Three days?! Alex just stared ahead blankly, ignoring the rest of whatever Yvesse was saying. Three days that Amanda was alone. It wasn't like she needed protection, she just probably thought he had abandoned her again.
A red waving hand in front of his face brought him back to the hut, "Hello? Anyone home?"
Alex forced a smile to his face as he looked back at the woman, "I really do appreciate you healing me, but I have to get going. Someone back at home is waiting for me." He made to sweep his legs off the bed, but struggled to do so.
His body was still weak and recovering from the poison. Eventually, and with much more difficulty than he expected, he managed to plant his feet on the floor and stood up.
Yvesse stepped back, giving him the room to stand on his own. "I would advise against moving swiftly. You might very well be alive now, but it was very touch and go for a while there. Death did not seem to want to let go of you." Whether or not Alex would listen to her was up to him, but as a healer she felt it was still important to let her patients know what the best course of action was.
Alex steadied himself, his legs readjusting to carrying his weight once more. His once healthy looking skin had gone pale due to the poison, but colour was slowly returning as his body resumed its normal functions.
Thinking quickly, he sat back down onto the bed. Yvesse was right, but he didn't want to admit it. The only thing that mattered right now was getting back to Amanda and making sure she knew he hadn't left her again.
It was selfish, but their relationship improving was the one good thing that had come from his death; he couldn't afford to let that go away. If he was weak, then there was one way to remedy that.
Available skill points: 0
Strength: 19
Dexterity: 17
Charisma: 19
Endurance: 20
Vitality: 20
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 20
Luck: 18
Health Point Total: 210
Mana: 200
Armour Rating: 14
Alex looked at his new and improved stats with a satisfied smile. The twenty points had been a serious boon, and coupled with the bonuses he got from Death Dancer, he was able to ensure that his stats stayed relatively balanced.
He didn't feel any different though. He didn't feel stronger or more perceptive. He didn't feel smarter or more charismatic. Alex just sighed and hoped that the changes actually took place and would make a difference.
He was about to dismiss his status menu when a couple of blinking notifications drew his attention. Getting back to Amanda was extremely important, but the gamer in him couldn't just ignore when there was a blinking '!' begging for his attention. He mentally willed the first notification to open and was greeted by something unexpected.
[Realm Map: (granted from the Growing Your Potential Quest) This map will help you uncover and travel across the realm of Vorcast, as well as whatever other realms you travel to. It will update with whatever location you have visited, and offer Points of Interest for you to visit and explore. Be warned that if a location is changed or altered significantly, you must revisit the area to update the map.]
A screen filled his vision of impressively large proportions. Most of it was dark, as if obscured by mist, but there was a small portion of it that was filled out. Alex focused his vision on that area and the map zoomed in to the location.
He realized he was looking at a birds-eye view of Fareon, and a small portion of its surrounding land. He hadn't explored the city all that much, but he could zoom in and pinpoint the areas he had been with precision. The map was a near 1:1 representation of the city, and all of its details.
He zoomed back out and focused on the other patch of area that was visible. Tendrassil village came into view, with the farmlands that he and Eliza had cleared out. It even showed the path the party had walked to the first crok nest, and then the subsequent nests that Alex had cleared out. The only thing he didn't see was where he was now.
[You are currently indoors, and have yet to see the area in which you are located. Until such time, it will remain unrevealed on the map.]
Well that answered that. All in all, the map was a seriously useful tool that Alex knew he would spend more time investigating and using to travel, but for the time being, he didn't need to use it. He willed the other notification to the forefront of his attention, and the map disappeared from his vision.
[Realm Bounties unlocked!]
[Realm Bounties are used to hunt down powerful creatures, as well as entities and beings that are at war with your faction. They offer significant rewards, and can be used to substantially boost your power. Be warned, they are not easy, and you will be in serious danger taking on any bounty.]
[Bounty's Available: 5]
-Har'Geth the Abomination, alive, location unknown, faction: Undead
-Belgor the Magnificent, alive, location unknown, faction: Daemons of Ignus
-Valtar Gore-Drinker, alive, location unknown, faction: Daemons of Ignus
-Kleikos, alive, location unknown, faction: Wild Beasts of Vorcast
-Demetrius, alive, location unknown, faction: Servants of Jaskiar
[Bounty targets will be ranked when the Hero has encountered them and assessed their threat level.]
Alex cared a little less about finding out that there were so many powerful beings on Vorcast with him, but it made sense given that war seemed to be the one thing the system knew how to make sound exciting.
He hoped he wouldn't run into any of the names on the list soon, but knowing his luck, Yvesse would secretly turn out to be Valtar Gore-Drinker. He glanced over at the succubus, who was idly inspecting her horns, and shook that thought from his head. If she was secretly an all powerful demon, then Alex was secretly Death.
