Chapter 6

~

I sorted through the various notifications to make sure I hadn’t missed anything about attributes, then quickly turned my attention to the skills tab. It was the same type and color, though much shorter.

~Skills~

A skill is an ability which is activated by command. Certain skills can cause damage, add protection to oneself or allies, or even perform unusual effects with the environment.

While potentially any skill available to you can be learned, you are only allowed a select number at each level. Many are tied to skill trees, wherein the foundational skill must be learned first. Skill selection is one of the most significant ways an individual can customize their Legend.

Skills are automatically improved as the player gains levels, and manually by increasing primary and secondary attributes. Types of skills available are determined primarily by weapon bond with a few racial skills and global special skills included.

You currently have no skills learned.

You currently have: 1 skill point available

See available skills?

Yes/No

Yes, please.

I did give a quick look around, inspecting my surroundings. Besides the drifting sand and gently fluttering banners, no other movement caught my attention. Good. I refocused on the tab in front of me.

Having selected yes, a giant list of potential skills unrolled before my eyes. I scrolled through, inspecting my options. Most were related to my weapon bond, i.e. the pistols I now carried around my waist. Things like Aimed Shot and Butt Strike made immediate sense. They gave me increased accuracy to specific targets and the ability to hit someone up close without fear of destroying my gun, respectively.

Other skills were a bit more dubious. Static Shot and Poison Volley seemed to add an elemental effect to the bullets fired, giving bonuses to added damage over time. There was even an AOE skill called Blunderbuss. I wasn’t sure if that would turn one of my guns into a shotgun, or simply cause the bullets to split into shards.

One thing was for sure. There was an endless number of ways I could improve and develop my path forward, and it undoubtedly would be done through death and destruction.

Now, I wasn’t one to shy away from a fight but I was also raised with a midwestern sense of politeness and 21st century appreciation for life. If this was just a game, fine. I could tear things up. But if this was truly another world, and one in which respawns weren’t available, then I didn’t feel comfortable with what these notifications were trying to tell me.

Sighing, I focused on the two skills that would be best for level one. Stealth Cloak and Dual Wielding. I needed both, but after a bit of thought came to the conclusion that information was more important than pure damage. New world, new build, and what do I go with? Stealth Archer, every time.

Having made my decision, I mentally selected stealth and watched the confirmation pop up in front of me.

~Stealth Cloak~

When used, skill activates a camouflage effect centered on the target. Counts as boon for duration, and adds bonus damage to any sneak attack used during time skill is active. Can be broken by attack or loss of concentration.

Fantastic. My stealth ability would last a whole ten seconds at my current level. Ah well, it was better than nothing.

With the options now grayed out due to my lack of any other skill points, I focused on the last set of notifications. {Weapon Upgrades}. What might I find hidden here?

~Weapon Upgrades~

Your weapon is your bond, and your bond is your Legend. The closer you connect with and improve your weapon, the further you can Climb.

Each level provides 1 upgrade point. Early upgrades are cheap, but as subsequent improvements are added, the price rises. Plan accordingly.

You have: 1 upgrade point

Purchase Upgrade?

Yes/No

The list wasn’t as expansive as the skills available, but it also wasn’t too shabby either.

Heavy Bore added a direct increase to damage output. Always useful. Shoulder Stock gave a bonus to range and Improved Sights increased accuracy.

I got the hint. Pretty much anything I could do to a real gun I could change here. Just with magic. Actually…

I scrolled down, hoping to see any kind of bonus to ammo capacity. Sure enough, there it was, all the way at the bottom of the available upgrades.

~Ammo Bandolier +1~

Add an extra belt full of ammo to your equipment.

Perfect. I spent my point, and felt the odd sensation of a strap materializing on my chest. Glancing down, I could see that at least another 50 rounds had been added along with the bandolier.

I had no idea what awaited me in this world, but if these guns were going to be any benefit, I would need ammo to fire. Given the nature of skills and upgrades I was sure there was a way to craft my own ammunition, but I also had no idea how long that might take to reach.

A few extra bullets couldn’t hurt in the meantime.

Once I sorted through all the notifications, my brain felt oddly light. At least with my vision clear, I could continue to walk in the direction of the green horizon at the bottom of the mountain. I also searched for any kind of settings menu or logout screen, but to no avail.

For a while then, I continued to place one foot ahead of the other, plodding steadily through the sand. After the first hour, all the fascinating weapons surrounding me began to blend together, just another backdrop to this odd place I found myself in.

My mind wandered, and I contemplated the odd game-like popups. And whose voice had I heard? Perhaps the AI in control of this place? But then, why had she seemed as confused as I was?

It wasn’t hard to guess that my position was rather unique. If this was something somebody on Earth had caused, it was new. At least, I hadn’t heard anything about alternate realities in the news. Or completely realistic video games that broke all the rules.

But what if this was a whole “abducted by aliens” shtick? That was something I could actually believe, weirdly enough. I mean, the Universe was a big place. Lots of room for more advanced civilizations than Earth. It could also mean I wasn’t the first person taken. Or, if I was, I might have others joining me before too long.

I stumbled, the structured lines of a path unexpectedly arising before me. Large cobblestones formed a well trodden road, leading into the distance. Around me, small scrub brush and mezquite were joined by sparse grass covering the ground.

My jaw gaped. There was no way I’d walked across the entire desert in the last forty minutes. Something screwy was going on. Again.