As soon as he stepped into his home and closed the door behind, the latch locking with a surprisingly loud sound, he threw off his suit jacket somewhere, fell on his bed, his face directly on the pillow, and began to scream.
Sometime later, he let go of the pillow and flopped over on the bed, staring at the ceiling without seeing anything, his mind going a mile a minute.
The entire meeting replayed in his mind endlessly while he tried to make sense of it.
Sam never expected to act forever without anybody figuring him out but to have his actions laid out so neatly and the fact that the only reason Lara’s grandfather didn’t figure out anything was because he refused to entertain ‘supernatural’ or ‘extra-dimensional’ origins of Sam’s knowledge or impetus behind his actions.
Still, even with that, the old man figured out almost everything.
He bunched up his hand into a fist and slammed it on the mattress, which bounced off harmlessly.
‘Still, all is not lost. Observer effect says that one cannot observe a system without affecting it. The old man must know this. He would expect me to either change my plans… or keep them the same?’
“Aarrgh!” A groan of frustration left his lips at the sheer complexity of the thoughts. He really had no idea what to do with himself.
He lay there for a while, thoughts percolating in his head, thoughts chasing each other, plans being born and dying within seconds as he tried to make sense of his life.
In the end, what got him off his bed was none other than the pings of notification coming from his phone. It started with one, then one more a few minutes later, and then it rapidly escalated, a ping coming almost every second.
Groaning, he sat up on his bed and blindly reached for the device before looking at the screen.
Somewhat predictably, it was Lara who was blowing up his phone.
Instead of reading all the messages asking if he was well, he pressed the button, put the device to his ear, and with a quiet thud, fell back on the bed.
The call went through and he was greeted by Lara’s worried voice.
“Are you all right?”
Sam just grunted as an answer.
“Yeah, grandpa can be like that,” she admitted with an awkward chuckle.
Another grunt.
“Did he say anything… bad?”
Sam snorted before finally speaking up. “Bad? No. He was a perfect ‘gentleman’ aside from that stupid test of his…”
“Dominic?” Lara asked, and Sam could hear her perking up at the mention of her cousin. “He is so good. Went to one of his shows last month. So good…”
“Good for him,” Sam replied with a long-suffering sigh.
“So, if grandpa wasn’t mean, then what…”
“I didn’t say he wasn’t mean.”
“What?”
“He explained, not in detail but with intent, that he is keeping an eye on me and woe me if I do anything he doesn’t approve. Or something along those lines…” he explained, waving his hands in the air.
Surprisingly, Lara let out an impressed whistle.
“Damn! You must have impressed him then!”
That caused Sam to sit up. “What?”
Lara let out a giggle, clearly happy to know something Sam didn’t.
“Don’t tell him, but when he wants to help people, he tells them what he found out about their plans to make sure they can… refine them. It comes across as a little aggressive, but he only wants to help…”
“Lara. I’m pretty sure your grandfather threatened to have me vanished if I even sneezed at the wrong time…”
“Psssh, you’re just reading too much into it,” she replied nonchalantly. “Don’t worry about it!”
“That just makes me worry more, you know…” Sam admitted while marveling at how blind Lara was toward her own grandfather. Though, it was not unexpected. She probably never saw his serious side, only the more caring one.
Lara snorted again. “Well, how about we talk about the gala a little? Maybe that will take your mind off the ridiculous idea of grandpa having you secretly killed…”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Why? Did anything change?”
“No. We just have to coordinate our clothing, silly…” she explained with her own long-suffering sigh. “Seriously, both you and Dan have no idea about fashion. So! Listen up! Mistress Lara is going to teach you some color theory and flower language!”
“Joy…”
Returning to the game came with the feeling of freedom as Sam jumped around in his enhanced game body, with the added paranoia that any time he exited the game, the old man’s people could be there, waiting for him.
He shook his head, sending his paranoid thoughts to the back of his mind, buried under the rubble of unwanted past memories, and refocused on the game.
The southern countries waited for no man!
Spending a few minutes to pet Lucky to get his mental energies up, he left his room to pick up the package from Liz’s workshop. Mostly some new ‘bottomless’ water bottles to be used in desert environments as well as a new compass and a few odds and ends.
However, on his way toward one of the side exits, he was waylaid by one of the servants helping Lucy with her paperwork.
“Sir,” she called out to him with a small bow, holding a letter. “Mistress Lucy received a letter addressed to you.” She handed it over and, without waiting for his reply, turned around and hurried away. Sam didn’t mind. He looked down at the high-quality envelope and sighed before opening it.
Another sigh left his lips upon reading it.
“Well, Lucky, it seems we have one more stop before leaving the country…”
Riding on the newly evolved Lucky was a different feeling than before. The wolf became much stronger and robust, capable of carrying Sam without pause or being slowed down by Sam and his equipment’s weight.
