You have increased your Wisdom from 9 to 10!

+0 Attribute bonus to Insight, Mysticism, Focus, Awareness

100% Willpower

0% Stamina Bonus

Traits Mature at normal rate

Refinement Range 0-4

Oh. Oh shit. Shit!

Increasing my wisdom felt absolutely nothing like increasing my intelligence. I didn't feel smarter. If anything, it was the opposite. Everything about my existence flashed through my mind. My family, my friends, the way I spoke to and about other people. My feelings, my ambitions, my ideas about myself and my place in the world. It was all complete and utter bullshit.

I wasn't brave. I wasn't smart. I looked down on people that I should have admired, and admired people that should have pitied. I whined about things I should have been grateful for. I was so fucking clueless. I had imagined raising my wisdom would feel like connecting to the grand mysteries of the cosmos. Instead, I felt like I had glanced down and realized that my fly was undone and my shoelaces were tied together.

I realized that I had made critical mistakes just in the last few minutes. I couldn't believe I had passed over Fairy Lore. Why? Because I already knew so damn about these creatures that had held me prisoner? I knew only what they had allowed me to find out. They wouldn't allow me to know their vulnerabilities, or the limits of their power. For all my new intelligence, I was still a complete idiot. It was obvious now the trap I had fallen into. I thought that because I knew a lot, I must know everything that was important. That one mistake might have just sealed my fate. What if I spent the rest of my life as a slave because of one dumb mistake?

Well, there was no going back and reversing my decision. The prompt had been very clear about that. Maybe I could find a way to change my specializations at some point, but I needed to deal with reality as it was now.

I hadn't used a single one of my system queries. I already couldn't fathom the stupidity that went into a decision like that. Did I really believe that already knew everything that was worth knowing about a system I had just arrived in? I opened the query window and started drilling for useful info.

What are the requirements for claiming a Throneroom?

To claim a throneroom, you must have the following abilities and assets:

` Politics skill of 5 or more.

Mysticism skill of 5 or more.

A royal or noble title, recognized by a large monarchical society.

Military and/or political dominance of the domain that the throneroom governs.

Hmm. Basically, in order to actually claim the throne, I had to actually be the King of Hy Brasil. That seemed like a stretch goal at this point. Out of curiosity though...

What does a throneroom do?

A throneroom is a type of Locus associated with large extra-dimensional Realms. From a throneroom, a ruler can see and manage edicts that affect the entire realm, as well as set the physical conditions of that realm. The energy supply of a throneroom is called Influence, which can be expended politically or magically, and is supplied by loyal subjects on a monthly basis.

That explanation really just raised more questions. Questions like:

What is a Locus?

Loci are special sites located throughout the game world. They can be detected by players with the Mysticism skill. They are divided into three sizes: Minor, Intermediate, and Major. They can be thought of as places where mystical energy naturally pours into the world. Loci can take a myriad of different forms and can altered to perform numerous different effects, but are all essentially interchangeable in their basic form. The powers and exact rules governing a Locus are determined by its Edifice, the physical structures that are built or cultivated on or around it. Temples, Gardens, Dungeons, Town Halls, Crossroads, Monuments, and Ruins are all common varieties of Locus, although many more forms are possible. All Loci share the ability to allow players to access their character sheets, upgrade their abilities, and make system inquiries. Loci can also be claimed and controlled by players or groups of players who find them and reach certain minimum requirements. In most cases, physical control of the structure grants control of the Locus, making conquest and protection of Loci a key aspect of gameplay. Loci typically have some sort of energy supply that the controller can use to upgrade the Locus or exercise the Locus' powers, each of which must generated in a manner unique to the type of Locus.

There! Just like that, my understanding of this game had greatly increased. None of it really helped me right this minute, of course, although it was really nice to know that there might eventually be an army of players kicking down the doors of Hy Brasil and claiming it as there own.

I decided to save my remaining two queries. I didn't know what to ask right now, and there may be a time in the future when I would be desperate to learn something specific. For now, I would use my greatly increased magical powers to find that portal and get the hell out of this gaudy nightmare world. I exited the interface.

There was something unquantifiably different about the throneroom. I looked around, as though seeing it for the first time. The way the seats were raised so far above the arena, the way the throne was positioned to survey the whole thing. Why had I been so eager to sit here? This Ulrick character must have been a real asshole. The way he set himself above everyone while watching people butcher each other for fun. What a dick. And in the end, he had been defeated and replaced by someone just as bad. This place wasn't glorious, it was disgusting.

I guess this is what I get for upgrading my Awareness and Insight.

I heard a tapping in the distance. They were back. I immediately hid myself behind the railing. My curses would be a hell of a lot more effective now, but I was still vulnerable, and I still didn't have the ingredients and equipment to unleash my really nasty mojo. Maybe if I could get the drop on them...

