Cautiously, he felt around. His life was literally hanging by a thread, he knew.
Then another paw tapped his. Smaller, hesitant, it tapped him then felt up his body. He felt something smaller hug him, and he hugged it back.
Golden light flared.
You have healed Missus Fluffbear 90 points!
In the brief flash of light, he saw the little black teddy bear, now good as new, studying him. Then the light faded. Missus Fluffbear. That was a good name.
Two little black paws found him in the darkness again, and started to tug—
—and Threadbare remembered, with a flash of horror, how he’d accidentally killed the stuffed skunk when he was trying to free it.
A red ‘1’ floated up and he twitched, feeling something give way inside him.
It would be a just death. An ironic death.
He was so very hurt. So very tired. For a minute he thought about giving up, and letting the little toy kill him.
But then he remembered Celia, and he found his conviction again.
The skunk had been as weak, if not weaker then him, but Threadbare had a week of life and many class levels over the juvenile toy golem. He shoved her away.
She came back and tapped him with a paw, and he hugged her.
She tried to tug him free and he shoved her away again.
It took a while to get the message across, but eventually she stopped.
After a time, light came filtering through the cracks above. They were in a hollow spot, Threadbare could see. Most of his lower half was below the remnants of the roof, with the blade hilt twisted, jutting out at an angle. Threadbare’s stuffing lay coated in ash and grime, strewn about him.
Across the hollow, Caradon’s apron poked out of the rubble, the old golem-maker’s body below, laid to rest in the ruins of his house.
Missus Fluffbear waved at Threadbare, once she saw him, and he waved back.
She wasn’t trapped, he saw.
He also saw what looked like a small tunnel, formed by the hollow of a crumpled shelf. And beyond it, daylight.He considered it for a long while, considered the strange bear.
And then, inspiration struck.
INT +1
He rummaged around at his side, and found his scepter. It had come through unscathed... he’d been holding it under his arm the whole time. Threadbare took it, and scraped along the floor, digging up grime and dirt and flipping it around. Levering it under fallen trash, and prying at it until the trash moved.
Then he pointed at the shelf.
Over and over Threadbare did this, with the patience of the inanimate. And eventually, he thought she got the message.
CHA +1
He handed her the scepter, and she toddled over to the shelf, and started trying to work it back and forth, using the little magical rod as a pry bar, scraping away at the floor and the trash.
More words appeared.
You are now a Level 4 Ruler!
+3 CHA
+3 LUCK
+3 WIS
Well, that was nice. Still didn’t help him much.
No worries, though. Miss Fluffbear could take care of the way out. Now he just had to get off the hilt without dying. Somehow.
Days passed, with only the sound of the little black bear scraping away at the obstacle in front of her. The embers above finally went out, and it grew cold, cold in the basement...
...and one of Threadbare’s hitherto unused skills kicked in.
Animalistic impulses surged, as his body saw that it was damaged, and he was in a good place.
And so, Threadbare hibernated for the first time ever.
He woke much later, to the continued sound of Missus Fluffbear’s scraping, and two messages flickering up past his view.
You have healed yourself up to ERROR
You cannot heal to full, due to foreign objects in your wounds.
Your Hibernate Skill is now level 2!
Your Dietary Restriction skill is now level 2!
Due to keeping a flawless diet, all attribute pool maximums are buffed by 4!
The light was different now, outside. The black bear had dug a pretty good hole, he saw, but nowhere near what they needed to get through the tiny space.
However, his wounds were indeed healed... up to a point.
Well.
More hit points meant more room to try to get free, didn’t it?
Threadbare twisted and tugged, and worked more of his stuffing around the hilt, slowly getting free, one rip at a time. But he only made it another inch or so.
Missus Fluffbear dropped what she was doing and came over to try to help, and again he had to convince her not to. It was harder to shove her away this time.
He realized that scraping and digging had been increasing her strength, most likely. Though... just how long had she been at it, to get this strong?
Eventually he damaged himself to the point where he couldn’t pull free any further.
At which point his body took another look around, realized that he was still hurt and still in a cool, dark place underground, and it knew just what to do.
Threadbare lost count of how many times he blacked out and regained consciousness, but the time came when he awoke to a racket. He looked around, saw that the basement was empty.
The hole under the shelf, however, was big enough for a teddy bear to fit through.
Threadbare angled, just managed to get a view—
—and stared right into Missus Fluffbear’s face as she crawled back up the hole, toward him. She stretched out her arms, offering him the scepter, trying to plead, he didn’t quite know.
And in the next second she was yanked backward, and at the very end of the hole, Threadbare got a glimpse of a black furry hand. And a wooden mask with the word ‘BUNY’ scratched on it. In a heartbeat she was gone, taking his scepter with her.
He could do nothing about it, and in time drifted back to his hibernation.
It took several more times and even a couple of bear levels to work more of himself free, hibernate, and repeat the process. Finally he got clear of the now-rusted sword hilt. It left brown stains on him as he went, and he searched around the basement until he found what he was looking for. Caradon’s apron...
