Authors Comment (skipable and may contain small amount of spoiler information)

Usual Authors comment will be at the end

Spoiler : I promised myself not to do these at the start of a chapter anymore, but making an exception for this chapter

This chapter ended up far different to how I'd originally planned and not quite as long.

Due to comments wanting information about Niamh, the stats [attack especially] and other concerns and desires, I decided to force some information in now.

>>>The possible spoiler info is:>>>

Tobi was a complete Novice at gaming. He had literally no idea what to do in a game. For that reason, I had intended to let readers learn about the game at the same speed as Tobi. Tobi wasn't originally supposed to learn all of his mistakes until players rejoined the game. I have squeezed the information in now in the best way I could.

I wrote the details of the game and stats, etc. before I wrote Tobi's story. I have written the story of many characters within Aevitas. People who chose Dwarf, Racian, Elf and others... but it was Tobi's story I chose to share.

It has been a trial, but an enjoyable one. I truly thank each of you that is joining me on Tobi's journey.

<3

Sorry if some information I have forced in comes across as infodumps, I tried to make it fall into the story as inconspicuously as I am currently able with my limited writing abilities.

~Aspirer <3

CHAPTER 3: Champions Road Part I.

Closing the door to his bakery and looking outside to see if anybody had followed him, Tobi began to laugh. As scary as it had been at the time, it had also been exhilarating. He hadn't had a single exciting thing happen to him since he came to Aevitas.

After closing the curtains to his shop, Tobi pulled the books out of his backpack and Ranalls package out of his pocket.

Opening the package and checking the contents, all he found was a small brooch with a strange insignia. After trying to inspect it, the only information that came back was 'Brass Brooch'.

Tobi shrugged and fastened the brooch to his shirt. The books he carried upstairs to lock them in his trunk. He had more important matters to attend to. The reason he had stopped baking in the first place.

Chess!

"Open Advanced Profession Window: Elven Carpentry"

Profession:Profession Level:Skill Experience:Elven CarpentryBeginner 00%By singing to nature whilst applying magic to their voice; Elves discovered that they could not only help nature grow - but help in its design.

They sang to trees, plants, shrubs, flowers, herbs and even grass in order to help it grow strong and beautiful.

Through the application of the same magic, they discovered the ability to give new purpose to that which nature had discarded.

By singing to a piece of wood whilst caressing it with their fingers, they were able to manipulate the wood into new shapes, designs and uses.

Whether ornamental, purposeful or various other, Elves use this method for anything they craft.Additional Information and application.This skill requires fingers and singing. Using tools of any kind will cause the skill to fail. Simply imagine what you wish to create whilst singing and you will be able to carve that image with as little as your fingertips.

You will be hard pressed to find anything you cannot make from wood with this skill.

Different types of wood will require greater proficiency to manipulate.

Different ways to apply this skill will require in depth knowledge of application.Known Recipes:None

I have to sing? What kind of stupid skill is this?!

With mixed emotions ranging from worried to curious to annoyed, Tobi went out back and grabbed a load of wood.

Returning inside, Tobi realized he had no suitable place to practice his new craft.

Looking around for a suitable spot, he cleared a section of his shop to use and set up a table and chair.

"There is no way I am going to sit here singing," He told the piece of wood, "I will whistle and you better like it."

Staring at the piece of wood as though waiting for it to reply, Tobi sighed and tried to think of how to proceed.

Deciding to just get on with it, he started whistling a tune at random. He didn't know the name of it but had known it since childhood.

Tobi brushed his fingers along the wood without actually expecting anything to happen.

Unsurprisingly; nothing happened.

Figures

Clearing his throat and self-consciously checking the shop to ensure he was alone, Tobi took two deep and calming breaths.

"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb... Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow."

Again, nothing happened.

Blushing red despite being alone, Tobi puzzled over why it didn't work the way he expected.

Refusing to believe he'd done something so embarrassing in vain, he read the information on what the skill required once more.

"Idiot..." He muttered to himself. It clearly stated you had to use magic at the same time. To do that however he had to learn how to apply it in the first place.

Rather than leaving to find a mage (which came to his mind first), he tried to recall what he'd done to the rat. More specifically, how it had felt. This time however, he had no intention of throwing his arms around trying to throw something he couldn't even sense.

Closing his eyes and searching around inside himself, he looked for the feeling that had burst out when he blasted the rat. Not an emotion exactly, but something more like a bubble in his chest. Similar to indigestion - or maybe gas... the feeling you get before you burp.

Ten minutes later, he'd been about to give up when at last he found what he thought he was searching for. No longer did he imagine a bubble or anything similar. In his minds eyes, it was something far more difficult to explain and it wasn't limited to any single part of him.

If he tried to explain it to someone else, he'd probably tell them to take a deep breath and prepare to yell. At the moment before yelling, you can get a sense of power building up near the diaphragm. That's how this felt.

If he tensed, took a deep breath or prepared to do anything, the build up of power in that area became recognizable. Now that he noticed it, he could feel it more clearly and even draw from it.

