Adventures on Terra - Book 1: Beginnings Read online

  Lucky Rabbit’s Foot

  The foot from a horned rabbit. It’s supposed to be lucky. Just not for the rabbit.

  Bonus: Critical hit chance increased by 1%.

  Rabbit Meat

  1 serving of rabbit meat.

  Nice. I finally have the meat I need for the ‘dinner quest’. What’s the [Spear Mastery] skill?

  Spear Mastery

  You've learned to wield the spear. This weapon takes both strength and dexterity to use. When you wield a spear you will gain a bonus to damage. At higher levels, you will gain additional bonuses.

  Level: Novice 1 (1%)

  Bonus: 1% bonus to damage when using a spear.

  That bonus damage will be useful since I have to hunt for all my food. I head back to the clearing to prepare a meal for Mary and finish the quest she gave me.

  Mary flies down from a tree she was resting in and greets me as I walk into the clearing. “Welcome back, brave hunter. Glad you didn’t die fighting those helpless rabbits. Though I have to ask, why are you shirtless?” Blushing slightly, Mary adds, “Not that it doesn’t kind of work for you.”

  Facing Mary, I run one hand through my hair, a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, I might have tried to take on a horned rabbit a couple levels above me. I had to tear up my shirt for bandages and to make this great horny spear.” I smile and proudly present my spear to her.

  As Mary flies closer to me, I see her slap her head at my stupidity. She looks me in the eye, raises a single finger and says, “One, it was silly to try and fight something at a higher level. You’re lucky it didn’t skewer you.” Raising a second finger, she smiles and adds in a giggle, “Second, a ‘horny spear’? Did it try to hit on you or something?”

  I just smile and roll my eyes at her. She’s just jealous of my amazing crafting skills. I turn away as Mary laughs at her own joke. I hear Mary’s stomach growl and decide I should get started on that meal.

  Chapter 1.5

  The sun is setting as I gather materials for a fire. I pick up some rocks and place them in a circle. I grab some twigs and small dead branches from the ground to use as kindling. I break some of the larger branches I see into smaller pieces to use as firewood.

  Now how did Survivorguy do this? I make a firebow using some of the thinner branches and a large piece of wood. I place some kindling on the wood and begin spinning the firebow. Nothing happens at first, so I continue to spin the firebow until a small amount of smoke forms from the kindling. I’m surprised it’s working and stop moving the firebow. The smoke stops of course. Ok, move the firebow faster. I spin the firebow faster and faster creating more friction. I keep at it for what seems like forever. My arms start burning from the effort but smoke starts to rise from the kindling and a small flame forms.

  “Ugh, me make fire,” I grunt, doing my best caveman impression. Mary just smiles and rolls her eyes while watching what I do next.

  I receive a notice but ignore it for now. I move the small flame to the pile of kindling in the stone pit. The flame increases. I add more twigs and eventually branches until I have a good roaring fire. With the fire going I look at the notices I received.

  You’ve learned the skill [Firestarter]

  By starting a campfire you’ve established a [Camp]. Bonus to health, stamina, and mana regeneration while in camp. Current bonus: 5%.

  Sweet. I get a bonus from building a camp. Wonder if better camps give better bonuses? Something to experiment with later. Let’s finish up this quest. I’m hungry.

  Night falls as I spit the two portions of rabbit meat on some branches and arrange some wood so the meat hangs above the fire without actually touching the flames. I can already see the meat browning and smell the delicious aroma. While the meat cooks I arrange the vegetables for the salad. I realize I don’t have any plates or utensils and decide to use the larger leaves as a sort of plate for everything else. I put the berries around the edge of my leaf plate forming a berry circle. After turning the meat over to cook both sides, I take it off the spit. The meat has a nice caramelization on the outside and only a bit of char. The smell makes my mouth water and I see Mary follow the meat with large hungry eyes. As soon as I place the meat in the middle of the berry circle I get a couple notifications that I ignore since the smell of the food is making my stomach growl. Mary looks at the food like she hasn’t eaten in days.

  “Let’s dig in,” I tell her. We both eat the hot meat gingerly with our hands. I break up the meat into smaller pieces so she can grasp them with her tiny fairy fingers. “This is soo good,” Mary says through a mouth full of food. She’s right. The meat is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The salad and berries add some texture and fruitiness to the meal.

  Even though Mary has to take each small piece of meat and berry with both hands to eat, she still finishes her part of the meal before me. Where does she put all that?

  Once my stomach is full, I take a moment to look at my notifications.

  You've learned the skill [Cooking].

  You've made [Fire Roasted Meat and Salad].

  Fire Roasted Meat and Salad

  A well-made meal of fire roasted meat and locally grown vegetables. When eaten, gain 10% increased health and stamina regeneration over 30 minutes.

  You've completed the quest 'Make Dinner'. You receive 10 XP plus a bonus 5 XP for the quality of the meal.

  I’m happy to see I got extra experience points. That means Mary liked the food. Wondering what bonuses I get from my new skills I bring up their descriptions.

