Changing World- The Beginning

by Sergei Katz

  You have received hidden knowledge: in the world, there are special “Ruby Entities”.

  You have obtained the reputation of “The Discoverer of the World”. This reputation can be improved upon. You can find the information you require by discovering another 25 pieces of hidden knowledge. +5% chance of receiving a hidden quest.

  — Well ... — The High Fairy sighed. — I spilled some beans, but nothing special to write home about.

  Trickster was trying hard not to laugh out loud.

  Don’t you dare say a bloody word! — the High Fairy admonished him. — You're in no position to ruin relations with me.

  To my surprise, Trickster took the Fairy’s comments very seriously, and I even thought that he turned pale for a second.

  — What do we have next? Ah, yes, the less significant actions of yours. Okay, you saved the last of the Copper Winged birds, but we would have saved them all anyway without your assistance. According to the laws of this world, we are forbidden to interrupt your learning process, no matter what adventure you undertake on our territory. We will discuss this later, of course, but it is unlikely that anything will change. Usually ninety percent of the learning process occurs within the meadow area and under vigilance of one of the younger fairies. However, the Copper Winged bird decided to change all of the rules of the game and even became your Totem. And if that wasn’t enough, this spoilt little brat gave you the Tear of the Forest stone practically for nothing. So let’s get to the grand finale - it really was outstanding. Who on earth thought that you would be capable of this? A simply perfect creation! It wasn’t merely a creation, but it was actually a shrine! Everything would have been fine if you had dedicated it to someone from the Forest or to one of the Celestial Fairies, but instead you chose to dedicate it to your patron! I understand that it was a logical decision for you to make. Let me explain, we are going to have to hold discussions in an emergency meeting of the Diadem of the Council of the Celestial Fairies, which has never been convened in living memory ... This time the Diadem will include all the High Fairies and the highest elders, including the King and Queen.

  You have obtained a hidden knowledge of the composition of the Diadem of the Fairies. There are 24 items of hidden knowledge’s left to you to improve your reputation of “Discoverer of the World”.

  The High Fairy sighed and dismissed the interruption.

  — As a result of your actions, our laws have changed. It has been decided that when creating a shrine or another holy place in the land of the fairies, only the name of one of the twelve High Fairies can be chosen.

  — Can I ask a question? — I interrupted the stream of comments coming from the High Fairy.

  — Yes, of course, — the Fairy sighed.

  — Did I ask to choose the name of my own patron? As far as I can understand, the creators of the game would be less than happy with the performance of the High Fairies!

  Tsi’s face turned pale, like chalk, and even her wings became discolored.

  Sit here, and don’t even dare to move! — After shouting this, the fairy disappeared.

  You have received the hidden legendary reputation of “Seeker of the Truth”. You managed to see what the entire counsel of the Diadem of the High Council of Fairies didn’t manage to see. To see what is hidden from the attentions of the elite in this world is a talent. But this talent is nothing without training. Improved (unavailable), bonuses (unavailable), and the ability to learn (unavailable).

  The Fairy returned close to dawn. The color of her wings was back to normal, and she was quite calm.

  — Forgive me for making you wait, — she began and turned to me. — Dee, I must thank you on behalf of Diadem of Fairies. You cannot even imagine what you have done for us! Sadly, but with all of our gratitude, I must tell you your time of training with us is now at an end.

  — But the nine days haven’t finished yet! — I was surprised.

  — Yes, I know, but the situation is that the rest of the elite council thinks that you already have a huge advantage over all the other Newcomers who came in, and at such a speed you could become unbeatable in nine days. You have done nothing to be blamed for; on the contrary, the fault is ours. You will have to leave the Enchanted Forest and go out into the world ahead of time. But we feel guilty. Therefore, I am authorized to give you some gifts …—Three spheres appeared before the High Fairy. The first sphere vanished before my eyes and was replaced by a thick old folio. The fairy continued, — This is a fairy tutorial and it is given during training to every young fairy. We couldn’t teach you basic knowledge, and it's our implicit duty to give it to you. The world will not forgive us, if you do not receive this knowledge from us.

  The bok landed in my hands, and disappeared into thin air.

  — Now the book will be with you for all time. Whenever you want to read it, just think about it, and it will appear in your hands.

  I thought about the book, and it really did appear in my hands.

  — When you finish reading, just make a mental note and it will disappear.

  I did so, and the book was gone in an instant.

  —You'll like the second gift, — the Fairy smiled.

  The second sphere wafted away, and a tiny sky-blue velvet purse appeared in its place. The Fairy waved her wand and the purse appeared in my hands, and then it flared up and disappeared before my eyes.

  You have received a Celestial Purse. This item has replaced your carry bag. It has an infinite capacity, and once an item is placed in the purse, Its weight will be absolutely nil. The first 3 compartments are invisible to anyone except you. The contents of the next seven compartments are only visible to the Gods and Higher Beings. It is impossible for the contents of the first ten compartments to be lost or stolen.

