Dravincia

by Blake Severson

  Potato

  Durability: 20/20

  Rarity: Common

  Weight: 0.3 kg

  Traits: A root vegetable with a variety of uses.

  Cha-Ching! Arthur had hit the jackpot. Back on Earth, potatoes had been one of his absolute favorite foods, and he loved to eat them in almost any way you could cook them. Scalloped, fried, baked, mashed, you name it, and Arthur was all over it. He dug in the dirt around where he had pulled the plant up, knowing the potatoes would grow farther out than directly under the plant. He was able to find five more plants to bring his total to fifty. Not a bad haul for a food run.

  Before he left, he decided to check in the shed. He walked up to the building and opened the door. The rotten tool handles and pieces laying around caused a musty smell. There were also the rusted chunks of metal that used to be useful tools scattered around the bottom of the shed. Everything around looked to be in horrible condition. He walked around and saw a small tool chest in the back. Peeking in, he noticed nothing inside the chest and looked around a bit more. Not paying attention, he tripped over the small chest in the back, but he caught himself before falling.

  Looking in the direction of the chest, he was surprised to see something metallic shining under the box. He walked back over and kicked the remnants of the tool chest out of the way. Hidden underneath was a small metal box. It was around one square foot and a few inches deep. Looking at the metal box, he saw it was hinged with a couple of barrel hinges, and to his surprise, the other side had a small lock.

  He got rather excited when he realized he probably had the key for this box. He walked back out of the small shed to get some better light and pulled the necklace over his head. He put the key in the lock and turned, hearing the satisfying click. He was a little giddy in anticipation, and as soon as he opened the box, he saw a letter sitting on top with something else under it. He decided to take a closer look at the message first.

  Arthur studied it for a moment having trouble making out what it said, and then all of a sudden, it seemed like the words came into focus, and he could read it without an issue.

  My Dearest Arthur,

  I do hope you enjoy the contents of this box I have left for you. I am limited in what I can do to assist you, but I have found I can place items in locations in hopes that someone who has headed that direction may find them. To this end, I have given you something I believe you will be eternally grateful for and will probably make you a more than a little excited.

  Continue your excellent work for me, and I will continue to find ways to reward you.

  Your Loving Goddess,

  Lianna

  Arthur’s mouth began to water at the prospect of what she may have left for him. He slowly picked up the letter. Beneath was something he could never have imagined.

  Item:

  Tome of Elemental Earth Control

  Durability: 110/110

  Rarity: Epic

  Quality: Exquisite

  Weight: 0.8 kg

  Traits: This book can grant the user the knowledge to control the power of elemental earth. Control learned from this book can be applied to teaching you the Earth Magic skill.

  After Arthur managed to pick his jaw off of the floor, he jumped up and hollered “Hell Yea! I’m going to learn magic bitches!”. This was beyond anything he could have imagined. The fact that Lianna had been able to leave it in his path meant she had directly interfered with placing it here. It was apparent this item was far too rare and valuable to have ever been the real reward offered for killing the spirit. He was eternally grateful she had given him this exceptional gift. Now he would have to work toward fulfilling his promise to assist her cause in this world.

  As much as he wanted to learn this immediately, he was unsure how much daylight he had left and needed to make it back to the clearing around the city before it got dark. He decided to wait until he reached the safety of the village before using the book. The other books had been absorbed quickly, but this book was a much more sophisticated version and may require more time. He couldn’t risk standing defenseless in this clearing as night crept up if that was the case.

  The shadows were already starting to lengthen, so he assumed there wasn’t a lot of time left before dark. He stuffed the book into his bulging sack and started back toward the village. He decided now would be the perfect time to pull up his stat sheet and see where he stood.

