Chapter 3

Children Should Be Protected

After Mai went home James was going to eat clean house and go to bed without playing Royal Road again that day. But after eating Aimee turned on the capsule with a familiar buzz and proceeded to beep invitingly. He went to the capsule and opened a back compartment; there were countless differences in his capsule compared to those the factory made for the general public. The single greatest change he made was a baseball sized carbon crystal he cast at work and used nanomachinery to edit it one atom at a time. One gram of the substance could store 10 to the power 21 petabytes the equivalent of 11 billon typical personal computers. Before now he had always been able to easily look through the faceted carbon crystal, but now a bright white light shown within warm and luminescent.

“Aimee” James said as he gently brushed his hand against the crystal where it hovered in its compartment.

He decided to turn on the maid droid and let it clean the house; he had the personal droid for over two years but only used it a few times preferring to do chores himself. Opening the closet he had to remove the broom, mop, vacuum, and many cleaning supplies to get to the droid in the back. He turned it on and it began the lengthy process of rebooting and connecting to the house and various electronics through out.

As James was dusting it off it reached up and switched a switch at the back near the top.

He was surprised, it had nerved done anything without being given instructions before hand. His first thought was that it was turning itself back off as though seeing the mess of the house and refusing to work. The short doom-top maid droid was slow and clumsy and almost went to the scrap pile after breaking the glass top to his coffee table.

“Why was the speech turned off? It’s annoying coming to, in a muted body.” The droid asked.

“…” Speechless

“Well it only ever replied to simple commands and someone programmed it with an annoying habit of humming as it worked.” James replied, after a moment of stunned silence he realized Aimee was controlling the droid.

“I see, and you couldn’t be bothered to change the programming so you just turned it off. This module is rather out dated; without a constant feed of information from me it would surely only perform simplistic chores at best. Maybe big sis would allow me use of an android, this thing will likely be more trouble than its worth.”

“I don’t mind doing household tasks myself but it seemed you were inviting me to the capsule. So I was going to have the maid droid clean up.”

“Indeed I was. I’ll be T2 700531’s task manager so return to Versailles Continent I’d like to continue watching over your adventures.” The droid replied.

As he climbed into the capsule James thought about how strange his conversations were becoming lately.

Connect to Royal RoadYes/No

“Hello Gaea, Aimee says my droid is out dated, I was wondering if we could borrow one of those nice newer modules you’ve been making lately?”

-Hail and well met, James; I’ll send one to your home and another to your work place so she won’t be bothered with transportation if she wants to observe you there. Would you like to go to Versailles Continent?

James liked the way Gaea combined greeting statement and question though he thought she probably did it that way because she would rather not talk to him and when she must she chose to keep it simple and to the point.

“Thanks. Yeah sure, I’m ready to go.”

Cosmos first noticed the heat it was hot when last he played too but everything was so new to him that it seemed a minor thing at the time. He liked the heat far more than the cold but this was unnaturally hot, still he just took a sip from his canteen and proceeded to wait in the line going in the church. The people farther up the line started saying murderer until those just ahead of him turned around. When the person directly in front of him turned around he jumped out of line in surprise at Cosmos’s murder mark. Cosmos stepped forward taking his place the next person in line was pushing forward to make some room in-between them.

“Hey noob that’s my spot” the person who jumped out of line said. Cosmos took a step back not looking for a confrontation but when he pulled his sword. Cosmos took a fighting stance looked him in the eyes and matched his breathing. People often hunt murderers because they drop more items and sometimes give fame. “I’m level 128 what do you expect to do against me?”

Cosmos smirked and let his arms sway as he rocked back and forth pretending the levels meant nothing to him.

“Don’t do it Geris, if he’s a monk beginner gear don’t mean he is low level because they get unarmored bonuses. Besides I seen one of those 500 Swordnoobs take out a paladin over 80 levels higher than himself.” Geris looked uncomfortable every since Cosmos took a fighting stance in response to him pulling his sword.

“Well I’m not going to just stand in line with a murderer behind me!” He sheathed his sword and walked down the hill away from the church.