Imagining his spirit or soul reaching into the pool of power, he drew the power out and directed it to his fingertips.

That's not right! Tobi reminded himself mentally, I am supposed to direct it to my throat.

Redirecting the power toward his throat, Tobi let out a small 'Ahh'.

You have receeved 55 damage.

Rubbing his head and picking himself up off the floor, Tobi wondered what the hell had happened. He'd barely drawn any power at all and his voice had been barely a whisper. Despite that it had drawn 400 mana! The resulting blast from his throat had blown him from the chair and caused him to hit his head on the counter.

"Display Mana Bar."

Keeping the mana bar visible, Tobi went to the kitchen to prepare some food and drinks. Although his Satiety had once again fallen below the 50%, the real reason was to restore health and mana. He had plenty of food and drink recipes able to quickly restore both.

For the drink, he chose honeyed tea. Whilst it remained warm, it had the ability to restore 50 mana over the course of a minute. On top of his natural mana regeneration, he'd be back to full mana in 4 minutes.

[1 mana per int stat per minute. 50 int = 50 mana per minute.]

Paying attention to the feeling inside himself, he realized why people had always called it a mana pool. The feeling of power was as though it 'poured' or 'flowed' back in; like water. Tobi was sure he could do better next time. Before that though, there was something he wanted to try.

Bracing himself for another burst of recoil, Tobi attempted to channel one-fifth of his mana pool to his throat and directed a yell at the piece of wood; "Boom!"

You have learned Lions Roar.

This ability is normally known to Advanced Martial Artists only.

Through magical application of the Arcane Arts, you have discovered the skill for yourself.

Force: Dependent on amount of mana applied.

Damage: Dependent on amount of mana applied.

Mana Cost: Casters choice.

A quick glance at his mana bar after closing the notification shown he'd used exactly 100 mana.

"Cool." Tobi grinned. "I didn't roar though... should have been a Sonic Boom or something."

Deciding to celebrate later -after testing it again- Tobi turned once more to the task at hand. Unfortunately, the wood he had been planning to use was too badly damaged from 'Lions Roar' for further use so he grabbed another piece.

This time, through a more careful careful application of mana, Tobi managed to poke a finger into the wood whilst whistling. Being more careful about it, he tried again.

This isn't working. Tobi complained as he looked at his work.

Whilst he was able to shave away wood with just his fingertips, there were too many problems with using the skill.

First was mana. If he applied too much, he would cut away a larger portion of wood than he intended. If he applied too little, he wouldn't shave off as much as he intended.

Second was the tune. Whistling too fast or too slow caused the mana flow to fluctuate. Changing the tune would also change the flow of mana. Different melodies had different results on how his mana was controlled.

Looking at the small wooden pyramid that sat on the table in front of him, Tobi wondered in what way it was supposed to resemble a pawn.

Think Tobi... You're an elf. A graceful elf that sings beautifully and loves trees.

Imagining a beautiful and graceful Elf singing as she stroke wood as though a harp, Tobi hummed along with the imagined melody.

He didn't know why, but the song he'd chosen was Bright Eyes. He'd heard his uncle sing it often when he was a kid and the song had been burned into his memory and heart. He'd been reminded of the song back at the inn when one of the men mentioned 'Glowing Eyes'.

Originally, he was only humming along as he stroked the wood with closed eyes. He wasn't even imagining the chess piece he was supposed to make when the next thing he knew, he'd started singing along.

Finding himself caught in the mood to sing -and stopping himself instantly- Tobi sat back in amazement. His mana bar had dropped down to 150 without him consciously applying magic. Meanwhile, he'd crafted the Elf's hair and outlined her face.

More surprising than anything else, he'd crafted it whilst his eyes were closed. He'd definitely experiment again with that later.

Looking at the unfinished piece, Tobi was a little disappointed he didn't continue. She'd have definitely turned into a beauty.

Setting her aside as a memory, Tobi grabbed the next piece of wood. This one was easily large enough to craft 5 pawns - maybe 7... He wanted to get at least one out of it.

Deciding he needed a song he could relate to, Tobi spent a good five minutes trying to think of one. He didn't want to use Bright Eyes again, it was a little too personal.

As a constant stream of club music type songs came to mind, Tobi regretted his choice in music for the first time in his life. He really wanted a calm or soul lifting song. Unable to think of anything suitable, Tobi took a risk with 'Demons' by Imagine Dragons.

Rubbing the wood with a thumb whilst humming the opening words, Tobi felt the magic start to slowly flow through his throat and out into the humming sound. When the song started to pick up, he adventurously began to sing and started enjoying himself.

The wood twisted, broke, ripped, sanded down and began to take shape with very little effort. Before he knew it, he was already finished with his first pawn.

Awesome. Seems any music will do just as good he told himself as he looked at the finished first piece. As he turned it around however, Tobi was not quite so sure he'd pulled it off perfectly.

Oops.

Unfortunately, the Pawn he'd created seemed to have a face - and not a pleasant one. Chuckling to himself as the face slowly grew on him; he endeavored to make the other seven into identical matches.