  Name: Arthur

  Level: 6

  Age: 26

  Race: Human

  HP: 230/230

  MP: 100/100

  Stamina: 230/230

  Strength: 8

  Agility: 8

  Intellect: 2

  Wisdom: 1

  Endurance: 8

  Charisma: 5

  Luck: 5

  Experience: 1800/2500 (You have 5 available skill points)

  Skills (100% boost to any skill for level up)

  Combat Skills:

  Archery: 3 (975/1000)

  Block: 1 (130/500)

  Detect Hidden: 1 (50/500)

  Identify: 1 (75/500)

  Parry: 1 (100/500)

  Scan: 1 (50/500)

  Small Blades: 2 (500/750)

  Stealth: 1 (150/500)

  Swords: 1 (50/500)

  Unarmed: 1 (25/500)

  Professions:

  Barter: 3 (50/1000)

  Cooking: 2 (400/750)

  Farming: 4 (200/1400)

  Firemaking: 2 (700/750)

  Herbalism: 3 (200/1000)

  Skinning: 3 (400/1000)

  He had a decent amount of new skills listed. As he walked through the forest, he focused on pulling up the stats of his endeavors. He was immediately assaulted by a massive wall of notifications and a never-ending list of damages, bleeds, debuffs, and much more. It was becoming apparent this world loved to be thorough. Arthur decided to help clear it up a little bit and removed the bleed damages as well and notifications about inflicting these bleeds. He also chose to hide all the dodges, parries, and blocks as well. This caused the list to show mainly damages and experience gains only.

  You have dealt 5 HP damage to Giant Rat (1(Level 5) with Simple Iron Arrow (Glancing Blow) interrupting their Leaping Bite (Level 1).

  You have caused Giant Rat (1)(Level 5) to stumble.

  You have dealt 25 HP damage to Giant Rat (1)(Level 5) with Simple Iron Dagger (Mortal Blow).

  Giant Rat (1)(Level 5) has died.

  You have gained 50 experience for killing Giant Rat (1)(Level 5)

  You have gained 50 experience in Archery for killing Giant Rat (1)(Level 5).

  You have gained 75 experience in Small Blades for killing Giant Rat (1)(Level 5).

  You have dealt 8 Unarmed damage to Giant Rat (2)(Level 5) with Kick.

  You have dealt 10 damage to Giant Rat (2)(Level 5) and removed a minor appendage (Tail) causing 1 Bleeding damage per second until Bleeding is stopped.

  You have dealt 50 damage to Giant Rat (2)(Level 5) with Simple Iron Dagger (Critical Blow)(Killing Blow).

  Giant Rat (2)(Level 5) has died.

  You have gained 50 experience for killing Giant Rat (2)(Level 5)

  Congratulations, you have learned Unarmed for a 100 experience bonus.

  You have gained 25 experience in Unarmed for killing Giant Rat (2)(Level 5).

  You have gained 75 experience in Small Blades for killing Giant Rat (2)(Level 5).

  You have dealt 16 damage to Giant Rat (3)(Level 5) with Simple Iron Arrow (Sneak Attack).

  You have dealt 25 damage to Giant Rat (3)(Level 5) with Simple Iron Dagger (Killing Blow).

  Giant Rat (3)(Level 5) has died.

  You have gained 50 experience for killing Giant Rat (3)(Level 5).

  Congratulations, you have learned Stealth for a 100 experience bonus.

  You have gained 50 experience in Stealth for successful use against Giant Rat (3)(Level 5).

  You have gained 75 experience in Archery for killing Giant Rat (3)(Level 5).

 
You have gained 50 experience in Small Blades for killing Giant Rat (3)(Level 5).

  You have dealt 80 Damage to Giant Rat (4)(Level 5) with Simple Iron Arrow (Sneak Attack)(Critical Strike)(Mortal Blow).

  Giant Rat (4)(Level 5) has died.

  You have gained 50 experience for killing Giant Rat (4)(Level 5).

  You have gained 50 experience in Stealth for successful use against Giant Rat (4)(Level 5).

  You have gained 75 experience in Archery for killing Giant Rat (4)(Level 5).

  You have dealt 80 damage to Giant Rat (5)(Level 5) with Simple Iron Arrow (Sneak Attack)(Critical Strike)(Mortal Blow).

  Giant Rat (5)(Level 5) has died.

  You have gained 50 experience for killing Giant Rat (5)(Level 5).

