“M-iss Astran, what an h-honor to have you present this evening!” came from one of the smarmy young men, who stepped forward with a slight bow of his head. “Would you care to be escorted by my humble person, instead of this…peasant?” he asked, sending a glare in Sam’s direction while maintaining eye contact with every inch of Lara’s bare skin.
Sam raised an eyebrow while Lara raised a dainty hand to cover her mouth as she tittered. “Ah, thank you for the offer, but I prefer my conversation partner entertaining and smarter than a rock.”
Her voice started light, airy, and slightly humorous, but it turned cold and deadly when the last word left her mouth. It caused the young man to swallow and take an involuntary step back while Lara stepped closer to Sam, winding her arm through his elbow.
Before anyone could try again at whatever that was, Katie’s dad cleared his throat with his fist in front of his mouth, awkwardly looking around.
“Welcome, Miss Astran and Mister Lawrence, to our gala! I hope you enjoy yourself!” he said, then simply turned away then power walked toward the nearest door, followed by his hangers-on and some of the scions.
The rest remained, but purposefully didn’t look in their direction, except for the one guy who had tried to be ‘suave’. He was glaring angrily at Sam, avoiding looking at the girls around Sam.
Katie just smiled and began to giggle behind her hands.
“That was so coool…” she whispered to Sam. “Haven’t seen father so taken aback since I told him I got my first period!”
Isabella snorted, and Lara let out a small laugh.
“Can we do it again?” Katie asked, turning up her puppy dog eyes to the maximum.
Sam just shook his head. “That didn’t work when you wanted to take mutant spider eggs from that fracture and hide them in the Steel Lion headquarters and it won't work now.”
“Rats!”
In the end, nobody tried again to talk to them, or at least talk to Lara. They simply stayed at a distance and stared at them while gossiping like old ladies around the well.
The group moved near one of the tables laden with cakes and cookies, all of them artistic masterpieces that vanished at light speed as soon as Katie reached for them. Sam simply selected a few choice ones and munched on them as the others conversed among themselves.
This ‘idyllic’ scene was broken by the gentle sound of a bell and a servant stepping forward while announcing that the auction was soon to be starting.
They were directed into a small auditorium where they were given one of the balconies. Probably because Katie, the daughter of the organizer, was with them.
The four of them got comfortable as the auditorium was filled up with guests sitting around small round tables and playing around with buttons on said tables, there to allow a relatively hassle-free way to bid on the items.
The lights dimmed and the auctioneer, a rather dour-looking man, stepped out from behind the curtains as several people brought out a podium and an antique-looking table.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the charity auction portion of the Stelborn Gala. All proceedings go to Saint Catherine’s Children’s Hospital,” he stated with a voice that Sam was sure would put most people to sleep. “The first part of the auction is going to include items donated by our generous guests, including the very first physical reward given out by the company, Future Unknown!”
The room was instantly filled with a low murmur as Sam felt countless eyes land on him.
“Maybe I should buy it…” Isabella smirked at Sam. “Could brag about having Sam in my bedroom!”
“You can’t!” Katie jumped in instantly waving her arms.
“Why not?” Isabella asked confusedly as Lara and Sam exchanged a glance.
“Uhm… I think Sam has some kind of plan for it?” Katie answered trying to look like she knew what she was talking about while seemingly also confused as to why she jumped in.
Isabella thought about it for a second then nodded. “Makes sense. He always has a plan.”
Katie let out a sigh and sat back in her chair while Sam tried not to chuckle.
As the first item, a painting that looked like every other classical painting to Sam was brought out by two people wearing soft white gloves, Lara spoke up.
“Do you want us to bid?”
Sam nodded. “Yes. Lara, you bid on every third item. Isabella always try to be the first bid and if you manage to be the first go a few times, then give up. Katie, just do whatever.”
All of them nodded, though only Lara seemed to know what Sam was doing.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Are we even interested in any of the items?” Katie asked as she moved around her chair, somehow ending much closer to Isabella.
Sam just shrugged. “I want to know what that quest is, but otherwise most of the in-game stuff is not worth it. Though if you guys want any of it, feel free to get it.”
Isabella just shook her head. “Nah, I checked and most of my items are much better…” Katie nodded along with her.
“Shhh…” Lara whispered as complete darkness fell on the space, the only light remaining being directed at the man behind the podium and the painting. “It’s starting!”
“Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce tonight’s first item, the painting from Gerard Francis Darragon, titled The Joy of the Sea. Bids start at…”
Sam watched as item after item was auctioned, his teammates doing their very best to cause chaos and confusion. There were several times when somebody thought they got into a bidding war with Isabella, only to be confused that after three bids Katie would take over and then give up after a few tries, leaving the person paying much more for the item than they intended.
Every time Lara bid on an item, silence fell in the auditorium as people tried to figure out if she really wanted it (why she wanted it) and if it was worth going against her. In the end, under the pressure of the auctioneer’s calls for bids, somebody would inevitably place a bid before the gavel could finally land.
He would place a bid a few times, just to keep up appearances. Once for an appointment with a very famous female-only tailor and once he spent a few times getting into a bidding war with some rich guy holding a poodle-like dog for a diamond-encrusted designer dog collar.
