by Jez Cajiao
“Hold up!” West said, clapping his hands together loudly as I took in a deep breath, ready to give the old hag a piece of my mind. “We’re getting sidetracked here. Jack, you can decide a class later. Take your time and pick what you want. It’s your choice, and it’s your future, so don’t just toss it off in a moment of anger. Xiao, tell him what he needs to know, and quit with the shitty attitude. Remember, he IS the Baron’s son, so maybe fucking him over isn’t a good idea, hmmm?”
“Very well,” said Xiao, taking a deep breath before continuing. “You can make further adjustments to your vision; for example, choosing to make your Stamina, Health, and Mana bars visible at all times, which I have heard is a common choice. Other alterations are adding the time, compass direction indicators, and notification alarms, to name a few. You will find that the possibilities are limited only by your mind.”
“Tom said he took the three bars, added a flashing light to show any notifications from the Pearl, and that was it,” West chimed in.
“Okay, give me a minute,” I said, concentrating. I’d already summoned a mana bar, but the Health and Stamina bars were even easier to summon into existence, colored red and green respectively. I added them and tucked them down to the right of my vision, along with the blue mana bar, opting to make them turn transparent when I didn’t think about them. Then I added a small ‘Eye’ symbol in the bottom left, setting it to close when I wasn’t being observed, and open when I was. I wasn’t completely certain how it worked, aside from similar indicators I had seen in games, but it seemed to appear and settle easily enough. Finally, I added a small hash symbol in the very top right of my vision, where it wouldn’t get in the way. I set it to pulse with light, and a roman numeral appeared above it to indicate the notifications I had waiting. I scanned through current notifications, dismissing each as I finished with it.
Pearl integration is complete……
Current Level: 1.
0/300exp towards Level 2.
They were simple messages, but the fact that the Pearl could communicate with me like this freaked me out, making me think of a parasite in my brain. I took a moment to get ahold of myself before turning back to the others.
“Okay, I’ve done that. What else do I need to know?”
“You can, as I’ve said, increase your level by exercising, but you can also increase your Wisdom and Intelligence through study and usage of your mana. I suggest you concentrate on doing this. With your Intelligence so low, you only have the capacity to learn four spells at this time. There are twenty that the Baron has ordered me to make available to you, so I suggest you study the list of possibilities and choose for yourself.” With that, Xiao passed a set of notes over. I read them carefully, growing more and more excited as I read.
Name
School
Description
Effect
Mana
Summon Water
Water
Summons clean, drinkable water
Magical Spring erupts at caster’s target, lasts 10 seconds
10 Mana
Icebolt
Water
Hurls a bolt of solid Ice at a target
Icebolt does 10 damage per hit, plus chance to freeze target; chance increases by 5% per hit
10 Mana
Firebolt
Fire
Hurls a bolt of fire at enemies
Firebolt does 10 damage per hit, plus chance to burn target; chance increases by 5% per hit
10 Mana
Weak flame
Fire
Summon weak flame in your hand, flame can be transferred and set fire to flammable objects
5 Damage per second until 10 seconds have passed or fuel is used up
10 Mana
Cleansing Fire
Fire
10m radius for ten damage per second for 60 seconds
10m radius for ten damage per second on anything in the AOE and dispels any negative status effects
50 mana
Earthen armor
Earth
Strengthen your body’s natural armor by 10
Lasts 60 seconds and ignores 10 damage per hit
25 Mana
Earth tremor
Earth
10ft earth tremor from caster in all directions
1-6 damage per second, 5 second duration
25 Mana
Oil Slick
Earth
Beginner ranked Earth spell, creates a flammable oil that sticks to any surface it is cast upon
5m x 5m AOE, lasts 30 seconds
25 mana
AirBlade
Air
Create a blade of air that appears in an arc
15 damage to all targets across a 10m area
25 mana
Weak Lightning
Air
Causes a weak bolt of lightning to hit the target, 5% chance to arc to other targets
10 damage per hit, can arc to other targets if within 5m; chance increases by 5% per hit
10 Mana
Identify
Light
Shows the caster information on basic targets
Allows for information on items, people, etc.
