Apparently, it was a token of the temple, and whoever held it would be treated with the same respect given to the elder priests and priestesses. Apparently, the god of the sun would smite any who falsified or stole them. So unless it was given to someone by one of the clergy, avatars, or the god themselves, there was no other way to possess one.
[Mark of the Sun: A coin depicting the blazing sun on one side, and the eclipse on the other side, it proves that the holder had performed extremely important deeds for the Temple of the Sun. Cannot be given away, sold, stolen, or otherwise taken away. Trying to do so would incur the wrath of the sun.]
He picked up the coin, slipped it into his pocket, and after making sure the head priestess wasn’t dying, he left the temple with the rest of the crowd who sought shelter there.
At first, he planned to join the fight going on in the city, but then reality reasserted itself over his thoughts. By now, most of the players (at least those who made the strategic decisions) would know he was in the city.
In their places, he would have sent out hunting parties or assassins to make sure he couldn’t intervene further.
Thankfully, he didn’t really care what happened to Sunspot. He already prevented the complete destruction and made sure that it wouldn’t be drowned in acidic blood rain. His job was done. He just wanted to deliver the letter finally, then return to the Emerald Kingdom and get some super-duper strong spells to erase the next idiot that came at him.
And build up the defenses against the blood mages…
But the massive fuck-off laser was higher on the priority list.
**
The Sunwarriors were still patrolling the noble quarter, and he headed directly to the Herald’s house, just like the last time.
The guards once again saw him, and to his surprise, even recognized him. The plain-clothes guards instantly began to tense and Sam felt their mana began to gather. A little too much for him, Sam felt…
The guards in uniform that guarded the door to the property where the Herald lived also tightened their grips on their spears and they sneered as Sam approached them.
“Back again, woodhumper?” he spat out threateningly. “I told you to never dare to show your face here!”
Sam thought about pointing out that he didn’t say that but in the end he stayed silent as the non-uniformed guards began to approach from behind, ready to act.
Staying silent, he reached into his pocket, causing all of the guards to tense, but before they could wipe him out, he took out the coin he was given by the over-excited Avatar of the Sun.
As soon as the first ray of the sun caught the crystalline coin it caused it to scatter, blinding the guards momentarily. They all let out a gasp and Sam felt their blazing mana cores settle down, while the rude guard in the uniform just gaped at him.
“What the hell did you do, woodhumper?” apparently the coin wasn’t enough to clear up his language.
Sam shrugged. “Did you see that blood rain vanish?”
The man nodded his eyes widening.
“Well, you’re welcome.”
It took a moment for the people around him to realize, but he heard the quiet gasps of realization.
The other guard, still silent, leaned closer and began to scrutinize the coin, Sam allowing him by holding it out in his palm.
Finally, after a minute, the man nodded at Sam, allowing him to withdraw his hand, and then straightened up while glancing at his partner, who looked back with a little worried look. They exchanged a wordless conversation before the first guard let out a sigh and turned back to Sam.
“Follow me…” He then turned around on his heel and opened the door behind him.
He waited until Sam crossed the threshold, before following him and closing the door.
Sam found himself in a small receiving room, built from the same material the wall was made out of and he could feel the many enchantments running through the walls. The guard didn’t stop as Sam took all this in and continued toward the door on the other side and opened that, too.
On the other side, Sam could see the garden around the manor.
**
The garden was part homage to the savannah, filled with all the plants one could find there, all meticulously taken care of by a bevy of servants who didn’t even look up from their work as Sam and his guide walked toward the manor on a stone path.
The other part, the way they were heading, was built like any other garden he saw living in the Emerald Kingdom. Lush green grass, fruit trees heavily laden with juicy fruits, butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, and gentle water mist wafting over everything, keeping it fresh and watered.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
His target, Herald Miesme, was obviously resting under a giant canopy on a pile of pillows as he leisurely read a book while snacking on something. Sam saw at least a half dozen guards around him and a few more servants standing to attention, waiting for an order.
The guard led him up to a tent-like construction and made a salute.
“My Herald! You have a guest!”
The Herald, a small portly man, with a bulging stomach and smart mustache – wearing clothes that probably cost more than the entire Heavenly Forest franchise – looked up from his book, frowning at the interruption until his eyes landed on Sam. The frown turned into a small smile, eyes shining with hidden intention and he simply made a motion with his hand, sending the guard away.
The man glared at Sam for a second, telling him silently to behave, then saluted again, striking his metal armor with a quiet clang, and turned away, leaving Sam ‘alone’ with Herald Miesme.
He instantly bowed.
“Greetings, Herald Miesme! I bring greetings from my master, Master Fitzgerald!” he straightened up and looked back to the Herald who looked back with the same smile.
“Welcome,” he spoke with a quiet but confident voice. “Master Fitzgerald? What does that crazy whirlwind want again? I hope it’s not one of his harebrained schemes, right?”
Sam just shook his head and simply retrieved the box his master had given to him, holding it out with both hands toward the nearest servant.
“No, my lord. Master Fitzgerald simply wished for me to deliver this to you. I would have been earlier, but with the recent turmoil, it took some time.”
The servant stepped over and carefully took the box and retreated behind the seating area of the Herald to examine the item.
The Herald, however, looked surprised.
