Surface- Shinning Hills Region

Kingdom of Arang'more- Fortress of Stalwart Hill

Alex felt the air explode from his lungs as he landed on his back. "Why are you laying there!! Keep moving. Monsters and people trying to kill you won't stop because you got the wind knocked out of you." Gregory snapped as he sent a kick towards Alex's head.

Alex almost didn't get his head out of the way, but he did and ate a little dirt in return as he rolled away from his sparring partner and to his feet. He immediately half crouched while raising his hands and deflected two follow up blows. "You can't be just defensive, you have to strike back Alex." Gregory reminded him and Alex nodded as he waited for an opening.

Less then ten seconds later he had it, Alex fired off two quick jabs and a left cross before stepping back. Gregory shook his head and glared at him, "Why did you step back?" the Corporeal asked as he stepped back.

"One, I didn't know if you left that opening on purpose. Two, I am here to learn, not to beat your ass." Alex responded, never lowering his guard. He had gotten popped in his head more than once lowering his guard over the last hour.

"If you see an opening, take it. You won't know if its a trap until you have struck, but do not disregard your instincts. Read your opponent's body. Are they reeling or are they coiled and ready to strike back? Don't make that mistake twice." Gregory stated and raised his hands and advanced.

An hour later Alex breathed slowly as he made his way closer to his target, shadows were all around him and helped calm him and kept him focused as he neared the target. Once he was in range he exploded in motion and struck three times rapidly, once to the kidney, once in the lung, and finally stabbing his target in the neck before stepping back. "Better. You managed to keep your Stealth active right up to the point of your first attack this time. Do it again." Gregory commented and Alex nodded as he moved back across the room.

Alex took a deep breath and activated the Stealth Skill again, the feeling of coolness and shadows encompassing him as he slowly moved forward through the pillars. He slipped over the strings with bells and broken glass on the ground. This was part of the room and part of the test to get to his target undetected. So far he had only managed to cross the room three times without setting off the bells or stepping on the glass. If he did either, he had to go back to the beginning. He had been at this for over an hour and he had more training to do so he set aside his worries and concentrated on his surroundings.

After Stealth and combat training came the Agility Course. The obstacle course was nearly a couple hundred feet long with dozens of pits, walls, logs, ropes, anything and everything he could think of and he had to cross it all. He had to survive it without injury and every time he ran it, he was directed back to the beginning by whoever was at the end. "Break time.' Gregory stated and Alex nodded his head as he tried to catch his breath. 'Pull up your current Status, think or say it and it will bring up all your current Buffs and Debuffs." Gregory stated and Alex followed his instructions.

Current Status...

Debuff Tired: Skills will progress 10% Slower (Duration Until you rest for ten minutes at least)

Debuff Hungry: All Primary Stats Decreased by 10% (Duration until you eat some food)

Debuff Thirsty: Regeneration Rates are decreased by 25% (Duration until you drink something)

"I have Tired, Hungry, and Thirsty Debuffs," Alex told the Corporal.

"Well, you have thirty minutes off, get some food in you. The Quartermaster gave you some rations as well as armor and weapons. Eat up." Gregory stated as he followed suit. Alex pulled up his inventory page and pulled a piece of bread, apple, and some jerky from his inventory.

"Where am I supposed to stay at night?" Alex asked in between bites.

"The barracks you appeared in, that is where you will stay while here. Now once we finish training, there are two main Quest Boards within the fortress. One outside the main Keep and the second one is at the gate leading in and out of the fortress walls. Any quests posted to the boards are optional, if there are any mandatory quests, there will be an Area-wide message to report to the nearest military outpost if you want it.' Gregory explained. 'Now once you start increasing your levels and want to purchase new gear or sell off gear you can visit the quartermaster or any of the shops within the fortress grounds. The quartermaster prices are set, but you can barter usually with the shop owners." Gregory continued to talk as they rested and ate during the break.

Surface- Shinning Hills Region

Kingdom of Arang'more- Oakwood Forest Area

Secret Achievement Unlocked: Karma's Gift

Description: Having extremely bad luck in one life can almost assure you having good luck in the next. (Permanent Luck +10)

Note* Secondary Stat Luck can affect you in a thousand different ways, from tripping and falling on your face, to finding a lost trove of treasure. You won't know it until after it has happened.

Note* Secondary Stats can only be increased through actions. gifts from others, and sometimes Equipment. You cannot invest Stat Points into them.