...and the tailoring tools inside it.
Once he had the tools he crawled through the tunnel, pausing at the exit. Nothing. Birds singing. Tree branches rattling in the wind.
Gathering his courage, Threadbare pushed through and out, grimy and battered, smeared with rust, smeared with grime.
The house was ruined, and creeping vines grew over it now. Birds called, and not a single soul was in sight.
Threadbare patched himself up, raising his tailor skill, leveling as he went. Plenty of cloth to work with, though at one point he went in and snipped off the parts of the apron he could reach, getting as much material as possible.
And then the little bear sat and considered.
He had to save Celia. He had no idea how much time had passed, or where she was.
He should probably save Missus Fluffbear, or find her at least. Maybe she didn’t need saving? He didn’t know. But she was young, he knew, and he remembered how hard, how very very hard it had been when he was young. So he would find her and help her.
He would save his little girl, and everyone else he could. For them, he would never stop trying.
But none of this would be possible unless he did something first. Something very important.
Threadbare toddled down the path, walking faster as he went, past the overgrown remnants of a raggedy man, past the neat row of graves dug on the hill, unmarked with stones only saying “they fell in the line of duty,” and he kept on walking until he reached the river. There he stared into his reflection.
It took him a long time, more tailoring levels, and an unlocked tailoring skill to figure out how to do it. The sun was at the other end of the sky by the time he was done, but finally he had a small hollow in the right place in his head, and some
twisty, waxed threads right where the air could push through them, when his stuffing muscles drew it just right.
For too long he’d been silent and dumb. Well he wasn’t dumb now, and he knew just what to do.
Threadbare took his first breath.
“Status,” the little bear said, in a quiet little soft voice that was completely lost in the burbling of the rushing river.
And a whole new world opened up for him.
EPILOGUE
Once upon a time, there was a teddy bear who made himself a mouth and a voice of strings and things, and said “Status.” And this is what he saw.
Name: Threadbare
Age: 5
Jobs:
Greater Toy Golem Level 9
Bear Level 8
Ruler Level 4
Scout Level 3
Tailor Level 8
Model Level 2
Necromancer Level 1
Duelist Level 1
Animator Level 1
Enchanter Level 1
Golemist Level 1
Smith Level 1
Attributes Pools Defenses
Strength: 79 Constitution: 83 Hit Points: 216(236) Armor: 34
Intelligence: 58 Wisdom: 89 Sanity: 147(167) Mental Fortitude: 24
Dexterity: 41 Agility: 51 Stamina: 102(122) Endurance: 44
Charisma: 56 Willpower: 47 Moxie: 103(123) Cool: 20
Perception: 57 Luck: 53 Fortune: 110(130) Fate: 9
Generic Skills
Brawling - Level 20 (21)
Climb - Level 6
Clubs and Maces - Level 9
Dagger - Level 9
Dodge - Level 2
Fishing - Level 1
Ride - Level 7
Stealth - Level 3
Swim - Level 2
Greater Toy Golem Skills
Adorable - Level 15
Gift of Sapience - Level NA
Golem Body - Level 20
Innocent Embrace - Level 8
Magic Resistance -Level 4
Bear Skills
Animalistic Interface - NA
Claw Swipes - 16
Forage - 7
Growl - 1
Hibernate - 37
Scents and Sensibility - 10
Stubborn - 7
Toughness - 12
Ruler Skills
Emboldening Speech - Level 1
Identify Subject - Level 1
Noblesse Oblige - Level 1
Royal Request - Level 1
Simple Decree - Level 1
Scout Skills
Camouflage - Level 1
Firestarter - Level 1
Keen Eye - Level 1
Sturdy Back - Level 5
Wind’s Whisper - Level 1
Tailor Skills
Talioring - Level 36
Clean and Press - Level 1
Adjust Outfit - Level 1
Model Skills
Dietary Restriction - Level 10 (+20 to all pools)
Fascination - Level 2
Flex - Level 1
Self-Esteem - Level 1
Work it Baby - Level 2
Necromancer Skills
Assess Corpse - Level 1
Command the Dead - Level 1
Soulstone - Level 1
Speak With Dead -Level 1
Zombies - Level 1
Duelist Skills
Challenge - Level 1
Dazzling Entrance - Level 1
Fancy Flourish - Level 1
Guard Stance - Level 1
Weapon Specialist - Level 1 (Brawling +1)
Animator Skills
Animus - Level 1
Command Animus - Level 1
Creator’s Guardians - Level 1
Eye for Detail - Level 1
Mend - Level 1
Enchanter Skills
Appraise - Level 1
Glowgleam - Level 1
Harden - Level 1
Soften - Level 1
Spellstore - Level 1
Golemist Skills
Command Golem - Level 1
Golem Animus - Level 1
Invite Golem - Level 1
Toy Golem - Level 1
Smith Skills
Refine Ore - Level 1
Equipment
Inventory
Tailoring supplies
Quests
Save Celia
APPENDIX I: THREADBARE’S JOBS AND SKILLS
BEAR
Bears are large beasts, tough and strong and stubborn. They eat pretty much anything organic and live in a variety of terrains and climates worldwide. Bears gain experience by eating bear-associated foods, roaming their territory, and defeating foes with their natural weapons. You have discovered one or more rank up options. You may choose one of the following unlocked options at level 10 or any point beyond; Black Bear, Cave Bear, and Grizzly Bear.
