Chapter Two – A Helpful Merchant

"Hello," a pleasant female voice said.

Jon was staring into total darkness. He tried to move and discovered he was floating. Even though his body was immobilized in the capsule, he could move freely in the encircling darkness.

"Hello." The voice said again. It seemed to come from all directions at once.

"Hello," he answered.

"Welcome to Royal Road. Your body is being scanned at the moment; in the meantime, please, choose a nickname."

"Jon."

"Very good. Jon, what race do you want to play as?"

"Me."

"Very good. Jon, human. Do you want to make changes to you appearance?"

"No."

"Very good. Please choose a place to start playing." A list of names appeared, floating in the darkness.

-'Gorge said to start in Rosenheim.'-

He found the name Rosenheim Citadel near the bottom of the list and picked it.

"Very good. The scan will be finished in a moment. Please wait."

Jon floated for a while in the darkness. He felt at home in it.

"Scan complete. The game will start now. I hope you will enjoy playing, good luck."

The darkness faded into a blinding light.

Jon closed his eyes against the bright light. Sounds of people talking surrounded him. Opening his eyes he saw a market, busy with people walking about. He couldn't believe it. In his mind he was still in the capsule but his eyes were telling him otherwise.

He lifted his arms and shook his legs.

-'Just like my real body'- he thought

He tried making a step. It went okay, so he tried to jump. That worked fine as well.

-'It even smells real.'-

He looked around, Gorge explained to him about Npcs (Non-Player-Characters) but it was impossible to tell the difference. Everyone he looked at looked like a real person. They all went about their business around him, trading and talking.

-'That guy might be an Npc.'-

In the whole crowd only one person stood out. He was walking strangely slowly, looking at the opposite direction of which he was going.

Jon ignored him. He was busy trying out the interface commands. One by one he checked different menus. From his inventory that contained only a handful of rye bread to his skill menu which was empty, he checked them all. To him the menus looked like floating, transparent pages. The menus were only visible to Jon, so from the side he looked like a crazy person, pressing and flipping the air.

A man who walked by him gave him a disgusted look and when Jon turned around to look at him, his eyes met the eyes of the person who he thought was an Npc.

Only this Npc raised an iron club over his head and was preparing to swing it down at Jon.

Without a second thought Jon moved forward closing the small distance between him and the attacker in one step. His foot stepped on the attacker's foot and he pressed down hard while simultaneously pushing him backwards.

The weight of the iron club raised high in the air together with a small push made him lose his balance and he fell on his back, letting go of the club to cushion the fall with his hands. Jon caught the club in the air and dropped it hard on the man. The heavy club connected with the throat of the man who was now lying on his back and crushed it completely.

Critical Hit

A window popped up in front of Jon's eyes and disappeared after a second. The man under his feet turned grey and disappeared as well, only his club was left, held firmly by Jon.

Level Up

Level Up

You have killed a player!

Fame is decreased by 20 points. (-20 Fame)

A red mark has appeared on your forehead, it will disappear in 6 hours.

It was over in a flash.

"He killed him" A voice screamed close by. Jon ignored it.

He raised a hand to touch his forehead and sure enough there was something that felt like a small gem stuck right in the middle.

-'Stats menu'- He spoke the command in his mind and the menu materialized in front of him.

"Fucker killed Ron!" a different voice this time.

-'What did Gorge say I should raise when I level up?'-

"Si, let's get him!." The first voice said.

-'Right, raise the dexterity.'- Jon put the ten status points he got from reaching level three into the Dexterity status.

"Si, distract him while I cast a spell." "Now! Go! What are you waiting for?"

Jon looked at the direction the voice was coming from. His dexterity stat was now at twenty, ten points higher than the stat of the man running at him with a drawn sword. Not a lot but more than enough.

Jon spun on one foot to avoid the sword that passed near his right shoulder. Not waiting for the spin to finish, he used the spin momentum to raise the iron club fast towards the opponent’s chin.

The club hit dead center.

It broke the chin and kept going upwards; squishing the head out of the openings in the helmet replacing with an iron ball what was once a face.

Critical Hit

Level Up

You have killed a player!

Fame is decreased by 20 points. (-20 Fame)

The red mark will disappear in 12 hours.