“Turmoil? What kind?”
Another servant cleared their throat. “My lord, our guest is mentioning the fight that happened in the city.”
The Herald’s eyes went wide. “Really? Well, I’ll be… This book was so interesting I didn’t even notice anything,” he declared proudly, slapping the cover gently with his hand. “Have you ever had a book that just whisked you away into another world?”
Sam just smiled. After everything this was the least surprising thing to hear. “Yes, my lord. Though, I prefer murder mysteries…”
He laughed at that. “Hah! A fellow appreciator of good art! It seems the sun has shined on our paths!”
Thankfully, the servant with the box took that exact moment to return, grabbing the Herald’s attention. He reached out while making a grabbing motion with his fingers as the servant gently placed the box on the coffee table.
Herald Miesme gleefully opened it and began to retrieve the items hidden in it while everybody else stood around and waited.
Finally, after half a minute, the coffee table was full of stacks of documents, and he was reading a letter with a serious look on his face, his previous joviality nowhere to be seen.
Then, after more than half an hour, he seemed to be finished, putting the letter down and turning back to Sam, who spent most of that time meditating while standing up.
“Tell me, is it true?” he asked, his eyes boring into Sam’s. “Did that old whirlwind really manage it?” Sam could have sworn he saw some manner of desperation in the Herald’s eyes.
He nodded. “Yes, my lord. I was there,” he answered simply.
That caused the portly man to gleefully begin to laugh. “Hahahaha! Finally, after all those years! He managed it!”
Sam watched this worriedly as he didn’t know what this meant to him. In his memories, the other Sam couldn’t find any information about these events, so he was flying blind.
After some more laughter, the Herald managed to calm down and began to quickly pack everything up while talking to Sam.
“Well, my joy may seem unearned, but I’ve been a long-time supporter of Master Fitzgerald’s efforts. The sheer amount of money we would make from trading those gates of his makes me very happy. However, over the years, as time went by and no results had been shown, I simply gave up on it,” he explained. “However, it seems, the gods had intended differently. Things are going to be incredibly busy around here, hahahaha!”
The box closed once again with a definitive clicking sound and a servant instantly picked it up and began walking back to the manor with one of the guards following them. At the same time, Sam heard the quest complete sound in his head.
He resisted the urge to check it and instead waited for his dismissal.
The Herald stood up, stretched a little, smacked his lips, and smiled at him. “Your package is delivered, you may go…” He waved a little and turned away.
Sam bowed, but just as he was looking down he heard a sound – metal on metal – and barely had time to react, realizing that one of the guards, stone-faced with a deadly look in their eyes was crashing into him with their sword drawn.
He didn’t even have time to move, the guard was so fast.
But the pain and subsequent death didn’t come.
Instead, the guard’s sword was stopped barely a hair away by a golden barrier radiating warmth. Sam could see the whites of the guard’s eyes as he – still silently – strained against the barrier. Sam swallowed, knowing he barely avoided death, but before he could even think about activating any of his skills, the golden energy surged covering the sword, and then the hand that was holding it before it covered the entire body of the guard. The man managed to let out a simple grunt of pain before the golden energy pulsed inward and he was vaporized.
Sam took a shaky step backward, surprised while one of his hands reached into his pocket and grabbed the crystalline coin that felt warm to the touch.
‘Thank the heavens for yandere tomboy avatars!’ he silently thought as the Herald stopped and looked up. He seemed surprised that Sam was still there, alive.
“Oh?” he looked down to the ground and saw the pile of dust that was already being blown away by the gentle wind caressing the plant life in the garden. Then the man shrugged. “Well, it seems today the sun is shining brightly for you, young man. You can leave…” With that, he made another motion and this time a servant came to escort Sam out.
Thankfully, without trying to kill him.
**
Ten minutes later, in an alleyway, Sam finally felt safe enough to take a small breather. He took out the coin he had been gripping as if his life depended on it, only to watch with dismay as it slowly lost its shine and luster and turned into crystal dust to be blown away by the wind.
Shaking his hands he let out a shaky breath. “Damn, that was too close…”
Intending to have a strongly worded conversation with his master about his associates and their habits, he put everything away for a moment and opened his notification screen.
[You completed the quest: ‘Deli-Very’!]
[You managed to deliver the package to the correct person, albeit with a small delay.]
[Return to your teacher for the reward.]
He closed the screen and nodded to himself. ‘Right! Time to leave this city and return to civilization…’
With a few quick jumps, he found himself on a rooftop, allowing him to survey the situation in the city. Lucky emerged next to him from the shadows and his hands immediately found the silky smooth fur and began running through it.
“Now, I just need to figure out how to get out of the city...” he murmured as he thoughtfully played with his imaginary beard with his free hand. “Escape from Sunspot… sounds like a movie title…”
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]
[Longing for the sun!]
Failed quests:
[Friendlessly into the depths!]
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!]
[Call to action!]
[Deli-Very!]
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]
[Mana Flux: Level 10/10 (MAX%) (Passive) The resonance between your skills is enough that if you cast more than one spell or use more than one skill at the same time, then they may induce each other. This induction allows your mana to gain a unique property. This property allows your spells to slip through magical shielding. Effectiveness depends on the strength differences between you and the target. Your spells gain 1% True Damage 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.]