He flicked away from the Bounties screen and finally accessed his last notification. The last blinking '!' finally disappeared, and the man let out a sigh of relief.
There was nothing better than getting through a bunch of notifications and having nothing needing his attention.
[300 Realm Coins granted!]
[Realm Coins may be used in various Realm Shops (when they appear) to purchase items. Alternatively, they may be used in the upgrading of items and equipment.]
This last notification seemed to be the least important of the three he had gone through, but having a currency to use at these Realm Shops would no doubt be important.
If nothing else, he could just upgrade his current equipment, though he had no idea how to do that. He imagined that just shoving a coin onto the gear wouldn't work, but he had no other ideas as to how it actually worked.
Alex also wanted to find some better equipment and gear that suited him better before he used any super valuable coins. Speaking of equipment…
"It's over there, in that chest. Are you done ogling me now?" Yvesse spoke aloud, seemingly having read Alex's mind once more. He realized he had been just sitting there, staring at the succubus.
He couldn't exactly explain that he was staring at an invisible screen that only he could see, she'd probably think the poison had made him go insane.
Looking away from the alluring woman with a flush of heat rising to his face, Alex glanced at the chest she had pointed to. It was at the foot of the bed and that was how he hadn't noticed it before.
Standing up once more, he planted his feet firmly on the ground. He wasn't as shaky as before, and he felt like investing those stat points had actually made a difference. Alex opened the chest and found his leather breastplate and bronze sword inside, as well as a plain cotton shirt to throw on under the armor.
Quickly equipping the armor and resheathing the sword at his hip, Alex felt a lot better. His armour stat went back up to where it had been before, and he was surprised. A quick inspection showed that the gash mark in the armor had been repaired, and it was back to its full strength.
Alex inwardly winced as he realized he owed this woman so much. Not only did she save his life, she had repaired his armor and kept him safe. Gods, he was such an ass.
"Listen, I really do appreciate everything you've done for me. And I'd like to pay you back, but I have to get back home now. My sister is waiting for me." The other thing Alex had done when he was investigating his status page was check his skills. The one skill that he had been waiting for was finally off cooldown, its twenty-four hour period having ended long before now.
He saluted the succubus, closed his eyes, and activated the Realm Walking skill. Alex envisioned Amanda's apartment in his mind, willing himself to be standing in her living room.
A wave of energy and power swirled inside him, building up as the skill began activating. Finally, he was going back. As much as he could appreciate being on Vorcast, and as much as he enjoyed the fact that it felt like a game, he was ready to be back on Earth.
The power reached its peak, and a blinding light enveloped Alex. Yvesse was forced to close her eyes, using her arms to shield herself. If only Alex had heard the words she spoke before he got lost in his own thoughts. She shook her head in disappointment.
This man was just like all the others she had saved, always in a rush to leave, and never magically inclined. If they were, they would know that the place they were in was surrounded by anti-magic runes. No spell, no matter how powerful, would work while inside it.
Harrald had set things up when Yvesse brought her first patient back from the wilds. He wanted to protect this place, and make sure that no word of it ever escaped, and until the outsider had sworn a blood oath with Harrald, they would not be allowed to leave.
The blinding light finally subsided, and the power swelling in Alex died down as a notification popped up.
[Realm Walking skill has failed to activate. Half the cooldown remains due to failure. 12 hours remaining till next use.]
Alex opened his eyes, expecting to be standing in Amandas comfy, albeit cramped, apartment. Instead, all he saw were the walls of a leather hut, and a beautiful red skinned succubus impatiently tapping her foot. What the Fu-
Earth, Valdenci Territory, District 5
"Sir. The girl is proving to be… Abnormally resistant to our methods of extracting information, and our Mind-Scribe is getting no signs that she is lying about anything." Lieutenant Kolton stood inside of Anton Valdenci's office, reporting back after the second round of interrogations.
Twelve hours had passed since Amanda arrived, and during that time Anton's personal squad of enforcers had been interrogating her. They hadn't resorted to any violent methods of torture, but had instead been slowly starving her and not letting her sleep.
Anton's hazel colored eyes flickered with anger, and he set down the pen he had been using to sign a document. Marcy from District 3 had been pushing for stricter trade embargoes between their provinces, and they just reached an agreement mere minutes ago. To say that he was in a bad mood already was an understatement.
"I see." He stood up from his chair, the legs scraping on the tile floor. He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping as the weight of his duties settled on him. "Take the day off Lieutenant, you've done your duties admirably." Anton grabbed his pair of white gloves and pulled them on. Sometimes, if you wanted to get shit done, you just had to do it yourself.
