Author's corner;

Finally finished editing my part for The Slime Dungeon. Now, editor-san gets to go over it and send it back to me for one last read-through and it's off to amazon, yay.

Remember, if you want to get the book directly from me without third parties, you can pay through patron and I'll e-mail you the pdf version to be read on your computer or mobile device. Hard copies will be available too after a week of figuring that out :p So look forward to it.

This is, of course, hidden info for you readers. I'm not making fake chapters that only have news anymore, so when I do make the announcement for Slime it will come with two new chapters for book 2.

Also, I've sent out a call for cover art for this story. Not quite sure what I want yet, but still need something. Cover art will be the one on the published version, and if the book sells I'll pay for any subsequent cover art. Thanks.

http://royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=56658

Also, farcry primal. All I got to say.

ENJOY!

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"Map," Steel called out. As the mini-map enlarged in front of his face, Steel inspected it closely.

According to it, Rostwood was a small sized city shaped like a circle divided into four sections by the main roads. There were two guard houses opposite in direction to the other, each next to their own gate. Each section of the city held a major location, which meant he would have to walk to every part of the city to accomplish the quest.

"Let's see here," Steel muttered as he looked at the closest spot, "I guess the mage tower is closest to me." The tower appeared to be located on the west side of the city in the middle of the section. Nodding, Steel minimized the mini-map and began to make his way toward the tower.

As he walked through the busy streets, he took his time to appreciate the environment. He was very impressed by the believability of the world around him; the air smelled of food , work, and horses and the sun glittered of windows and stone streets. Players and NPCs alike walked down the streets, all eager to experience their life in this world. He passed a few stalls where merchants stood out and called out their wares to passerby's. Since this section held the mage tower, Steel began to notice a large number of magic, apothecary, and enchantment shops.

As he walked by an apothecary stall, he was stopped for a moment as a pair of guards escorted a player out in hand cuffs. The player wailed as he struggled to escape, but the guards had a firm grip on him.

"I need poison for my quest, I'm telling you the truth!" The player cried out as he passed Steel, "I wasn't going to kill anyone with it!"

Steel raised an eyebrow and walked to the apothecary, who was glaring at the player as he was being taken away. "Excuse me ma'am," He started politely, "What happened to that man?"

The apothecary was a mature lady in a brown dress with long brown hair and brown skin. Her face, which would be pleasing during normal circumstances, was currently screwed up into a face of loathing. She huffed and shook her head in disgust, "That traveler wanted to by some nightshade poison, which is a strong poison for most people. He should have known better; only poison-makers deal with that and they are out-lawed in the kingdom. Care to buy a potion young traveler?" Her face changed to business shockingly fast.

Steel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I'm still new to the area, so I doubt my small coin purse would interest you. However," He said quickly as the apothecary began to look disinterested, "Can I pay you for some information?"

The apothecary donned a beaming smile and gestured for him to join her at the counter in her store. She led inside, past shelves of potions, and sat down behind the counter. "You may ask your questions young one, and I'll determine what you owe. I won't cheat you, so have no fear."

Feeling slightly skeptical, Steel shrugged and asked, "How much would it be to learn how to make my own potions?"

The apothecary leaned back and scratched her head, "In order to become an apothecary, you would have to acquire the Herbology, Foraging, and Potion Crafting skill. If you just wanted the ability to make potions, you would only need that last skill. Either way, you would need a starter's kit and guidance from an apothecary, together would cost would about 15 silver."

Steel visibly winced at the price. The apothecary chuckled at his expression, "Don't worry, not all skills require a menter in order to be learned. In fact, you could develop the Amateur Potion Making skill on your own, but it would never be as good as learning from a mentor until you advanced it to master level. It would then change into intermediate Potion Crafting and you would be all set. The starter kit would still be 10 silver, however."

Steel nodded, "Do you know any jobs I could do to start saving up for it?"

