Tim felt himself being healed, with his eyes closed he could still see his bars in the corner of his vision he caught his health bar tick up from one nineteen to one twenty. Opening his eyes he saw Simon healing him up.
“Hey bud. How are you holding up?” Tim asked
Simon paused, a dry chuckle escaping him. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” He sighs. “I’m better after I realized you were stable.”
“Yeah. You got me topped off. You didn't get hurt?” Tim asked, concern in his voice as he sat up.
Simon shook his head. “Nope, the defender kept most of the attention, and with you it never had time to focus me. But I’m just glad the defender took most of the hits. I don’t think you could have taken a second attack.”
Tim winced. “Yeah, that one attack dropped me down to fifty HP. I think we were definitely punching above our weight class.”
He noticed several notifications, focusing on them they opened.
You are exhausted!!!
Your stamina will drain twice as fast and you are slowed till this condition is removed.
‘Guess that explains why I collapsed.’ Tim thought. ‘At least it hit after the fight ended. If it had gone on longer, they would’ve been in real trouble.’ Moving to the next notification, a smile grew on his face.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
You have defeated the level five Bearded Vulture Bear and in return, you and your party have earned five hundred experience points.
!!!DING!!!
You’ve reached level 2!!!
You now have ten points to improve stats.
You’ve Improved one-handed fighting
You now have improved your abilities with one-handed weapons. Your aim is more precise, and your attacks deal full damage. No longer suffering from penalties.
You’ve discovered hidden racial power.
Boiling blood: Thanks to your Orc heritage, you possess a hidden bestial rage that temporarily boosts your stamina and strength. You gain 20% to all strength-based skills, abilities, and attacks. As well as slows down stamina consumption.
“Well we definitely fought out of our weight class.” Simon said, looking over his notifications
Tim nodded, “But hey, we’re level two now and can improve our stats.”
“Right? and I’m excited about the possibilities ahead,” Simon said, his eyes lighting up.
Tim Opened his character page and began reviewing his stats, feeling the weight of each decision. The biggest issue was his low Charisma stat. In a world where alliances would be crucial, he couldn’t afford to ignore it. He decided to boost Charisma by two or three points.
Due to your low Charisma, you face a penalty when increasing this stat. For stats 10-19, the cost is 1 point per increase. For 20-29, it costs 2 points per increase. With a negative stat all upgrades cost 1 extra point.
“Uh Simon, have you tried to improve your Constitution yet?” Tim asked
“Yeah. I guess you got the same warning with Charisma,” Simon replied
“Seems like we won’t be switching roles any time soon.” Tim chuckled sadly.
“Well, things definitely won't be easy now,” Simon said, throwing his hands up in mock despair. “My grand vision of us becoming unstoppable heroes is completely shattered!” He dramatically clutched his chest as if struck by a mortal wound.
Tim rolled his eyes a bit, smiling. “You poor min-maxer, whatever shall we do? But at least this way there is a balance of some kind, no one else can min-max without sacrifice.”
“Yeah just,” Simon stopped himself. “You are right, no need to dwell on what could have been, I suggest we focus on our strong stats and just bring up our weak stats to 10 for now.”
“I think I am going to pass on Charisma this go around, and focus on my Constitution, over it.” Tim said.
“Just don’t put everything into Constitution,” Simon warned, “If you get incapacitated, health won’t mean shit.”
“Naw just the two points I would have into Charisma.” He said as his eyes caught the sun passed its peak of the day. “Might want to wrap this up, scout the area before nightfall.”
Simon nodded and they finished distributing.
You are about to accept where and what you spent your points on. Once accepted you cannot take back your choices, Are you sure you are happy with what you have chosen? Yes, or No?
Tim mentally clicked yes, a new character sheet filled his vision, as he felt his body shift. Muscles tightened, then relaxed, aches and pains he did notice flared then faded away.
His smile grew for what seemed like the Umpteenth time today. “This is awesome!” Tim said with the joy of his youth.