Apparently, singing about demons had subliminally put a demonic face into his mind and caused that kind of face to appear to be on the pawn.

Through use of your hands and fingers you have gained 1 Dexterity.

"Sweet!"

For successfully crafting the item you desired you have begun your journey as an Elven Carpenter.

Elven Carpentry Level 1.

Elven Carpentry gives +1 Dexterity per level.

Dexterity has increased by 1.

As the only non-elf to have this skill, other crafters will look at you with either envy or scorn.

"Double sweet."

Please spell and name the item you created.

"C H E S S -space- P A W N. Chess Pawn."

A 'Chess Pawn' has been added to your recipe

Taking a rest and drinking tea to refill his mana, he wondered how he'd managed to make such weird faces by caressing wood with his fingertips and thumb...he would never understand.

Thinking that the task was actually proving to be kind of fun, he tried to think of a new song. He wanted each of the Black pieces of the Chess Set to be Demonic so he wanted the right kind of songs to portray them. For the white's...maybe Gospel music.

With his mana back to full, Tobi continued using the same song for each pawn. He would use different songs for other pieces.

Each pawn took between 300 and 450 mana to make and took a fair bit of time to make. He still imagined it was quicker than if he'd used tools though.

Stretching out his back with the 8th Pawn finished, Tobi admired his handiwork.

If you ignored the heads, they looked like normal pawns. Quick and easy to make. Just the faces took a little extra fine tuning. The bigger issue was keeping his mana up to speed with his crafting. Having to wait for a mana refill and drink tea between each pawn was a pain. Good thing you didn't need toilet breaks in this world.

Well, he didn't. At this point, it was probably the only difference between himself and NPC's.

Looking down at the wood still available in the room, Tobi figured he had about two more pieces worth before he had to head out back and get more. The question was; which two to make? Bishops would probably be best, they were just like tall pawns really.

Guess for Bishop I will do a new song. Hmm... Fear of the Dark?

Tobi hummed the tune to start with; until he reached the words, 'I have a constant fear that somethings always near, fear of the dark' - At that point, he started singing and crafting at the same time. When the beat really kicked in with no words, he suspected the sound was more like a tortured animal than any form of music. Just the same, the high tempo, fast beat and manic head bashing shaved the wood like it was nothing more than a cookie in his fingers.

About half way through, Tobi realized he didn't know the second half of the song. Stopping with little more than the Bishops rough shape in place, Tobi took a quick look at his mana: 001/505

Holy crap!

Acknowledging the fact that there was such a thing as overdoing it, Tobi went out back to grab more logs. He'd originally carried eight logs into his bakery. That should have been enough for all 32 pieces if he was a skilled crafter. Although he wasn't a skilled crafter - only managing to get out 8 pawns and part of a bishop was really demoralizing.

At least he was having fun though!

Whilst waiting for his mana to regenerate, Tobi remade the honeyed tea and began trying to think of yet more songs. He knew there were plenty of songs out there but he hadn't listened to popular music since he was about thirteen or fourteen; and even then he preferred the older generation material.

---

You have gained 1 Dexterity.

"I am happy for you." Tobi muttered as he discarded yet another Knight. The little annoying pieces were proving to be difficult. He'd been trying for three hours and used up seventeen logs on Knights alone. To make things worse, you didn't get experience for Carpentry unless you successfully made something. His only consolation was the occasional dexterity stat.

"Screw it!"

Tobi used up all forty of his distribution points. 20 in dexterity, 10 in intelligence and 10 in wisdom.

With his voice cracked from all the singing, Tobi had gone back to whistling or humming. Even that was hurting his lips and throat whilst causing cramps in his neck, cheeks and on his tongue.

The results of his stat boost however, were instant. The very next Knight began taking shape exactly how he hoped. The design wasn't that grand; pick up almost any chess piece and you won't be impressed with the craftsmanship. To top it off, Tobi had held each piece so many times in his life he could feel their presence even if his hands were empty.

Dealing with items his hands were familiar with touching had definitely helped. At times, it was like the wood became putty and squashed to how he wanted it. Other times, his coarse fingers shaved the wood like sanding paper. His nails were like tiny scrapers used for extra delicate details.

One slip though and the entire thing could be ruined instantly.

You have created a new piece, please spell and name the piece.

"C H E S S -space- K N I G H T. Chess Knight."

You have created a 'Chess Knight'.

Elven Carpentry has risen to beginner level 4.

Dexterity has risen by one.

Chess Knight corresponds to other items you have created.

Would you like to add Chess Knight to part of the Chess Set?

"Yes!"

Rubbing his eyes with exhaustion, Tobi put the pieces on the counter and went to bed. Come morning, he would only have the other Knight, the King and the Queen to do. Then he had to do the white team and the board itself.

Sighing, he dragged himself off the chair and went upstairs to bed.

***

Ranall

Using the cover of night, Ranall slipped out of the inn. He'd been lucky that there were no people renting rooms, but nobody really did these days. Not since the Travelers disappeared from the world.