  Cooking

  You can cook nutritious and delicious meals. Learn new recipes from experimentation, cookbooks, or from other cooks. Your meals may give a variety of bonuses once consumed.

  Level: Novice 1 (1%)

  Bonus: 10% less likely to burn or ruin a meal.

  Firestarter

  You are skilled in starting fires. You require less fuel and time to start a fire than others.

  Level: Novice 1 (1%)

  Bonus: 10 % less time and fuel required to start a fire.

  Well, those are nice bonuses for things I’ll have to do anyway. Mary flies nearby and sits back on a log with a full stomach. “That was a good meal. I sure like giving that quest out,” she says with a grin on her face. “You survived your first day and finished your first quest. Good work. Time for me to count some fairy sheep. I’ll see you in the morning.” Saying this, Mary flies off into a nearby tree and disappears.

  I wish Mary a good night and decide to relax by the fire after such a busy day. Putting my hands up to the fire, I enjoy the warmth of the crackling flames. As I sit, I listen to the sounds of the forest on this clear cool night. I hear the wind rustling through the leaves and the small animals moving at night looking for food. I think about all the things that happened today and am kind of amazed. I made a spear with my own two hands and fought a ferocious horned rabbit that almost killed me. I also gained some nice skills for working hard and thinking on my feet to solve some problems. Maybe this world is a good chance at a new beginning for me. I enjoy the fire for a while longer before I gather some leaves for an impromptu bed. As I lay next to the fire and drift off to sleep I can’t help but wonder what tomorrow will bring.

  Interlude 1

  A deep and terribly ancient voice speaks into the darkness, “Our mystics have found the continent where the agent of change was placed by the Overlord God. It’s only a matter of time before we have him.”

  Another voice, almost the sound of the wind, responds, “I do not doubt that we will eventually find him. However, will we be the first? For the first time in eons, the Overlord God has participated in the game. We must get this piece on our side. Do the other gods or one of the other powers know of the agent of change?”

  “There are whispers among the powerful that something has changed in the world but they have yet to realize what exactly,” whispers a sensuous and distinctly female voice.

  “Good. Even among our kind, there is disagreement as to what to
do with this agent. Some wish to use him for their own benefit and not for the people,” the ancient voice states.

  The voice that sounds like the wind, assures the others, “Do not worry. We have the advantage right now. It’s only a matter of time before he’s in our grasp.”

  Chapter 2.1

  I yawn loudly as I wake up. Man, my neck and back are stiff. The ground does not give good lumbar support.

  “Morning sleepy head.” Mary greets me. “I’ve gathered some berries for breakfast. Figured you’d be hungry after all that hunting you did yesterday.”

  The berries taste pretty good. “Thanks Mary. So, what’s on the agenda for today? Anything else you’re teaching me or new quests?”

  “I’m just here to answer your questions and help you learn the basics. I’m not your nursemaid.”

  Ok. “Guess I’ll work on raising my skills. Any tips on what skills I should work on?”

  “Hmmm. Honestly, I’m more worried about your stats than your skills. By the time most people are your age in this world, they’re already about level 5 and have a job or class. Their stats are much higher if they're adventurers. If you’re a regular person you're ok with average stats but if you plan to keep fighting monsters you’ll need to increase them.”

  Average stats? Who wants to be average? “How do I increase my stats?”

  “Well, one way is from leveling. You gain free stat points when you level that you use to increase any attribute you have. Another way is by training your body. Naturally, if you lift heavy things you’ll increase strength. Run or sprint and you’ll increase constitution. There are a lot of ways to train.”

  Let’s see what some exercise gets me. I start with some pushups. After about three minutes my arms are burning but I continue on. After another two minutes, I stop. My arms feel like jelly. No stat changes yet. Ok. Work out the legs now. After another five minutes of squats and lunges, my legs are quivering. I then lay on the ground and do sit-ups for six minutes. I’m feeling really tired but push for one more sit-up. Suddenly I collapse and can barely move. As I lay there I hear a giggle above me.

  “What’s wrong there strong man? Can’t move? Hehe.”

  “What the heck Mary? I was moving fine a minute ago. Sure I was straining but I had energy. Now I can’t move.”

  “You forgot about your stamina silly. Remember, I told you when you use some skills it takes part of your stamina. The same applies to any strenuous activity. Run out of stamina and your body collapses because it’s out of energy.”

  Collapsing because I ran out stamina? Note to self. Do not run out of stamina in a fight. I can only imagine what that horned rabbit would have done to me if I’d collapsed in front of it.

  After a few minutes, I feel some energy flowing through my body and I can move again. I call up my [Status] screen and see I only have 1 stamina point left.

  “You can move now? Good. Here are some more berries to eat. They’ll help recover your stamina.” Mary tells me while handing me the fruit.

  I eat the berries while looking at my status screen and see that my stamina is recovering faster. I sit and rest until my stamina has recovered. When I get up, I notice my muscles aren’t stiff at all. I guess resting does more in this world.

