Congratulations! You have earned, 500 experience, for mapping across planar bounds!...

The Planar Traveler I Road has opened to you...

Skill, Cartography, has leveled up! Lvl. 13...

Skill, Cartography, has leveled up! Lvl. 14...

Skill, Cartography, has leveled up! Lvl. 15...

No sooner than Dante and his father stepped through the door did it close silently behind them. They turned back to watch for a moment before continuing down the hill after Oscar. Oddly on this side of the doorway, Dante's body no longer vibrated. He felt calm and refreshed. Wherever they were it reminded him of a warm day in hills of rolling grass.

'If there ever was a paradise, this might just be a piece of it.' Dante thought with a smile upon his face.

As they continued to follow behind Oscar, Dante's father asked, "What do you think is down there?" Dante's father asked as he indicated toward the nearest village, which was located several hundred feet from the base of the hill.

"He said it was his pride and joy. Maybe it's a bunch of flesh golems doing various tasks. We will see. Besides, I am fairly certain... You know what, let's just test it. Virgil!" Dante started with an abrupt change of his tone.

The familiar darkly cloaked figure of Virgil apparated alongside, floating with them as they continued on their way down the hill. Virgil looked upon his surroundings at first with confusion and then with a warm smile. "Ah so you've met the Flesh Monger, and earned a bit of his trust?" Virgil asked, his voice joyous.

"Yes we have. Do you know what this place is?" Dante asked Virgil.

"...Yes however, I feel it is not my place to say. He will tell you soon enough." Virgil replied, leaving most left unsaid.

Dante cocked his head, that had not been one of the answers he was expecting.

"Can you please tell us if he would do us harm?" Before Virgil could respond they had arrived at the outskirts of the small village.

There they saw what appeared to be the Equitaur people he had seen a few other times today. Every person in the village was an Equitaur, save for 1.

Dante could see down in the village two familiar individuals talking and interreacting with the other Equitaur's. Victor and Veronica.

There were even what seemed to be "small" Equitaur children running around them. Small by the standards of their parents. In actuality they were about as tall as an average human teen. At first Frank didn't know what to think. Dante however finally realized what Oscar had meant by bearing fruit.

Virgil stated, "I think this answers your question." Oscar, seemingly distracted by what was in front of him, had yet to notice Virgil's arrival.

Even from a far Dante saw there seemed to be some fields beyond the village, some with tree's standing rather short as if they hadn't been planted more than a few years ago. In other fields he saw plant he didn't recognize growing in abundance. Hardly a single field was left unplanted.

"Wonderous isn't it? My greatest works yet." Oscar stated, motioning towards the equitaur's running around and those...standing at...attention?

Dante wanted to be certain, and he wanted his dad to be informed and so he asked, "You made flesh golems that can reproduce right?" Dante asked Oscar.

Frank looked to Dante with a shocked expression before quickly looking towards Oscar, awaiting his reply.

"Yes. It has been years of hard work and research to accomplish this." Oscar said with a bit of pride in his voice.

Frank was shocked into silence. Dante however still had more questions, "Why?" Dante asked flatly.

"Why, you ask? I did it because I saw the potential of this race and many other labeled monsters going to waste. So I petitioned the system for the chance to change things and now..." Oscar crouched down as a group of five child equitaur ran over to him. Each of the children was of a different color. One was tan, another brown, one black, then grey, and finally grey with black and white spots.

Each child was wearing clothes that would be sized for a human teenager. Though most wore rather simple white shirts and brown pants, they were wearing clothes.

In all honesty, the children looked kind of creepy. Their limbs weren't as full as you would expect save for maybe their legs, though it was hard to tell through their pants. And they did not wear shoes, no surprise there. Their hooved feet clipped and clopped as they ran and played.

One was climbing on Oscar's back while the others grabbed onto his arms, one for each. Oscar stood tall and held each of his four arms outward away from one another while still parallel with the ground. Then he began to slowly turn, like a merry-go-round. Virgil looked on in joy at the events unfolding before him.

Frank leaned over and asked Dante, "Did anything like this ever happen in those fantasy games you like so much?"

Dante immediately replied, "None I can remember playing. Something like this you probably would normally only find in sci-fi settings." Dante, his father and Virgil continued to look on at the sight unfolding before them.