Jon ignored the screens that pooped up in his field of vision and sprinted to the one casting the spell. He let go of the club and was in front of the caster while it was still falling through the air , the helmet still attached to the ball at the end.

By the time the club hit the ground with a metallic tinge, Jon's fingers were resting comfortably inside the caster's eye sockets.

Critical Hit

-'I wonder why he didn't count as a kill?'-

Both men turned grey and disappeared. A book fell on the ground beside Jon's legs. He picked up the book forgetting about the club and the helmet still lying a couple of steps away.

"You! Stop right there." A guard wearing full body metal armor arrived at the scene yelling..

"Put your hands out so I can tie them, come on."

"Wait." A man moved Jon's hands out of the way, "I saw everything. They attacked him first."

"Did they?"

"Ask anyone you want!" He waved his hands at the crowd that gathered around them.

It took some more persuading, but in the end the guard backed of but didn't go away. He kept eyeing Jon, giving him bad stares.

Jon's fame was negative sixty. While that meant nothing to human players, Npc's like the guard would think Jon was a criminal.

"Get out of here both of you, I don't need any more trouble from him."

"Yes, sir. We shall run along now." The man bowed to the guard and pushed Jon to go away.

"Are you crazy? Killing people in the middle of the street? Do you want to spend your first month playing in jail?" he kept looking behind him to see if there was anyone following them.

"You're lucky my speech-craft skill is level 3, or else you'd be behind bars now."

They turned into a side street leaving the crowd behind them.

"Name's Mapan. Merchant Mapan!" He extended his hand forward.

"…" Jon just looked at it.

"Ahh, you got me." He laughed after a few seconds of silence. "I'm no merchant. Not yet anyway. But you wait and see I'll become the greatest merchant in Royal Road."

"…"

"I just need to finish the profession change quest. They want me to get three hundred rabbit skins. Three hundred!" He started getting angry. "Do you have any idea how hard that is? And the fuckers tell me to do it in three days!!!"

He tried to calm himself down.

"So…" his demeanor suddenly changed, "did those guys happen to drop any rabbit skins after being slain by the mighty, you?" a fake smile covered his face.

-'So that’s why he helped me.'-

Jon lifted the book he picked from the ground.

"Oh, what's this?" Mapan snatched the book and started flipping through it.

"Hmm, "Fundamentals of magic", not bad not bad, might be worth a gold coin or two to the right person. Great condition, almost new… wait, what's this? Worthless" He threw the book back to Jon.

"That's a library book, he must have stolen it. I was wondering why a newbie dropped a book like that."

"So no rabbit skins?"

"No."

"Damn." He said suddenly. "Freaking waste of time. That's what I get for helping others."

"At least I got some Exp for my speech-craft skill." He murmured as he joined the mass of people in the main street.

Jon was looking at him until he disappeared from his sight. He stood there waiting, not knowing what to do.

The sound of someone's yelling reached his ears, something about buying rabbit skins for 30 coppers each. Jon was still standing at the same place Mapan left him. He didn't know what to do now. After putting the five stat points he got from reaching level four into the dexterity stat he thought about what to do next but nothing came to mind.

-'I want to fight monsters, but Gorge said I can't go out of the city for my first month in game time.'-

He was bored, and with nothing better to do, he simply sat down in the ally with his back to the wall and started reading the book he picked up.

As the sun got closer to the horizon, the light that reached him between the building walls slowly grew smaller. Jon kept moving closer and closer to the ally's entrance, following the disappearing light. It was no small book, filled with pages of difficult magic formulas and hard to pronounce spells Jon understood he would have to find a place with enough light if he wanted to keep reading at night.

But he was in no hurry, although hard the book interested him and there were still a couple of hours before the sun disappeared completely. So he kept reading.

"Hello" a kid approached Jon.

"Is there anything we can help you with?" A girl said, and approached him as well.

Jon ignored them both.

"Honorable sir, I and my friend are adventurers and we will gladly help you with anything you need."

The two of them waited for a response.

"Come on, he's not gonna give us any quests." The girl whispered to the boy.

"Wait a sec. I'm telling you he must be an Npc related to some secret quest."

"Sir," he cleared his throat and stepped closer to Jon "I also enjoy reading. May I ask what book it is you’re reading?"