Name: Cromus
Age:22
Level: 2
Exp: 500/900
Health: 160/160
Mana: 100/100
Stamina: 140/140
Stats
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 14
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 8
Race: Half-Orc: A race of an orc and human mix. Seen as a descendant of a violent race, other races shy away from you, you will receive a negative two percent to any charisma checks with other races. Though there is not only bad news with this race, thanks to your orc heritage you are more sturdy than most other races, able to face terrors others wouldn't dare, and able to stomach things that would sicken most. You have night vision, in areas of low light you are able to see normally.
Path: Gaia's Warrior: A warrior for the planet, friend to the forest and beasts alike, this path allows you to cast spells of nature and use equipment modified from the earth, as well as allows you to improve your own capabilities from stats of animals, and have animals assist you later in levels. Gain bonuses when interacting with animals.
Boiling blood: Thanks to your Orc heritage, you possess a hidden bestial rage that temporarily boosts your stamina and strength. You gain 20% to all strength-based skills, abilities, and attacks. As well as slows down stamina consumption.
Abilities
Animal Empathy: From a easy glance you are able to determine an animal's demeanor to you, as well as having a better understanding of how to improve the demeanor.
Animal Link: Once a day you are able to choose an animal who is neutral with you and create a telepathic link with the chosen animal for twenty four hours or until you sever the link.
Identify (inferior): The basic ability that most intelligent being, can be used to identify items, creatures, and other humanoids.
Spells
Heal (inferior): You are able to spend Ten mana to heal you or a willing target for ten hit points.
Nature's Assistant: You can spend four mana to help a plant grow a stage in its growth or remove any harmful effect it may have. The bigger the growth or larger effect consumes more mana.
Animal Affinity: You are able to spend fifty mana to manifest one animal body part on your body for ten minutes.
Skills
Universal Translate: No worrying about language barrier, anything spoken, or read will be translated to a language you understand.
Animal Empathy: From a easy glance you are able to determine an animal's demeanor to you, as well as having a better understanding of how to improve the demeanor.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You’ve taken the first step in your journey of self-improvement. In this world, both your mind and body will be constantly tested. Consider this a word of caution, noble adventurer: focusing too heavily on a single "stat" may leave you vulnerable when faced with challenges, potentially leading to irreversible consequences.
Many adventurers choose to prioritize strength and power, but this can bind them, creating limitations. Similarly, wizards and scholars devote themselves to knowledge, yet their pursuit can become a prison, trapping them in a single mindset.
That’s why we urge you to seek the strength of others. Surround yourself with companions who can complement your weaknesses, push you to learn, and help you grow in ways that go beyond mere stats. Together, you can enhance your journey and achieve greatness.
STAND TALL. KEEP MOVING FORWARD. BREAK THROUGH YOUR LIMITS AND GROW STRONGER!
Tim heard a noise beside him and turned to see Simon staring at him. "What?" he asked.
“It’s definitely strange," Simon replied, still watching Tim closely. "Your body just morphed a little right in front of me. It wasn’t a huge change, but if you weren’t paying attention, anyone could have missed it. Still, it was interesting to watch."
Tim glanced at his arms. He could definitely see more muscle tone than before—not a huge difference, but noticeable. "Well, you saw mine. Let's see yours," he said, looking at Simon.
Simon nodded and focused. It didn’t take long before Tim noticed a subtle change. His muscles, while smaller than Tim’s, became more defined. Simon’s lean build was becoming more apparent, and Tim guessed he'd boosted his Dexterity. Simon’s skin also seemed to improve, with some minor imperfections vanishing. His hair had a subtle shine, as if kissed by the sun, but without actually being in direct light. In essence, Simon’s moon elf form was becoming more attractive.
"So, did you notice anything?" Simon asked.