The last person to really stay at his inn had been Tobi around a year ago. Outside people of his order, only the occasional traveler bothered staying at his place and only ever for a single night.

Ducking into an alley as a pair of drunks approached singing the latest popular bard song, Ranall spotted Tobi's bakery.

A feeling of unease spread through Ranall as he looked at the store. Tobi had always caused that feeling in him. Who shows up from nowhere and pays in full for 2 months at the worst inn in town? He didn't even stay for the full two months. With the kind of money he spared no thought to wasting, he could have stayed at one of the better places in town.

There was just something odd about him.

The feeling of distrust really formed after a church priest drunkenly shared a secret about Tobi.

Tobi had overheard the priest bad-mouthing Travelers. Tobi had then approached the man and told him he didn't have to worry. He claimed the Gods were going to war and the Travelers would be sent back to their own world. Two days later, the Travelers disappeared entirely.

The church didn't know if they should revere him or fear him and had decided to keep an eye on him. That's how the priest had ended up in his bar.

With the drunks gone, Ranall stepped out of the alley. After taking another look at the bakery, hemade for the town stables. His mind however stayed with Tobi.

He'd kept an eye on Tobi himself after what the priest had told him, but the man never did anything you would call suspicious. Eccentric or weird, maybe, but nothing to be concerned about.

To get a better grasp on Tobi, he gave him some odd jobs for money. That's when he decided Tobi wasn't a threat. He didn't even have the strength to lift a keg of beer, how dangerous could he be?

Slipping down the side of the stables, Ranall knocked twice and paused before tapping a patterned rhythm of four consecutive knocks.

The door opened half a crack, "She is tied up out back." the voice inside called before the door shut again.

Ranall went out back to see the mare waiting for him in the cold. They hadn't even blanketed her whilst she waited for him.

"I'm sorry old girl. That man..."

The horse didn't respond as Ranall stroked his hand along her back.

After freeing her reigns, he climbed up and guided her toward the city gates. If everything was going to plan, all the guards but one would be sleeping.

***

Jasper

Narrowing his eyes as he watched a shadowed figure slip into an alley, Jasper wondered if it was Ranall.

He hadn't expected things to go this smoothly but he wasn't going to complain. When Tobi had taken his book and told him what he'd already known -that the book was written in Elven- he knew he could finally proceed with his plan.

Tobi wasn't part of the plan originally and he felt bad dragging him into it, but it had turned out fine so far and soon it should be over.

By Tobi's reaction, he wasn't yet proficient with Elven. He planned to give it a few days and provide him with some more Elven books. After that, he would let slip to Ranall that Tobi knew Elven and see how the situation unfolded.

He wasn't sure if it was luck or an omen, but things had progressed much quicker. He'd been on his way to the church to give them a report on Tobi when he seen the man himself walking into Ranall's inn.

Normally he would just poke his nose in and satisfy his curiosity. After he noticed the book in Tobi's hand, he changed his mind.

He knew Ranall would notice it. When it came to books, Ranall had a nose for digging out the rare and precious. The oaf of a barman had even tried to steal that very book off him on two separate occasions.

When the shadow suddenly reappared from the alley, Jasper focused on the shape and tried to make out who it was. Without warning, the man suddenly stared in Jaspers' direction.

Froze in place with his heart racing, he knew for certain it was Ranall.

Calming down as the man moved away, he realized exactly where Ranall had been looking.

Not at me, at the bakery next door.

Suspicions growing, Jasper lit a lamp and hung it on the right side of the window: A signal to his 'brothers' that Ranall was on the move.

***

Tobi

Preparing his breakfast and a drink despite the time of day, Tobi scratched his head sleepily. No matter how tired he'd been since entering Aevitas, he never once slept longer than eight hours. It was like the system automatically woke him after a set period of time. He also didn't need sleep like normal, so it was only every two or three days he slept at all.

Today was different somehow. Though he still didn't sleep longer than eight hours (at a guess), there was something odd.

Rubbing his eyes to get rid of sleep that didn't exist, Tobi realized what was different.

I am still sleepy??

When you woke up inside Aevitas, you were fully refreshed every time ... without fail.

Why am I still sleepy?

...

As the water reached its boil in the usual 'almost instant' time, he subconsciously and habitually poured the right amount into his cup.

Shrugging and scratching his behind like a typical bloke living alone, Tobi turned toward the shop area where he'd been crafting until early hours of the morning.

"Open stat only window."

StatsDistributable Points0Health Points54Intelligence60Strength12Wisdom11Attack1Dexterity41Agility1Defence1???-???-???-???-???-???-???-???-???-Endurance12???-???-

"Huh? When did I unlock Endurance?" He remembered a few occasions he closed down multiple notifications without looking properly, but he was sure he would have seen it unlock. Even then, he would have got notifications every time it went up a stat.

The only time you don't get notifications is when you are busy...like in a fight... I have never been in a fight in the game though...

Confused, he touched the Endurance stat with a finger to open the summary box.

Endurance

Reduces the time it takes for energy to fall. Come into effect for all things that require time and energy.