  Ok. I don’t want to collapse again. After about 15 minutes of hard exercise, I feel that same sense of extreme tiredness and stop immediately. I check my status screen and see that I have 2 points of stamina. I sit down and rest while eating. It takes about 15 minutes to fully recover my stamina. So, 15 minutes exercise and 15 minutes rest. Seems like a good balance.

  I continue this cycle for another hour. Then I get a notification that I’ve gained new stats.

  Strength +1

  Constitution +1

  I feel a slight increase in the strength in my limbs and feel a little less tired. Finally, the exercise paid off. Over an hour of hard work for a couple of stats. I can handle that. What about the other stats? “Mary, what can I do to train dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, or charisma?”

  “You raise dexterity if you practice things that require it. Climbing, dodging, throwing or shooting things accurately all require good dexterity. Wisdom is raised when you apply the knowledge you already have or make connections from incomplete information. It’s often gained when training in puzzles or creating new things.”

  That makes sense.

  “The other stats might be harder for you to train here in the forest. Intelligence rises when you learn new information. So you usually get gains when you read books or raise spell levels. It’ll be easier to raise your intelligence when you get to a large city where there is a library or a mages guild. Charisma rises when you’re...well charismatic. Get new people to like you or admire you. Again, hard to raise when you’re in the forest with just me.”

  “Ok, I get that I can’t do much about the intelligence stat till I can get to a city. However, can’t I just seduce a certain fairy guide to raise my charisma?”

  Mary blushes slightly, puts two fingers up and comments “One, I’m way out of your league ‘level one’. Two, that kind of stupid tactic only works if your target doesn’t know they’re being used. Once they know you’re just using them, your reputation with that person will go way down. It may also lower your reputation with the town. No good buddy.”

  “My reputation?”

  “I was going to save this part till you met some other people but it looks like I’ll have to explain reputation now or you’ll start planning to be a fake Don Juan to raise your charisma. Reputation is the opinion any person or group has towards you. If you have a high reputation you might get discounts at stores or access to special quests because they trust you. If you have a low reputation you’ll get the opposite. You’ll get higher prices. You’re less likely to get information. You might even be thrown in jail by the city guards if your reputation is low enough.”

  Oh. There goes my plan to seduce all the eligible ladies in town. “Why don’t I just work on strength, constitution, and dexterity for now then?”

  “Good idea Rico Suave.”

  So, I spend the rest of my first week on Terra training. I do pushups, sit-ups, squats, and lunges to train strength and constitution. I climb trees and rocks to train dexterity. I try to train [Sneak] and [Observe] while hunting. I have to cook a couple times a day so [Cooking] goes up some. After dinner, I sprint around camp to raise my constitution some more and then off to bed.

  Unfortunately, my plan doesn’t go quite as well as I hoped it would. The first day’s gains are pretty good. I gain +1 to strength and dexterity, +2 to constitution. I also raise all my skills, except for [Sneak] and [Craftsman], by one level.

  After that, there are diminishing returns. Turns out the higher the stat the more training it takes to raise it again. The next day I exercise twice as much but only gain an increase to constitution. The third day I decide to focus only on increasing strength and add lifting weights to the routine. I gain an increase in strength but it takes all day. Day four is dedicated to climbing and chasing squirrels. I gain another point to dexterity but I’m exhausted by the end of the day. By the end of the week, I’ve completely stagnated. I’ve stopped gaining strength, dexterity, or constitution. I’d gained a total of +4 constitution, which gives me a total of twenty-one health. I’m not sure what bonus the gains in dexterity give, but the increase in strength adds extra damage when I attack.

  I had to follow small woodland creatures for more than half the day for [Sneak] to rise a level. All that sneaking lets me raise [Observe] a couple more times. However, I don’t think I’ll be fighting boss squirrels, lizards, or grass snakes anytime soon so the bonus damage from the skill is kind of wasted. There aren’t very many tough creatures to fight either so [Spear Mastery] only goes up two levels from the entire week’s hunting.

  Thankfully, something happens that takes my journey to the next level and lets me get on track.

  Chapter 2.2

  My second week in Terra I’m feelin
g a little frustrated. The stats I can train have stopped rising and the stats I can’t train just sit there. I take a walk in the woods with my spear to try and figure out what I can do to get stronger. I’m wracking my brain for ideas, so it’s understandable that I’m not paying as much attention to my surroundings as I should.

  I’m not sure how long I’ve been walking but I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end suddenly. I look around but don’t see anything. I’m ready to chock the feeling up to an overactive imagination when I’m tackled to the ground by something large and heavy.

  Oh, shit! What the hell is this thing? I thought this was supposed to be a ‘safe’ area.

  I’m on the ground looking up at the damn creature and see a flash of teeth moving towards me. I instinctively raise my arms to protect my throat and I feel hairy jaws clamp onto my forearm. The beast snaps its head back and forth trying to tear the flesh from my arm.