Alex dismissed the notification, he had finally read it after completing all his training with Corporal Young. The young Scout had left him to his own devices and he still had several hours before nightfall and the fortress would be shut tight then. Alex quickly checked his gear as he started walking towards the fortress entrance. Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Shody Leather Shirt

Quality: Poor

Armor Rating: +10

Durability: 20/20

Description: Although this leather is being held together by hope and string, it should still protect you. For a little bit.

Name: Shody Leather Pants

Quality: Poor

Armor Rating: +10

Durability: 20/20

Description: Although this leather is being held together by hope and string, it should still protect you. For a little bit.

Name: Rusted Iron Dagger

Quality: Poor

Damage: 5-10 (Slashing/Stabbing)

Durability: 20/20

Description: This dagger is pitted and rusted from age and use. If you stab someone with it, they might die from bleeding or infection, it will be a race to see which kills them first.

Three free pieces of poor quality gear, the belt offered not stats, just kept his pants from falling off and the dagger in the right place. However, between his passives and active Skills, he should be able to take on anything within a level of him. He dismissed the information as he started reading through the Quest Board. Most of the quests were minimal level five and up, but a few gathering quests and a few extermination quests were low enough he could take. Alex quickly grabbed them and trotted back into the fortress to pick up the immediate reward so he could do the quests.

Herbology and Alchemy would complement his skills very well and he had always loved gardening before his parents had disciplined him for working with the 'help'. They never understood he liked doing it and did not really consider it work. However, it was manual labor and thus Alex was not allowed to do it. Black-Speckled Mushrooms, Golden Lillies, and Rose-Thorn Blackcaps were items on the list for plants he had to collect. Boar, wolf, and lynx meat were the other ingredients he had to acquire, and those would be more troublesome because they fought back. You would expect the predators to be better at picking him out of Stealth, but it was the Boar's that were better for some reason and every time it failed, they squealed and ran away or they charged him.

Quest: Bubbling Experiment

Description: Travel to the Oakwood Forest and gather Black-Speckled Mushrooms that grow throughout the woods.

Gather Black-Speckled Mushrooms: 12/20

Success: Gather Black-Speckled Mushrooms and bring them back to Alchemist Daniels

Failure: Do not gather the Black-Speckled Mushrooms

Rewards: 200 Experience, 4 Silver, Minor Potion of Constitution Formula

Note* Black-Speckled Mushrooms usually grow at the base of trees.

Quest: Explosive Results...Maybe

Description: Travel to the Oakwood Forest and gather Golden Lillies and Rose-Thorn Blackcaps that grow throughout the forest.

Gather Golden Lillies: 4/10

Gather Rose-Thorn Blackcaps: 8/10

Success: Gather Golden Lillies and Rose-Thorn Blackcaps and bring them back to Alchemist Hudgens

Failure: Do not gather Golden Lillies and Rose-Thorn Blackcaps

Rewards: 200 Experience, 4 Silver,

Quest: Tasty Treats

Description: The Hardboiled Inn is in need of supplies, travel to the nearby Oakwood Forest and gather some fresh meat.

Gather Boar Slabs: 3/10

Gather Wolf Steaks: 4/10

Success: Kill and gather meat from Young Wild Boars and Young Wolves then return to the chef of the Hardboiled Inn

Failure: Do not Kill and gather meat from Young Wild Boars and Young Wolves

Rewards: 500 Experience, 5 Silver, Boar Burger, and Wolf-Herb Steak Recipes

Quest: Oakwood Threat

Description: The Oakwood Forest has many threats that originate from within it. Travel to the nearby area and cleanse it of wolves and lynx and part of this threat will be vanquished.

Kill Young Lynx: 1/4

Kill Young Forest Wolves: 4/10

Success: Kill Young Forest Wolves and Young Lynx and return to Sergeant Shaw

Failure: Do not kill the Young Forest Wolves and Young Lynx

Rewards: 500 Experience, 5 Silver, Unknown

Alex dismissed the information as he made his way silently through the forest. Stealth was holding, for now, so he hadn't been spotted by anything, but each time he dropped out to gather plants, it was an invitation for any nearby beast too attack. So Alex had picked up the sense too scout out any area and kill anything that could be a threat first before gathering any herbs. Three Black-Speckled Mushrooms were too much to pass up though, so Alex slowly made his way around them and the large Oak they were growing at the base of an oak tree.