Tim took another look. Simon seemed a bit more filled out, his cheeks fuller. He hadn’t realized it before, but now he could see the difference. "Yeah, you filled out and toned up a bit—not like you added muscle, but more like you’ve trained them. You’ve got more definition. And your skin’s clearer. Your hair is shinier, too."
Simon grinned. "Makes sense. The definition probably came from the dexterity boost. The fuller look is from me raising my constitution to ten. I also increased my intelligence, but I don’t know what would show that. Thank God my head didn’t expand." He chuckled. "As for looks, that’s from raising my charisma."
Tim nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, so what are your stats now?"
Simon paused, then recited his numbers. "Ten Strength, fourteen Dexterity, ten Constitution, sixteen Intelligence, ten Wisdom, and fourteen Charisma. I think my path leans toward magic, so increasing intelligence and my mana pool seems like the best route. What about you?"
Tim quickly checked his own stats. "Same order: fourteen Strength, fourteen Dexterity, sixteen Constitution, ten Intelligence, twelve Wisdom, and eight Charisma."
“Well if the vulture bear is one of the worst things in this area, we are better prepared and have a grasp of things.” Simon said
"I think we should share our character names," Tim added. "We’ll need them when we meet new people. Glean made us pick names for a reason. My guess is that names have power, and some magic requires actual names to work."
“I’d have to agree with that conclusion. Ok.” he paused for dramatic effect, smirking. “My name is Sais.”
Tim blinked, confused. "Says? Like, S-A-Y-S?"
Smions grinned persisted. “I spelled it S-A-I-S. It sounds like ‘says,’ but more like a name.”
Tim quirked an eyebrow. “You named yourself Sais, and that’s funny?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“You're missing the bigger picture. My name was Simon and now it is Sais put them together you get Simon Sais.” Not able to contain his laughter anymore letting it out.
Tim chuckled a bit in return. “You made your name a meme.”
“Well think about it, if I get like a hold person spell or something similar, I can yell. I SAY FREEZE!” Sais replied, still grinning ear to ear.
Tim laughed. "Okay, I can’t deny that’s clever."
Simon leaned back, clearly proud. "Alright, Mr. Original. What’s your name?"
“I went with an oldie but a goody. Cromus!” Tim replied, with a hint of pride in his voice.
Sais gave Cromus a flat look. "Cromus? Seriously? You’re judging me for my name, and you went with that?"
Tim defensively crossed his arms. "What? It’s a strong name. It feels powerful."
A devilish grin spread across Simon’s face. "Have you ever Googled that name?"
Tim felt a sinking feeling. "No... why?"
Simon burst out laughing. "It’s a brand of toothpaste in a foreign country. You’re basically named after minty fresh toothpaste!"
Tim’s jaw dropped. "What?!"
"Yup. Minty fresh," Simon teased.
Tim groaned. "Fine. Fine. I won’t make fun of your name if you promise never to remind me of this again."
"Deal." Simon smirked. "Let’s get moving. We’ve got work to do."
As they stood up, Cromus felt lighter than he had before. He bounced on his heels, then jumped—a solid four feet. "Whoa! What’s the deal?" Sais asked, eyes wide.
Cromus landed smoothly, feeling no strain. "Sorry, I just wanted to see how high I could jump from a standing position. My body feels so light."
Sais chuckled. “Compared to our past selves, yeah that is a miracle.”
"I’m guessing running’s going to be an experience too," Cromus said as he grabbed his bag. "Ready to move out?"
Sais nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder and grabbing his crossbow. "Let’s go. Maybe we can find a cave or something. Shelter sounds good."
“Alright maybe we can head the way the vulture bear came from and maybe find a den.” Cromus said.
"Yeah, but what if we find a mate of that vulture bear?" Sais asked.
Cromus frowned. "True. But I doubt that’s the case. If it’s like regular bears, they only mate and leave. It’s rare for them to stay together."
“I’ll take your word for it, nature boy.” Sais replied.
As they walked, Cromus couldn’t help but notice the destruction around them. The path the vulture bear had left was a mess—broken branches, flattened bushes, and more.