The apothecary hummed and thought for a moment, "Well, I do need someone to help me gather some herbs for my shop. The sudden arrival of travelers mean that I will soon need more stock to sell, so if you could gather 25 green herbs for me I would repay you."

Quest AddedGather herbsRoxanne the apothecary has taken a liking to you and has asked your help in gathering 25 green herbs for her shop. She can tell you where to find them.Objective:Gather at least 25 herbs of at minimum decent quality and return them to RoxanneReward:Foraging Skill, intimacy with Roxanne, possible additional rewards

Steel grinned at the quest and nodded, "I would be happy to help you gather herbs. Where can I find them?"

Roxanne grinned and winked at him, "I appreciate the help. Now, you travelers are to weak to leave the city currently, but there is a section of land outside the wall that is available to you. The area outside the east gate holds the farmland for the city and is thus protected by patrolling guards. If you hand them this slip, they will let you out for this quest. However, it will only be good for one day after you show it, so I advise you don't wait around." She handed hims a letter with a leaf on it and pointed at the door, "I'll be waiting, so don't take too long."

Steel said his goodbye's and left the shop. A quick look confirmed Roxanne's shop was now permanently marked on his map with an exclamation sign. He smiled and resumed his travels toward the mage tower.

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It didn't take Steel too long to reach the mage tower. It stood tall and proud in the center of what Steel called the "magic area". From what Steel had picked up from conversations and reading about it on the Everwiki, the mage tower was the location where the archmage of the city lived as well as the other members of the wizard council. It also served as the branch of the Mage Guild and served as a location where new mages could practice their craft without hurting innocent bystanders.

Reaching the tower, Steel took in the large oak doors that stood open to the world. Above the door, an inscription read:

Enter ye who seek knowledge. Enter ye who seek power. Know that answers beyond the call of man await. Know that ye tempt death's accursed fate. Puzzling at the message, Steel walked into the tower and paused to take in the surroundings.

The inside of tower was very grand. The floors were pure white while the walls were spelled with illusions of the different elements. One part of the wall seemed to blaze in fire, another section resembled a hurricane, another looked as if it were under water, and the last section looked like a wall of earth that twinkled with many gemstones. Inside, a receptionist desk stood to the wall on the left next to a large stair that winded upwards stood in the middle of the floor. Tables were scattered throughout the area, with groups of wizards sitting and talking to each other. The opposite wall to the receptionist desk held an ethereal board that held many slips of paper on it.

Steel walked over to the receptionist desk, which was very long and held many alcoves. There were quite a few players already talking to some of the receptionists, but Steel spied an open alcove and sat down in front if it.

The receptionist present was a pretty young girl who was currently leaning on her hand and looked quite bored. She had blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and brown eyes with a dainty nose on her face. She frowned as she looked at Steel.

"I don't feel like talking, so go find someone else." She said haughtily.

It was quite clear why this receptionist had no one waiting in line to speak with her. Steel cleared his throat, "Excuse me, I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me."

The receptionist sighed and raised her head off her hand. She glared at Steel, "Like I said, I don't feel like talking. Go away."

Steel frowned, remembering some of the bullies he had the misfortune of meeting with in the past. "I'll leave, but it's a shame you're incapable of doing the simplest of things. I guess I'll go wait in line for that busty blonde down the desk."

An invisible hand pushed him down into the seat as he was getting up. He looked over to see the red and furious face fo the receptionist in front of him.

"Jackpot." He thought to himself.

"I can do anything that blonde wench can do and better." She growled out, "Hurry and ask your questions."

"How does one become a mage?" Steel asked.