-'They don't intend to leave me do they they?'- He flipped a page. –'Need to find someplace quiet'-

He stood up and closed the book.

"See, I told you he wan an Npc!" the boy smiled.

"Library." Jon said.

"What?"

"Library." Jon turned pointing at the book.

Terror grasped the kid’s face. The boy gave one look at the red gem on Jon's forehead and ran away screaming "Player killer!!!!" at the top of his lungs.

Jon moved to the girl still pointing at the book.

"Library?"

The little girl started crying. A guard passing by heard it and interfered.

"What's going on here?"

Jon turned to the guard, the girl kept crying behind him.

"You, what have you done to the girl?" the guard reached for his sword.

"Where is the library?" he said and pointed at the book he was holding.

The guard eyed Jon suspiciously, his hand still holding a handle of his sword.

With directions and a warning from the guard, Jon found a library not far from the town square where he first logged into the game. The sun was starting to set, covering everything with a dim orange light. A large old library building, illuminated by the setting sun, appeared magical. Jon entered through a huge wooden double door. The air was cooler inside.

The parts visible in the candle light were rows and rows of bookshelves. The sound of his steps in a huge room, echoed in the silence.

He approached a bookkeeper's desk. An old man, with a long, flowing, gray beard sat beside a book as big as Jon’s.

"What do you want?" he asked with a sharp voice when he noticed Jon. "This is not a place for trouble makers like yourself!" Jon's negative fame changed the attitude of the usually pleasant Npc.

Jon took out his book and handed it to the bookkeeper.

"What's this?" he put the glasses hanging from his neck on his nose. "This book was stolen! Where did you get this?" he eyed Jon curiously.

"Found it."

"Yes, but where did you find it?"

"…"

"Not saying, fine. Are you returning it then?"

"…"

The bookkeeper stared at Jon intensively, waiting for him to speak.

"…"

"You’re a man of few words; I like that in a man." The bookkeeper's eyes softened. "You don't have to tell me where you found it, but thank you for returning it nonetheless."

Fame Rises By 5 (+5 Fame)

Relationship With Library Bookkeeper Increased

"Is there something you'd like in return?"

Jon looked at the book in the mans hand. The bookkeeper noticed a bookmark stuck in it and smiled.

"You want this book back?"

"Yes."

"Can't do that. Books are not allowed to leave the library."

"…"

"If you still wish to read it, follow me." The bookkeeper took something out of a drawer and walked into the sea of bookshelves. The sun had set and the darkness took over the library. Jon followed closely.

They stopped in an open space. A dozen or so candles were lit, near every candle a person reading a book was visible.

"Here," the bookkeeper handed a lit cantle to Jon which he took.

"Sit wherever you like, there's more than enough room."

Jon took the book and two spare candles and sat down at one of the far tables, hidden from the rest of the people in the room by a large stack of books.

He placed the candle into a candle holder, opened the book where he last stopped and continued reading.

When the last candle was almost burnt out Jon looked up from the book for the first time. The first rays of sunshine were starting to come through the large glass windows near a high ceiling.

He was hungry and even though he had almost finished the book it was becoming hard to concentrate. He took out rye bread from his inventory and filled a glass with water from a jug in the middle of the table.

-'I want to do magic.'-

He thought about what he had read, then picked and tried to chant the simplest spell in the book. Nothing happened. He tried a few more times. No result.

-'Too bad'-

He finished eating, there was enough light now to read the letters even without a candle. He wondered how come he wasn't tired even though he had just spent the whole night awake.

-That's right. Gorge said time moved faster in the game. I've been playing for about twelve hours, so that's… hmm… three hours in real life. Need to log out for dinner soon.'-

-'I'll finish the book first'- he thought and went back to reading.

New Skill Acquired: Magic Mastery

The basis of all magic, Magic Mastery gives a player control over his Magic Power.

The higher your mastery of control is, the stronger the magic that you perform is.

The higher the skill level is the faster you can cast spells.

Warning: Casting high level magic with a low level of Magic Mastery is dangerous and may result in death.

You Have Completed The Book: "Fundamentals Of Magic"

Intelligence Rises By 2 (+2 Int)

He opened the skill menu, and sure enough there it was; Basic Magic Mastery: Level 1/ 0%.