A prompt appeared in Cromus’s vision.
Congratulations!!! You have improved the Survivor skill. As a novice, you can now track living things, have a natural sense of direction, and will rarely get lost in later levels, as you grow tracking will become much easier, You will be able to notice smaller prints, broken paths and understand how long prints have been left for, in the span of eight hours.
'That definitely will come in handy.’ Cromus thought to himself. He then noticed a rabbit laying dead not far from the path, he bent down and picked it up.
Sais gave him a look. “What are you doing?”
“All we have in our bags are small rations, we can practice cleaning and cooking it. Worst comes to worse; it is used for some experience and skill training.” He explained as a new prompt appeared:
Skill unlocked: Looting
Would you like to loot a young rabbit? Yes/no
Pausing not taking his eyes off the prompt. “Sais, did you by chance touch the vulture bear?” He asked not looking back.
“No. I was too focused on making sure my friend wasn’t going to die. Wh..?” He started to ask then stopped himself. “You just got a prompt to loot the Rabbit.”
In response Cromus mentally clicked yes. the rabbit dissolved into the air, leaving two pieces of meat and a neatly folded pelt.
Grabbing the meat and the pelt, he turned with Sais and they hurried back to the dead vulture bear.
Only hesitating for a second, Sais reached out and touched the Vulture Bear.
Skill unlocked: Looting
Would you like to loot Bearded Vulture Bear? Yes/No
Sais mentally clicked yes and the body started to dissolve. All the items were laid out neatly, the hide was folded nicely, the talon’s laying on top of it, the core next to them, followed by twelve pieces of meat, which were not small pieces each was around the size of half a rotisserie chicken.
Sais picked up the core, which felt lighter than it looked. Inside, mist swirled red, black, brown and purple. watching the swirl he used identify.
Corrupted Bearded Vulture Bear Core: This core has been tainted, once the foreign energy has been removed the core can be used for crafting, rituals, and even to improve oneself. Using it before the removal of the foreign energy could have severe consequences.
“Hey Cromus heads up.” Sais said, grabbing Cromus’s attention before throwing the core to him.
Cromus caught it and looked at it, getting the same info Sais did. “So someone or something affected the Bearded Vulture Bear?”
“That is what I am thinking.” Sais replied.
A prompt appeared in both their visions.
Quest: Discover what corrupted the Bearded Vulture Bear. Reward: 150 XP and a choice of a Bearded Vulture Bear Quiver or Pendant. Do you accept? Yes/No
Without a word, both accepted the quest.
"How do you want to divide the loot?" Sais asked, surveying the items.
"Let’s wait," Cromus replied. "We don’t even know what we can use these materials for yet. We might want to sell them, depending on where we end up."
"I agree," Sais said. "The hide might make good armor, and these talons could be crafted into weapons. But we’ll hold onto everything for now."
They packed up and continued down the vulture bear’s path. Soon, they noticed even more destruction: dead squirrels, torn trees, and the aftermath of a beast in a blind rage. Cromus uneased by the sight, went to every animal he saw.
“You are a good person Cromus. My past choices would take far longer to understand this easy lesson. I am pleased with Glean's choice. You are quickly becoming one of my favorites. I respect the cycle predator vs prey, or even predator vs predator for territory or even treasure, but senseless murder, and waste of resources is not right. Know I am always watching you, and always with you.”
‘Gaia?’ Cromus thought, hoping for a reply.
A warm sensation lingered in his chest, but no words came. Maybe one day, he could communicate more directly.
They walked for what felt like hours, coming upon another scene of destruction. Cromus had three pieces of rabbit meat, while Sais had five. They’d spotted a buck, but it was decided that leaving it would be the wisest choice. They were starting to run out of ways to carry things, and who knew how long the meat would last.
Cromus noticed some old wolf tracks—too old for him to identify—but they were numerous, going back and forth. He was sure the wolves would find the dead buck soon and take advantage of a free meal.