The receptionist sniffed and grinned, "That is an easy one to answer. If a traveler such as yourself wants to become a mage, they would have to do one of two things. They could choose to work as a mage apprentice for the guild here and would be granted the class of mage immediately. Of course, they would aptly paid for their service and could still go on adventures as long as they followed any request sent to them by the guild. The other way is to purchase magic books from the guild and learn on you own the skills required to become a mage. Like any other class, once you have learned the prerequisite skills, the voice of the goddess would then come down and ask you if you wanted to become that class. Now, here is what I can tell you that the other hussy can't." She lowered her voice, "Both ways have disadvantages. While you will be paid as a mage apprentice, it will be less than if you accepted the quest as a free adventurer. Also, any mage quest sent to you would automatically take precedence over anything you'd currently be doing. You'd be a mage apprentice until you paid back the guild or rebelled, which would make you a criminal with a bounty. Then, if you were caught you'd be made a slave. On the other hand, the magic books are insanely expensive if you don't know the right people. There is a secret third option as well; find a mentor to teach you magic. Other classes can use a little magic, so don't think you have to be a mage to use magic."

Through your actions, you have learned an interesting secret of the mage guild. Perhaps there are similar things at the other guilds?+1 charm

+1 wisdom

+1 intelligence

Steel nodded his head, "You were right; you are definitely the best receptionist here. I can't believe I even considered going to the hussy at the end of the line."

The receptionist puffed up at Steel's praise and began to lecture him about spells. Mages and most other classes could learn new spells three ways: being taught, reading a book, or discovering/creating a spell themselves. Finding a teacher was hard as a teacher could only teach one student at a time and each teacher had his or her own negative quirks to deal with, but the reward was the fame of being the teacher's student. Reading a tome would grant the ability to use a spell immediately, making it the most expensive option and the rarest since the book disappeared after use. Discovering or creating a spell was the easiest, but magical experimentation was dangerous and had a 80% chance of causing an explosion or magical disaster for the user. The offending mage would be charged full price of any damages and be expected to work his debt off to the crown or be imprisoned.

There were many different types of mages in the world of Everlife, and to become one a player had to be the mage class and satisfy the requirements to become one. For instance, a mage that practices a lot of fire magic would be given the option of becoming a pyromancer or an explosive mage. Some mage classes were unique and secret, and the requirements were hidden.

"So what do you think of me now young traveler?" She asked haughtily.

"It's Steel, not traveler, and I think we are the same age."

She glared at him, "Not that, what do you think of me? Am I not the smartest and brightest one here?"

Steel shrugged, "Compared to the busty blonde, I'm sure you are better. Being the best, though, I'm not sure about since I haven't talked to all of them yet."

The receptionist frowned at him, "I assure you there is nothing they can do that I can't do better."

Steel smiled softly, "I bet you can't teach me magic."

The receptionist looked shocked at his words. Steel leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "I bet if I made one of those receptionists happy enough, they would be willing to show me a little something or two. You're probably too scared of doing anything against the guild and archmage though."

The receptionist visibly twitched at the word 'archmage' and gave a savage grin. "You know what, that would be going against the the arc . . . mage guild wouldn't it. Take this letter and be in the farmlands at sunset. The guards will let you out for just that night since you're still weak, so don't miss out meeting."

Quest Added (Special)Learn MagicDue to your successful persuasion, you have convinced Marie the receptionist to teach you magic against the wishes of the mage guild. Be sure you don't miss the meeting or bad things will happen.Objective:Meet Marie at sunset in the farmlands and learn magic from her.Special Objective:What you're doing is on the ''thrown in jail' side of things. Be sure to not get caught or get Marie in trouble.Reward:Basic magic, intimacy with Marie, opportunity to enter the farmlands

You have learned the skill: PersuasionDescription:A master of the silver tongue, you have the ability to change other's perspective to align with your own. Passive abilityLevel:Beginner 1Effects:You have a greater chance of persuading others.

Steel nodded, "I will be there."

Marie smiled and passed him an envelope with a book on it. "I'll see you there." She gave him a wink.

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After leaving the mage tower, Steel went to his next stop, the temples.