He then heard snuffling and Alex froze as he saw a boar, he quickly Analyzed it as he kept a tree between him and it.

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Young Boar

Level: 2

Health: 400

Stamina: 400

Abilities: Charge, Gore

It was only level two, that was good, it meant more experience and a better chance at loot Alex thought as he watched as the creature walked closer. His Stealth was still up and his crappy dagger was in hand. Once it was in range he lashed out, Flanking and Critical Hit popped up and quickly disappeared as an eighth of the Boar's health disappeared. Alex threw himself forward as the boar squealed and turned as its tusks glowed slightly as it activated its Gore ability but Alex was already out of range. Alex smiled for once as he dodged the pig's counter-attack before lashing out drawing a bloody line across the boar's snout.

Alex groaned as he sat back in the tub and manipulated the interface in front of him. Between the quests and the fights in the forest he had acquired four levels today and because he was level five, he had more training to do tomorrow so he could start unlocking key Skills for Rogues. Particularly Lock Picking and Thrown Weapons Skills, once he hit level ten he would be trained Trap Detection and Trap Disarm. However, that was a thought for another day Alex mused as he starting reading through his Character Sheet.

Spoiler: Spoiler Name: Alex Dumass

Title: ---

Guild: ---

Level: 5

Experience: 600/2,500

Base Class: Rogue

Primary Class: ---

Advanced Class: ---

Utility Class: ---

Gathering Profession: Herbalism 30/50 (Initiate)

Crafting Profession: Alchemy 0/50 (Initiate)

Alignment: ---

Fame: ---

Infamy: ---

Constitution: 10

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Dexterity: 10

Intelligence: 10 (+2)

Wisdom: 10 (+2)

Luck: 10

Perception: 10 (+5)

Health: 1,000

Health Regen: 2.5 (Per Second)

Stamina: 1,000

Stamina Regen: 2.5 (Per Second)

Mana: 1,020

Mana Regen: 3 (Per Second)

Carry Capacity: 100 Lbs

Physical Damage: +1 to Base Damage

Spell Damage: +1 to Base Damage

Critical Strike Chance: +1%

Stat Points: 20

Skill Points: 0

Resistance:

Physical Damage: ---

Poison: ---

Magic Damage: ---

Light/Holy: ---

Life/Nature: ---

Darkness/Shadow: ---

Death: ---

Fire: ---

Water/Ice: ---

Earth: ---

Air/Lightining: ---

Chaos: ---

Mind: ---

Gathering Profession: Herbalism

Level: Initiate 30/50 (Passive)

Cost: N/A

Description: Herbalist or Herbology is the study of plants in both the wild and cultivated areas. With this Profession, you can harvest them anywhere. Each profession, Gathering or Crafting, starts at Initiate, then Novice, followed by Adept, Journeyman, Master, then finally Grandmaster. Each level gained increases the benefits of the profession.

Benefit 1: Increase Perception Sub-Stat by 5

Benefit 2: +5% Chance to find and harvest Rare Herbs

Benefit 3: +5% Chance to duplicate Harvested Materials

Crafting Profession: Alchemy

Level: Initiate 0/50 (Passive)

Cost: Varies

Description: Alchemy, like Science, revolves around discovery and experimentation. Alchemy can heal almost any wound while at the same time destroying almost anything. At higher levels, Alchemists can specialize in certain fields. Each profession, Gathering or Crafting, starts at Initiate, then Novice, followed by Adept, Journeyman, Master, then finally Grandmaster. Each level gained increases the benefits of the profession.

Benefit 1: Increase Intelligence and Wisdom by 2

Benefit 2: +5% Chance to discover new Formulas

Benefit 3: +5% Speed at which Potions are brewed

Combat/Armor Proficiencies...

Name: Unarmed Combat

Level: 3 (15% Progression to next Level)

Description: It does not matter if you are using feet, legs, hands, arms, or your forehead, anything can be a weapon in a fight.

Benefit 1: Increase Base Damage by 4

Cost: Passive, N/A

Cooldown: N/A

Name: Dagger(s)

Level: 5 (10% Progression to next Level)

Description: Daggers are wonderful for gutting animals out in the wild, or that annoying drunk that cannot carry a tune in a bucket. Just don't go all Jack the Ripper on us, please.