  — What a fantastic gift! — I immediately put the ruby grain into the first compartment.

  — You can reorganize your stuff later, but now it’s time to give you the third gift. I could say that you would have reached this achievement without our help, but we decided to speed up the process, because it is hard to survive in this world without magic.

  The last sphere dissolved into thin air. A fifty-centimeter diameter ball of ocher suddenly appeared in my hands. The impression that I got was that the ball was a living entity, but as soon as I took a closer look at it, it seemed as if it had penetrated through my hands, as if it was aware of my intense gaze. My hands were illuminated for a second and then went back to a normal color.

  You have received the passive ability of “Unity with Nature”. Now you have a deeper understanding of plants and animals.

  You have received the “Wild Magic” ability: 1% (beginner level). You can study and use wild magic. A beginner can only use this magic in the wilderness.

  — So, this talent uses the nature around you to enhance your spells. Dee, you will gradually understand everything, but there is something else to consider. A wild magician can create spells as and when he needs to, using the ingredients surrounding him. Shall I show you how this is done? You still have some Fiddle mushrooms, correct?

  — Yes, I do, but how did you know that? — I was surprised.

  — Before you entered the cave, we were watching over you in case you needed our help.

  — I see, — I muttered. I felt a little insulted that I hadn’t a clue that I was being followed. I seriously needed to improve my level of “Attentiveness”.

  — Anyway, take four of your mushrooms, — the High Fairy continued with her instructions. — Now place them in all four corners of the world, but they must be at least one hundred meters away from you.

  I spread the mushrooms out as I had been told.

  — Now stand in the middle of them all and close your eyes. Try to locate the mushrooms using your mind.

  “That’s easy enough for you to say, but how in the hell am I supposed to locate something using only my mind”! — I thought to myself.

  I had no idea how long I had been attempting to do this, but a
t some point I mentally connected with the mushroom in the most southern position.

  This gave me confidence that my goal was achievable.

  After that I began to systematically look for the mushroom in the north, and after some time I found it as well. Then things went more smoothly, and I quickly found the two remaining mushrooms.

  — That was outstanding, — the High Fairy said. It appeared to me that she knew exactly where I should have been searching, and most importantly, when and where I found it. — Now find inside yourself a source of mana and draw four threads from it, one for each mushroom.

  This task took me much longer to complete. That wasn’t strictly accurate. I found the source quickly, but connecting each thread to the fungus was one hell of a job! No quicker did I connect a thread to one mushroom, but the other threads snapped away, so I just had to keep going. I had no idea how long this took me, and certainly I didn’t understand how Trickster and the Fairy didn’t kill me for my slowness.

  — Excellent, — the fairy said, as if nothing had happened. — And now connect all the mushrooms with a line of magic in a circle.

  Oddly enough, I was able to do it quickly and without any difficulty.

  — Fantastic! — The Fairy was overjoyed. — Now the next thing that you need to do is to energize all the lines until you feel that they have enough power.

  I slowly began to pour in my energy. Nothing terrible happened, but I was running out of patience, so I simply poured out all the energy available to me in one shot.

  The Moon Flower jerked in offence, but it quickly calmed down.

  Congratulations. You have created an “Audible Protection” spell. This will cost you 110 mana. It will work for 8 hours. Any creature that crosses the magic line between the mushrooms will be stunned for 30 seconds. All creatures at a distance of 10 meters from the audible protection spell guard will be stunned for 15 seconds. The spell can be made more powerful.

  — You shouldn’t have poured all of your mana out, —the Fairy sighed. — It turned out to be a very powerful spell, but I suggest that it would have been better to start with something that didn’t cost you so much, and to develop and modify it later on.

  — Well, what is done is done, and I can’t change history. So, can I...

  I was interrupted by a new message:

  A beginner wild magician can independently develop only 3 spells. You have created an “Audible Protection” spell. Once reaching a reputation of “Capable”, you will be able to create two more spells.

  — Tsi! — I cried out. — Why didn’t you tell me that I could only create a limited number of spells? Why would I waste my time on this spell? I can sleep in the trees for the time being.

  — I'm sorry. — The High Fairy was embarrassed, — I wasn’t thinking. It just seemed like a good idea for you to use the materials that you already have with you. If I understand correctly, you need an attacking and a protective spell. Am I right?

  — Yes, that’s true, — I agreed with her and had already calmed down.

  — Do you prefer close protection or protection from distant threats?

  — Is it possible to do both? — I asked, thinking to myself, why not get as much as I could out of this conversation, so I smiled at the Fairy.

  — You are a total rascal, aren’t you? —The fairy sighed. — Okay, let me see what I can do.

  She walked over and put her hands on my forehead. A vision arose before me: I was holding a bunch of branches in my hands and pouring energy into them in a particular way. The pattern that connected the branches was very intricate, but I still knew exactly why each part of the pattern was needed, and how to create and activate it. As soon as I had finished what I was doing, I found myself surrounded by a small swirling typhoon of branches. I felt that I could manipulate this typhoon up until within a meter around me, and control its intensity. Then the vision was gone.