Endurance is linked to more skills than almost any other stat:

Fighting, Running, Crafting, Menial Tasks, General labour and others.

"Then why didn't I unlock it a long time ago you stupid piece of crap? What have I been doing all this time?!"

Of course, the box didn't reply.

Hearing loud knocks coming from the Bakery door, Tobi moved through to the shop area and unlocked the bolts.

"Good afternoon, Tobi."

Smiling, Tobi welcomed in his guest.

"Renovations?" He asked looking around the shop.

"You could say that, but for now I have something more important to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"I need you to explain the stats to me."

With a puzzled look on his face, he asked what the problem was.

"I have recently unlocked Endurance and I want to know why it has only just become unlocked. I also want to know why I didn't receive notification about it or stat increases..."

"OK. Slow down... first, how the hell have you only just unlocked endurance?"

"That's what I am asking you!"

With a sigh, Lorry moved into the seat Tobi had been using the night before whilst crafting his chess pieces, "OK, I think you need to explain a few things first."

...

After a long story involving much of his life in Aevitas, Lorry looked bewildered and amused, "Tobi. Have you ever played a game before in your life?"

"No... why?"

Lorry laughed, "If I'd known you were such a noob I would have had heart attack the moment I heard you were to live here alone. In fact, I'd have probably made sure a member of Skea-Tech was logged in at all times..."

"Then I am glad you didn't know. Will you just explain it to me already?"

Leaning back into his chair like an old man putting his thoughts together before telling a story, Lorry began with the games development and professions;

"Let's rewind back to the beginning. You learned cooking and for nearly a year you did nothing but cook?"

Tobi nodded.

"That's where you went wrong. Right from the beginning. You see, the developers wrote in stat gains for professions; as you would have figured out by now. For cooking, you gain one HP point per level, right?"

Again, Tobi nodded.

"Right, so imagine this: I am a chef in real life and I come into the game intending to be a cook. I don't use the system assist, I use real life knowledge to cook. Meanwhile, you come into the game and play your way. Who will level faster?"

Tobi shrugged, "Depends how much we cook..."

"Wrong! Cooking yourself levels faster. If the limit on getting experience from baking bread is 1,000 bread. The person baking it properly will get more experience. The one using system assist will get less. By the end of the 1,000 bread, the real cook will have a higher cooking level. This means that he will be able to reach Mastery level with fewer recipes.

Meanwhile, he will also get other stats. Dexterity, Strength, Endurance, Heat Resistance, Stamina; and maybe even Attack.

You on the other hand, using nothing but system assist get none of those. You get only what the system was written to give. 1HP per level."

Tobi paled; A full year of stats... gone.

"What if I start cooking properly now, will I still get stats and stuff in Dexterity and things?"

"If your Dex is low enough to benefit from menial tasks, yeah. Probably. I don't see why it wouldn't. Think of a tap for example. Turning a tap in reality is Dexterity being used to some basic degree. Constantly turning the tap on and off will not raise your Dexterity though. You'd just get a repetitive strain injury or something. Similar applies here. You can only raise stats by doing new and unique things or tasks that require extra effort, focus, attention, energy, et cetera."

"OK, I think I get it. Applying it to real life makes more sense. So I didn't get Endurance until now because I was using system assist?"

Lorry shrugged, "That's my best guess. I have never known anyone to be lazy enough to do nothing but system assist for a year."

Blushing a little, Tobi asked him to explain other stats. Primarily attack and agility which appeared pointless.

"Open your agility window and read it."

Agility

Reduces flexibility restrictions placed on your body by the system.

Increases reaction time and dodge abilities - especially during system assist.

Increases the speed at which skills are used during system assist.

Increases the speed combat skills can be used.

Increases the damage multiplier from critical hits.

Open Advanced window to see more detailed information.

"You done?"

Tobi nodded.

"Watch this..." Quick as a striking snake, Lorry threw three daggers, did a back flip (during which he released two more), landed with perfect balance and lunged forward with a sword in hand.

Tobi didn't even know where the sword had been hidden, let alone see him draw it from a sheath.

"That's agility?" Tobi asked.

"...And Dexterity with a little of attack and strength mixed in as well as some system skills and a crap load of practice. Agility isn't just flexibility and system assist. It is one of the primary stats to use your body properly. If you unlock the speed stat, what you can do is even crazier. I only just unlocked speed when the game was closed, so I haven't been able to raise the stat yet."

"How does speed work and why is it different to agility?"

"Speed isn't that different in some ways. It's basically a removal of speed limiters on everything you do. Chopping carrots, triple stabbing, running...whatever. But it is crazy hard to unlock. I used to see people doing all-sorts of crazy things to unlock it. Simply running at full speed doesn't cut it."

Nodding, Tobi decided to try and figure out a way to unlock speed later. His current in game running speed was slower than reality, but he figured it was strength he lacked.

"What is attack then? Wouldn't Dex, Strength and Agility be enough?"

