A Mage Prepared

by Thomas Whipple

  I am in a clearing that is covered in grass and surrounded by trees. Some are pines or at least some kind of evergreen with needles. Others I do not know. I seem to be unhurt and I am wearing unfamiliar cloths. A grey colored short sleeve shirt made of some rough spun material. Brown pants in case I shit myself, I mean, also of the same rough material. And lastly, of my new wardrobe the most important thing of all; shoes. Thank you whatever being or beings that brought me here for at least having provided these! Brown leather shoes that are somewhere between a slipper and boot with no laces.

  Mundane things out of the way it is time to address the monkey in the room. The icon is still blinking in the lower left. I was ignoring it until now, in a sort of denial of the situation. Now though, it is time I come to terms with my circumstances. I start to focus on the icon and immediately I am flooded with messages crowding my vision. On top is the one I have been anticipating, yet dreading.

  Welcome to Herst. What is your name?

  I have always been dissatisfied with my name. Lynn was just too girly for me. Not to brag, but I think that I am fairly good looking though maybe a little effeminate. I have dirty blond hair that hangs down past my ears and a rail thin frame at 6 foot tall. This coupled with a name like Lynn led to a lot of teasing about how I could pass for a tall girl. During high school some of my friends even tried to get me to dress in drag on Halloween to try and fool some of the guys at our school. They thought it was a riot but I wasn't amused.

  Thinking about it a little, I decided to go with my gamer tag since it was always open in the games I played. It also didn't strike me as something that could be mistaken for a girl, even if I didn't know anything about this new world. Now how do I enter the name? There is no keyboard or other interface. Guess I will just go with my gut and try something.

  "My name is Voladare."

  Confirm the name Vol Adare?

  Taken by surprise a little with the two name system, I thought about it for a moment longer. Why wouldn't there be two? Gamers use tags in games and they are usually limited to one name and no spaces, but I don't think this is a game. All evidence leads me to the conclusion that this is real and by no means a game. Hell, I had already been attacked after only being conscious for about five minutes at the time. Looking at the name I am liking it more and more, and I already respond to Vol as that is what my guild mates often shortened my name to. That's settled then.

  "Confirm"

  Confirmed.

  With that the message disappears and I start to read the ones underneath that become visible, dismissing them as I go.

  You have earned the title World Traveler.

  You have earned the title Blessed of Gwydia.

  You have gained the ability Greater Adaptability.

  You have gained the ability Mana Vacuum.

  Viewing all the messages reminds me that I have to do something about the damage notices I am getting. That could get me killed, and here, unlike a game, it would probably be permanent. Maybe not, but there is no way I am testing that willingly. I want to test a few things about the way the world works so I start by thinking very clearly in my head the word 'settings' and 'configuration'. Nothing. Next step is saying it out loud. "settings....configuration." Still I get nothing.

  I roll the issue around in my head for a minute before "why not." I think about what I want to happen, and only that for a few seconds when it feels like something just sort of falls into place in the back of my mind. Then I notice that to the left of the icon with the three dots for my messages, which has stopped blinking since I viewed them all, is another icon. This one is a sword and quill crossing. I focus on it and sure enough the logs from my little battle with the bug appear. So it seems that thinking about things is all that is required.

  One more thing to look into, then it is off to find a source of water. Seeing as I have determined that I do not need to say anything, I think 'Status' and it appears instantly.

  Name

  Vol Adare

  Age

  26

  Level

  1

  Race

  Void Human

  To next level

  0%

  Patron

  Gwydia

  HP: 100

  MP: 130

  Class

  None

  STR

  8

  Subclass 1

  None

  AGI

  7

  Subclass 2

  None

  VIT

  10

  Subclass 3

  None

  INT

  13

  Profession

  None

  WIS

  12

  Specialty

  None

  Unspent SP: 0

  Titles

  World Traveler

  Blessed of Gwydia

  Abilities

  Greater Adaptability

  Mana Vacuum

  Skills

  None

  Grimoire

  Looking at my status page it's mostly what I expected from what I know of myself. A few questions come to mind though. "What is a Void Human and who is Gwydia?" Before I look into that I need to confirm what I think I know about what everything means. One by one I focus on the stats starting at the top. As I do, the effect is sort of like a magnifying glass being held over the part I am focusing on with new information appearing.

  STR

  Physical power and resistance to physical types of damage.

  AGI

  Speed and control of physical movements.

  VIT

  HP total (1 to 10 ratio) and HP recovery (VIT+[STR/10]) per hour.

  INT

  Spell power and mana pool (1 to 10 ratio).

  WIS

  Spell control, mental/magical resistance, MP recovery (WIS+[INT/10]) per min.

  That is pretty standard from most games I have played if not a little more simplified. Since this is all real and not just a video game, I believe wholeheartedly that there is more to all of this than what I can see at this time. Moving on it is time to get a few answers. Starting at the top with my race I begin to work my way down.