ANIMALISTIC INTERFACE
Level 1, Cost N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Allows the beast to use their racial skills without requiring vocalization. All skills that are not passive constants may be turned on and off as the situation and instinct require.
CLAW SWIPES
Level 1, Cost 5 Sta, Duration: 5 attacks
Enhances the damage caused by your hands and feet, and adds the sharp quality for the next five strikes. Currently activated through Animalistic Interface, and will activate whenever you brawl with intent to injure.
FORAGE
Level 1, Cost 10 Sta, Duration: 10 minutes
Greatly enhances your perception for the purposes of finding food, water, or other natural resources in the wilderness. At higher levels, may be used to locate specific naturally occuring resources. Currently activated through Animalistic Interface, will activate whenever you hunt for natural resources.
GROWL
Level 5, Cost 10 Mox, Duration: Instant
Growl at a target to damage their sanity.
HIBERNATE
Level 5, Cost N/A, Duration: 1-3 months
Go into a torpid sleep. Requires a cool, dark place and you cannot be affected by the Starving condition. Restores all pools to full, as per a normal rest.
SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY
Level 1, Cost 5 San, Duration: 5 minutes
Activates heightened smell, greatly increasing perception for that sense and allowing you to catalogue and remember specific odors. Currently activated through Animalistic Interface, and will activate whenever you encounter an interesting scent.
STUBBORN
Level 5, Cost N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Increases your resistance to sanity damaging effects.
TOUGHNESS
Level 1, Cost N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Has a chance of increasing whenever you take serious damage. Raises your maximum HP by two whenever it increases.
GREATER TOY GOLEM
Toy golems are the protectors of children everywhere! And also good, reasonably cheap guardians for any fledgling golemist. They aren’t the toughest of golems, but they possess a few costly powers good for helping their charges survive. Like all golems, they’re sturdy, resistant to magic, and immune to a lot of things that would kill living beings. Greater golems possess sapience, and attribute ranks that lesser golems simply do not have. They can even learn jobs! Limited in that aspect only by the intelligence of their creator, greater golems have theoretically astronomical potential. Greater Toy Golems gain experience by doing adorable things, surviving conflict by toughing it out, and defeating foes using their natural weapons.
ADORABLE
Level 1, Cost N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Adorable has a chance of activating when you do something cute in front of an audience, or onlookers blame you for something that isn’t your fault. It improves the attitude of anyone who fails to resist your charms.
GIFT OF SAPIENCE
Level 1, Cost N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Congratulations, you now have all the attributes and can think and learn. Go
od luck with that. You also have 8 adventuring job slots, and 4 crafting job slots.
GOLEM BODY
Level 1, Cost N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Your body has no organs, and is made from inorganic or once-organic material infused with a magical force. By being exposed to effects that would kill or cripple living beings and surviving them, this skill will level up. As it levels up, you will gain immunity and resistance to a wider range of lethal effects.
INNOCENT EMBRACE
Level 5, Cost: Sanity equal to half the amount healed, Duration: Instant
Heals an embraced target 10 X the level of this skill. Will affect on other golems, is standard healing otherwise. Currently activated through Animalistic Interface, and will affect any legal target embraced. Does not affect uninjured targets.
MAGIC RESISTANCE
Level 1, Cost: N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Has a chance of negating any non-beneficial magic cast upon you. The chance of success is dependant upon the spellcaster’s level.
ANIMATOR
Animators give life to inanimate objects, awakening them to serve and defend the animator. Animators gain experience by casting animator spells and defeating foes with their animi.
ANIMUS
Level 1, Cost 10+ San, Duration: 10 min/level
Turns an object into an animi, capable of movement, combat, and simple tasks as ordered by its creator. Must be in its creator’s party to do anything beyond defend itself. The greater the size and mass of the object, the more it costs to animate, and the more hit points, strength, and constitution it begins with. The type of material also factors in, and determines the starting armor rating of the animi.
COMMAND ANIMUS
Level 1, Cost 5 San, Duration: Instant
Allows the caster to issue one command to an animi that isn’t currently in its creator’s party. If successfully cast, the animi will follow the command to the best of its ability until it is impossible to do so.
CREATOR’S GUARDIANS
Level 1, Cost N/A, Duration: Passive Constant
Enhances animi in the creator’s party, boosting all attributes. The amount buffed is influenced by the animator’s will and this skill’s level. Has a chance of increasing every time a new animi first joins the animator’s party.
EYE FOR DETAIL
Threadbare Volume 1 Page 26