They flew through the forest, Lucky almost gliding through the air. Sam thought he heard the crunch of lesser monsters when Lucky touched down on the ground, but by the time he looked back, they were too far away.
Arriving at the still unnamed fort, he took in the construction, the half-finished walls, guard towers, gates, and the countless people toiling around the clock to complete it according to Lara’s designs and plans.
He hopped off Lucky’s back, who turned back into a German Shepherd sized wolf with a small puff of mana, and strode toward the gate, flashing his identification to the guards.
Dodging people in the crowd, he headed for the pristine warehouse and laboratory – one of the few fully finished buildings – housing Fitzgerald and his research. Looking around, he could spot a few people keeping their eyes on the property, but a quick check with his mana found the signature of the badge belonging to Nowhere.
Ignoring them for now, he knocked on the door leading into the part of the building that housed the laboratory and waited while Lucky ran off to play with nearby children.
Not a few seconds later the door was opened by a maid wearing an extremely frazzled expression.
“No, you can’t rent this… Oh, it’s you, sir!” She started out angry, as if she repeated herself hundreds of times, only to turn into relief. She hastily bowed, then ushered Sam in, closing the door behind him.
“Problems?”
She let out a sigh as she automatically led him toward her master. “Many, sir.”
“Anything I can help with?”
She bit her lip and glanced around before she began to whisper as if afraid to be overheard. “The adventurers, sir. They keep coming! They either want to know what is happening or try to rent the place. I keep telling them it’s not for rent but they just keep offering more and more money! Why aren’t they buying houses if they have so much money?”
Sam reached out to pat her on the shoulder, hoping to be reassuring. “I get it. I’m going to talk to people and make sure you’re not bothered anymore.”
“Really?” she asked, hope shining in her eyes.
“Yup. Master Fitzgerald is my teacher. That’s the least I owe him…”
“Thank you, sir!” she bowed even deeper, relief radiating from her entire body. Then she straightened out and continued to lead him toward his objective.
The corridor they were walking in soon opened into the warehouse where, aside from countless stacks of materials, devices, and just straight-up trash, Sam saw some interesting things.
A small, delicate desk with a hand-knitted cover and beautiful teacups lined up, ready to be used, marked with a very familiar silvery crest.
A giant planning desk filled with a small library’s worth of paper, Fitzgerald hunching over them.
Finally, in the middle of the room, a highly magical, enchanted podium and on top of it, with the insides showing, a round device with a hole in the middle. Some pieces were missing, but upon comparing them to his inherited memories, Sam was pretty sure this was one of the prototypes for the gates used later in the game to travel.
The maid left him there, and he spent half a minute just marveling at his teacher’s creation before calling out to him.
“Master Fitzgerald! You called for me?”
The harried man’s head snapped back and Sam could see that it took the man a few seconds to recognize him. But when he did, his eyes lit up with excitement.
“Samuel! My student! Welcome!” he began chattering happily. “Yes! Yes! Very important!”
He turned away, not even waiting for an answer, and Sam had to stand there and watch as he dug out a box from under a pile of documents that looked important, but now were falling to the floor. He held out the box to Sam, and he took it carefully.
“They told me you’re heading south. Take this box and deliver it!” then he turned around, his attention already back on the plans, runes sparking into existence around him.
Sam looked down at the box, then back to his teacher.
“To whom, sir?”
A second of silence, then the man slapped his forehead. “Ahh, yes! The letter!” he exclaimed then withdrew a letter from his breast pocket. It was slightly rumpled but still closed.
“The address is here,” he told Sam before dismissing him fully.
Sam read the address and let out a sigh.
[New quest acquired!]
[Deli-Very!]
[You were tasked by your teacher to deliver a very important and mysterious package to an unknown address. If he doesn’t forget, you will be rewarded. Probably.]
[Time Limit: ???]
[Bonus:
1. Deliver the package to the correct person.
2. Do not let the package get stolen.
3. Do not let the package get damaged.]
[Penalty: ???]
“Are you ready?”
Sam adjusted his tie and nodded while glancing at Lara, resplendent in her black dress. Why they had to coordinate their clothing when she was wearing black, he didn’t know but he refused to ask.
Leaving his room, he entered the living room, where Lucy had set up a small situation room with several screens and devices.
Dan was standing around, munching on a sandwich and staring at his girlfriend who was twirling around, the bottom of the dress flaring out, showing off her legs.
With a herculean effort, Dan managed to tear his eyes off his girlfriend and looked at Sam.
“Why did I have to be here?”
“To help Lucy,” Sam responded simply while the aforementioned young woman nodded from the sofa.
