1.04 Eye of the Tiger.

Let us be clear, I have never been an athlete. My parents encouraged me to be more physically active, my Dad had five different Varsity Letters from his time in High School, and played baseball in the Minor League before Vietnam came calling. I had two younger brothers, one was a Swim Team captain, the other was a Cheerleader. If you don’t think cheerleading counts as a sport, then you have never thrown a hundred pound weight as high up into the air as possible, just to catch again. Me, the closest I came was three years of competitive Orienteering, and 18 months of Karate. The orienteering I enjoyed, the Karate was because both my brothers were interested and my parents got a family discount if I participated as well. Eighteen months of pseudo serious training from thirty years earlier, plus about a dozen martial art books, was all I had to teach myself how to survive in the violence filled world of the Realm.

I started with general exercises, or tried to. You might be surprised how much a big belly gets in the way of everything from push ups, to sit ups, to jumping jacks. The last had more to do with momentum, the movement of my excess weight throwing my balance off. In the end I ended up mostly doing squats, and vertical push ups against one of the menhirs. Then I tried to remember those old katas, karate movements that look more like dancing than fighting. Finally,after a whole morning of fruitless but exhausting effort, I closed my eyes and tried to meditate.

Try and think of nothing. Forget your body, your pain, the too bright sun in your eyes, the sounds of birdsong and windsong whistling through the trees, the blinking blue dot of unread Notifications. Do not think about tap dancing pink elephants. No pink elephants! The harder one tries, the more thoughts come rushing through. I tried counting my heart beats. I tried imagining a golden radiance was pooled beneath my tailbone, and it was slowly climbing my spine to exit through the top of my head. Try as I might, it always got stuck about a third of the way up.

I tried imagining a node located behind my navel, spinning, rotating, absorbing energy with every breathe, every rotation. That resulted in me vomiting what little bile was left in my stomach. I spent a good 4-5 hours trying every meditation technique I could remember, every breathing exercise I had learned in physical therapy after the accident. At last, a blue Ding!

Congratulations! You have acquired the Amateur Skill [Meditation].

Implementing Otherworlder bonus…

You have acquired [Meditation] Level 2.

I can only assume I got credit for theoretical knowledge.

Next step was to try and acquire as many Scholar Skills as possible. While I didn’t expect many practical benefits here in the wilds, acquiring and leveling Class Skills helped accumulate Class experience.

I started with trying to recite as many poems as I could remember. Then verb conjugations in English, French, and the little Latin I could remember. Then back to recitations, this time in French. My French was more academic than practical, although I did know a few Lays from Marie de la France. I tried to remember the little German I knew as well. Not having an excess of paper, I used the nub of chalk from my Arcanist’s Kit, (the leather messenger bag that once held my gaming supplies) to write out Frost’s The Road Not Taken, on the Altar. I guess I was inspired by my surroundings. Once finished, the letters glowed with a silver/gold geam, and faded away.

Ping!

Congratulations! New Skills Acquired:

Scholar Skill [Literacy], implementing Otherworlder bonus…Level 25

Class Skill Max Level Exceeded...reset to Level 13

-[Literacy] Subskill [Poetry], implementing Otherworlder bonus…Level 9

Scholar Skill [Linguistics], implementing Otherworlder bonus…Level 10

-[Linguistics] Subskill [English] converted to [Tradespeak]...Level 17

Subclass Max Level Exceeded...Native Speaker Exemption Authorised,

-[Linguistics] Subskill [French] converted to [Low Imperial]...Level 5

-[Linguistics] Subskill [Latin] converted to [High Imperial]...Level 3

-[Linguistics] Subskill [German] converted to [Teutonic]...Level 1

Scholar Skill [Scrivenry], implementing Otherworlder bonus…Level 7

[Spellcraft] Subskill [Chantcraft], implementing Otherworlder bonus…Level 3

[Spellcraft] Subskill [Glyphcraft], implementing Otherworlder bonus…Level 3

Some unexpected gains. Apparently reciting and scribbling poetry was close enough to get me some Spellcraft Subskills. Subskills can not have more Levels than their main Skill. [Spellcraft], doesn’t impact Spellcasting directly, but is useful for learning new Spells, recognizing Spells, inventing Spells, and altering Spells. Converting [Summon Gear] from an Incantation to a Ritual was [Spellcraft].

Congratulations! New Spell Acquired: [Guidance]

New [Guidance] chant recorded by System! +5 Spell Levels Awarded.

Personal Spell: [Guidance] Level 5

Arcane School: Discernment/Divination First Circle

Sacred Domain: Community, Knowledge

Components:Vocal, Concentration

Casting Time: 1minute

Cool Down:1 hour

Duration: Instant

Cantrip: Yes

Ritual:Yes

Caster Check:Yes

Mana Cost: 5

Caster Level:1

Caster Bonus +3

So Frost's most iconic poem counts as an Incantation for a spell, who knew.

Congratulations! New Achievement: Skill Threshold x 3!

For reaching Level 10 in 2 Class Skills without using Skill Points, +2 Free Skill Point.

Attribute Experience Accrued: +1 Intellect.

Skill Synergy detected:+5 Level to Personal Spell [Tongues].

Congratulations! New Achievement: Over Leveled!

For exceeding Max Level in a Class Skill by more than 10 Levels, +1 Intellect.

[Literacy] Skill reset to Level 15.

Congratulations! New Achievement: SpellChanter!

For discovering a New Spell Chant for [Guidance], +1 Wisdom.

Since writing things down on the Altar worked so well, I started scribbling down every math equation I could think of, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and a few proofs from Honor Physics from back in High School. I shouldn’t have been able to remember back so far so clearly, perhaps the added Intellect?

Congratulations! New Skills Acquired:

Scholar Skill [Mathematics] Acquired,Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 17

Class Skill Max Level Exceeded...reset to Level 15.

Congratulations! New Achievement: Power of Zero!

The only Civilisation in the Realm of Triquetra to Develop the Concept of a place holder nurmerial Zero was the Ancient Lost Island Nation of Aeternitia. It was the Arch-Magi of Aeternitia who Crafted the Spells that evolved into the System. Your understanding of these Principals of Higher Mathemagics allows for greater integration with the System.

+2 Magic, +5 [Introspection], +5 [Examination]

So many of my ex-classmates wondered when they would ever need to use math. When summoned to an Isekei world. All the equations were absorbed into the Altar, just as the poem had. I had not unlocked any combat Skills or Spells, but the next day I would need to find food, and that meant leaving the Stone Circle.