-'Maybe now.'-

He chose a spell the book said was perfect for beginners, opened his palm as if holding a ball, and began chanting. As soon as he began the chant a weak bluish glow appeared around his hand and his Mp (Mana points) started dropping. When twenty out of his one hundred magic points disappeared, the light enveloping his palm collected itself into the shape of a ball.

The ball was the size of a large marble, glowing in a bright blue color and floating around his palm, almost grazing the skin but never touching it.

-'Whoah…'- he was awestruck. His mind went blank as he stared at a small wonder in his hand.

It didn't last long though, soon the blue ball of light started shaking violently. This snapped Jon back from his trance.

He concentrated hard trying to steady the ball again, afraid to lose it. He managed somewhat, it was still moving around more than at first but not so violently. His concentration wavered and the ball fell apart, falling on his palm like sand and disappearing into nothingness.

-'If only I had this in the cage.'-

The skill window he forgot to close, now showed Basic Magic Mastery: Level 1/ 6%. He closed it so it wouldn't distract him and cast the spell again.

Like the first time, the spell started shaking and when he got it under control again he decided to try another thing the book mentioned. He chanted one more line and saw his Mp start to go down again. The less Mp he had left the bigger the ball became. As it reached the size of a tennis ball he hardly had any mana left to spare.

He kept infusing the spell with his magic, mesmerized by the dancing light. The blue Mp bar in his peripheral vision started blinking red and soon disappeared completely. Jon thought it was over however he was not satisfied!

He wanted the light to shine brighter, he wanted it to cover him in its blue glow.

-'Brighter'-

The ball floated in his hand, barely even moving.

-'Brighter'-

The glow became brighter.

-'BRIGHTER!'- He felt a sudden pull forward, it was small and hardly noticeable yet he felt as if the ball were sucking him in.

Something was moving inside the ball, it looked like smoke but it was red. It swirled inside the ball, growing bigger, slowly giving the blue color a purple hue. The light it gave off became stronger and Jon liked it.

He concentrated, trying to make the color change completely to purple. He was so engrossed in the light, he didn't notice how pale the skin of his arm became. The stronger the purple hue became the whiter Jon grew. Commanded by Jon to grow brighter and with no more Mp to use, the spell tapped into Jon's life for nourishment.

The red health bar was vanishing fast. A little longer and Jon would die.

The spell broke suddenly. The ball fell apart like sand, leaving an afterimage of itself still floating in the air. Jon was still alive; his Hp bar was barely visible and saw that now.

His survival instinct kicked in, it had saved his life dozens of time in the death matches and Jon learned to rely on it unconditionally.

-'Thank you.'- it saved him again.

He sat down, dizzy and sick. The Hp and Mp bar filled out slowly as time passed.

-'Again.'- he wanted to see the purple light again.

He got used to being on the verge of death in the years he had spent in the "pit". Many did the same thing that almost killed him. Most of them didn't stop in time killing themselves and vowing not to do something so stupid again, and amongst those who stopped in time none tried it again.

Players who played as mages were usually weak and cowardly by nature. They chose the Mage profession to avoid direct combat, staying on the sidelines casting their spells for a safe distance, afraid of getting hurt, more often than not, protected by warriors.

Contrary to them, Jon felt alive only on the verge of death. The purple light called to him and he intended to follow it.

Thinking things through, he stood up and began searching for the bookkeeper. He found him and returned the book to him.

"More."

The bookkeeper looked at Jon knowingly.

"You've discovered your magic power, haven’t you?"

"…"

"I can see it in you, like in so many others before you." He smiled, yet his eyes looked sad. "I'll tell you what I have told the rest of them. There aren't any spell books here, if you want to learn how to cast spell go to the Mages guild! I won't tolerate people playing with magic in my library!" he said and pointed at the huge book Jon saw when he first came in.

"Once was more than enough!

Jon noticed the burn marks on it now.

"No spells." He repeated after the bookkeeper.

"Then what is it that you want?"

"Magic books."

"Like I said, all magic books are kept in the Mage guild. You should go there it's not far away. I'll even draw you a map. I've gotten good at it with all aspiring mages leaving there once I tell you there are no spells to be learnt here." He took out a piece of paper and began searching for ink, digging through the mass on his desk.