Benefit 1: Increase Base Damage by 6

Benefit 2: Increase Chance to cause Bleeding Damage by 5%

Cost: Passive, N/A

Cooldown: N/A

Name: Light Armor

Level: 4 (20% Progression to next Level)

Description: Robes or leather, as long as it's not metal.

Benefit 1: Increase Base Armor by 5 (Per Piece)

Cost: Passive, N/A

Cooldown: N/A

Combat Skills...

Name: Stealth

Level: 6 (10% Progression to next Level)

Description: I am the darkness, I am the shadows, I am the whisper on the wind.

Benefit 1: 15% Decreased chance of being seen

Benefit 2: 10% Decreased chance that you will be heard

Benefit 3: +5% Chance of a Critical Hit (First attack coming out of Stealth)

Active Effect: Movement Speed is slowed by 55%

Cost: 50 Stamina/Mana per Minute

Cooldown: 5 Seconds

Name: Backstab

Level: 5 (10% Progression to next Level)

Description: Peek-a-boo, I stab you!!

Damage: Physical Damage X 3

Benefit 1: +15% Chance to cause Bleeding Damage

Benefit 2: Critical Hit Chance increased by 10%

Requirment: Must be behind or to the side of Target

Cost: 100 Stamina

Cooldown: 1 Minute

Name: Aim

Level: 1 (0% Progression to next Level)

Description: Eye see you!!!

Benefit 1: 2X Zoom

Benefit 2: Critical Hit Chance increased by 5% while Aim is active

Cost: 20 Stamina Per Second

Cooldown: 5 Seconds

Name: Flanking

Level: 4 (10% Progression to next Level)

Description: I stab you here, I stab you there, I stab you anywhere!!! HAHAHA

Benefit 1: +5 Increased Base damage while attacking an enemy from the side or behind

Benefit 2: Critical Hit Chance increased by +1% while attacking an enemy from the side or behind

Cost: Passive, N/A

Cooldown: N/A

Name: Dodge

Level: 5 (10% Progression to next Level)

Description: I float like a butterfly!!!

Benefit 1: +6% chance you will dodge an attack

Cost: Passive, N/A

Cooldown: N/A

Combat Abilities...

Name: Teleport

Description: I go where I want too!!!

Benefit 1: Break any movement impairing Effects/Debuffs

Range: 30 Feet

Cast TIme: Instant

Restriction: You have to see where you are going and cannot Teleport through solid objects

Cost: 100 Stamina and Mana

Cooldown: 5 Minutes

Noncombat Skills...

Name: Analyze

Level: 4 (10% to Next Level)

Description: The all-seeing Eye, well mostly if you level this skill up enough scrub.

Benefit 1: You can see a targets Health, Stamina/Mana, Armor, Damage, and basic information about Race/Creature

Cost: 50 Stamina per Use

Cooldown: N/A

Name: Acrobatics

Level: 5 (20% Progression to next Level)

Description: I am BATMAN...damn this is a long...way...down...ahhhhh

Benefit 1: Less likely to break bones from falling from heights

Benefit 2: During combat, it's easier to roll/tumble/jump away from an enemy

Benefit 3: Decrease Stamina costs of evasive movements and Dodge by 10%

Cost: Passive, N/A

Cooldown: N/A

Name: Keen Sight

Level: 2 (10% Progression to next Level)

Description: Was this supposed to be a secret...Finders keepers!!!

Benefit 1: +10% Chance to find hidden doors, passages, chests...not so hidden anymore

Benefit 2: Perception (Sub-Stat) increases Chance to detect what is hidden by one quarter (25%) of Perception Level

Cost: Passive, N/A

Cooldown: N/A

Noncombat Abilities...

Name: Create Bind-Point

Description: WEZA GOIN HOME!!!

Benefit 1: Bind-Points or Ressurection Points are used if you die or use a Teleport/Portal Scroll to Home.

Cost: 100 Stamina and Mana

Cooldown: 24 Hours

Dexterity would be his main stat no matter what Primary Class he decided to choose, it determined his Physical Damage and helped with coordination. After that came Agility, it helped determine his speed, how fast he moved and how quickly he could attack as well as control at that speed. Alex dumped ten Stat Points into Dexterity, two into Strength to increase both his Stamina and Stamina Regeneration Rate, and the last eight Stat Points went into Agility. As Alex was closing his eyes to relax he heard a chirp in his ear. He had a message waiting for him, Alex brought up his inbox and froze. It was from his father.