  You have gained 50 experience in Stealth for successful use against Giant Rat (5)(Level 5).

  You have gained 75 experience in Archery for killing Giant Rat (5)(Level 5).

  Congratulations, you have learned the ability Identify for a 100 experience boost.

  You have gained 75 experience in Identify for Identifying Steel Longsword of Minor Beastslaying.

  Congratulations, you have learned the ability Scan for a 100 experience boost.

  Congratulations, you have completed the quest Patents of Nobility I for 1000 experience.

  Congratulations, you have advanced to Level 6. Slowly getting somewhere.

  Specter of Delilah (Level 5)

  You have gained 50 experience in Scan for successful use against Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  Your attempt at Stealth failed against Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  You have suffered 5 HP damage and staggered due to partial Block and lost 5 additional Stamina.

  You have suffered 5 HP damage from your own Steel Longsword of Minor Beastslaying (Glancing) due to an improper Parry and lost an additional 5 Stamina.

  You have dealt 24 damage to Specter of Delilah (Level 5) with Steel Longsword of Minor Beastslaying (-14 damage due to 60% resistance to physical)

  You have suffered 20 HP damage from Soul Swipe (Level 1) from Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  You have dealt 24 damage to Specter of Delilah (Level 5) with Steel Longsword of Minor Beastslaying (-14 damage due to 60% resistance to physical)

  You have dealt 130 HP damage to Specter of Delilah (Level 5) with Ornate Jeweled Dagger (Enspelled)(Critical Strike)(Doom of Delilah).

  Spirit of Delilah (Level 5) has died.

  You have gained 150 experience for killing Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  Congratulations, you have learned the ability Block for a 100 experience boost.

  Congratulations, you have learned the ability Parry for a 100 experience boost.

  Congratulations, you have learned Dual Wield for a 100 experience bonus.

  You have gained 100 experience in Dual Wield during your encounter with Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  You have gained 130 experience in Block during your encounter with Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  You have gained 100 experience in Parry during your encounter with Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  You have gained 150 experience in Small Blades for killing Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  You have gained 50 experience in Swords for killing Specter of Delilah (Level 5).

  Congratulations, you have learned Herbalism for a 100 experience bonus.

  Congratulations you have learned Farming for a 100 experience bonus.

  You have gained 400 experience in Herbalism for identifying a Jalapeño Plant (x4).

  You have gained 800 experience in Farming for successfully harvesting Jalapeño (x40).

  Congratulations, you have progressed to Level 2 in Farming. Increases possible yield of gathered items by 4%. So playing in the dirt huh?

  You have gained 600 experience in Herbalism for identifying a Carrot Plant (x30).

  Congratulations, you have progressed to Level 2 in Herbalism. Increases the chance of identifying a plant by 3%. Are you sure those aren’t weeds?

  You have gained 600 experience in Farming for successfully harvesting Carrot (x30).

  Congratulations, you have progressed to Level 3 in Farming. Increases possible yield of gathered items by 8%. Dust yourself off when you get off your knees.

  You have gained 450 experience in Herbalism for identifying a Potato Plant (x6).

  Congratulations, you have progressed to Level 3 in Herbalism. Increases the chance of identifying a plant by 6%. No, really, isn’t that a weed?

  You have gained 1000 experience in Farming for successfully harvesting Potato (x50).

  Congratulations, you have progressed to Level 4 in Farming. Increases possible yield of gathered items by 12%. Why is there always mud?

  Congratulations, you have learned Detect Hidden, a subskill of Stealth for a 100 experience bonus.

  You have gained 50 experience in Detect Hidden.

  That was a pure information overload to take in all at one time, Arthur thought to himself. There had to be a better way to do that. Some of that information would have been useful to him had he been able to harness it during his fight. Knowing for sure a creature had a physical resistance would have been nice. He knew he could keep his small status available whenever he wished so there should be no reason he wouldn’t be able to do the same with his combat information.

  He was rather pleased with all of the new skills he had acquired though. He knew all of his other skills had special traits to them and wanted to know what his traits were for the new skills. He decided to try thinking about the information differently and was pleased when the new skills showed up in a neat list with their attribute listed next to them.

