Firm dirt crunched underfoot as Mah’ra and I walked through the plains searching for more Slimes to kill. While we marched I added my free stat point into Intelligence for more Mana that I desperately needed. Regardless of the stat points unfairly stolen from me, I’d still need to grind to level up. Even if I was only given one stat point per level, I’d still become much stronger after enough levels. It would just take far longer than I originally expected is all. I sighed,

‘One free stat per level sucks.’

Name: Kotek Jir'iroc Race: Orc Class: Villager Title: N/A Level: 1 Experience: 0/20 Health: 84/84 Mana: 48/48 Stamina: 72/72 Unspent Points: 0 Strength: 7 Vitality: 7 Dexterity: 5 Agility: 6 Intelligence: 6 Wisdom: 5 Perception: 4 Luck: 1

“At least the experience needed to level didn’t increase too much…” I mused while rubbing my chin as I looked over my character sheet.

“You’re mumbling again.” Mah’ra grunted from beside me.

‘I don’t know why the Orcs don’t kill the Slimes…they’re easy experience. Perhaps its because they’re too weak to be considered a threat? Do Orcs even know about experience and levels?’ I looked over at Mah’ra curiously, who was still a level zero Villager. Her eyes scanned the horizon for easy prey, paying me little mind.

“Hey, Mah’ra.” I began, trying to think of how to best phrase my thoughts.

“Mmmm?” She didn’t even look at me as I spoke to her. Manners were not an Orc’s strong suit.

“Strange question, but if you look over my head do you see anything?”

“Stranger than you crying for as long as you did earlier?” She turned her head towards me with a wicked grin.

“That wasn’t crying!” I growled, “That was frustration.”

“Never seen someone cry over being frustrated.” She laughed.

“Just answer the question.” I grumbled. Silently, she stared at me for a moment before responding.

“I see nothing Kotek. Should I?”

“No blue boxes or anything?”

“You are strange.” I sighed,

“Alright, thanks.”

One mystery solved. I was the only one who could see such things. But why?

“There’s a Slime ahead.” Mah’ra announced. Sure enough, when I looked to where she was pointing I saw one of the blue bodied bastards gurgling towards us at a snail’s pace.

“Right then, throw your rock at it.” I ordered as I conjured an Ice Shard with my right hand.

“Are you sure this will work?” Mah’ra asked with a curious expression as she rolled a rock around in her hand.

“Not really.” I shrugged, “We won’t know until we’ve killed at least two of these things. But theres only one way to find out. If it works, you’ll become stronger much faster than simply training.” Though grinding mobs was training in of itself, but explaining to her what grinding was would just make her think me mad. Not that my outburst earlier hadn’t helped things.

“Hrmph. And how is this supposed to make me stronger?” She asked with a raised brow.

“I guess the best explanation would be you’re absorbing some of the monster’s spirit to strengthen your body.” I shrugged. Explaining video game mechanics to a technologically stunted race would be akin to just saying ‘Magic’. Which I could totally say. And I probably should have honestly.

“You use too many big words.” She grunted and stared at the Slime burbling slowly along the ground.

“You eat the monster’s spirit.” I deadpanned. Her laughter shot through the plains as she readied the rock in her hand.

With a nod, Mah’ra wound up her throw and whipped her rock towards the mass of mucus. Upon colliding with the beast, a muted splashing sound squished from the Slime. The rock had collided with the membrane and was slowly sucked inside the Slime itself. An instant later, I shot my Ice Shard directly into the core of the Slime, killing it instantly.

You have slain a level 1 Slime!

Gained 5 experience!

“I don’t feel any stronger.” Mah’ra grumbled as she picked up another clean stone.

“Of course you don’t! I said it would take at least two Slimes to see any results!”

“You speak too much. I stop listening sometimes.” Mah’ra grinned. I rolled my eyes,

“Lets find the next target.”

“Now you speak sense.” Mah’ra chuckled as the two of us set out once more.

Thankfully, we didn’t have to travel for long until we found our quarry.

“Ready?” Mah’ra asked with her arm wound back for her toss.

“Always ready.” I nodded as I conjured a new Ice Shard.

Once more, the sound of the rock smacking into the Slime’s membrane made a squelching sound. The next moment, my Shard obliterated the Slime’s core.

You have slain a level 1 Slime!

Gained 5 experience!

“I feel…tingly…” Mah’ra spoke in wonder as she rubbed her arms in an attempt to remove the goosebumps from her flesh. I grinned as I stared at her. She had leveled up.

‘Theory proved. So long as one takes part in combat, they will receive equal experience. Strange that the experience shared isn’t divided between us, but I’m willing to accept that.’