10 Mana
Chameleon
Light
Bend light around yourself becoming 20% harder to detect
Stealth skill is increased by 5 and you are 20% harder to detect for 10 seconds
25 mana
Simple Illusion
Light
Create a simple Illusion that will distract those around it
Lasts 10 seconds and will create a mimic of the target at the area chosen
50 Mana
Darkbolt
Dark
Hurls a bolt of Darkness at your target
Does 10 damage per hit, chance to cause disorientation on hit; chance increases 5% with each hit
10 mana
Wall of Darkness
Dark
Creates a Shield of Darkness
Shield made of Darkness, can absorb 100 damage, lasts 15 seconds; enemies touching this wall are struck blind for 15 seconds
50 Mana
Minor Healing
Life
Heal yourself over 60 seconds
Heal 20 points of damage over 60 seconds
25 Mana
Sense Life
Life
Sense life within 30m
Sense any lifeforms within 30 m for 5 seconds
25 Mana
Lifebolt
Life
Hurls a bolt of Life energy that hits your target
Does 10 healing to living creatures and 20 damage to undead
10 Mana
Sense Death
Death
Sense Death within 30m
Sense dead bodies and undead within 30m
25 Mana
Raise Weak Skeletal Minion
Death
Raise a Skeletal Minion to obey your commands
A Skeletal minion can be raised to obey your commands and will last until dismissed, destroyed, or the mana animating it has been withdrawn.
50 Mana, plus ten points of Mana per hour to maintain
I read through the list several times, before realizing Xiao was talking to me.
“What?” I asked distractedly. “Did you say something?”
“Yes, fool! These spells are tools, and all I’ve told you is advice, nothing more! A real master of magic would make the rules of reality bend to their will, not the other way around!” she snapped at me, then seeing West’s disapproving look, she snapped at him as well. “It’s like teaching a dog algebra! I waste my time! When I think of the potential of that Pearl wasted on him…. Bah!” At this, she stormed off, leaving West and me alone.
“She’s at least partially right, lad,” he said. “The training that some of your opponents might have had ‘quietly’ over the years is far higher than the amount we’re trying to hammer into you now, and we’ve only a few mon
ths left to go. So, as I said, don’t waste too much time on the magic at least not yet. Take the spells. Maybe you can learn to use them better on the other side, but between now and then, the most you will be able to do is hit them with one or two spells, and then you’ll be out. Better to focus on your fighting; at least then you stand a chance.”
“Thanks, West. I’ll think about it, and let you know what I decide. One question, though: you say they’ll have had years of training, but the Baron only picked me and Tommy up with, what, six months to go?”
“Aye, some of them will have. Some of the Great Houses are… well, they’re a lot more sentimental and…nicer than the Baron. They might send a son or daughter to fight in the arena, but they’ll at least train them first. The Baron doesn’t believe in ‘wasting time with unproven meat,’ as he put it. He did acknowledge to us this morning that he’s had your bloodlines fully traced, however, and what I said before is true. He’s your father.”
“Oh, fuck no! No god damn way!” I said as West held his hands up to calm me down. “It’s not what you think. Not sure if it’s better, but he basically donates a lot of sperm regularly, and has it sent out to sperm banks and hospitals. Then his people chuck out the other sperm and put his in its place. Most of the Great Houses do it, apparently. It’s a shitty thing to do, but it basically spread him far and wide, giving him more chances at producing what he calls a ‘Pureblood’. In the way he means it, it means that your mother is distantly related to one of the Great Houses, and through that combination, you have some of her line, and a lot of his. It’ll be where your healing ability comes from. Your mother probably never met him, and she was either artificially inseminated by choice, or just never told you. I’m sorry, lad, but I thought you’d rather hear it from me.” He gripped my shoulder in sympathy and gave a pained smile.
“Yeah, thanks, West. Don’t get me wrong, you’re still a prick, but hey, you’re alright.” I said to him, genuinely grateful for his friendly attitude, as, besides my maids, nobody else seemed to care about what happened to me.
“Good lad. I’ll see you in the morning. Take the rest of the day to recover and think on what we’ve said. You’ll need to choose, and then let me know, so I can tailor the rest of your training if I need to. One last thing to consider…you might not like it, but you’re nobility now. Xiao isn’t, despite her attitude. Just sayin’.” With that, he turned and walked from the room, the click of the door loud in the silence that followed.
I sat for a while, thinking about the options I had. The classes would make a huge difference to me. I could be whatever I wanted in that world, it seemed. I just had to fight for it. I knew I could have been anything here too, but I couldn’t boost myself in the same way in ‘real’ life. I got up and walked back to my room, a pair of guards following me at a respectful distance as I went. I never knew if they were there in case I needed them, or in case I tried to escape. Both reasons, I guessed.