Lorry nodded, "You can thank the developers for that one. You see, when the game was in the Beta stage, a lot of people complained about accuracy. They would perform a lunge with a skill assist aiming for the chest and hit the shoulder. Maybe stab for the throat and hit the chest. Chop for the head and hit the shoulder. Stab for the kidney and miss. Whatever it was, the accuracy of attacks was bad. Dexterity and agility helped the system assist with body movements to do what the user intended, but the user still has a portion of control and personal ability. Strength was the deciding factor for damage. Agility was the deciding factor for how much extra damage a critical strike would do.

The developers, listening to complaints decided to make a change. They put in accuracy. Players can't see it, but when they attack now, there is a system assisted target radius. The better (higher) your attack stat, the smaller the attack radius. It gets to the point where a stab toward the general kidney area will be turned by the system assist and stab the kidney with pinpoint accuracy.

That isn't where it ends though. A Lumberjack will strike a tree and then aim for the same spot, right? Well if their attack is high, the chance of them hitting the same spot repeatedly increases. The system assist will help guide the axe. Spears too. When you perform a lunge or anything, the further the extension, the lower the chance of hitting your intended target. Attack will keep the lunge on target all the way to the destined spot."

Slowly taking in all of the information, Tobi frowned.

"Wouldn't it become redundant after the stat reached a certain level?"

Shaking his head, Lorry tried to explain, "I thought that too, but no. Attack is an accuracy compensation but it works alongside strength, dexterity and agility. If the item you are using is especially heavy and hinder agility - or it is cumbersome and effects dexterity. Maybe it does both.... Well, that's also where attack comes in. A compensation stat that helps. I am no developer, but I remember Beta and I have seen the difference for myself. Attack is a complete cheat stat."

"I still don't get it. Basically, it forces a player to hit the target the system believes will do the most damage based on the trajectory of the attack?"

"I thought you said you didn't get it. That is exactly what it does."

Looking at Tobi's face trying to work out all the finer details, Lorry nodded. He could see that Tobi was starting to understand the words 'cheat stat'.

"The Developers wanted players to be able to play like legendary heroes; not stand there swinging around swords like amateurs. They wanted people to be swordmasters, kung fu masters and the like. Not idiots wearing armour and getting killed by overly aggressive rabbits."

"So they make attack and let the system turn them into experts?"

Lorry nodded. Tobi frowned.

"That is such a cheat against mages."

Lorry nodded. Tobi frowned even more.

"Hey Tobi, I have been meaning to ask since I sat down, but what is that thing on your shirt?"

"A gift."

"From whom?"

"... Ranall. Why?"

"The innkeeper?"

Tobi nodded.

"I think... ...never mind. Probably my ..." Lorry shook his head, "Never mind. Now, I explained a bit about stats to you, want to explain the state of your shop to me?"

***

Niamh

Watching as the class packed up and left, Niamh made no motion to move.

Drained, both mentally and physically, she leaned back in her chair and wondered how Tobi's court case was going. She hadn't heard much but she had at least been able to get in contact with his family.

She'd originally called his cell-phone during summer break.

When a beautiful female voice answered, it had wracked her nerves a little. Fortunately it had turned out to be his sister, but the relief was short lived with the news that followed next.

The family hadn't even heard of Niamh, Tobi hadn't mentioned her name at all. They had all heard about his girlfriend, but as he refused to give a name, description or picture - they had pretty much concluded he made her up.

As soon as her identity was confirmed, the girl put her onto loud speaker and the whole family had joined the conversation.

That wasn't a situation she had been mentally prepared for!

Then again, nor was the story that followed. The family had returned home the day before to find an Ambulance parked outside and the door kicked in. They omitted the panic induced frenzy that followed, but Niamh imagined it all the same.

Turned out that Tobi was unable to log out and experts from Skea-Tech were driving up from London. Several more had also booked flights to England from South Korea and would be arriving the next day.

Phoning the family every day for information had proved useless. They never had any more information for her and was in the dark as much as she was.

On the third day, she found out that Tobi was in Brackley. He'd kept his real name and as far as they could tell, he looked identical to the real him. Due to a lack of photos they couldn't be completely sure.

Niamh suspected that the only photo of Tobi was the one she had - still saved on her phone. She'd taken it whilst he was sleeping and therefore, he was unable to prevent it being taken.

Of course, she had no right to phone Tobi in the first place. Not after what she'd done.

Things were so great in the beginning, he would bend over backwards for her and throw himself on a bomb if it was necessary. That's partly why she wanted him to join her in Aevitas. Her class was basically a mage, but in reality she was a little more than that. Her original class had been lightning mage, but she'd discovered a rogue's skill-book in a dungeon that taught her shadow manipulation. When stood in shadows, she could turn invisible.

Whilst she thought the skill would be especially useful at night, it proved to be no different than during the day. She needed a shadow - literally. A light had to be cast to cause a shadow, so whether it was day or night, finding a shadow was close to the same thing. Shadows of clouds didn't seem to count.

Either that, or the skill wasn't high enough.

At any rate, she'd learned that she could hide members of her party. She would lure in the enemy with her party hidden in shadows and create the perfect ambush. That's when Liam joined her party.