Once inside most people made donations or attempted to get quests but Cosmos asked for his skill books. “You probably don’t even know why we took the skill books in the first place. Yet you come in here bold as brass and demand to be given an S rank item as though it were your birthright!”

“I had no idea it was an S rank item but as I am the inheritor of the class I do think I have some right to the skill book.” Cosmos replied trying to sound meek reminding himself he needed to be virtues for them to relinquish the book.

The NPC he was talking to was a monk of the church there seemed to be more monks at this church than priests, paladins, or clerics. This monk was a short wiry fellow the other monks identified as their instructor he was in his early sixties. When Cosmos said he was an inheritor of the class the monk began laughing. “The Seven Deadly Sins were originally a Monk variant class not an Assassin variant class. When they defected from the church they should have at least had the decency to join monk’s guilds not those murderous assassin’s guilds.”

“So that’s why the church confiscated the skill books, they couldn’t suffer their teachings to be spread among the guilds of assassins?” Cosmos asked as much he was stating it as a fact.

“That’s right these skills are too good for the likes of you murderer. If your not here to donate and lower your sin then I have nothing more to say to you.” The monk said with a since of finality. Cosmos told him that he got the mark from an act of self defense but the monk would no longer respond to him. He checked his inventory just to make sure he didn’t have any money but people weren’t just donating money there was also a stack of items piling up. He donated his extra canteens and all but one piece of hard barley bread then made his way back to the monk whom was now serving soup to the poor NPCs and even some beggar users. It was surprising that people would play as beggars most people came to this game to escape their boring or hard lives.

Even after donating the monk was unresponsive so Cosmos took up a broom that was leaning in a corner and started cleaning not wanting to go back out into the heat with nothing to show for his efforts.

As the sun was setting a group of monks gathered and started going out the back entrance. Cosmos followed them with the hope of learning skills from them expecting them to go to a training yard. There was a small clearing where a few people could spar and a raised area where an instructor could watch over their progress but no scarecrows or weapon racks. Instead of going to this area they went past it to a garden Cosmos joined them without a word. When he was working inside he learned that many monks had taken vows of silence so he thought it best not to speak unless spoken to.

Like this a week past then two in the mean time he learned cooking, cleaning, and gardening. During this time his vitality stat raised only twice from working in the garden.

“Whoa what is that? I’m jealous of high level users you see more and more of them on flying mounts its not just mages in the sky anymore.”

After the second week Kira showed up at the church with a pair of daggers for him. She arrived by way of winged female sphinx it was a highly intelligent creature of level 300 before landing it cast a powerful charm spell on the whole churches courtyard so nobody would get frightened or cause trouble. When Kira got off she handed it a book, the sphinx thanked her and lay down to read until Kira returned.

“Most sculptors have really poor ability I had to take these to a sailor who made scrimshaw from whale bones. He did the engravings with the seven deadly sins as the theme so they have seven options but they are all low.” Kira said sounding disappointed.

Balthazar’s Daggers

Durability 38/38

Damage 2-4 each

Found among the treasures of a demonic boss monster.

These daggers deal double damage if dual wielded.

Restriction: not applicable

Options: +15 VIT

Handle was engraved fine piece

+2 agility

+1 strength

+1 dexterity

All Assassin skills +12% effectiveness

Critical strike +12% chance

Double strike +24% chance

Double strike +24% damage

“You are too used to seeing high level items these daggers are excellent! If you add in the double damage their 4-8 each having one in each hand makes it 8-16 and their attack speed is much higher than a sword. A beginner sword with good damage will only be 10-20 at best usually only about 10-14 sure a sword options maybe as high as +40 or 50 to strength and vitality but these percentage bonuses more than make up for it. Thanks a million I owe you big time, consider me your personal house slave until I reach level 200 I’m really indebted to you.” Kira beamed and pulled him into a hug. “Alright friend but don’t try and get out of it I know where you live!”

-Kira Chizar has requested to register you as a friend. Will you accept?

“…” Cosmos smiled.

“Yes.”

-Kira Chizar has been registered as a friend.

“Alright, well I have got to go my party is entering a dungeon without me, be sure to level up fast or you will know the pains of being indebted to me.”