"No." Jon stopped the bookkeeper. "Mage books."

"Mage books? You mean books about magicians?"

"I've got the perfect thing for you!" he looked excited. "Follow me."

"This is such a rare moment. It's been years since someone read them." He was racing through the bookshelves, the end of his robe stretching behind him like a tail. Jon had to walk carefully so as not to step on it.

"Here they are." He pointed at the shelf covered with a thick layer of dust. "There are a lot of them, but they are just what you need if you want to learn about mages."

Jon looked at the books. There were twenty of them and they all looked identical.

"Volumes one through twenty. The only place you can find the complete set is here. You can't find them all even if you search the whole Royal library. And the Mages guild only has the last one, what a joke!" He was full of energy, waving his hands at the volume he mentioned.

"How do you like them?" He spoke to Jon, not taking his eyes of the books.

Jon took out the first volume. It wasn't big but it was much heavier than it looked. Embrowned on the leather cover with golden thread was the title "Mages through the Ages", under it in smaller, silver letters was written "Volume One."

"No author." The bookkeeper said.

"No one knows who wrote the books. Every hundred years or so a book was discovered, there is no record of them, ever. They simply appear out of nowhere. No merchant ever remembers where he got it; they all say it simply appeared in their shop one day. And adventurers who find them never remember picking them up." He was smiling happily. "Historians consider it as great mystery, and many have dedicated their lives to find out the author."

Jon returned to his sitting place. The old bookkeeper stayed back to remove the dust that piled up on the rest of the volumes.

-'Purple magic.'- he was looking for a mention of a mage who used it, and this was a good place to start…

"Here you go." The bookkeeper handed Jon a steaming cup.

"…"

"Drink it. It's my own recipe, it will help you concentrate."

Jon took the small cup carefully. It was filled to the brim with black, tar like liquid. The cup was so small, that there was hardly enough for a mouth full. He downed it in one sip.

It took him by surprise. Even though there was steam coming from the liquid and the cup was hot to the touch, as the liquid made its way to his stomach he felt cold spreading through his body. Goosebumps appeared on his skin and the hair on his arms stood up.

The cold disappeared as suddenly as it arrived.

You drank "Scholars Brew"

You feel reenergized.

Your reading speed is doubled.

Affect last for 5 hours.

"Refreshing isn't it?" The bookkeeper laughed, "You, get used to it."

"If you want more, there's always a jug at my table. Take as much as you want, there's no need to ask," he said and went to the next person, already with a full cup in his hand.

-'I'm surprised he doesn't spill it,'- he thought and continued reading.

He was getting close to the half-way point of the book when a big red letters flashed in his face.

REAL LIFE INTERFERENCE! PLEASE LOG OUT IMMIDIATELY!

-'Must be Gorge.'-

He uttered the command in his mind and darkness filled his vision.

Once the sound of the spinning processors stopped the capsule moved into a standing position and the lid opened.

"Did you forget about dinner?" Gorge asked, not even waiting for the lid to open completely.

"Come on, the food is getting cold." He turned around and left.

Jon followed him and sat at the table.

"Enjoy." Gorge was smiling again.

He waited for Jon to finish eating before satisfying his curiosity.

"Did you like it?" No use for roundabout questions Gorge figured, better ask him straight.

Jon swallowed the last bite and looked up at Gorge.

"Yes."

"Anything specific?"

"Purple light."

"Purple? Where did it come from?"

"Magic."

Gorge laughed, "Magic you say? And you got to use it?"

"Yes."

"So you're going to be a magician then?"

"No." he said after a moment of thought.

"That is good. I do not think being a magician would suit you."

"A berserker suits you better from what Joshua tells me." He took the risk, trying to make a joke.

"…" Jon just looked at Gorge without as much as blinking.

"Never mind that, just kidding."

-'Too soon.'- Gorge thought.

"You know, Jon, I have been reading up on Royal Road, I can help you. All you need to do is ask."

-'He might know.'- He wanted to see the purple light again, maybe Gorge can help.

"Purple magic."

"Yes, I heard."

"Purple magic!"

"You want me to find out about purple magic?" he looked hopefully at Jon.

"Yes."

"That is great. I'll make sure I find something by breakfast. I will go start while you take a shower." He stood up, "You do not want the capsule to smell of sweat, do you?"