The children neighed and snorted as they each were slowly pulled outward by centrifugal force. Oscar began to lower and raise his body bringing the children closer to the ground and then back up. Dante and his father looked past Oscar to the equitaur people who were watching them.

They were male and female alike. In fact, there seemed to be an equal number of each gender, except in the case of the children he suspected. The adults wore more varied clothes, brown shirts, grey pants, though it was more colorful it was still in the end rather basic.

He looked and saw Veronica waving to them, and after a jab of an elbow to his chest, Victor did as well. Though they remained amongst the other equitaur's mostly, handing out some kind of strange fruit which they happily devoured.

Oscar slowed to a stop allowing the children to get off, only for them to fall over from the dizziness. They seemed, however, to be having fun. Oscar turned toward Dante and Frank, only just now noticing Virgil.

"Dante, who is this with you?" He said calmly whilst indicating toward Virgil.

"This is Virgil. He is my guide." Replied Dante simply.

Oscar's blank poker face relaxed upon hearing that.

"I see you've named your guide. I knew I liked something about you. I knew I saw something special within you, within both of you when we first met. Not many people see a need to name their guides. Such a shame." Oscar stated as he smiled.

Dante smiled as well, before he turned to Virgil who looked at him in turn.

"Come meet them, please." The children began to get back up having shaken off the dizziness, as Oscar began walking farther into the village. The three of them continued onward into the small village with him. Dante poured 50 mana into his summoning skill just to give Virgil more time to look around.

Oscar approached what Dante presumed to be an Equitaur couple standing in their yard next to a small wooden fence. Their home was a simple one resembling a home you would have found in the old west. One made of wood planks nailed together. It even had some glass windows.

This wasn't the two he had met earlier, no these were two Equitaur's, a male and what seemed to be a female. Those he had meet earlier were about 100 feet away on the other side of the village.

Dante and Frank arrived and stood beside Oscar. One of the Equitaur children from earlier opened up the fence to their yard and locked it behind them. The kid then stood with his parents. The larger of the two adult Equitaur's lifted the child up. Holding the child in his arms, while the kid wrapped his arms around their neck and hugged him.

The two nestled each other for a moment before they set the child down indicating for them to go inside. The kid ran and was at his front door and through it in just a moment. Dante had an idea, he opened his inventory and pulled out an apple from the bowl that had been placed in there several hours ago.

"Oscar is this ok to give to them?" Dante said whilst handing Oscar the apple that seemed more like a golf ball in his large hands. Oscar inspected the apple for a moment before handing it over to the larger of the two Equitaur's. Who immediately consumed it. The Equitaur nodded vigorously as if to give approval.

"Oh they liked that, do you have any more?" Oscar asked Dante, who simply pulled out the entire bowl and handed it to him. Oscar took the bowl from Dante, "Thank you I will repay your kindness." As he said this he made a grasping motion with one of his free hands and in his palm appeared a small brown bag. "Here you go, 1 small gold piece should more than suffice." Oscar said as he handed the bag over to Dante.

Dante regarded the sack for a moment then handed it to his father. "They were from the table, so it's yours dad."

Frank nodded, then asked, "Where do I put it?" Before Dante could tell him Oscar chimed in.

"Hold it in your hand and think of... how do you say? A bank!" Oscar said with enthusiasm as he found the right word.

Frank looked on in confusion but did as he was instructed. In a second the bag was gone and he received a notice showing his coins had been deposited into his "System wallet".

"That's useful." Frank said with a small smirk, but not more.

Dante watched as Oscar gave one of the apples to the smaller, seemingly female, Equitaur. He pulled another apple from the bowl and held it in his open palm.

For a moment nothing happened, then the apple began to sag as if it were rotting on fast forward. All at once the apple turned to something similar to apple sauce. However, the strange semi liquid slush did not leave his hand. Instead it once more took the shape of an apple. Several small dots emerged from the slosh and landed onto his palm.

"Dad, I think I know how he makes some of his golems." Dante said as his father looked at him then to the apple and stated, "I don't want to know!" He exclaimed whilst waving his hands in front of himself.

