CHAPTER 2 -– Day 1 – Sanren 21, 15,368 ABG

“What’s a chaos seed?” Richter, aka the human formerly known as James, asked looking at his race.

“It is the type of human you are. I am actually not sure what that means exactly, so you will have to discover that by yourself. Everyone from your world is a chaos seed is what I was told, though. That also might be a piece of information that you will want to keep to yourself. It doesn’t exactly sound warm and cuddly, and the various peoples of The Land might take it the wrong way,” the imp advised. Richter accepted the advice silently.

“Very well, Richter. It’s time for us to part ways. The last advice I will give you is that though you should advance as quickly as possible, always remember that it’s not all about level. After all, a level 100 rabbit could never kill a level 1 wyvern. It is the application of power that rules the day, not simply having power. THINK! Learn what you can, and be careful how you treat those you encounter. You never know when the actions of today will impact the outcome of tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Xuetrix, I really you owe you,” Richter said, extending his hand.

“What?” Xuetrix said, looking confused.

“I said I owe you.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Richter said with some exasperation.

“Thrice heard and witnessed,” the imp said with a sly smile.

A notification popped into Richter’s view

You have agreed to do Xuetrix a favor. Failure to do so when asked will cause a decrease in your reputation with all beings, and other unknown consequences. Keep in mind, your word means everything!

By the time he cleared the message, he was greeted by the sight of the imp hovering with its wasp, a small smile on its face. Then the devilish creature just snapped its fingers, and they both vanished to the faint smell of sulfur.

“I’ve got to learn to keep my trap shut,” Richter said aloud with a deep sigh.

“Enjoy my gifts, Richter,” Xuetrix’s disembodied voice said. “I like powerful friends, especially when they owe me favors. Hahaha.” Four items dropped to the ground in front of him.

Picking up all four, he was awarded with new message notifications.

You have received: Simple short bow. Damage 5-7. Durability 15/15. Item class: Common. Quality: Average. Weight: 3.1 kg

You have received: Basic arrows with quiver. Quantity x10. Durability 2/2. Item class: Common. Quality: Average. Weight: 1.1 kg.

You have received: Minor Ring of Healing. Will heal 34 health on wearer. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Can be used twice per day. Durability 8/8. Item class: Uncommon. Quality: Well Crafted. Weight: 0.1 kg.

You have received: Dull bronze knife. Damage 1-3. Durability 20/20. Item class: Common. Quality: Average. Weight: 0.4 kg

Slipping the ring on his finger and the quiver over his shoulder, he finally took in his surroundings and attire. He was wearing a sleeveless tunic and rough spun brown pants. On his feet were dark tan moccasins. He actually might be extremely stylish on Rodeo drive as he remembered hearing something about the “peasant” look making a comeback. Only thing missing was… Yup! Richter definitely needed to be the first person to invent boxer briefs in this world. He also needed to find some cotton. Whatever ‘rough spun’ was, it was definitely NOT the fabric of his life!

Looking around, he examined the small glade. The pool of crystal clear water abutting the rock face was surrounded by multicolored plants. A line of trees hid the small glade from view, creating a hidden enclave. Walking up to the pool he looked down at the plants, but could not identify any of them. Herbs always came in useful in games though, so he decided to grab them.

You have picked up an unknown plant. Due to a lack of Herb Lore you have destroyed the plant. Maybe you can use what is left to apologize to your mom.

Shaking his head, Richter thought, what is with these messages? Seeing nothing else that could be of use he turned to leave the glade, but stopped as he was thirsty. Going over to the pool he paused as he saw his reflection in the still water. A man’s face stared back at him. The expression was curious and kind. He had chestnut colored skin, and hazel eyes. His hair was cut short and was a mop of black curls close to his head. It looked like his old face, but leaner and more rugged. It was a visage he could live with.

He knelt down to scoop some water in his hands, but hesitated. Should he drink this? Everything here seemed to have some meaning. What if this was the Pool of Eternal Firerrhea? He was already thirsty though, and drinking from an unknown source would always be a risk.

Taking a deep breath, he sipped from the water in his hand.

You have tasted the Waters of Clarity. You can see the way forward with greater ease than any others. Experience increased by 25% for the next twenty-four hours.

Score! Let’s get this going!

Happy with his lucky starting point (falling into an ocean or volcano would probably not have been super fun), Richter walked out of the glade and into his new life.

Leaving the glen, he felt a slight tingling. After walking through the trees for several yards, he looked back and saw what appeared to be only a stand of trees next to a cliff face. No one would be finding the glade without help. For some reason, knowing that his starting point in the world was hidden away brought him a sense of security. He realized then that finding it himself might be a problem later. Losing something as clutch as that Pool of Clarity would be a bonehead move of epic proportions. He spent about half an hour rolling medium to small rocks to the base of nearby trees. They would look innocuous enough individually, but taking a larger view they formed a rough line toward the glen.

The forest seemed old. Trees grew massive, hundreds of feet into the air. There was a fair amount of space between the large trunks, but the floor of the forest was littered with detritus from fallen branches and thick undergrowth. The air was filled with the song of birds that filled the branches above his head. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, but the canopy was thick enough that its position could not be clearly pinpointed. Walking forward, he began to hunt, already being a bit hungry. After only a short time, he heard a faint snuffling up ahead of him.

Moving forward slowly he looked over a dip in the forest floor. A red fox was rooting through the leaves, hunting for some morsel or other tasty tidbit. He slowly nocked an arrow, making sure to avoid any extra noise. He paused a moment with the string taut as he exhaled, then released! The arrow flew through the air and hit the fox in its side. It let loose a high-pitched squeal and attempted to run. Richter quickly nocked another arrow and let fly. It fell a foot short!

He ran to cut the fox off before it could leave the gully it had been searching in. Luckily, the fox seemed to have trouble running with the arrow in its side. Before it could escape, he was able to jump on it and drive his knife into its side.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Archery. Slay your foes from afar. ‘Don’t look at my bow unless you want an arrow in your eye!’

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Small Blades. ‘My blade might only be four inches long, but I promise, you’ll feel me.

Red Fox (Lvl 1) has died. You have received 10 (base 8) experience points.

The prompts were translucent and filled a small amount of his visual field. They disappeared at a thought and he looked down at the fox. Killing it was more real than anything had been in the game. The blood was warm and sticky on his hand as it dripped slowly down the knife. It had kicked and moaned right before it died. The death of this small creature made his situation real in a way that nothing else had. Looking down at his vanquished foe, at the blood on the ground, at the life that was forever extinguished, something welled up inside of him. He fought the impulse, but he was helpless against it and shouted, “What does the fox say? Ba ring ring ring ba ring ba ring ring!”

Chuckling to himself, he retrieved his arrow, and then picked up the fox by the tail. He kept moving forward. Over the next few hours of walking through the forest he killed many more forest creatures. Foxes, rabbits, chipmunks and even a small badger fell beneath his blade and bow. He collected them until...

TRING!

You have reached level 2! Through hard work you have moved forward along your path. As a Chaos Seed you gain 6 points to distribute to characteristics instead of the usual 4. You also get 25% advancement to the skill of your choice! Crush your enemies, honor your allies, LIVE!

Not bad, not bad! Seeing as his most valuable skill so far was Archery, he added his 25% there and was rewarded with another screen.

Congratulations! You have reached skill level 2 in Archery. +2% bonus to aim. +2% bonus to damage.

Not a bad day’s work, Richter my boy!

With that thought, he collected all of the game he had hunted, and then headed back to his glade for a rest.