“Uhh, sure…” Dan mumbled in an unsure tone.
Lara stepped up to him, got on her tip-toes, and kissed him. “I know you can do it!” Then she spun around, grabbed Sam, and began striding toward the door. “Come on! I want to see the look on their faces!”
Meanwhile, Dan stood there, sandwich forgotten with a dopey smile as Lucy giggled on the sofa.
Owed bonus chapters: Three (3)
Titles:
[Apprentice: You are an apprentice learning under a master. Increased experience point gain in the key skill of the apprenticeship.]
Magical Items:
[Ring of Minor Health Regeneration: A small ring, made from subpar materials, with a low-quality magical gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 100 Mana Points, and regenerates 10 Health Points for every point of mana consumed. Current Mana: 100/100.]
[High-quality Troll Leather Armor: Created by a journeyman crafter employed by your own company. They worked extra hard to make sure to return your goodwill. Excellent quality, given the materials and the crafter. Enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, as well as has increased durability. Thanks to the substance it was impregnated with the troll leather it lacks its customary weakness to fire.]
*Not actually bottomless.]
[Ring of the Shadow Fang: Made from shadow metal and accented with white moon-silver, this ring allows the wearer to summon a dagger made from shadow. The strength of the dagger depends on the wearer’s shadow mana control. The distance the dagger can move from the wearer depends on the mana control of the individual.]
Quests:
Active quests:
[Just walk in there!]
[Prove yourself!]
[Peaceful land, peaceful mind]
[Deli-Very!]
Finished quests:
[Monster Parade!]
[Topping the tree!]
[Reap what you sow!]
[Seaside opportunity]
[Another seaside opportunity]
[The booty of mystery!]
[Demonic demonstration!]
[The Test of the Survivor!]
[To the city you go!]
[Eternal Vigilance!]
[Returning Champion]
[Volatile Valley]
[Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]
[Location, location, location!]
Skills:
Mana Skills:
[Mana Body: Level 7/100 (21%) (Passive) Your mana permeates your body, enhancing and improving it. The better your control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 1 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,1.]
[Mana Shield: Level 99 (99%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 9,9 (physical) damage.]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +2,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 55 / MAG: 50 = 1,1 --> +3,1 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
Neutral Mage skills:
[Mana Unraveling: Level 14/25 (19%) (Active) You can spot even the smallest imperfection in the weave of the mana. If your control is better than the one who wove the spell, then you can attack those imperfections and unravel the spell or magic in front of you.]
[Spell Matrix: Level 40/100 (4%) (Passive) You mastered layering spells as very few have before. You can layer ( or connect any other way) together as many spells as you can. The cost of this action is increased by 5% (cumulative) for every two layers or spells.]
[Solid Spell Foundation: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your foundation is solid and unshakeable. The stability of layered spells is increased.]
[Mana Construct: Level 84/100 (22%) (Active/Passive) You can create mana constructs over your weapons. These constructs cannot be separated from your weapon. You have total control over their shape and size. For every level in the skill, the mana cost is decreased by 1% and the damage inflicted by the skill is increased by 1%]
[Simplicity: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) The simpler your creations, the less mana it costs.]
[Infusion: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Infusing different mana types into your mana constructs becomes easier.]
[Complexity: Level 1/5 (11%) (Passive) The complexity of your creations doesn’t detract from it. Usually, mana cost would rise when the complexity of your creation increases. For every level of this skill this increase in mana cost becomes less and less.]
Elemental Mage Skills:
Wind Mage skills:
[Wind Blade III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have greater control over its movement after creation. Allows you to slightly control its path after launching the wind blade.]
[Wind Blade Storm: Level 6/10 (7%) (Active) A spell that unleashes a storm of wind blades around you. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]
[Wind Bullet III: Level 9/10 (99%) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You have excellent control over the projectile’s speed, size, and path.]
[Wind Explosion: Level 3/10 (21%) A spell that allows you to create a singular bullet of wind mana, and then fire it, which will, upon impact, detonate. The strength of the detonation depends on the amount of wind mana channeled into the bullet and your mastery over the Wind Bullet spell!]
[Wind Movement: 39/100 (19%) (Active) You can use your mastery over wind to move in any direction you wish. Your movement speed is increased significantly. This speed boost is increased by 1% for each skill level.]
[Wind Edge III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will greatly increase. The power and reach of the blade will be greatly increased further.]
[Wind Affinity: Level 61/100 (17%) (Passive) You have a good affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
- Wind Flurry
- Wind Bullet Barrage
- Healing Wind
- Wind Jump
- Wind Drill
- Wind Blade I-III
- Wind Blade Storm
- Wind Bullet I-III
- Wind Explosion
- Wind Movement
- Wind Edge I-III!
