I quickly found that Sart wasn't that big. It consisted of one wide road, leading from the square in front of the east gate all the way to the harbor. Smaller alleys and streets led away from it, and those only ran for a few hundred meters before ending beside the wall. From what I could tell, a five-meter high stone wall encircled the whole town. Men and women with bows moved along it constantly, their eyes constantly vigilant.

When I reached the west gate, I saw that the entire gate was open, unlike the closed and guarded east one. Two human women, or close to human at least, sat atop a cart, their bows in hand. Two pairs of sharp eyes scanned me before moving back to scan beyond the gate.

Brown muddy hills sprawled in front of this side of Sart. Grey rock and wilted grass was the only thing there. No trees or bushes of any kind. A long, winding gravel road wound through the hills, and in the distance, I saw a small outpost. A stone wall circled a low building and a shaft that seemed to lead down. Although it was hard to be sure from this distance, I guessed it was a mine of some kind. Black tents stood around the building, and dozens of guards moved around the walls and inside the compound.

"The Daggers of Doom… such a nasty bunch of mercs that," a soft feminine voice spoke beside me, scaring the crap out of me. Jerking my arms, I jumped aside. One of the archers stood beside me, a nondescript look on her face, while her eyes gleamed with mirth.

"Sorry Arms, didn't want to scare you."

Arms? Looking at the well-muscled, bare arms below the full-body leather armor, I nodded. Default guard AI, probably with stealth and a surly behavior.

"No problem, it happens," I said, pointing back at the small outpost in the distance.

"A mine?"

The archer blinked and scrutinized me. "So the rumors are true, Agga found herself a true resurrected. The works of the stone are mysterious indeed…"

So, they were talking about me? I wondered if that was just some line she was scripted to say or if that was actually true. I suddenly realized something. Did everybody get their own starting town? I hadn't seen or heard about any other players.

"Sorry Arms, didn't mean to upset you! That's the mine for sure. And those goons are the guards the Hazel company hired. "She shook her head, spitting on the ground beside her.

I was almost tempted to copy her but held myself back in the end.

"What are they mining?" I asked, wondering if it was iron or something more interesting.

"Heh, never thought I'd have to explain this to someone," the archer said. Her eyes glistened as she stared straight into mine before looking me up and down. Suddenly I felt a bit naked, realizing I was still only wearing my leather shorts.

"Till ten years ago that used to be just a copper mine, and a bad one at that," the archer said, turning attention back to the mine. "Then they found some magical crystals in it, and suddenly everybody was rushing here. Didn't last, of course. Only a few magical crystals a year isn't enough for the big corporations to invest anything in our little shit stain at the end of the world."

Magic crystals? That sounded interesting. I wondered if I could get inside and have a look.

Something must have shown on my face because the archer began laughing. "Don't bother. You won't even get inside. Only those Doomsies are allowed in."

I shrugged. Just because she couldn't get in didn't mean I couldn't. But that could wait. Curious, I turned to the talkative archer.

"What can you tell me about Agga?"

A sad look crossed the archer's face, and her upper lip curled up in a partial snarl. "An unlucky one, that. Rumor has it that she was the grandmaster Woodcrafter in some big city in Elision. That'd be far to the north," she added as she waved to the right, away from the coast.

"But her husband was hung, or burned or something- multiple stories on that. Her son tried to avenge his old man. Didn't work out, and he got himself killed by a noble or prince of something."

Two short horn blows came from somewhere in the city, and the archer shook her head. "Enough chatting, that'd be my call for relief! See you around Arms, and try and stay out of trouble."

She waved her arm as she walked, and I blinked at the suddenness of the end of the conversation.

"What's your name?" I called after her. It couldn't hurt to look her up if I ever needed more information.

"Egilla!" she replied without turning around. The second archer was still on the cart and waved at her as she disappeared into the city.

Damn, these AI are well done… perhaps actual people are controlling them? Shaking my head, I saw the red of the setting sun color the sky. It was time to go back and have Agga teach me wood crafting. With all the poisonwood everywhere, I'd been tempted to pick leatherworking, but having a grandmaster teach me would probably have some nice bonuses attached.

The trip back was short and uneventful, and when I entered Agga's shop, she was still sitting where I had left her. The branch was white now, the bark stripped and in a bucket beside her, while she was drawing lines on the branch with a pencil. The other branch was behind her on the table, four parts now. She had chopped the original branch into two arm lengths and split those across its length.

"Good, you are just in time, "Agga said, getting up and moving towards the table.

Two plates stood there, some bread and strips of dried fish on them. Beside mine lay half an apple, brown already, but I could smell it from where I stood.

Moving across from her, I didn't wait but finished my meal in mere moments. Then I waited for Agga to finish. It didn't take long, but I noticed her face was pale again. She should really eat sooner. Besides, two meals a day, who had thought up this torture?

Finished, Agga pushed the plate to the middle of the table and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I've decided I want to learn Woodcrafting," I said, trying to sound as convincing as I could.

There wasn't any change in her expression, and she nodded. "Fine. Then let's see what I have to work with. Summon your status."

I did as instructed and looked at her.

> Derived Strength: 4

> Derived Dexterity: 3

> Derived Constitution: 4

> Derived Intelligence: 2

> Derived Common sense: 1

> Derived Charisma 1

> Total mass: 60 KG

> Current weight: 60 KG

Active attributes: (Easily changed)

> 09/10: Muscle mass

> 01/40: Fat

> 07/12: Coordination

> 09/10: Stamina

> 02/10: Learning rate

> 14/99: Knowledge

> 02/10: Beauty

> 00/99: Grooming

> 02/20: Well spoken

"Start by telling me your learning rate and knowledge."

"Two out of ten for learning rate, and fourteen out of ninety-nine for knowledge", I said, wondering if that was good or bad.