They were marching into the room, tapping maddeningly as they came. I peered over the railing. It was a risk, but they were sure to find me if they kept searching, and I couldn't formulate a strategy or cast any spells if I couldn't see them.

They were ants, made of ice. Six of them were marching into the room in a line. They were as big as full-grown men. They scraping their antennae against the ground, smelling around for more prey. Could antennae still smell if they were made of ice? I didn't know why that seemed so much more absurd than the idea of walking on legs made of ice, or seeing through eyes made of ice, but it was.

The good news was, they hadn't spotted me. The bad news...was every other thing about this situation. What I had gained by leveling up was a vast body of new knowledge and understanding. Given time and adequate materials, I could definitely whip up a way to annihilate these and most other enemies, but what could I do right here, right now, with superior forces closing in on me?

Well, I could try to understand what I was up against. These creatures were most likely some kind of elemental spirit, bonded to ice as an element and concept, and assuming an animalistic shape. Elemental spirits were technically outsiders, beings that had to summoned into this realm from outside of true reality. Banishing them, or summoning up some fire elementals to attack them, were both off the table due to time constraints. My headache spell could only target a biological brain, and these things just had ice where their brains would be.

Hold on. What if the idea that my headache spell needed a biological brain to target was a psychological constraint rather than a real one? These things weren't technically living creatures, but the way they moved and acted at least suggested that they were living things for most practical purposes. If they had senses, they must have a mind of some kind. As long as they also had some ability to feel pain, the spell should be valid with only slight adjustments.

I began forming the seals of the spell with my hands. The sequence was a little longer than usual, but I found that it required far less effort and concentration than it had last time. Instead of forcing the spell together by sheer force of will, it seemed to come together naturally, as if I had been doing it for years. I stood up. The ants came marching straight up the walls of the arena, not even bothering with the stairs. I hadn't expected that, given their size, but I was no position to complain about this betrayal by the laws of nature. I was a wizard, and I had to accept that the laws of nature and I just wouldn't get along. I projected the spell into the closest one. Instead of imagining the sensation of a headache, I focused on the image of a snowflake melting in the spring sunshine. The ant released a choking sound from its throat. The image was inoffensive to me, but to an ice elemental, it was pure agony. The creature writhed in pain until another ant overtook it. I turned the spell to that one, and then another. With my new occult prowess, I could conserve the spell between castings, saving me a ton of time on forming the seals.

I was slowing them down, but they were still coming. I retreated toward the throne. Two of them broke off from the others and started moving over to the right, trying to cut off my retreat. I decided it was time for a dramatic change in position. I charged the two flankers, and sent the spell out in a wave to catch both of them. The effect was less dramatic, but it distracted them long enough for me to dive between them and break away.

I reached the stairs and charged down them as fast as I could. This proved to be a bad move. I slipped. The stairs rammed into me one after another as I barreled down them. By the time I reached the bottom, I was in so much pain that I couldn't even breath. I was sure I had broken something, though I couldn't guess what. As clacking of insect feet drew closer, I found myself wishing I knew how to numb pain instead of inflicting it.

Somehow, I got to my feet and ran for the exit. Adrenaline robbed me of my ability to feel or think, leaving only the ability to run. The ground underneath me was suddenly slippery and treacherous after holding my weight so well a moment ago. My feet slipped under again as the ants approached. I came down on my knee. More pain that my brain flatly refused to acknowledge. I limped desperately toward the hallway. Tears blurred my vision, but I thought I saw something standing just inside as I frantically ran.

“Hello, Kyle Porter.” it was Estelle's voice. She sounded totally calm.

“Estelle, you're alive? Never mind, run!” I shouted at her silhouette as I reached her. The lead my magic had bought me was disappearing quickly.

“You let them take me Kyle. Why didn't you save me?” she said. Her voice was still utterly calm as I reached her and slid to a halt.

I dragged my sleeve across my eyes. There was Estelle, blocking my path. The was blood oozing down one side of her face. Her skin was white, making her brilliant green eyes stand out all the more.

“Wh...what?” I couldn't come to grips with what was happening at all. I was totally lost.

Estelle gently placed her palm against my chest. Her skin was ice cold. Then she shoved me.

I slid across the floor. The ants piled onto me. Their mandibles clipped and stabbed at me. All I could do was scream and cry as they chewed.

“Enough.” The ants backed away. I lay on the ice and bled. I could do nothing except lie on the floor and suffer as Estelle stood over me. I stared into her green eyes.

“Do you understand? Do you see the error of your ways? Are you ready to go home?” she said, her voice changing as she spoke from icy indifference to warm, motherly concern.

I knew. I knew that there was no escape. That I had been a fool to ever think that there was. Even before Her Majesty returned to her beautiful, glowing form, I knew that she had tricked me.

“Yes...your Majesty. I'm sorry. I won't try to run away again.”

She smiled, and for a moment all my pain and fear melted away.

“Oh, you will. I wonder how many lessons it will take to really train you? Come, let's get you back to your room.”