He'd told everyone he was a Racian on account of his wolf form. It had been great news for the group as nobody (as far as they knew) had left the starting countries. Seeing the skills of another race was a chance they didn't want to pass up.

Everything she had hoped Tobi to be in the game, Liam did perfectly. He was her shield; Her Knight in shining fur..

He was also a liar and a player killer. She wouldn't find that out until later though - when it was too late.

Over time, she had developed genuine feelings for Liam. It was hard not to, the man doted on her every whim. On top of that, she spent more time with Liam than Tobi. At least mentally.

In reality, she spent between six to eight hours in classes, six to eight with Tobi and the rest inside the game. The sleep option for playing the game was especially useful. The difference was that eight hours inside Aevitas translated as thirty-two hours. During that time, at least 24 hours of it was in the company of Liam.

The difference was too much. She was growing closer to Liam and further from Tobi.

---

Sighing and packing up her things, Niamh made her way out of the classroom. There were no more classes today but the Janitor had shown up. She made the mistake of talking to him before, she wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Walking through the now empty halls, Niamh's mind wandered back to Liam. She didn't know if she'd loved him, but the feeling was very similar. The hurt and betrayal were definitely real. That had been when she'd realized the difference between Liam and Tobi. There was no comparison in the first place, she was just an idiot.

Rows with Tobi were becoming more frequent and his stubbornness against the game was unrelenting.

If it was in reality, he would die for her... in the game however, he had no intention of 'being her pet'

- That's how Tobi had worded it.

Liam on the other hand was turning his charm up to the max. He even proposed to her. In game marriage had originally been considered pointless but after people actually did it, a game secret had been revealed and loads of people started getting married.

As far as players knew, teleportation of any kind was impossible; but not if you were married. Married couples could teleport to each other so long as they were within 100-yards of each other and not inside a building, city, village, etc.

It even worked inside caves and dungeons.

The cool-down was 1 hour and you couldn't use it if battle had been initiated, but who cared? That kind of ability proved invaluable. She'd seen it for herself first hand through members of her party.

The game allowed gay marriage and two brothers married each other in game for the teleport feature. One of the brothers was a ranger and was busy using his scouting ability. They were venturing deep into Deniya wood, further than most players dared. When their group came under attack, the younger of the two brothers blew his horn. As the fight started, Niamh cursed. With the fight initiated, he wouldn't be able to teleport back and help.

Niamh had found out the true worth of marriage then. The older of the two brothers wasn't in a fight and for him the teleport option still worked. Thanks to his arrival, Liam didn't have to spend so much energy protecting Niamh. The end result was their young tank surviving by the smallest of margins. Had the teleport not been there, the tank would have died, Liam would have followed and Niamh would have been torn apart seconds later.

That's when Liam proposed to Niamh. It was too convenient a skill to refuse.

Things became more complicated after that. As they were married, they started to naturally act like a couple. Role-playing mostly, but it became hard to tell the difference after a while.

Soon after came light touches, small kisses, hugging, smiling, presents, monthly anniversary gifts...

Niamh, heartbroken where Tobi was concerned and completely elated whenever she seen Liam, decided to face reality.

She ended the relationship.

Barely a week later, University ended for summer.

The day Tobi left for the airport, Niamh found the plane ticket in her drawer and remembered their promise.

They were supposed to tell his parents the news of their engagement together during the summer.

Her parents already knew and had even met Tobi - thanks to the fact her family lived in the same state as the University. [Texas]

She hadn't even told her parents about the breakup yet. Something she knew she'd have to do.

Looking at the ticket, Niamh broke down and cried. She resisted with everything she had to chase after him.

After an hour of sobbing, she wanted to see Liam.

Her Dive Unit was happily waiting for her entry where her bed was supposed to be. She didn't need a bed as she always slept in her Dive Unit. It was the most optimal way for her to play the game.

The sight made her miss Tobi's bed. For some reason, that bed always seemed more comfortable than her own.

She climbed in and called for the machine to log in the second the lid closed.

---

"Open Friend List:"

After confirming Liam was on she tried to activate 'Spouse Teleport'. Instead, she got a gentle tugging towards the north. It meant that she was either out of range or he was inside a building, village, city or other restricted area.

Walking north and attempting to activate Spouse Teleport every twenty yards, she wondered how far away he could be. The biggest problem of the game in her opinion was lack of whisper. To do that you had to use rare items that cost a fortune.

"Spouse Teleport." She growled after walking more than 150 yards. In their whole time being married, they had never traveled more than 100 yards from the log-off location. They spent almost identical hours logged in and traveling alone was too dangerous...there had never been a reason to stray that far away.

In the case of being in a city, they always arranged to meet up at a specific inn at a specific time.

"Spouse Tele-" A house?

Calling it a house was an exaggeration. A shack at best. If he was inside, she would be unable to teleport to him. Shacks were dangerous though, they were usually hide-outs for thieves and bandits. Why one would exist so close to Deniya wood she would never know. No human -bandit or otherwise- dared enter the wood. It was very much a traveler only location due to its danger level. Even the Kings soldiers avoided it.

