Adventures on Terra - Book 1: Beginnings Read online

  Water Skin (5)

  A skin of water. When drunk, increases mana regeneration by 5% over 30 minutes.

  Health and mana regeneration when I eat or drink? That’s pretty standard in most Role Playing Games. That’ll be useful if I get hurt. Health I get. It measures how hurt or healthy I am. What about stamina and mana? “Mary, what affects stamina and mana?”

  “Use of abilities and some skills use up stamina. Spells use up mana,” she answers.

  Huh, skill, abilities, and spells? I check my status screen and find none of those. “Mary, I don’t have any of those.”

  “Of course not. You’re only level 1 and just reincarnated. Abilities are either gained from your class or ability books dropped by monsters on very rare occasions. You can learn skills by either practicing something repeatedly or receiving training from someone that has that skill. Spells are gained from either trainers or spell books.”

  Hmm. I don’t have any skill or spell books. Nor do I have a class. “You said I can gain skills by practicing them?”

  “Yup, if you run a lot then you get the [Run] skill. Want the [Unarmed Combat] skill? Hit things with your bare hands. However, unless you already understand the intricacies of metal working you’re not going to gain [Blacksmithing] unless you train with a blacksmith. Also, abilities, skills, and spells all gain experience the more you use them. Skills begin at novice level then grow to beginner level, intermediate level, advanced level, expert level, and finally master level. So, the more you practice the better you get.”

  Well, at least I can gain some skills on my own. Though it would have been great to have some overpowered spell or ability right from the start. I close all the blue boxes in front of me for now. Well, time to start gaining skills.

  Chapter 1.2

  “Now the fastest way to become more powerful is to advance your level and skills. You gain experience by defeating opponents or completing quests. You can also use quests as an opportunity to practice your skills and abilities, leveling them too,” Mary lectures. “So let's get you your first quest!”

  A blue notification box appears before me.

  Make Dinner

  Mary is hungry. Create a comfortable location to eat, and prepare dinner for Mary.

  Rewards: Base 10XP. Bonus XP based on the quality of meal and location prepared to eat.

  Accept or Decline?

  I think [Accept Quest ‘Make Dinner’] and the window disappears. “Hmm, ‘Make Dinner,’ huh? Somehow, I thought my first quest would be something along the lines of ‘Kill 10 Rats and bring me their tails.’”

  Mary screws her face up in disgust. “Ewwwww. What would anyone do with rat tails? That’s just gross. I’d much rather have a nice meal. Preferably not rat, by the way.”

  “Ok. Ok. Make a meal. No rat. Got it. I don’t suppose there’s a supermarket nearby?”

  Mary shakes her head no.

  Oh well, didn’t think it would be that easy. Mom taught all her kids how to cook but we always used ingredients from the store. Guess I’ll have to get back to basics to get this quest done. A simple meal of roasted meat and salad seems like it shouldn’t be too hard. I look around at the forest and realize I have absolutely no idea what plants are edible. I would probably fail my quest if I poison Mary. I sit and try to think of a way to figure out how to tell which plants to eat. As I sit, I hear a faint rustling sound. I quickly turn my head to see what is making the noise and see a small, white, furry animal. It’s a rabbit. It’s much larger than the rabbits I’ve seen before and it has a horn sticking out of its forehead. As I focus on the weird looking animal, a new window appears above the rabbit's head.

  Horned Rabbit

  Level 1

  Well, that’s useful. At least I can tell what it is now and if it’s stronger than me. As I watch the horned rabbit I see it move to a bush and start nibbling. Of course! That’s how I can tell which plants to eat. Watch the local wildlife. Guess that’s how I’ll have to get the meat for my meal, too. “Mary, are there many animals around here?”

  “Yup, this is kind of a beginner area. You’ll find all kinds of animals including some predators and monsters too, so be careful. You only get one life here. No respawns.”