  Block - Each level increases the maximum damage you can block by 4% per attack.

  Parry - Each level increases the chance to stagger opponents by 3% on parry.

  Stealth- Each level decreases sounds you make while moving in stealth by 2% and a reduced chance you will be spotted in shadows by 2%.

  Detect Hidden - Each level increases the chance of finding hidden items by 3%.

  Swords - Swing speed with swords increased by 3%.

  Unarmed - Each level increases damage done unarmed by 4%.

  Farming - Each level increases the possible yield of gathered items by 4%.

  Herbalism - Each level increases the chance of identifying a plant by 3%.

  All in all, not a bad set of skills, Arthur reflected. There were still far too many things to consider in all of that information. As before, he was still confused about why the damages didn’t always match up with what he thought they should be based on his weapons potential. He tried to focus on the damage values themselves hoping it would reveal more details, but nothing happened.

  One thing he did think was interesting is you seemed to get more experience for skills upon a critical strike with that skill during that specific encounter. At least that was the only typical pattern he could see on some of the fights were one skill got more than it did on a similar previous encounter. There were just far too many things he needed to know, and he was going to have to find someone he could trust, at least a little, to turn to and help him.

  His contemplating had burned more time than he thought. Before he knew it, he was exiting the forest and back in the clearing around Alem’s Crossing. He sucked in a deep breath, relieved to be back near a town if nothing else. Arthur had no trouble being alone and sometimes preferred it, but there was no substitute for the occasional conversation. He got within a hundred yards of the outskirts of the small town and veered toward the inn. He knew he had the patent to deliver to Dalia if that is what he decided to do, but wanted to go to the inn first.

  He wanted to use the Skillbook there in the relative safety of his room, and then he needed to get cleaned up and eat before going to see Dalia. He had a feeling that might be prudent if her promise carried the weight it had seemed to before. He entered the inn and smiled at the innkeeper. He looked around slightly confused since the place was rather empty except
for two people nursing small cups in the back corner of the room.

  This might have been common during the middle of the day, but with the sun almost set, this place should be much livelier. He walked over to the bar and got the innkeeper’s attention. He opened his mouth to speak and then froze and shut his mouth. He shook his head and looked at the innkeeper.

  “This is rather horrible to admit, but I just realized that I never got your name when I was here last time. I feel rather terrible about that and am rather glad my parents are not here to scold me for my lack of manners. My name is Arthur.” He said while extending his hand.

  The innkeeper smiled jovially and took his hand. “My name is Daniel,” the innkeeper replied. ““I wasn’t sure if you were just rude, forgetful, or used to odd customs, to be honest.”

  “I am afraid it seems I am a little of all three. Why is this place so empty? Is it because of the shortages?” Arthur asked.

  “That would be most of the problem. Why come to an inn when no one has much to eat, even the inn, for that matter? Even if I did have something not many have anything to pay for that food with.” He said downtrodden.

  “Daniel, I know I am a stranger here in town, but I would like to help this town. I have been sent here by my Goddess to assist this little town in any way I can and want to help you turn this place around. Would you be interested in helping me in my endeavor?” Arthur asked.

  Daniel gave Arthur an odd look before saying, “I am not sure we should be riling up the gods for any reason. They can be more trouble than they are worth, and most that worship them live near the larger cities.”

  “I understand the skepticism,” said Arthur, “but I can assure you I have nothing but the best intentions. I would like to turn this place around before any of the local lord’s men come back to terrorize the place. With the aid of my Goddess, it should be possible.”

  “What Goddess do you pay homage to Arthur?” Daniel asked.

  “The Goddess Lianna is the one I serve. She has been nothing but kind and has provided me with guidance while I have been traveling.” Arthur said.

  “I am not familiar with that name. I guess I can agree to help as long as you don’t ask too much of me. I don’t want to get involved with any of the religious fanatics near the larger cities and draw their attention here. Relying on a relatively unknown goddess shouldn’t cause any harm.” He told Arthur with a smile.