Agga sucked in a breath, which didn't help bolster my confidence, and she stared at me with a completely stumped look. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and continued for a few moments before finally succeeding.

"You must be mistaken. Look again; it should say 2 for learning rate, and did you miss two nines in knowledge?" She almost shouted.

Blinking at her like a dumbstruck fool, I felt panic rise. My initial idea was to pick a mage, but was this character too dumb for that? I looked at my status again and shook my head.

"Nope. That's what it says, "I said, almost afraid of the consequences.

Agga didn't respond, just staring at me for a long time. Had I broken the questline somehow? Swallowing, I raised my hand and waved it at her. She started, and her eyes focused again.

"I wish I knew who you were before you were resurrected. You must have been famous," she finally said. Her voice sounded tired again, and I wonder if it was famous for being so unlucky with my base stats.

"So, I can learn wood crafting?" I finally asked.

Agga sighed and grinned ruefully. "You can, but I will have to change my planned course. And it won't be easy."

For you or me? I wondered before sighing. "What is wrong with my stats anyway?"

"Normal people get a flat learning rate when they are born. It averages at about three, with the fastest learning people being at six or seven. Knowledge…" she faltered and looked at me with a sorry look. "Knowledge normally caps anywhere between ten thousand and a hundred thousand."

"Ten thousand?" I blurted, thinking about that horrible starting AI. He had fucked me over; it had to be.

"What happens if I get it maxed?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"You will lose the knowledge you have used the least, forgetting it."

I struck the table with my two left fists, ignoring the throbbing headache. I was fucked! How could I even play this game like this?

"Wait, wait. It's not all bad!"

I stared at Agga with narrowed eyes. How could it not be all bad?

"Your learning rate, you can increase it! That is something I have never heard of before. If you can get it passed seven… I've never met anybody above seven. The grandmaster wizard of the Elision academy for sorcery has seven. He can read and learn a new spell in four days. If you have six, that takes you over two weeks, and with five, it would be months. People below five never even bother learning magic because it would take them too long."

Agga spoke quickly and fast, and as she did, I calmed down. Perhaps I didn't have to spend my savings on another life. That was if I even wanted to jump back into this game. Looking around the room, so real it was indistinguishable from real-life, and at Agga, who I constantly forgot was an AI, I sighed. Who was I kidding? This game was too cool not to want to play.

"Ok, but if I can only learn ninety-nine things, how will I ever do anything? Do I have to walk around blind and deaf or risk losing the skills you teach me?"

Agga shook her head, a small smile playing around her lips. "I keep forgetting how little you know, boy… Est. No. Skills are different! You won't have any now, so you can see, but when you do unlock one, you won't be able to forget it. Well, unless you die, that is. "

I nodded—that made sense. I'd wondered where the skills were.

"The only trouble is, we have to teach you the skill before you reach your cap. Normally I would teach you all of the basics first, but that would be impossible in your case.

Ah, a silver lining, at last, I thought. I hated having to learn all the nonsensical stuff before getting to the good parts. "So, where do we begin?"

"I need to think, plan. Get one of the parts of the branch and just inspect it a while. See what you can find out about it. I'll come back when I can."

Agga practically ran up the stairs, and I heard her muffled movements as she ran around on the higher floor.

With a sigh, I got up and picked up one of the still surprisingly heavy, arm-length sized pieces of wood. I noticed that the grains weren't across the length as I knew from normal wood. Instead, small circles of grains rounded the branch, leading to the tip. The second peculiar thing was the long, darker stripe in the center. It looked like heartwood, but when I pressed it with a nail, it was much harder than the rest of the wood.

Agga came back down about fifteen minutes later, and I was sitting at the table, looking at the wood. I couldn't find anything but what I'd found.

Looking up, I saw she was carrying a satchel and a long metal chisel. It was thicker and heavier than the ones I had seen on the walls.

"Take this, "Agga said, handing me the heavy and solid chisel. Then she opened the pouches. Inside were a dozen small wooden balls in different colors and grains.

"Tomorrow, as you go out, take those balls with you. Constantly hold one in your hand, trying to remember which wood it is. I'll teach you the names and properties in a minute. Get a feel for it, how it weighs, how it warms to the touch."

I nodded, wondering what the hell that would do. Then Agga went into a corner and began dragging out a thick, old black beam. It must be left from when the house was built, and I wondered how she could even move it.

"Alright, sit down beside this beam, and listen."

Doing as she said, I looked up at her, getting more than a little curious. Agga moved to the wall and picked another chisel, long, thin and shiny. Then she kneeled at the other end of the beam.

"Look closely!" Slowly she used the chisel to shave a curl of wood from the end. She followed the grain and somehow managed to make the shave perfectly even. No side was deeper or crooked. Then she did it again, and again. She continued until the end of the beam was a little shorter.

"If you shave something, go with the grain. Don't press too hard; don't make jittery movements. A single, fluid movement." Staring at me, she removed another full section before getting up.

"For now, until we sleep, practice, "she said. Then she moved back to the table she had been sitting at and continued working on the branch.

Looking down at the log, I groaned. Manual labor… I hated manual labor.

Placing the chisel on the wood as she had done, I pressed it down. It bit deep into the wood, stopping almost instantly as it angled too far down. Cursing, I took it out and tried again. This time it was too shallow, and I almost cut into my bare leg as the chisel shot away from the wood.

This was going to be one long night; I just knew it. Steeling myself and telling myself that after I'd learned this and created my cool wooden sword or ax, I could awe Sandra.

When I finally stopped, I had managed only a few complete shavings. My arms were sore, and the only pings I'd gotten were my last stamina and a few in coordination. Lying on the ground beside the fireplace, I couldn't remember when Agga had gone to bed, and fell asleep instantly.