  As soon as I started talking to Mary the horned rabbit ran off. The bush I saw it eat is small and has broad green leaves. That’ll do for part of the salad but I get extra XP based on the quality of the meal I make. So, I want to see what other plants can be eaten around here. I get up, dust off my pants and begin my search for another horned rabbit to watch.

  Moving through the forest I catch glimpses of white blurs running from me. The last horned rabbit I saw ran away as soon as it heard me talking to Mary. Guess I’m making too much noise. I’m snapping twigs and rustling leaves with every step. That won’t do. I’ll never find another horned rabbit that way.

  I start to deliberately watch where I step and move carefully to avoid small twigs and leaves on the ground. That’s better but I still hear my steps. I remember seeing a movie about ninjas and how they walk toe to heel and not heel to toe. I try it and notice that I make less noise. Guess those ninjas know what they’re doing. I move a lot slower now that I’m trying to be quiet. It’s frustrating, but it can’t be helped since it’s the only way I’ll ever get close to another horned rabbit.

  I’m on my second hour of moving quietly through the forest when I see a horned rabbit again. I freeze the moment I see it. I don’t want to scare it off and have to look for another one. The horned rabbit doesn’t seem to notice me, and I watch to see what it does. The critter hops around the little clearing, nibbling on several plants including a bush with bright red berries. I take mental note of the shape of the bush, its leaves, and the berries to use in my salad later. As the rabbit moves out of the clearing, I move to follow it as quietly as I can. Suddenly a window pops up.

  You've learned the skill [Sneak].

  I mentally ‘Woooohoo’. My very first skill. Thank you movie ninjas.

  I focus on [Sneak] to get more information.

  Sneak

  You are more difficult to notice while sneaking. Movement speed is reduced while sneaking. Advancing in Sneak reduces movement penalty and the chances of others noticing you.

  Level: Novice 1 (1%)

  Bonus: 20% reduced chance of being noticed. Movement speed is reduced by 75%.

  So, the more I practice sneaking the better bonuses I’ll get as I level. Something to work towards I guess.

  I continue to follow the horned rabbit for another hour, watching its patterns until it disappears into a hole in the ground. As I watch the horned rabbit, I get new notices.

  You've gained a level in [Sneak]. Novice 2.

  You've learned [Observe].

  I check to see what changes happens to [Sneak] when it levels up, and what [Observe] does.

  Sneak

  You are more difficult to notice while sneaking. Movement speed is reduced while sneaking. Advancing in sneak reduces movement penalty and the chances of others noticing you.

  Level: Novice 2 (15%)

  Bonus: 21% reduced chance of being noticed. Movement speed is reduced by 74%.

  Observe

  You learn the weaknesses and strengths of a creature when you observe them for long periods of time. You gain a bonus to damage when fighting creatures you've observed. Advancing in Observe increases damage bonus to observed creatures.

  Level: Novice 1 (1%)

  Bonus: 1% damage bonus to creatures observed.

  Creatures Observed: Horned Rabbit

  I get 1% sneakier per level of [Sneak]. I wonder if the bonuses change when I get to beginner or intermediate. We’ll have to wait and see. However, I receive a nice a bonus to damage from [Observe]. That’ll be useful. Every bit of extra damage helps in a fight. Too bad I have to watch something for a ‘long period of time’ to get the bonus. It’ll only be useful when I have time to watch an opponent for a while and I won’t have time to get the [Observe] bonus in a sur
prise fight.

  As I walk away from the rabbit hole I decide to start collecting the plants for the salad part of the meal quest. I rush over to the where I saw the berries and realize I’m wasting an opportunity to train. Why walk like normal when I can [Sneak] while I collect plants. It takes two hours to collect enough of the plants to make a salad for two. By the time I return to Mary, my [Sneak] skill has leveled up to Novice 3.

  Time to get the meat.