After Kira flew away Cosmos got discouraged that he wasn’t able to raise his stats more he attributed this to not being able to spar with the monks but he was never able to catch them in training.

He got the feeling the monks did their training during the times he was logged off. It was hard to build up familiarity with people who mostly didn’t talk but he thought he was making some progress. When he was not playing Royal Road he looked up ways to increase his standing with the church. Most people teamed up with the lucky few who got quests there was lots of useless information, at-least to someone still in their first four weeks. One story that caught his eye was of a cook who was able to get the faith stat by cooking for a group of priests then praying over the meals with them. The cook said he was able to get quests from them once he had the faith stat; they were just cooking quests where he was required to feed the poor at designated locations, but they still added to his contribution points for the church.

Cosmos was sure this would be the method to getting his skill book he even went to an auction site and ordered an amulet with real world money that gave +100 to faith. Luckily the seller was in the same city and agreed to meet him at the church. The seller was a little mage wearing reviling cloth armor rather than a mages robes though she couldn’t have been more than twelve years old. Cosmos scowled at her disapprovingly and he felt disgust when he heard the voice of a lecherous old man come from her mouth.

“You must be the buyer for Trisha’s Amulet that grants +100 to faith.” The little mage stated; a great many people change their looks but the voice was apparently a little more complicated. “You must be shocked at my voice, let’s just say I have a role-play voice and a business voice this is the later.” The old man said smiling in the avatar of a little girl.

If Cosmos were in his real body his skin would be crawling, instead he chose to categorize information on this user as a probable assassination target.

“Yes I am” Cosmos answered the first statement simply but he thought the second needed to be elaborated on. “I was aware that people could choose the opposite gender, but the voice did throw me. My first thought was that you are a pedophile but my mind is trying to think up scenarios contrary to that.” The mage flashed him a hateful glare and tossed the amulet to him Cosmos easily captured it, on the surface of the amulet was a figure praying to a blue gemstone.

“Well my first thought was that you’re a fool to buy that at such a high price because you don’t get the bonus unless you already have the faith stat; unfortunately for you I thought up an opposite scenario where the amulet is actually very valuable and I take it back along with anything else you may have. You see this is actually common knowledge to most of us but a noob like you may not know that murderers drop more items.” The mage said walking to the center of the room away from the pillars holding up the second floor.

Cosmos took two long fast strides so that he was hidden behind a support column. He then added the 5 attribute points acquired from gaining level 2 to his strength stat and equipped his new daggers. With the +15 VIT points from each dagger and the 2 gained from gardening it put his health at 420 very high for a level 2 but it was surely low compared to what ever the mages health was likely at.

“Foreigner” Cosmos stabbed an arm that suddenly placed a hand on the back of his shoulder. His face paled realizing that the arm must belong to an NPC turning he saw a priest with a pained expression on his face.

“I’m so sorry, so very sorry!” Cosmos repeated again and again as he gingerly pulled the dagger free.

“Its quite aright, I’m at fault for interrupting your duel, but could you please take it to the training yard?”

“Yes of course” he replied without thinking just glad it wasn’t a monk or paladin they would likely have retaliated by killing him. Cosmos heard someone else talking and looked around the column to see a paladin with one hand on the mage’s shoulder and another blackened hand painfully crushing the mage’s two small hands together. It looked like the paladin must have blocked a fire ball with his gauntlet or maybe captured the hands as they were just about to let a pillar of fire out.

As the priest and paladin ushered them too the back exit Cosmos realized how bad this was for him. He would no longer have anywhere to hide from the mage’s powerful magic and he couldn’t even hope to run away. Not to mention he had no idea what his opponents level was, if the mage was confident in hitting him hidden behind a pillar then the attack would surely be a one hit kill out here, not to mention the fire attribute was the most powerful element during this heat-wave.

He took a drink from his canteen then poured the rest over his head holding no delusions that that small effort would protect him in the slightest. “Just one question before we begin. Am I right in assuming you instigated this duel because I called you out on being a lecherous pedophile?” Cosmos asked

“Yes, and so what if I am its not like it matters in this world anyway” the other user replied?