"These shall make fine additions to this place. Thank you for this friend." Oscar said as he turned toward Dante, his emerald eyes catching the light and sparkling. Dante nodded as Oscar handed a single seed to the larger of the two Equitaur's who took it in his hand.

"Please plant this behind your home." As he said this his eyes flashed with emerald energy. In that moment, that same light flashed in the Equitaur's eyes, before he turned and walked to the back of his simple home.

"What did you do right there?" Dante asked before his father could, "I gave him the knowledge of how to plant, nurture and harvest the seed from the apples you gave me. I purchased it when I examined the apples." Dante and his father nodded, finding the answer extraordinary.

Then Dante had an idea.

"Oscar, can you do that to me? Give me the knowledge of how to raise and nurture an apple tree I mean." He asked curious if it would have the effect he expected.

"Certainly. Would you also like to know?" He said whilst indicating towards Frank, who passed on the opportunity.

"Not really my style."

Oscar smiled as he reached over with his lower left arm and grasped Dante by his shoulder. Dante watched as his eyes flashed green once more. Then he felt the little door in the back of his mind open once more, and new knowledge poured through. The door closed a moment later, but the knowledge remained.

Congratulations! You have been granted knowledge of Horticulture!

You have obtained the skill, "Horticulture" Lvl. 1

Level of the skill has been set to 5.

Horticulture Lvl. 5

Horticulture is the agriculture of plants, mainly for food, materials, comfort and beauty for decoration. Horticulturists apply their knowledge, skills, and technologies to grow intensively produced plants for food and non-food uses as well as for personal or social needs. Proficiency in farming and agricultural related skills rises with level of the skill. +15 stamina per level of the skill. Small increases to certain stats per level of the skill.

Congratulations! You have leveled up!...

Horticulture is a sub-skill of Farming

Congratulations you have obtained the Common, Active skill, Farming

Skill, Farming, due to the level of Horticulture has leveled to 12!

Farming Lvl. 12

You work so that yourself and possible others may eat. Proficiency with farming implements increases with skill level. Quality and Yield of crops and from animal husbandry increase with skill level. Increased quality of foraged materials per skill level. +10 stamina per level of the skill. Small increases to certain stats per level of the skill.

Dante was rather happy as he now had 45 Rp, most of that he had gained in the few minutes since he had met Oscar. It gave him joy to read the text boxes. He would experiment with the skill later, as well as spend the Rp and resulting stat points.

Then it hit him, lethargy. He felt like a cup over full but whose contents were held back from spilling out. He bent over, placing his hands on his knee's and tried to keep himself from throwing up.

Warning your soul is over burdened!..

Please input points into your spirit stat to alleviate the condition...

"Status." He spoke still trying to keep down his lunch.

"Oh forgive me Dante. I often forget people in tutorial zones don't have nearly as much spirit as I do. You should have enough points to put into spirit to alleviate the condition and keep it away for quite some time." Oscar spoke as he gently laid one of his hands on Dante's back.

Dante A. Stone

Race: Human

Class: N/A

Lvl. 23

EXP: 92/4,700

65 small gold

Strength

30

Resources

Total

Regen.

Constitution/Vitality

26

Health

410

(19.8/min)

Endurance

32

Mana

896

(3.8/min)

Dexterity

25

Stamina

662

(29.55/min)

Willpower

16

Road Points

45

Intellect

29

Stat Points

0

Wisdom

29

Charisma

17

Luck

17

Perception

35

Spirit

18

Soul capacity 19.8/18

'Fuck! only about 2 points over and I feel like this? Or is it the sudden increase in stats? Both?...' He questioned in his mind as he spoke.

"Roads."

Roads, Rp: 45

Road of the Downtrodden I, 0/10

Road of New Beginnings, 0/20

Planar Traveler I, 0/50

"Let's start with the Road of the Downtrodden.' Dante put his 10 Rp into the path getting a notice every 2 Rp.

The hand dealt to you in your early life was most unfortunate, but the winds of chance have changed direction! +2 luck...

No lesson you ever learned was a painless one! +3 End...

Through the long years of your torment you have prevailed! +3 Will, +2 End...

All you knew was force, so you sought out greater strength! +2 Str...

Long ago you closed that chapter of your life, and now you look to the future! +3 Wis...