“Hey we could possibly learn some fishing too if we find shelter nearby.” Cromus said
“Definitely. Fish will not be as gamy as rodent meat.” Sais replied
Cromus’s stomach growled loudly. After the fight and the long walk, he felt a growing hunger. It wouldn’t take much to convince him to sit down and eat.
As time passed, the forest around them started to come to life. Birds chirped, and Cromus caught sight of a few squirrels on the opposite riverbank. He felt a warmth in his chest, realizing how tense he’d been until now. Without realizing it, he relaxed, letting the forest sounds wash over him.
The river soon veered right, while the vulture bear's tracks led left. Cromus was about to ask Sais which direction he preferred when he felt an inexplicable pull toward the left. He followed the tracks, trusting his instinct.
The tracks, now older and harder to follow, were marked by broken branches and scratched trees, which made it easier. They came to a thick patch of bushes, and as Cromus moved to push them aside, he felt that same pull again. He parted the bushes and, sure enough, behind them, partially hidden by branches, was a tall earth mound with a cave entrance. It seemed like the perfect place to camp—well-hidden and offering decent shelter.
“Well, I think we found our campsite,” he said, smiling at Sais.
Sais approached. "I wonder if it has just one entrance, or if there's more inside."
Cromus peered into the cave, using the setting sun’s light. He could see a significant portion of it, but the back was hidden. There was no clear sign of a second entrance, but he did spot a small nest made of grass, likely used by the vulture bear. Just as he was about to step inside, he felt his shirt tugged, and Sais’s eyes met his.
“Slowly, and quietly,” Sais whispered, setting down his bag and drawing his crossbow.
Though Cromus was still sure the vulture bear was a solitary creature, the battle they’d fought earlier had made him cautious. He set down his own bag, drew his scimitar with his left hand, and entered.
Inside, the cave was dark—an eerie kind of dark. The nest was about ten feet ahead, on the right. Twelve feet across, the cave’s size felt imposing. As Cromus moved forward, his foot crunched down on something brittle. Looking down, he saw animal bones, possibly from a deer, but also a humanoid skull. He froze, noticing that the teeth were sharp, with the back teeth suggesting the creature had a diet that included harder materials.
They moved further in. Another twenty feet brought them to the back of the cave. It was empty, with no other entrances or exits.
"Well, it's a nice little hideaway," Sais said.
"Or a trap if something else comes in and blocks our exit," Cromus replied.
"True. But given your theory about the vulture bear being solitary, I don’t think we have to worry. Nothing’s likely to wander into its territory until it’s gone."
"Yeah, even the wolf tracks we saw seemed to avoid the area we were traveling."
"Exactly. And with the river nearby, full of fish and plenty of squirrels, we have options for food and experience."
"Right. But we don’t have any ventilation in here, so we’ll need to set up a fire outside. The ceiling’s only about nine feet high."
Sais nodded. "Fair enough. Let's start gathering wood."
Cromus found enough branches quickly, and they used rocks from the river to form a circle for the fire. Sais took over the fire-making, using dried grass and bark, and soon had a small flame going, adding the wood Cromus had gathered.
While Sais managed the fire, Cromus skewered some of the meat and roasted it on sticks. "It's not the prettiest, but it’ll do," he said, holding up the skewered meat.
By the time the sun had set, they decided the food was ready. Cromus took a bite of the vulture bear meat, his face contorting. It wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever tasted, but it was close. "Ugh," he said, scraping his tongue against his teeth. "That’s rough."
Sais chuckled.
"You wait, bud," Cromus grinned. "We weren’t exactly trained campfire chefs."
"Oh, I figured. But come on, we both knew those awesome steaks we had back with Glean and Fey were going to be our last good meal for a while." Sais responded.
"Yeah. I got too used to all the fatty, sugary foods back home. I miss those."
"This world might not even know what salt is. It could be a rare commodity."