“That would be your body becoming stronger.” I stated as question after question poured into my mind.

Did her stats advance the same as mine did? What about the unassigned points to someone who couldn’t see their status screen? Was it automatically assigned? If that was so, how was it assigned? By race? Vocation? Randomly? Unfortunately, I doubt I’d ever be able to find out. But at least I knew experience would be granted to others so long as they took part in combat. If I became strong enough, I could sell myself as a power-leveling service.

“You’re acting strange.” Mah’ra spoke, knocking me from my dreams of glorious cash.

“Thinking.” I stated, to which she snorted.

“Lets kill more. I want to become even stronger!” Mah’ra laughed as she flexed her arms before taking off without me.

“Musclehead.” I rolled my eyes and rushed to follow.

Together, the two of us marched through the plains as the sun began to reach it’s zenith. We had only been hunting together for about an hour and we had made decent progress. We kept relatively close to the city, as a safety measure against running across stuff too strong for us. Unfortunately, this meant we would only find the occasional Slime. After killing an additional two of the marauding mucuses, I had leveled up once more.

You have slain a Level 1 Slime!

Gained 5 Experience!

You have leveled up!

Status points gained from leveling up: 3

Status points automatically assigned: 2

You have gained +1 Dexterity

You have gained +1 Agility

You have 1 unassigned status point.

“Hmmmm…” I stared at the popup before my eyes. It was the same as last time, but instead of Strength and Vitality, it was Dexterity and Agility. “What the hell…” I mumbled to myself trying to think of why this was happening. “Am I getting fucked over? Or is the system developing me in a balanced manner?”

“Kotek! Stop thinking!” Mah’ra yelled as she began to rush off without me once more. As I began to run, a slight shift in the grass off to Mah’ra’s side caught my eye. A cold shiver shot throughout my body when a single thought struck forth in my mind.

‘There is no wind.’

“Run!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. Mah’ra turned towards me, confused. An instant later, a large tan lion-like cat leaped from within the grass upon Mah’ra. Her yell rang loud over the plains, chilling my blood.

You have gained +1 Perception

Without thinking, my body moved of it’s own accord. Lungs burned as I yelled as loud as I could in an attempt to draw the lion from it’s prey. Mana coalesced within my hands as I rushed forward. With everything I had, I launched my spell.

“Get off her!” I roared. The ground shattered as a massive spike of stone blasted directly into the side of the lion that was currently whipping it’s head back and forth, tearing flesh with a sickening sound. Dense stone met weak flesh as the lion was forcibly thrown away from Mah’ra in two pieces. I gaped as it had been ripped in half by the force of my spell.

You have slain a Level 5 Plains-Stalker

Gained 55 Experience!

You have leveled up!

Status points gained from leveling up: 3

Status points automatically assigned: 2

You have gained +1 Intelligence

You have gained +1 Wisdom

You have 1 unassigned status point.

I dismissed the window clouding my vision and rushed to Mah’ra’s side. Blood flowed freely from her shoulder, which was a complete mess, barely resembling a shoulder at all. The beast’s teeth had done its work quickly. I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t her neck that had been torn into. She’d still die if not tended to, but at least I had a chance. My mind warred with itself on what I should do.

‘Do I attempt to get her to a Shaman? With the city so far away, would I make it in time? Do I attempt healing myself? Would I even know what to do? Or how to do it? Do I even have enough Mana to try?’ My mind shifted back and forth between attempting the possible vs rushing to the sure thing. A quick glance at my status gave me my answer, no Mana. Even if I wanted to try healing, I couldn’t.

“Killed it?” Mah’ra grunted through gritted teeth and closed eyes.

“Yeah.” I nodded. Mah’ra’s face contorted into a feral, pained grin as she opened her eyes and regarded the massive, bloody spike that stood over her,

“Good.” With practiced motions, I shrugged off my vest. Using the spike of earth that had killed the Plains-Stalker, I tore off a large patch and pressed it firmly upon her wounded shoulder. She hissed in pain from the pressure.

“Hold this to your wounds tight. No matter what, don’t let it go.” Grunting in confirmation, she reached over with her good arm and held the cloth firm. After she had done so, I lifted her up in my arms and raced towards the city. Warm blood dripped regularly from her wounded shoulder despite her attempts to stifle to flow.

I ran like I had never run before. My feet met dry earth and with all the strength I could muster, launched me into a bounding pace that I hadn’t thought possible. Heart pounding, I focused on the faint buildings in the distance as I ran, desperately hoping that I could make it in time. Doubt tried to worm it’s way into me, but I forced it away. There was no time for doubt, only action.

