meet the requirements for this ability.

  The popup made by the club appeared in my Abilities tab.

  Weapon Proficiency (Basic)- Bone Club (Crude)

  Your constant use of this grisly weapon has given you a better understanding of its intricacies. Proper Attributes, Spells, or Abilities will allow you to modify this weapon.

  Huh. Learn something new every day. Sleeplessness was pretty neat, truth be told... Until it told me the requirements, a whopping 1000 Endurance points. I hadn't even gained 1000 Exp yet.

  Still, it had an upside. That skill was proof that there were skill milestones waiting to be unlocked. I spent 11 points to bring Intelligence up to 100, and used the other 4 to pop Strength tantalizingly close at 99.

  The Intelligence bonus was awesome, especially with my recent Weapon Proficiency. It not only gave me a significant boost to my magic damage and regen, but my increased brain power and magical ability (which came with a doubled Mana pool) let me modify Crude or lower weapons (Even though weapons lower than Crude didn't exist) that I had a proficiency in. The level of my Int and Proficiency, and the simplicity of the weapon all affected my ability.

  "So, how's this work?" I said aloud, searching for a tutorial or notification. "Aha!" My Spells tab was burning in the back of my mind. I opened it to discover I had learned a new spell.

  Bone Club Modification (Newbie, doubles as a Basic Ability)-

  By guiding Mana between two or more Clubs to establish a link and syncing them together, they can be fused. Mana per Minute is 50 - [Int or Wis (whichever is greater)/100]. With each 20 levels of Modification (Newbie), the strength gained by each fusion grows. Delay between casts is 1 min - [Int or Wis (whichever is greater)/100]. Increases weapon strength by a base of 25% of the weapon fused, but increases in proportion to Int and Spell level. Higher levels will allow the caster to shape the weapon for a greatly increased Mana cost.

  (Note. This cannot be used to significantly increase the sharpness of your weapon or repair anything other than minor damage at your current Level.)

  So. That's awesome. I had 7 Bone Clubs, so I should be able to make a pretty badass weapon with a bit of time. It took a few minutes for me to lay out my weapons and figure out how to use my newfound power. I laid two of the weapons side by side, then with an intense effort summoned a dripping, blue energy that kind of reminded me of a 3-D printing pen. I lifted two of the bones and began lashing them together. I figured the better I wrapped them, the better the product, and used almost all of my Mana before finally syncing them.

  The sound and effect was similar to something going into my Inventory, but so much cooler. My original club was a few inches longer, and twice the weight of the others. I popped it into my Inventory. There was no point in using it yet, because it was still fragile enough to break easily. The DPS was only supposed to raise by 25% of the fused weapon, but maybe the extra weight would help too?

  I stayed there for the next couple hours to fuse my weapon into a whole. By the end, I had Leveled twice and the Spell had Leveled three times. I used 1 point to bring Str to one hundo, and the rest into Wis to bring it up to 107. With 100 in both Int and Wis and their subsequent bonuses, my Mana cap was just over 400 and my regen was 15/min (1 every 4 seconds). The Str bonus boosted my carry weight and melee damage significantly. It also helped a bit with Health, bringing it to 196.

  My extra Strength also helped out with the weight of my new weapon, which I lovingly named the Bone Breaker. Clever, right? It fairly well outclassed my sword by now, and was easily five feet tall. Now I just needed something to test it on.

  It didn't take much time to find another Gunzi. I honestly felt a little bad about how easily Bone Breaker killed the little thing, but the Experience to me and the knowledge to the Book was definitely worth it. I killed a few more, but the Exp per Gunzi started to drop after my next level up. I pumped Wis again, trying to increase my Mana regen to a point where it would be useful. I would need it, if my plan for the Gunzi carcasses worked.

  It took hours to extract all of the Guniz ribs and gather them into a pile. Twice that time passed again before I had them all fused into a gnarly dagger. The handle was the worst part, but I figured that I could always change it when I grew more powerful. The existing one would have to work for now.

  With my new bone weapons, I had no real use for my other ones. Even so, I kept them. Backups were always welcome. 2 popups appeared. One in my Abilities tab, and one in my basic character sheet.

  Intimidation (Passive)- Your grisly weapons strikes fear into your lessers. If the difference in power is high enough, Slavery is possible.

  I flipped over to my character sheet to notice my Humanity had dropped by 5 points down to 45. Well. Intimidation sounded pretty badass, even if Slavery wasn't really my thing. The Humanity thing I think I deserved, to be honest. Still, my new weapons were totally worth it.

  By now the sun was well on its way toward the horizon. I estimated maybe 2 and a half hours until nightfall. That was at least 2 and a half hours I had of travel time. I set off again, careful to make sure that I was going in the same direction. Off in the distance, I could see what looked like the beginning of a few hills. I headed toward them. As the sun fell and lights started to appear around the "hills" I realized that they were part of a town. An oddly shaped place, but it
was there nonetheless. It took me another half hour or so to reach them.

  I was let into the town with little fuss, which surprised me until I heard a familiar voice inside of my head. "I am glad that you survived, my little battery. The stronger you grow, the more power you feed into my realm upon your death. To see that happen, I will guide you occasionally. This place, this path, is not for you. Grab the provisions you need, and quickly."