The temple part of the city served as the area with many trees and gardens. Steel noted many small temples as he made his way toward the largest temple in the center of the garden. The main temple was actually quite beautiful; the steps and columns were of a white stone that glittered in the sunset. The architecture reminded Steel of a mix of Roman and Greek buildings he had seen on the Holo-deck in the Game Center. The temple had white doors adorned with many patterns that gave him a feelings of serenity. Upon entering, he noticed a group of players who were in the middle of worship in a flowered courtyard. In the main room, instead of a receptionist desk, 6 statues lined the wall in a semi-circular form.

"Do you need assistance young traveler?" A voice came from Steel's left. He turned to find a robed priest beside him, waiting for a response.

"Yes good priest, your help would be invaluable to me. I seek knowledge on the different jobs, and I came here to learn the various classes of faith."

The priest smiled at him, "Of course young one, I would be happy to explain to you the faith professions. It is a pleasure to see so many travelers interested in the wisdom of the gods. Walk with me to the god statues."

Steel and the priest walked over to the statues. The priest indicated each statue.

"There are many gods that rule from the pantheon above and below. We honor all the gods with their own temple, even the dark gods so as to not garner their envy or anger. However, these are the 6 high gods that rule these lands. They are universal to all races, but each has a favored race that they show more favor to than others."

He gestured to the first statue, "This is Highland, the god of adventure and patron of the human race. His followers are encouraged to seek fame and fortune in the land and spread healing where ever it is needed."

The second statue, "This is Gaea, the god of nature and patron of the elf race. His followers spend many hours learning as much as they can. While not traditionally battle worthy, they are some of the best healers in the world and some are feared for their prowess with plant magic."

"This is the statue of Scorch, god of the mountains and crafting, and patron of the dwarves. His followers fight with heaven-blessed fists and kicks and are always ready for a noble brawl. It is said everything in the heavens is made by him and his apprentices."

"Over here is Farscythe, god of tricks and parties, and patron of the gnomes. He is one of the most cunning gods and his followers are adept at shadowy tricks and concealment. Some of the best entertainers in the world also follow him."

"Finally, we have Scar, god of war and battle, and the orc's patron. His battle priests fight with holy staves and morningstars and spread his word blow by blow."

Steel looked at the sixth statue in the middle, "What about her?"

The priest smiled at the statue, "She is Milna, goddess of nature. She has no race, but gives her love to any who love and fight for nature. She is also the shyest of the gods, very little is known about her outside of her followers. It is sometimes said she is the patron of the beasts that walk the lands."

"Would that not make her an enemy of all people?"

"No, it means she helps to keep them in check so we can have our meat." he said evenly. Privately doubting that last bit of information, Steel examined the 6 statues again.

"Why is there only 1 goddess among these gods?" He asked.

The priest chuckled, "Because the gods favor races, but the goddesses are more picky and prefer individuals. To be favored by a goddess is said to be of a higher value than a god in that case. We don't judge, of course, because all divinity is equal in our eyes."

"Now, you wanted to hear about the different faith professions correct?" The priest waited for Steel's nod, "Well, faith professions are divided between warrior and priest. Both use faith as the source of their power, but paladins and crusaders use faith as a augment to their battle prowess while priests and healers use their faith for their spells. To become one of either side, you would have to choose a patron god or goddess and pledge your eternal loyalty. Your patron would then grant you the starting class and abilities. If you do choose a dark god, we do request you worship and secret and leave the city as soon as possible however." The priest eyed Steel for a moment, "While we preach equality, only towns where travelers come into being have this attitude. The rest of the world will actively seek to purge any dark priests for fear of another war."

"I doubt I would worship a dark one, so have no fear good priest." Steel assured him.

The priest visibly relaxed and smiled at Steel, "I hope I answered your questions satisfactory."

Steel nodded, "You have, and will pray on this matter as I explore the rest of the city."

The priest bowed, "I wish you a blessed day then young traveler."

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Phew, long chapter today to make up for the slow period. Expect another chapter today, maybe in 8 hours? Meh, it's coming. I hope you guys like the changes I made.