***
Amanda studied the room, the metal chains attached to the floor clanking as she twisted her body. The enforcer scumbag had left only a few minutes ago, taking that stupid machine with him.
Of all the things she expected to happen to her, having a robot dig around her brain trying to extract the truth was not it. Especially because Mind-Scribes had been outlawed by the Valdenci's themselves.
The room itself was less of a room and more of a box they had locked her in. All of its walls were filled with white padding so prisoners couldn't harm themselves if they somehow managed to escape the chains keeping them in place. There was no furniture, no decoration, no sign that this was a room a human should be put into and yet, here she was.
The only thing that stood out was the white padded door that had a small window slit in it. Amanda could occasionally see people walk in front of the door, but it was just the briefest glances and they all wore helmets.
Surely they would eventually realize she knew nothing about Kieth or his whereabouts and they would let her go, it was just a matter of being convincing enough.
For once, she was grateful Alex had actually disappeared. If he had been around when the enforcers came things could have ended very badly.
Her thoughts were scattered as she became distinctly aware of a slight rattling noise. The door to her room unlocked and swung open. Two enforcers carrying stun batons marched in and stood at each of her sides. Following them into the room was an older looking man with a wide smile on his face.
He stopped just a few feet away from Amanda, studying her and taking in her disheveled form. "Leave." One word was all that was needed for the enforcers to walk out of the room, locking the door behind them.
"Tch tch tch. Amanda. Amanda. Amanda. I hear you're giving my boys a hard time." He locked eyes with her and for the first time since she arrived, Amanda was truly concerned. "Let's talk."
Vorcast, Unknown
ck! "Magic doesn't work here unless Harrald has authorized you to do so. The whole village is surrounded by anti-magic runes." Yvesse explained the situation to Alex, quickly informing him that if he wanted to leave he would have to make a pact with Harrald.
The immeasurable disappointment in Alex faded as he nodded at the succubus to lead the way, at least she hadn't tried to kill him after the spell failed.
The magical runes were of some interest to Alex. Being able to disable magic in an area sounded like a powerful tool to have at one's disposal, but he had no idea if it was logistically possible to even attempt.
Just as he was about to ask Yvesse about it she opened the flap to the hut. "Let's not waste any time. You are in a rush to be out of here, and I am in a rush to be rid of you. Harrald doesn't like outsiders."
Alex followed her outside and his breath was taken away by what he saw. A massive oakwood tree rose into the sky before him. The crown of the tree easily reached the clouds, its upper branches extending out and shading the village below.
It was just as thick as it was tall, Alex estimated that he could be running for at least five minutes and he still wouldn't have done a lap around the base of the tree. It reminded him about the legend of Yggdrasil the World Tree.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Yvesse broke Alex's moment of reverie, "We're not sure how long it's been here, but it provides protection for us. In turn, we tend to the tree and ensure no one encroaches on its territory." As she spoke, she led Alex through the village, if it could even be called that.
Other huts, similar to the one they had emerged from, were scattered all over the place. All of them were small, and the space looked somewhat cramped to Alex. It reminded him of ancient war camps that old empires used to use.
There were hundreds of them for as far as he could see, all of them surrounding the tree, as if they were being pulled into its embrace. The odd thing was that there weren't any other trees that Alex could see in any direction. His unspoken questions were answered a moment later.
"All of us are refugees of the war. Some of us fled, some of us abandoned our posts, some of us lost someone. No matter the reason, all of us suffered because of it." Yvesse's voice was choked, thick with emotion. No matter how many times she repeated it, the memories in her mind always reared their ugly head. "As for the tree, there is a glamour that hides it from view, making it seem like it's just another regular tree of the forest."
Everywhere Alex looked, he saw what Yvesse meant. Elves, dwarves, goblins, other types of demons, giants and humans… just about every race imaginable was milling about, conversing with others or sharing jokes around a campfire. But there was a sunken look in each of their eyes.
This war had taken something from each and every individual here, and all they wanted was to escape from it.
"Occasionally, less peaceful minded people stumble upon our glade and we are forced to take action, but for the most part we are safe." Yvesse carried on her explanation, smiling at a druid child that stared at her. "Harrald is the other reason we are safe. He ensures none of us break the rules, or disturbs the sanctity of this place. He comes off as harsh, but it is how he must be."
Eventually Alex and Yvesse broke away from the huts and the people, all that was left before them was the tree. Despite the trees' protection, the refugees dared not build their makeshift homes too close.
As such, there was a radius of roughly two hundred feet surrounding the tree before the first line of huts was constructed. Inside that radius sat a solitary figure.
"Go. Harrald will test you. And one way or the other, he will ensure that this place remains hidden and unknown."