Creeping up close, Niamh tried to see through a gap in the wood.

"Let me have a bit more fun with her first. I think I can get her to go the whole way."

"You're sick. You know that?"

"Why? I want to know if it feels the same as real life."

"That's not the issue. You look like a freaking wolf! That's beastiality!"

The laugh that followed wasn't a single one. There were at least three voices laughing.

"So? She is the one doing a beast. I will be doing a human. And a hott one too. I haven't had a girl as young as her in a while."

That's Liam, why does he sound different? ... And hell if I am sleeping with a wolf! Niamh blushed. In truth, it was the wolf form that stopped her every time. Even kissing him grossed her out sometimes. She knew that underneath he was human, so she just passed it off as role-play.

Trying to get a better look from a different spot, she crept around the small shack. The damn thing didn't have a window though and the gaps in the wood never allowed for a view inside.

Cursing as stick snapped underfoot, Niamh paused and listened.

Apparently the group inside had heard it too, they had all shut up to listen as well.

"Check it out." A voice inside whispered.

Looking around, Niamh cursed. She'd just left the shadow of the shack...why hadn't she thought to use Shadow Manipulation to conceal her?

Checking the area for a suitable shadow, she gave up. Her only chance was running for the tree line.

Hearing a laugh as she dashed for the trees, she heard the words 'Spouse Teleport'.

A figure blocked her bath instantly. He was tall, broad and ... handsome. The looks didn't make her happy though, they made her cringe. His eyes were glowing red and a shadow aura drifted around his body.

Player Killer!

"Hello Niamh."

"How..." Her name in game was Senna, there was no-one her knew her real name... except... "Liam?"

"Hello Love," He replied with a smile.

"How...? Why...? Liam, what is going on? Why don't you look like a wolf?"

"Too late for that. I can't be sure how much you heard. Not that it matters, everything will be finished in two days. Just have to get rid of you until then. Shame I won't get to have my way with you any more."

Without warning, he stabbed her.

Her lifebar appeared instantly and appeared to be flashing. Notifications didn't appear during battle as they were distracting. The flashing meant she was under a bleed effect. Judging by how much red vs grey remained on the bar, she'd been hit for about 75 damage.

Not too much, you can get out of this.

Calming herself a little and preparing to stun him with a small lightning attack, her body jerked and spun her around.

A man holding a bow was smiling at her. He had the same red eyes and dark aura.

Liam grabbed her from behind, "it's been fun, Senna. But things end here for you."

She felt multiple stabs in her lower back. The pain was bearable. Despite being stabbed, she'd set her pain threshold to the lowest possible. It was like receiving small kidney punches.

Knowing Liam's real strength and abilities, she knew he was deliberately doing lower amounts of damage so he could stab her more times. The realization confused her even more.

"This is the end for you."

As her life bar dropped way below critical, Liams knife suddenly slashed her throat.

You are dead.

Opening her eyes to see the roof of her Dive Unit, she was too numb and confused to think or feel anything.

---

Entering her bedroom, Niamh sighed. The Dive Unit reminded her of that day every time she looked at it. Now that it no longer worked she had reverted back to using a real bed.

Flopping down on her brand new mattress, Niamh considered phoning Tobi's family again. After the fateful day of her death at Liams hands, she'd only logged into the game once more. It had been in an attempt to travel to Brackley. Unfortunately, she'd barely reached the outskirts of Deniya when the company announced that the servers were being closed. News about Tobi by then had traveled around the world. Things were pretty messed up and the forums were going crazy.

The company promised they would reopen the servers, but not until they knew why Tobi had been trapped.

As Tobi's family were refusing to let Skea-Tech mess with the Dive Unit whilst Tobi was still inside, Niamh had to wonder how long it would take for the servers to be reopened.

She didn't expect Tobi to forgive her, but she still wanted to see him and apologize.

***

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Authors Notes:

I was told 10k or even 100k word chapters were fine, but I really don't want to waste readers time so I broke it down.

If you all really want stories that long... it is doable.

Due to this chapter being cut, I wouldn't be surprised if part 2 of 'Champions Road' is posted tonight or early tomorrow.

To hint how long this chapter really was: Champions Road was originally titled 'Champion' because it actually ended at the point when that title made sense. >.

Below is not really a spoiler, its a portion of the truth behind regarding the appearance of Tobi's endurance stat.

Spoiler :

Tobi actually got Endurance during his moving of books, boxes, tables and empty barrels in Ranalls Cellar. He didn't receive notifications because he was involved with 'Linguistics'.

Normally, the stat gain is shown when you finish a task. As Tobi was in a quest and continuously doing tasks the system overrode the notifications and he never received them at all.

That's the excuse I am giving, in reality I forgot to write the notification. As a person asked for an explanation for 'Attack', I decided to use my error as the reason Tobi had a 'stat conversation' with Lorry. :P

Thank you to those that have traveled with me this far on Tobi's journey.

~ Aspirer <3