  You've learned the “Wild Protection” spell. The cost to you is 50 mana and 3 mana for every second that you use it. It will absorb 50% of potential damage, until it reaches a level of 500 points of damage. It prevents an opponent from making a good target of you. It is possible to improve this ability.

  This was an excellent spell, but a little too expensive for my life force at the moment. However, it could come in handy as a last resort. At that point I just needed to always have stocks of branches at hand, so it was a good thing that the size of the compartments of my new carry bag were limitless.

  — As I promised, I will teach you how to fight an opponent, but it will be my choice this time!

  The Fairy laid her hands on my forehead again. I had another vision. This time I had a heap of leaves in my hands. I threw them up in the air, and as they flew I connected them with a thread of magic, weaving an intricate pattern. My body became filled with power, and a deluge of sharp leaves descended upon my invisible opponent.

  You have learned the “Falling Leaves” spell. Cost: 30 mana. It inflicts damage on the area that it falls upon, and each leaf that strikes inflicts 10-90 points of damage. Different leaves have different damaging effects. The spell can be improved.

  — These are all the gifts I have to offer. You have already received more than you deserve. Say good-bye to each other, you have ten minutes. — She turned to Trickster: — You and I will talk later.

  Then the High Fairy melted into the air again.

  — Listen to me carefully! — The newly created divine spirit rattled out. —I will stay here for a while, but unfortunately, I can’t offer you any more assistance. Sadly enough, I won’t be able to give you any support, and this is very bad, because you are already so well known that you are going to be hunted down. Try not to make yourself obvious. You are now alone in this world and you are the number one target for the hunters. Try to become as strong as possible. The most important thing that you can do is to develop the abilities and skills that you already have. I can see that you already have a great selection of those under your belt.... Oh yeah! Change your name. Dee is now a household name. Also, be sure to find yourself a pet, because your Totem isn’t fit for the job.

  — I wanted an Alphiner! — I was indignant. — And I really was trying to adopt one.

  — I know. — A mischievous smile appeared on Trickster's face. — Sadly, I can’t allow you to have a messenger as a pet, so you need to look for something else. I'm sure you'll find something even better, and with your ability to get where you are not supposed to be, plus your good luck, you are a worthy son of fortune, so I have no doubt that you will get by just fine.

  Your time has expired.

  — See you again soon, Dee.

  The Fairy waved her hand, and I found myself in a forest that I had never seen before. It was certainly not an enchanted forest. Pines of brown, green, and red and many more different flowers grew all around me, but only the pines stood out. My Copper Winged friend landed next to me.

  — Well, at least you are still with me, — I smiled.

  The Copper Winged bird rubbed his head against my trouser leg in a gesture of support that I had now gotten used to.

  — Okay. Let's get moving.

  CHAPTER 12:

  A VILLAGE WITHOUT

  A NAME

  We started moving cautiously through the forest. The Copper Winged bird flew ahead and signaled when the path was clear, or if it wasn’t, pointing out danger. From our first steps, the difference between the Enchanted Forest and the rest of the world became clear: from time to time we came across very aggressive creatures.

  Throughout several hours of travelling we fought a dozen foxes, some strange unknown beast that looked something like a hairy crocodile, a small pack of wolves, and we even managed to run into a brown bear.

  If I didn’t have my Copper Winged friend with me, then it was unlikely that I would have been able to beat the bear single handedly. The falcon clawed at the bear’s eyes, which gave me enough time and space to move around freely and attack the bear’s paws with impunity. Wh
en one of the paws gave way, the brown bear realized that the bird was only distracting its attention and switched to me. Every blow that struck me cost me at least 30 life points.

  So, if we didn’t finish it off quickly enough, then I would have died from 10 blows, or possibly even fewer. One of his critical strikes took 45 life points away from me! By the time we finally dealt with the bear I only had 32 life points remaining - literally one more strike from the bear could have finished me off.

  My Copper Wing friend also received some damage from the bear: one of his wings hung immobilized, and his formerly lush tail feathers were plucked off. There were almost no tail feathers left. Fortunately, they would quickly grow back, because so far all the serious wounds that I had seen in this world quickly healed themselves.

  Since I had entered this forest, I had never used “Wild Magic”, I just simply forgot about it. However, in the heat of the battle with the bear, I remembered it. As they say, the first pancake you made was always lousy, but when I figured out more or less how bears attacked, and the “Wild Magic” would be of great help, especially as a defense if I put it in place in advance.

  I was carefully walking through the forest, looking for new species of flora that could be of use to me. A spectacular variety of colors and shapes of flowers and plant life grew all around me, but sadly I couldn’t find anything of interest.

  Then I came across a very interesting bush. I wasn’t interested in the bush itself, as much as in its sharp spiky petals at least. The flowers looked more like hedgehogs and were dark green with a dark yellow stigma.