When the item he donated came up, the recreation of his in-game figure, it caused some stir. All three girls started bidding aggressively, ignoring his previous instructions. Buoyed by their enthusiasm, the rest of the auditorium joined, driving the price ever higher.
Somehow, the guy who tried his ‘excellent’ pickup line with Lara ended up with the statue, shooting a proud grin at everyone and a challenging one at Sam, who just tipped his imaginary hat, then turned back to his conversation with Lara.
According to Katie, the guy turned a very interesting shade of red.
Still, time passed, and they finally reached the second part of the auction.
“And now, dear guests, we reached the second part of our evening. The items you are going to be able to bid on will be from the recently popular virtual reality game, Magic Unbound,” the man announced with such a dry voice that Sam felt his glass of water evaporating as the auctioneer talked. “All items will be redeemable in-game and the winners will be given directions on how to do that upon placing a winning bid.” He took a breath and then continued. “Once again, the Stelborn Gala is not affiliated in any way with Future Unknown and the game Magic Unbound. Furthermore…”
As the man started explaining the legal realities of the auction, the antique table previously used to display the items for the auction was taken away and a digital display was brought in instead. It was large enough that everybody could see what was on it.
“Our first item is the coordinates of a fracture in the Scarlet Empire,” he announced as a high-definition picture of a fracture portal appeared on the screen with censored coordinates under it. “As a reminder, only real-world currency is accepted.”
“…and the next item is this vase. Based on the information gathered by the individual who donated it, the item starts a quest with worthy rewards.”
Sam instantly felt his teammates’s gaze on him as he scrutinized the pottery on the screen.
“Hmmm…”
“Is it worth it?”
“Nope…”
“Recognize it?” Isabella asked curiously.
“Read about it,” he said as he settled back into his chair. “It’s a phylactery for ancestral guardian spirits. Bring it back to the family and they will reward you.”
“That sounds easy and profitable…”
“Yeah, it would. But the guardian spirit in that thing knows you’re not part of the family so it thinks you’re actually stealing it.”
“So…”
Sam shrugged. “You either figure out how to seal it – which could damage the thing – or play the weirdest keep-away as you deliver it. Not worth the drama…”
Especially because you needed special holy sealing to suppress the guardian spirit. Using any kind of runic suppression would trigger the magical defenses of the item. Which in the worst case would self-destruct the vase.
It took a few minutes, but the vase was sold.
“Hah! I got it!” A young man, almost a boy, began to celebrate at one of the tables. “Suck it, Thomas!” he delightfully called out to a nearby young man who grimaced and made a rude gesture toward him, causing several older ladies to gasp in outrage.
Sam just sat back and smiled. He wished the guy all the luck in the world. The other Sam also got saddled with one of these, as it was considered a trash quest by everybody because usually there was a reason why the family lost that particular guardian spirit.
Mostly, the fact that the entire family was extinct and treasure hunters and grave robbers plundered their mausoleums. Or vindictive aunts were getting revenge on their sisters-in-law…
It was always different, but somehow always the same…
The auction ended with Sam and his beautiful accomplices making sure to drive the prices up and people to insanity with their odd and chaotic bidding pattern. As they exited the balcony where they spent the last few hours, Sam saw Katie’s father approaching them.
Naturally, everybody was watching them.
“Ah, Mister Lawrence!” he called out with a small smile on his face. “How did you enjoy your first experience with an auction? I saw that you haven’t managed to acquire any of the pieces. Maybe I could help you out and arrange a meeting with their new owners?” The question was asked in a helpful tone, but Sam could see that the man was making fun of him. Lara just stood there next to him with an empty smile.
“Mister Stelborn, what a generous offer! Alas, after careful consideration I decided to yield those items to my peers. After all, they seemed to have plenty of money to spend on it,” he told the man with his own polite smile on his face. “I’m just glad I could spend time with my friends!”
Katie and Isabella managed to maneuver themselves such as to be outside of Katie’s father’s scope of vision. They just stood there, watching and trying not to laugh.
The man wasn’t an idiot thus Sam had the pleasure of watching in real life as the metaphorical dime landed.
The polite smile turned into a forced grimace.
“I see. Then I shall not hinder you and your lovely date further. Please, do enjoy the food we have prepared and have a delightful time.” With that, he turned around and walked away, looking straight ahead.
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it…” Sam answered watching the man leave.
Katie instantly rushed over and grabbed his hands. Isabella followed her sedately and Sam could see David, Katie’s brother, giving him a surreptitious thumbs up from where he was talking with other people.
“That was amazing! Can I adopt you? Family dinners would be so much more fun with you there!”
He was about to answer when somebody cleared their throat behind the group. Turning around, he saw a bespectacled young man, around his age, notably without any mooks, minions, groupies, or other leech-type humanoids around him.
“Mister Lawerence? Are you perhaps Solar, the owner of the AFK Company?” the young man asked. Sam nodded and he let out a relieved sigh. “My name is Darell Mathews and I represent the Glorious Artefacts crafting guild. Would you mind if we had a short conversation?”
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.]