Utility skills:
Companion skills:
Shadow skills:
(Shadow Cloak triggers this benefit.)]
[Shadow Affinity: Level 30/100 (14%) (Passive) You have a good affinity with the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
Physical skills:
[Basic Armor Mastery: Level 91/100 (6%) (Passive) You learned the basics of wearing armor. Decreases the Stamina consumption slightly while wearing any kind of armor.]
[Clean Armor: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mana got used to a certain spell, so the waste mana radiating from you will, over time, permeate and clean your armor.]
[Resistant Armor: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Thanks to your practice, you can fully utilize everything that your armor provides, granting you increased resistance against the environment. Grants 2% increased environmental resistance per skill level. Environmental resistance protects against environmental effects only.]
[Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can’t. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.]
[Epic Breathing Technique: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) You breathe, and the world breathes with you. You move along your own rhythm. Decreases stamina consumption even more during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +2 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]
[Tranquil Heart: Level 11/100 (54%) (Passive) Your heart beats to the same rhythm as your body. It’s efficient and harmonious. You have an even easier time resisting mind-altering effects and a portion of of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 1% per skill level. You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.]
[Flow: Level 77/100 (9%) (Passive) Thanks to being a natural sensor, you can read the flow of the mana. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 1% per level in the skill.]
[Focused Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) When focusing on any enemy beyond what is normal, your ability to read their flow becomes clearer and more precise.]
[Controlled Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your read of the flow is more controlled, allowing you to see the flow much better. Increases the flow visibility by 20% for every skill level.]
[Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.]
Parry: Level 24/100 (13%) (Passive) Decreases the stamina consumption of defensive weapon movements. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 0,5% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]
[Cleansed Body: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your body has been cleansed of impurities, giving you a more charming aura. NPCs and players will treat you slightly differently depending on their tastes. Gives a flat increase of +3 to STR, AGI, END. You can upgrade this skill by further cleansing your body.]
Resistance skills:
General skills:
[Dwarven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dwarven language.]
[Elven Language: Level 7/10 (8%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Elven language.]
[Dark Elven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dark Elven language.]
[Sarkan Language: Level 3/10 (42%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Sarkan language.]
Crafting skills:
Pet skills:
[Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]
[Lucky Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as the wolf receive a buff to their luck. It depends on their luck how big the increase is.]
[Animalistic Mana Control: Level Max (Passive) The wolf controls the mana inside him based on animalistic instinct.]
[Animalistic Shadow Control: Level Max (Passive) The wolf controls the shadows around him just as easily as it breathes.]
[Shadow Spirit Body: Level Max (Passive) The body of the wolf is part shadows and part spirit, which makes it much more malleable.]
[Shadow Strike: Level Max (Active/Passive) All attacks started from the shadows receive bonus damage, and the wolf can clad itself in shadows, making its entire body into a weapon, while striking at an enemy increasing its range of attack.]
[Shadow Jump: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active) The wolf gains the capability to dive into your shadow and emerge from a different shadow. Range: 200 meters. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
[Shadow Dash: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active/Passive) Wherever the wolf steps, he can leave small pools of shadows that the wolf can use to jump into. When diving into the shadows, the wolf can travel at an even greater distance with his speed increased by 2% for each skill level.]
[Shadow Claws: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active/Passive) Your companion’s claws are infused with the shadows. There is a low chance to leave behind shadow mana with each attack of their claws. Alternatively, they can actively increase this infusion of shadow mana and strike at their enemies with giant shadow claws.]
[Shadow Bite: Level 20/20 (MAX%) (Active) Your companion enhances their bite with shadow mana, increasing the area and strength of the bite.]
[Shadow Steed: Level 21/50 (3%) (Passive) Your companion has learned how to run while being ridden. Stamina consumption is decreased when being ridden and can carry bigger loads.]
[Shadow Bleed: Level 41/50 (8%) (Passive) Your companion’s claw has been enhanced by a chaotic shadow field which rends the area where the claws strike, causing extra bleeding.]
[Weakening Strike: Level 15/50 (21%) (Passive) Every strike of your companion's claw weakens the enemy's armor. The maximum stack of the effects is 3+1 per 5 skill level.]
[Shadow Heal: Level 21/50 (37%) (Active) Your companion can absorb the shadows hiding them to heal itself.]
[Runic Weapon: Level Max (Passive) The wolf’s claws and teeth are clad in runes that grant him a certain amount of ability to pierce through the impenetrable. Grants a 13% chance to do True Damage with the claws and teeth.]
[Runic Strike: Level 20/20 (Active) Lucky gains the ability to channel mana into the runes of his claws and teeth to enhance the damage theydo. The damage type depends on the type of mana he channels into it. Current natures are available to use: no attribute, shadow, or spirit.]