"Used to it."

This caught Gorge off guard.

"Listen to me, Jon, I do not know what you have been through," he leaned close to Jon's face, "and I pray one day you will tell me about it. But until you do I will treat you no different than when you were a boy and I was your nanny. So you better listen and behave or just like then I will punish you."

Jon didn't show the slightest bit of response.

"I may not be able to spank you now, but if you do not start to act like the grown up that you are I will have the capsule sent back. Understood?"

"…"

"The only reason I asked for it was because I believe it will make you want to talk to me. Joshua said it was a bad idea so if I see that instead of opening you up to me it does the opposite, I will get rid of it." He was breathing heavily.

"Are we clear?"

"Yes."

"And you better start talking in complete sentences, boy, or it will be sooner rather than later."

"I understand."

"That's better. Now go clean up."

Jon stood up and left the room.

"Come see me when you are done," he yelled after him, "and make sure to use the scrub."

-'At least his mind isn't gone.'- He thought as he booted up a holographic display.

-'If he can think like a normal person all I need to do is make him talk until he's so used to it that he does it on his own.'-

-'I'd hate to do it, but I can always threaten him with the game. Just need to make sure he wants to keep playing it.'-

"Call Silia." he said to the screen.

"Yes, sir." Her face appeared on it.

"I need you to find out about purple magic."

"I understand Sir wasted no time with the game." She looked annoyed. "I'll update you as soon as I find something. Anything else I can do for you?"

"Relax." Gorge smiled tenderly. Silia has been his secretary for the past five years, and worked for Jon's father for many years before that. He cared for her as if she were his own daughter.

"The moment you come back to your senses." And Silia treated Gorge as if he actually were her father. "Sir."

"There is nothing to worry about, dear; it will all make sense to you soon."

She smiled, but her eyes still showed how worried she really was.

"Connect me to Joshua, please. I will have more time than I thought I would these upcoming days and I wish to tell him that personally."

Silia looked like she wanted to ask something but did what she was told instead.

"How are you doing, Gorge?" Mr.Rainold's face replaced Silia's.

"Better than I could imagine. Much better in fact."

"I take it your plan worked then?"

"Indeed it did, my dear friend. I told him that if he wanted to keep playing he needed to start talking."

Joshua looked confused.

"There is nothing wrong with him, Joshua, not with his mind, at least. I believe he thinks just like you and me, even better and faster then both of us if there is anything left of the boy I had known in him." He sighed. "I think that all he need is to get used to talking again. Wherever he spent these five years at, it is clear talking was not very important there."

"Continue."

"He understands everything I tell him but he just does not deem it necessary to respond with words. He expresses himself with actions and only when he can’t, does he use words. What I hope to achieve with the game is make it hard for him not to talk."

"You said so yesterday, Gorge."

"Yes, but what I didn't say was that it already works. He asked me to find out about purple magic."

"He asked you to do what?"

"Not exactly asked, but he seems interested in purple magic and agreed to accept my help."

"…"

"It is a start, Joshua. I believe this can work!"

"Have it your way, Gorge, you know him better than anyone." A phone ring came from Mr.Rainold's side. "Just in case I have a professional ready to take a look at him. I need to go Gorge, be sure to keep me posted."

"Good night, Joshua."

"Good, you are done and I can tell by the smell you were thorough."

"…"

"Do you want to talk about something?" He tried just in case.

"Maybe watch T.V? We can watch the show you liked, the one about Royal Road."

"No." He seemed to struggle with something.

"I want to play."

Gorge laughed.

"I imagined you would. I don't suppose you intend to sleep, do you?"

"No"

"Well, you can sleep inside the game today. It is your first day after all."

"Let’s go, I will help you get in."

The capsule, gel like interior hugged Jon's body, it felt like it was trying to swallow him.

"Listen, I haven’t found anything about purple magic so far, I will need some time for that. However from what I have read, even the most basic of spells requires the second level of basic Magic Mastery. Make sure you get that. Purple magic will come later."

"Thank you," Jon said as the lid began to close, just like last time.

"My pleasure." Gorge was smiling, "Have fun."

The lid closed and moved to a horizontal position to the floor.

The sound of spinning processors filled the room once again.