‘Faster! I need to go faster!’ I cried out in my mind. Wind whipped around us as I sprinted for all I was worth towards the city. My heart thump in my chest from exertion. But only the goal of getting Mah’ra to a healer was paramount in my mind.

“You’re…thinking…too much…again…” Mah’ra uttered tiredly from my arms.

“Mmmm.” I grunted as the buildings loomed ever closer, yet so far away. My legs burned from exertion, yet still I ran.

“Should never…lost the race…”

Her words became no more than mumbles as I raced into the town. Surprised faces gaped openly, but I paid them no mind. Getting Mah’ra to Zakka was all I could think of. Zakka would fix her easily. I felt wet warmth run down my chest as I turned a corner. Once more, doubt began to burn inside me, but I pushed it aside. I wasn’t trained to doubt, only to act.

‘Do what you can, when you can.’ I repeated in my mind. An old mantra from a lifetime ago. A familiar hut entered my view as I turned yet another corner. Zakka’s hut, decorated with an unnecessary amount of bones and skulls. A home that screams ‘Witch Doctor’ or ‘Shaman’ in our case. I slowed my pace as I approached, but still rushed inside the hut.

“Zakka!” I cried out, my voice hoarse to my ears. In the center of the hut sat Zakka upon a pile of woven sheets as she stirred a pot of something that smelled rather disgusting. She turned towards me slowly as if what I had to say could wait. But when her eyes affixed upon Mah’ra she dropped all pretense of frailty.

“What happened?” She asked sternly as she took Mah’ra from me.

“Plains-Stalker.” I gasped for breath as my exhaustion caught up with me.

“Foolish.” Zakka scolded as she placed her patient upon her bed. Mah’ra’s blood slowly flowing from her wounds. I glanced down at my chest to see her blood all over me.

‘Dropped my vest.’ I noted as I stared at her uncovered wound. Bright energy formed from Zakka’s hands as she placed them upon Mah’ra’s shoulder. With eyes closed, Zakka began to chant silently. The Shaman’s way of communicating with the spirits. Mah’ra was now in good hands and I could breath a sigh of relief. Exhausted, I sat upon the floor and closed my eyes.

“Mission accomplished.” I mumbled as exhaustion clouded my mind.

——————————————————————————

A muted ‘thump’ sounded through the hut. Zakka glanced to the source of the sound only to see Kotek passed out on the floor. His blood-covered chest rising and falling in regular rhythm. Zakka worried not of his ghastly sight, as the blood was clearly not his own. Returning her focus to the matter at hand, she hummed as her way of focusing the Ancient’s powers upon the poor girl before her. Glowing hands mended flesh, muscle, and bone as the girl slept, her once ragged breathing now a steady beat of in and out.

She would have smiled at a job well done had it not been for the vicious whispering within her ears. Kotek, the young fool, had been dabbling in magic, a power that had shattered their world once before. A power that ruined one of the most powerful nations known to all. A power that demanded entire generations of her people sent to die on distant shores just to hold back the tides of evil. With a sigh, Zakka began to commune with the spirits, once more feeling the familiar sense of tingling flow through her ancient body.

“You are sure?” She asked in a wispy voice only the ancestors could hear.

“His body glows from magical overload.” An elderly voice croaked beside Zakka. “He has used much more power than his body should allow. It is surprising he has not burned himself out.”

“We have watched his devilry through the plains, his foul magic practiced upon Slimes.” Another voice spoke from her opposite side, this one rough and angry. “With every one slain, his powers grew. He could bring end to you all.”

“But he used his strength to assist the girl without a second thought! Should merit not be given where it is due?” A kindly voice asked the others. “Can there not be an exception just once?”

“These Oaths were made for a reason!” The angry voice shouted. “He has used what has been strictly forbidden for over a century!”

“The Oaths must be followed.” The Elderly voice stated sadly. “Though it pains me to admit in this case. The boy has a good heart, but good hearts have wrought ruin before.”

“And what of the boy’s family? Those that sired him? Are they to be put to death as well?” The kindly voice growled at the others.

“The Oaths must be followed.” The elderly voice grimly stated.

“There must be another way.” Zakka mumbled hoping to sway the Ancients.

“There is none!” The angry voice shouted. “We must delay no longer. Judgment must be passed upon the Oathbreaker.”

“And what do the spirits decree?” Zakka sighed, knowing their answers already.

“Death!” The angry voice immediately roared.

“Death.” The elderly voice echoed sorrowfully.

“Death.” The kindly voice sighed in defeat.

“Death.” A final voice quaked, sending rumbles through Zakka’s hut.

Zakka’s body trembled at the final voice. “By the Ancient’s decree.” She stared at the sleeping boy with sorrowful eyes. “Kotek Jir’iroc and his family shall be put to death at sundown.”