I went and laid on my bed and thought about the future, about the characters I’d played over the years in games, about the books and movies I loved. I knew what I wanted to be, but I had not considered if it was really right to do it. The dreams had showed me a lot about myself. I’d jump in to help anyone, even dying to keep them safe, if need be. Yet here, I’d taken the easy route: the violence, the petty thefts, the threats and promises I’d made over the years. I got up, dragging a heavy chair across to the huge mirror on one wall, and sat there staring into my own eyes. Someone came in after a while, lighting the fire and turning on the lights. They talked to me, but seeing that I was absorbed in my reflections, they left quietly.
I’d been an asshole, I decided. In the other world, in the games I’d played, and in all my favorite books, I’d played the hero. But here, where it really counted, I’d been lazy, a petty criminal, and an asshole. I’d helped people when I could, but I’d rarely gone out of my way to do so. Since losing Tommy, I’d been even worse.
This was an opportunity to change. I’d be damned if wasn’t going to take it.
Chapter Five
I spent the rest of the day, as well as most of the night, in contemplation. I finally dropped off to sleep in the early hours as I came to terms with a decision I’d circled for hours: I was going to be a Spellsword.
I’d forced myself to sleep on it. Giving myself the extra few hours to change my mind felt alternately like cowardice and common sense, but if this was a decision that would affect me for the rest of my life, I had to take it seriously. I’d been a waste of skin for enough of my life, and it was time to do something that mattered.
When I awoke the next morning, sandy-eyed and exhausted, it was to the smell of freshly cooked breakfast. Sausages, bacon, fried eggs, hash browns and beans, all served with a mountain of toast dripping in butter waited for me. I rolled out of bed, coming to my feet in a rush as the girls arranged the food on the small table for me. I was across the room and sinking my teeth into a slice of toast so deep with butter that I left clear teeth marks before my brain kicked in fully.
“What happened to all the healthy crap?” I mumbled around a forkful of sausage dipped in fried egg, shoving food in around my words.
“Captain West gave special orders to the kitchen, my lord. He said you had ‘suffered enough,’ and needed some real food,” said Jenny. She was the taller of the two girls that had first met me and had a smile that could melt a glacier in seconds. She grinned at me as I wolfed down forkful after forkful. “Looks like the real way to your heart is through the belly!”
“Gods, yes. I don’t care what’s going on; if I get real food again, I’m ecstatic! West sent this?” I asked again, wanting to make sure it was him that I owed.
“Yes, Lord Jack. Captain West, ‘e said that you’d ‘ad a ‘ard day, and a bad decision to make. ‘e said we ‘ad to look after you!” Marie added. shorter, dark as Jenny was blonde and with curves that I usually fixated on like a hound on point. Now I barely paid her any attention beyond a groan of thanks as she poured me a drink.
The meal passed in a blur, over far too soon, yet my stomach was practically distended with all that I’d eaten. I sat back, wiping my mouth with a silk napkin, and burped long and loud, before blushing and apologizing. If I’d been facing the Baron and his kind, I’d have ignored my manners, but with the girls, it just felt rude.
“So, my lord, can we ‘elp you wit anythin’ else?” Marie asked flirtatiously. Jenny met my eyes and grinned at me, and I damn well knew what they wanted. Truthfully, what I wanted too, as the trouser snake stood to attention, but I’d put things off too long already.
“No, girls, thank you. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I need to get something handled, and it’s not you two.” As Marie pouted and Jenny sighed in disappointment, the words fell out of my traitorous mouth before I could stop them. “But tonight?”
With slightly happier expressions on their faces, the girls left, taking the dishes with them. I sat forward, summoning my status screen with a flex of a mental muscle, and lifted my tea to my lips, blowing gently to cool it as I checked over the numbers and confirmed the changes I’d decided on last night.
A pop-up flashed in front of my eyes, overriding the character status screen and hovering there, pulsing with intent.
You have chosen Spellsword as your Primary Class. Are you sure?
Yes/No
(Please note: the changes this choice will cause are permanent and cannot be undone.)
I took a deep breath, a quick swig from my tea, and set it down before confirming yes. There was a momentary sensation of static building up all over my body that reminded me of being too close to a lightning strike as a child. Then it began.
Pain! Pain ripped through my body and my brain; not as severe as the Pearl, but a mouse could have starved on the difference! I felt the strands burrowing deep into my brain, widening and strengthening connections, speeding up the synapse relays and rebuilding pathways. I writhed in agony, and blood filled my mouth as I bit my tongue.
As they worked, time seemed to stretch out endlessly. The status page was long since gone, and I stared wildly around the room as my body went into convulsions. I could see muscles widening, growing bigger and thicker, even as the room changed, yet stayed the same.