  Chapter 1.3

  Well, time to go get some meat for dinner. I decide that Horned Rabbit is my best choice since I get the [Observe] damage bonus. I put on my best Elmer Fudd impression and say, “Be vewy vewy qwiet. I'm hunting wabbits.”

  “Why are you talking weird? Of course you’ll need to be quiet if you plan to hunt horned rabbits. Otherwise, they’ll hear you coming,” Mary responds, deadpan.

  Guess she’s not a fan of classic cartoons. “Never mind Mary, I’m off to get the rest of dinner.” Mary waves bye and says “Ok, have fun. It will look bad on my record if you kick the bucket this soon. So, try not to die.”

  As I walk away from Mary, I try to think of ways to fight a horned rabbit. I’ve never had to hunt for dinner before. It can’t be that hard, can it? It’s level 1, just like me. I slow down and activate [Sneak]. As I approach a group of bushes with the berries, I see one horned rabbit eating at the bushes. I grab a large rock and rush forward, hoping to overwhelm it quickly. The horned rabbit turns once it hears me, its horn glowing. Instead of running like I expect, it lowers its horn and charges. I feel a piercing pain in my side. I look down and see a horned rabbit sticking out of my side, its little rabbit feet pawing at me, trying to pull free.

  Damage received: 8

  Oh crap, guess that horn isn’t there for decoration. I grab the rabbit's horn so he can’t get away and repeatedly hit it with the rock in my hand. Soon the rabbit stops moving and disappears in a flash of light. Instead of a body, there are some items on the ground by my feet.

  I don’t have time to look at them right now because my side hurts like hell. I check my [Status] and see I only have seven health left and a bleeding effect that makes me lose one health per second. I rip off part of my shirt and press it against my side to stop the bleeding. I quickly take out and eat the bread in my inventory. It’s hard and tasteless, but my health begins to restore slowly and the pain lessens. That rabbit was tougher than he looked. He almost killed me with one hit. Guess that’s fair. After all I did kill him.

  I saw the body disappear and items replace it. What did he drop when he died? There are two items on the ground. I pick up each and focus on them.

  Horn

  The horn from an innocent horned rabbit.

  Rabbit Meat

  1 serving of rabbit meat.

  I need another horned rabbit to get all the ingredients for this meal but I sure don’t have the health to take on another one with a frontal attack. I finish another stale loaf of bread to restore the health and stamina I lost during the fight. It’ll take an hour to get back up to full strength. While I wait I put the rabbit meat into my inventory and try to think of a better way to fight.

  First, using that rock sucked. It took way too long to defeat that horned devil. What if he’d gotten loose? I need a better weapon. I know firsthand how sharp that horn is. It would make a good knife but if I’m that close it can get me too. Hmmm, how about a spear. Same piercing power and a longer reach. If it gets too close I can always back away or drop the spear and use my fists.

  How to make a spear though? I remember seeing those survival shows on TV. Survivorguy did it a couple of times. Let’s see, first I need a straight tree or branch about shoulder height. I look around for suitable material. There. A fallen tree with branches about the size I need. I repeatedly kick a branch until it breaks off, then strip the smaller branches and leaves attached to it. It’s a little crooked, but good enough. What next? Oh, I need to make a place to attach the horn. I take a hand-sized rock from the ground and bash it against another rock until it splits in half, leaving a sharp edge. I use the sharp edge of the rock to trim the branch to about shoulder height and split one end a bit without breaking the branch too much. I slide the horn into the split, but it’s a little loose. I need something to tighten up the horn at the end of the branch. Darn it, there goes the rest of my shirt. I tear up what’s left of my shirt into strips. I wrap some around the end of the split branch that has the loose horn and it tightens up nicely. I still have some leftover strips and put them into my inventory in case I need to bandage another injury later.

  Craftsmanship

  Though not formally trained in any crafting skill, you've used your ingenuity to create something. You receive an increased chance of success at creating a new item.

  Level: Novice 1 (1%)

  Bonus: Increase chance at creating new item by 1%.