“Then as a penalty for challenging a level 2 that hasn’t even been in Versailles Continent for the begging four weeks of city restriction protection, I ask that Gaea the Holy Seer will make your next death permanent and everlasting. I don’t even want to know what you may have done to that avatar, but everyone should want to protect children shouldn’t they?” Cosmos asked directing his question to the NPCs and Gaea he hoped. He thought his question may sound contradictory to them considering his opponent was a child in their eyes.

Ding!

-A selfish request meant to sound noble has been denied

If you wish to set conditions on this duel do it on the contingent of winning.

‘Damn, but I don’t think I can win, I don’t even know what his level is!’

“So that request was a little unreasonable hum? Then how about this on the condition that I win restrict all suspected pedophiles from creating childlike avatars and make all those already in childlike avatars look like themselves furthermore don’t allow pedophiles to raise their familiarity with children.” Cosmos thought that it still sounded like a lot to ask but what chance did a level two really have of winning a duel against whatever level that mage was?

“Damn it what kind duel conditions are these if I win all I’m likely to get are your worthless items because you’re only level two, if I lose I’ll look like my true self and can’t gain familiarity with children, and if I decline the duel I requested my next death will be permanent? I have never heard of anything so ridicules!” The little girl said with the voice of an outraged old man; she clearly must have had a window pop up stating the conditions of the duel.

Cosmos was glad to hear of the penalty of declining the duel and hoped the other user would because he thought his chances of winning were all but nonexistent.

“Ha level two fine I accept, and to show that I’m a sporting fellow I’ll even allow you one free hit.” Cosmos knew it was to good too hope for but this was the next best thing he charged planning to take full advantage to his First Blood’s titles +90% damage on the first strike against an opponent. He noticed her shift her feet a little as he closed the distance matching his breathing to hers he feinted a head on attack. She stepped left; he adjusted his last step and rotated his hips taking full advantage of his class’s +33% attacks & movement speed. Stabbing her with both daggers in the heart left hand over right getting the +24% damage for a dual strike.

His opponent was surprised but clearly a much higher level than the thief in the street otherwise she would already be dead. Cosmos lifted her off the ground and up over his head to slam her little body on the ground at the opposite side. Then stabbed her right, left, right, left, right five times before seeing the red tell, tell sign of a spell about to fire. He did a back cartwheel feeling intense heat but not taking any damage followed with a front flip axe kick. She easily avoided the obvious kick it had far too much wasted movement.

This user was an experienced fighter and Cosmos had no class skills on which to spend mana for powerful attacks. She rolled over twice stood up and started casting a new spell by the time he recovered from his failed attack. She released a fire ball with a circumference equal to her height at him; he dived to the side and rolled only just escaping with his life. Even just a grazing hit from a spell of that caliber would likely be his doom. Cosmos was just glad she was using projectile spells rather than area of effect spells, or the combustion fire curses, and ignition hexes that couldn’t be dodged.

“Ignite!” he heard the dreaded words the only thing worse than having every hair on his body lit-aflame would have been the combustion curse burning him alive from the inside out.

Cosmos gave up any hope of defense charging her he adjusted both daggers like a pair of scissors he sliced her neck from both sides. There was a few seconds of casting time but now the hair on his head resembled a torch. His arms and legs were aflame as well but the size and damage caused were proportional to the lengths of his hair. He looked akin to a hellfire demon causing as much damage as it could before being unsummoned.

New stat: Fighting Spirit

New stat: Endurance

Dagger Mastery has increased by 1

“Die already!” they yelled at each other

He kneed her in the chest but she only stumbled being a much higher level his intent had been to knock her down because prone targets take double damage. Cosmos rushed her and swept her legs out from under her just as a column of fire exploded into the sky would have hit him. Then he assaulted her, blades flashing, he felt his life quickly burning away so he gave up on combos and just repeatedly assaulted her with dual attacks.

His opponent’s avatar turned grey and faded away.

Ding!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

Not three seconds latter his avatar did the same.

You have lost a level due to death the last five stat points you placed will be removed.

-7% to skill mastery