Congratulations! You have completed the road of the Downtrodden! +1 to all stats!...

Dante smiled, he had more than enough points so why not complete both?

20 points went into the Road of New Beginnings.

Some are reluctant to begin anew, this is only natural. For others like yourself, new beginnings are thrust upon you. Here is to better times to come! +3 Luck...

Your feet are in motion as you race to embrace what you have once resisted! The long night is over and the morning light has come. +2 Dex, End, and Con...

In the light of day you find new friends, and relish the time you have with those you love! +3 Wis...

Time Sense has leveled up! Lvl. 2...

Together you journey onward with friends and family alike. May your arms be hearty, that you may always protect those you love! +3 Str...

You look to the future and see it's bright. Your feet carry you ever onward toward a bright and shining future. +2 Luck...

Congratulations! You have completed the Road of New Beginnings!...

For you who was dealt a bad hand early in life, but Fate's Clockwork has shifted, a new hand is dealt, and you have come out a winner! +10 Luck...

His smile grew more strained as he felt the weight within him grow at the Time sense leveling up. Only for the smile to return as he put 15 points into spirit. After inspecting his status for a moment he put 2 points into Charisma, and 13 into Constitution.

'Health is almost always a safe bet.' He thought as he stood, reveling in the relief he felt. Taking a deep breath he spoke.

"I'm fine now, thank you Oscar. Where did you learn to do that if you don't mind me asking?" Dante asked Oscar, curious to find out.

"I gained the skill to grant my knowledge to others about 5 years ago. When I finally had success making the first of them." Oscar said whilst indicating toward the female Equitaur flesh golem still standing before them.

"They had only a small bit of intelligence in addition to their reproduction capabilities, but that was enough. As a reward for my accomplishment I was granted the skill, Bestow Knowledge. It is limited by several things but is very useful overall. Victor and Veronica are different from the rest, though they still feel kinship with them, and they for them in turn." Oscar finished his little speech.

"What do you mean? How are they different?" Dante asked.

"In Victors case I brought him into the system under my...wing so to speak..." He paused a moment exemplifying the motion by raising his arms. "...Victor was once a wild equitaur. Something the system considers a monster to be slain. However, after a fierce battle he barely won, I found him half dead, leaning against a tree, and barely clinging to life. I hate to see suffering, I was prepared to cut short his misery and return his soul to the cycle. But before I could... he looked up to me and I saw something there in his eyes...something...more. So, I took a risk, and asked the system to make him a player. It took 10 years to get him to be as calm and collected as you see him now."

"As for Veronica. She was the last survivor of her tribe after a monster attack wiped out almost everyone in her village. Only her and one other survived, though the other didn't last long after I found them. I still have no idea the relation they shared if any. But I still remember the look of fear and then hope in their eyes as they barely managed a whispered plea. So, I took her under my wing as well. The rest, as I am told they say, is history." Oscar face was a mix of emotions, that shifted from moment to moment. From sadness, to bitter joy, anger, and frustration.

"Thank you for sharing Oscar." Frank said as he looked over to Dante and placed a hand upon his shoulder.

Dante felt the hand but didn't turn. Instead he nodded, satisfied with the answer.

They then proceeded to go around giving the remaining apples and seeds to the rest of the adult Equitaur's. Oscar gave the knowledge of how to take care of the seeds to the rest of the adults. When all was said and done they had been waved off by Veronica and Victor before they returned through the door they had arrived through. On their way out the door Oscar called Dante over for a moment. His father waited by the entrance to the shop as Dante walked back over to the counter. Where Oscar had resituated himself, after sending his simulacrum back to the workshop.

Oscar produced a small blue box and handed it to Dante. When he read it he was more than a little shocked. He was thankful he did not read it aloud. 'You are granted one free casual encounter with a golem of your choice at, "The Golem Menagerie'.

No sooner had Dante read the small blue box than it disappeared. He received a notice stating it had been saved for later use.

Dante chuckled before he thanked Oscar for his time and the opportunities he had given them. Then made his way out of the shop.

Dante told his father, "Not what I expected to see when I came here."

Frank replied, "Same. I liked it though. I'm definitely coming back here when I have the money. I saw a few things in there that I liked." Dante laughed as did his father.