  You've created the item [Improvised Spear].

  Improvised Spear

  Damage: 3 - 5

  Durability: 10/10

  A sharp spear created using materials at hand. While not professionally made it will do in a pinch. Just don't expect too much from it.

  Sweet. Crafting. I’m a crafty crafter. Damage isn’t bad on the spear. I swing the spear around a few times and stab the air. Definitely better than a rock. Raising my improvised spear high above my head I declare, “I shall name you my horny spear.” I only feel a little silly since no one's around to hear me.

  As I check my status screen, I notice I’m still a little sore but my health and stamina are back to maximum. Time to find another horned rabbit.

  Chapter 1.4

  I use [Sneak] to quietly move to places I’ve seen a horned rabbit before and soon spot another one. This horned rabbit is digging in the ground at some type of root. Perfect. He’s distracted. No trying to rush him this time. That didn’t work last time. With the greatest of care, I move silently behind the rabbit. Just a few more steps to get in range. Now!

  I thrust my improvised spear as hard and fast as I can, piercing the horned rabbit in back.

  Damage dealt: 8 (sneak attack)

  It squeals in fury and turns towards me. Oops. I’d hoped my sneak attack would finish it. I jump back, pointing the spear at the rabbit, ready for its attack. I see a red glow envelop the horn of the rabbit and feel a small sense of dread. Shit, its [Charge] attack! I desperately dive to the right hoping to avoid the dangerous attack. Unfortunately, I’m not entirely successful and feel a burning pain along my side as I hit the ground.

  Damage received: 7

  Getting back to my feet I see my left side bleeding from a small wound. Luckily, I didn’t take the full force of the [Charge] attack. Seven damage from just a glancing blow? I don’t think I can take that attack head-on and survive. Looking around I see the horned rabbit running at me again. Its horn isn’t glowing this time but this guy is still dangerous. I stab forward with my spear but the rabbit dodges. He’s quick too. I barely sidestep as the rabbit stabs where my left leg was a moment ago. I kick the rabbit hard, trying to create some distance between us.

  Damage dealt: 1

  I only caused one point of damage? We’ll I’m not kicking this guy to death. Instead of hurting the horned rabbit, it just looks angry. Suddenly an idea occurs to me and I smile. I know just how to beat this horned furry devil. I can’t beat this guy head-on, but if I use his own power against him, I have a chance.

  While trying to get in position for my brilliant plan, I take six more damage from another of the rabbit’s attacks. I grit my teeth against the intense pain and ignore the red haze at the edge of my vision. I put my back to the largest tree I can see, I plant my feet shoulder length apart and point my spear at my furry foe. I growl at the creature and yell, “Come and get me you unicorn turd.”

  I see an evil glint in the rabbit’s eyes and his buck teeth take on a sharpened appearance. A powerful red glow envelops the rabbit’s horn telling me he’s powering up his [Charge] attack. I focus on the rabbit's feet f
or the earliest signal as to when he’ll attack. The instant I see the rabbit’s feet move I dive as hard as I can to my right. I feel a powerful gust of air as the [Charge] attack is unleashed and the rabbit blurs through the space I just occupied. Unable to slow himself down, the horned menace slams into the tree behind me. Picking myself off the ground, I take up my fallen spear. I see the rabbit trying desperately to pull his horn out of the bark of the tree and smile. My plan worked. It’ll only take the creature another minute to free himself but that’s all the time I need. I walk behind the rabbit, grip my spear with both hands and stab repeatedly.

  Damage dealt: 3

  Damage dealt: 4

  Damage dealt: 5

  You've killed a level 3 Horned Rabbit. You receive 15 XP.

  You’ve gained the [Spear Mastery] skill.

  Level 3 horned rabbit? No wonder he was so hard to kill. Guess I should have checked his level before I attacked. There is a flash of light and the body disappears leaving two items behind.