Cromus took another bite. "We could change that and make a fortune. But for now, we’ll have to make do."
Sais smirked and tried the meat himself. His reaction was almost identical to Cromus’s. "Okay, you're right. We’re not great cooks," he said, laughing.
Cromus chuckled too. They ate in silence, the warmth from the fire and the sounds of the forest filling the air. He couldn’t help but relax, staring up at the stars as they began to appear. He could hear an owl in the distance, probably waking up for its nightly hunt, and wolves howling southward, likely feasting on the deer.
"To think," Cromus mused, "our first day here, we fought one of the scariest things in this forest, leveled up, saw this beautiful untouched forest and river, and now we're relaxing by a campfire in a cave, preparing for sleep."
"Yep," Sais agreed. "But I've got one last trick I want to try before we crash."
Before Cromus could ask what he meant, another portal opened in front of them. This one was much smaller—about thirty inches wide. A little ball of iron with blades for wings flapped out, landing on Sais’s shoulder as the portal closed behind it.
Cromus’s eyes widened. It looked like an owl, but with clear mechanical parts—gears and metal plates covering its body. Its eyes were large, covered by glass, the edge of the glass circled by a gear. The little creature hooted at Cromus before turning to hoot at Sais.
His eyes widened a bit, “Yes I am Sais, and this is Cromus.” it hooted again.
“Henry says hello.” Sais said to Cromus this time.
“Henry? I did not expect that to be its name.” Cromus replied.
Henry’s gears speed up and body Puffed up expanding. “He is not an it Cromus” Sais scolded.
“I'm sorry Henry, I meant no offense.” Cromus apologized, a little embarrassed.
Henry deflated a bit and hooted a couple more times. “Clockworks with high intelligence tend to choose a name, and wish to be acknowledged as beings which they rightfully are.”
“Fair enough, again Henry I apologize. This is all very new to us. Happy to have you here as long as you can stay.”
“Henry is my familiar, and he will be with us till this form is destroyed or I dismiss him.”
Cromus grinned. "Looking forward to working with you, Henry. I still can't get over all this... it’s badass." He laughed. "Ignoring the part where I almost died, of course."
Sais grinned as well. "I'm excited too. Just summoning him got me a couple of notifications. I can cast spells through him and even see through his eyes."
"That’ll definitely come in handy for scouting," Cromus said.
Before Sais could reply, Henry hooted and flapped his wings.
"Looks like Henry’s excited," Cromus said with a smirk.
"He is," Sais replied. "He says he’s glad he was summoned by a polite summoner... and a polite... friend." Sais forced a smile, glancing at Henry, who seemed to puff up in satisfaction.
"Hold on," Cromus said, narrowing his eyes. "You almost slipped up there."
Sais shot Henry a look. "It’s nothing. Just a misunderstanding, like calling Henry an 'it.' He’s used to creatures with less intelligence serving those with higher intellect."
Cromus narrowed his eyes. “Careful clocky, this dumb servant might mistake you for food.”
Henry puffed up again and hooted loudly, flying off Sais’s shoulder and approaching Cromus, making an intimidating display causing Cromus to defend himself with his half eaten food on a stick, Henry hooted before circling back landing back on Sais’s other shoulder as he laughed.
“What? What did he say?” Cromus asked, frowning.
Taking a minute to calm his laughter. “If you had an intelligence over a common field rat you would know doing that would just make this form vanish from the damage instead of getting any actual food out of it. shut your tusk mouth, pay attention and maybe you can learn something from the master.” Henry gave another Hoot lifting his beak to the sky.
Cromus groaned. "Looks like it's going to be one of those relationships," he said, looking up at the sky.
He closed his eyes, listening to the still-alive sounds of the forest—the wind rustling through the leaves, and the steady hum of insects. Despite being more of a homebody back on the farm, he felt oddly at peace here. The grass was soft, the air fresh. Before long, he was fast asleep.