  Race: Void Human

  A human from a world without mana. The lack of mana in the body influenced by the void of space makes this race adapt faster than normal humans. Grants the ability Greater Adaptability. Gain 6 unassigned SP per level (5 for human race +1 from Greater Adaptability).

  Seeing the status page and going through it like I am, I start to forget my current situation a little and I jump up and make a whooping sound before immediately freezing. "Oops." I say in a small voice. Knowing absolutely nothing about my surroundings beyond the small clearing I am in, I decide that caution should be my word for the day and shut up. Back to the reason for my excitement, well, the race looked downright Bad Ass. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't make me a god or anything but every little boost can help when the name of the game is survival.

  It also explains why I have the ability Greater adaptability. My guess is that regular humans of Herst get the ability Lesser Adaptability or just Adaptability, but that curiosity will just have to wait until I meet one. That done, it's on to the one I am most curious about.

  Patron God: Gwydia

  Greater Goddess of magic ;)

  Now filled with more questions than before, I nearly missed the last of the script before it reverts back to the regular status. "A winky face?" Again I focus on the patron section but nothing at the end. Shaking it off, I decide that there is no use dwelling over things with no answers to be had at the moment. Next up are my titles.

  Title: World Traveler

  One who has traveled across space from another world. Grants the ability Mana Vacuum.

  Title: Blessed of Gwydia

  The blessing of the goddess of magic, Gwydia. As your Patron she has made this a permanent effect. Grants 100% Resonance with all magic skills, and abilities.

  That first title sort of answ
ers how I got here, but not really that informative. At least I know where I got the Mana Vacuum ability from. Again I think of more questions where Gwydia is involved. I don't know what Resonance is supposed to be, but it does make me even more certain that there is more to everything than I have the ability to view. "OK, last but hopefully not least."

  Ability: Greater Adaptability lvl MAX

  Makes learning the first level of a skill or ability easier and grants one extra SP per level

  Ability: Mana Vacuum lvl MAX

  Your body absorbs mana faster. +10% to mana regeneration.

  I resist the urge to whoop again but can't hold back the huge grin that forms on my face. It's like someone knew exactly what I wanted for Christmas. Then I realized something. I am practically the perfect start for using magic, but I don't know any. "Damn it." Of course, I have everything I could reasonably want to start out with, other than supplies of course, and nothing I can do with it. I tried the Grimoire entry at the bottom just to make sure, but it is grayed out and nothing happens when I focus on it. I will address that issue later when I don't have more pressing concerns.

  Back to the necessities, like water. I stand up and look around at the tree line for any hints that might indicate water in that direction. There is one area that might be a little greener and thicker with a little more underbrush. It could just be my imagination, but I guess that is as good as anywhere else. So, with a goal, I head in that direction listening for the sound of water. As I walk through the forest I hear birds and insects and it sinks in that I am in a real world, not some digital production. Watching the ground and the trees around me I am looking for something that I can use as a weapon. So far all I have found are twigs that wouldn't work due to their small size.

  After about a half hour of walking and seeing only twigs and leaves on the ground I round a tree and see another tree on its side. Walking up to it I can tell that it fell recently because the branches are still green. But the leaves are wilting and almost dried out. Problem is I don't see why it fell. Sticking out of the ground at the end of the trunk is the jagged stump. The trunk of the tree itself is mostly undamaged except for a spot a few feet above the break where the bark is gone and the wood is compacted into a large divot. Checking out the spot I notice that there are scratches around and in it.

  Instantly my heart starts racing and I start looking all around for any danger. It's obvious to me after looking at this tree that there is definitely something huge in these woods. And it is at least strong enough to knock down a tree I can't even reach around when hugging it. Whatever it was did it in one strike as far as I could tell from the evidence on the trunk. Confirming that there is nothing like that around here, I look back to the break and sigh in relief. There is a little wear on the jagged breaking point indicating that it happened more than a just a few days ago.

  Checking the braches and leaves littering the ground around it I can tell they are a little dry but the wood of the larger branches is still flexible and too wet to burn well. Searching the branches that broke when the tree fell, I finally find one about my height and thick enough to hold comfortably as a makeshift staff. Giving it a couple of practice swings I can feel the bark scrape my bare palm, but it will do. I'll have to figure out a way to strip the bark to make it more comfortable later.

  Armed with my new staff I use it as a walking stick as I start off in the direction I was headed in before. Another 30 minutes passes this way as I am still looking for water. All I have been seeing is some birds and insects and I am starting to get hungry when there is a rustling in the bushes a little ways ahead. Stopping, I look in the direction of the sound and crouch down a little. Slowly I creep over to a bush in that direction, watching the ground to avoid any sticks and dry leaves. When at the bush, I crouch down and listen intently to the gentle rustling of leaves. Careful not to touch the bush and possibly give myself away, I rise up until I can look over the bush. There between the trees about 10 feet out I see a brown furry creature about 2 feet tall with a fluffy tail and facing away from me.