Dante and his dad decided to return to the Inn where they were staying, turning in for the night. As he was getting ready for bed Dante made a mental note to spend his points in the morning. Dante fell into deep slumber. He dreamt of apple trees and racing horses.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Frank seldom dreamed nowadays, but tonight he did. Frank found himself in a white place. There was seemingly nothing in this place. That was until the sky opened up bathing the world in golden light and a figure stepped down.

Frank asked, "Who are you? Where am I?" The figure who seemed to be made from light, spoke in a gentle and yet firm voice, the voice of a father. "You know who I am. As for where you are, you have not moved." Frank became angry, "You are just this system messing with..." Franks scoffed, he was growing furious now. "YOU ARE NOT..."

Even as Frank yelled at the shining figure before him changed. Like the filter on a camera being removed, the figure revealed its true form. Frank was speechless as he fell to his knees, he faced the ground not daring to raise his head. His mind was overwhelmed by what he had seen.

"I am, that I am." The being said in a voice that almost seemed to come from all sides. All encompassing and filled with a father's love. Frank felt his fear set at ease, but still he did not raise his head. "Your world has finally come to the point of transition, Frank. There will be many hardships in the coming times. You and your family must be strong for what's to come." Frank felt it was his turn and so he spoke.

"What would you have me do?" Frank asked as he took a kneeling position. "You need only to take my hand, and promise to protect your family. To protect the weak and challenge those who would abuse their strength..."

Frank held his head low fearing to give offence to this being.

"Frank, raise your head."

Frank raised his head to gaze upon his lord who held out his right hand. "Take my hand, and become a warrior of the light. Become one of my paladins." Frank reached out one shaking hand and grasped the beings hand. It was at that moment that he saw a figure appear at his right. There he saw his wife holding the lord's left hand, looking back at him.

No sooner had they awakened than their minds erased the image of the luminous figure from their memories, but his words remained.

Frank saw he had gained a level and upon inspection, he had gained a level in Paladin.

Laura saw she had gained a level and upon inspection, she had gained a level in Cleric.

Frank and Laura felt as if a small door in the back of their minds opened for a brief moment before closing. They felt their minds expand ever so slightly as new knowledge filled their minds. Frank and Laura felt that divine being spark something within them, and now they knew divine spells.

Franks and Laura sat up in bed as they looked upon each other, "You had that dream too right?" Laura simply nodded. They both spent the better part of the next hour working through the knowledge they had been granted. As they discussed their new spells and abilities they found that while there was some overlap, Frank had far fewer spells and skills available to him from his new class at the moment. It was then that they realized it.

"These spell's sound a lot like something..." They smiled as they realized they knew these spells from another source, "Dante would know about." they said in unison.

-----------------------------------

Dante's pleasant dreams of apple trees and racing horse's slowly took a dark turn.

Dante sat upon a hill covered in green grass under the shade of an apple tree. In the distance he watched wild horses race across the grasslands. It was a beautiful sight. The sky was blue and he felt the warm rays of the sun on his skin. This moment reminded him of that village behind the door.

He saw the world shift for a moment and he found himself sitting in a set of grand stands surrounded by cheering fans.

To his left and right he was flanked by his parents who laughed and cheered.

He felt someone tapping on his shoulder but when he looked back their face was blurred and he couldn't hear their words.

Several others motioned to him, seeming to call to him but their faces too were blurred.

Slowly he turned back around confused.

The wild horses racing were now Equitaur's.

Several of them all racing along a race track like human athletes.

Dante pondered that for a moment. "Now there's an idea..." Dante mused forgetting his moment of confusion.

Suddenly one of the Equitaur's fell as if it had been tripped.

Some instinct made him to stand and reach out his hand as he began to speak.

"Heal.." his palm began to glow and...

The world blinked and he was back in Oscar's workshop. There was no sound save for his own footsteps, which echoed throughout the empty workshop. Dante felt himself drawn towards that large and imposing door.

It was when Dante arrived at the door that he noticed the door gave no aura as it had done before. A voice whispered from behind the door, in a language he could not understand. The door began to creak open, the sleek and shiny black metal opening farther with each passing second.

All at once the dream fractured. Like the shattering of stained glass mosaic, the world fell to pieces...

Error!...

Then he woke.