  Observing it for a few minutes, I watch as it turns to the side and hops over to some plants nearby to start munching on them. It's a rabbit, if a rather large one. Remembering that I am in a different world I continue to watch. I mean, for all I know, it could be one of the most dangerous things around. An image appears in my mind of me walking up to it to try and catch it for lunch, when it jumps and bites clean through my neck making my head fall off. Maybe a little melodramatic, but I have absolutely nothing to go off of yet. Focusing intently on the alien rabbit I feel something for a brief instant. It was like something profound peeked in on me and then...

  Young Hare, lvl 1.

  Well that was new, but I do feel better about attacking it. Quietly stepping around the bush when the hare is faced away, I approach it. Just as I am in striking distance it turns around and looks at me. Startled, I freeze for a second. Coming out of it a second later I choke up on the stick, raise it over my head and bring it down as hard as I can. The hare jumps to my left to avoid my hit and when the stick hits the ground I can feel the vibrations through my hands scraping them and nearly causing me to drop it. While I am leaned over from the failed strike the hare jumps again and kicks me right in the face.

  "Ow you little vermin, that actually hurt."

  After stumbling back a step, I step forward again to attack. This time though, I don't swing as hard and when it jumps to the side to dodge I pull back my makeshift staff. This time when it jumps at my chest I swing from the side and catch it mid leap. It goes rolling to the left a couple of feet, and I chase after it. I wind up to hopefully finish it off, but before I can swing, it recovers and hops off to the bushes away from me. Damn that thing is fast. Being from Arizona I have seen a few of the jack rabbits there, and it moved about as fast as those. What I mean to say is that it was way too fast for me to catch it. When I get to the bushes I can hear more rustling headed away from me as the Young Hare makes its escape.

  While I am standing there after my short encounter I notice the message icon is blinking again. Curious, I focus on it to view the messages.

  You have gained the skill Identify.

  You have gained the ability Staff Mastery.

  Those will be useful. I think of my status page again and then focus on Identify to check out my first new skill.

  Skill: Identify lvl 1

  This skill allows a person to discern information from objects by focusing on it. At this skill's lowest level it will only show the most basic information. Increase the level of this skill to view more information about a target.

  Just what I thought it would be. Simple, but it can be extremely useful in the future, especially at higher levels. Focusing on Staff Mastery, I check what benefits the ability provides.

  Ability: Staff Mastery lvl 1

  Through the use of a staff, you have started down the path of mastery. +1% to damage when using a staff.

  Dismissing the information I turn in the direction I was headed and start off. As I walk I notice that the red bar in the upper right hand corner of my vision has a tiny little section of grey at the end of it. Must have been from when the hare kicked me. I will need to watch it to see about how long it takes to recover.

  A few minutes away from where I encountered the young hare I start to hear something I hope is water. Adjusting my course to the left a little I continue walking as the sound gets louder. Finally passing through some bushes with purple flowers and small leaves I come to the bank of a small river about 20 feet wide where I am. Traversing down the small incline to the edge of the river, I kneel down and look into the water. It is crystal clear and my parched lips cannot wait any longer. I cup my hands and dip them in the water to drink my fill.

  It isn't hot here in this forest compared to summers in Arizona, however it is a little humid. Plus, with all the walking, the encounter with the young hare and with nothing to drink since I arrived here my mouth is dry as a bone. Hydrating myself
quite thoroughly, I sit on the bank and evaluate my surroundings. Thinking of my new skill, I start to study the things around me.

  Plant

  Plant

  Rock

  Seems that level 1 for Identify doesn't really provide more information than what I already know. I spend a little more time using my skill on random things around me to try and increase its level, but no luck. After relaxing for a little bit I decide it is time to move to the next step, finding shelter. Following the river downstream for an hour or so it starts to get darker. I don't know what time it is since being in the forest made it nearly impossible to keep track of time. I used to have a watch but it wasn't on my wrist when I woke up. This just means that finding shelter is that much more important.

  The river is getting louder and the ground more uneven. Eventually I can see that the river narrows into some rapids in the distance, but the important thing is that there are large boulders around and the terrain gets rockier. Looking around the rougher area I am able to find a cave that is about 3 feet tall and a little wider than that. I approach it and slowly peek in. Thankfully there is nothing. After my day I am exhausted but can't leave the entrance open for anything to climb in while I sleep.

  I walk the little ways back to the trees and start to gather branches with leaves still on them. Bringing them back to the cave mouth I start to lay them across the entrance while twisting a few branches together so that they hold each other up blocking and concealing the entrance to my little hidey hole. By then it is full dark and I feel my way toward the back of the cave by feeling along the wall.