Warlock Read online

  Did a warrior carry around a shield?

  If my past life was any indication, that wasn't likely to bode well. I had enough difficulty carrying around a bag of textbooks.

 

 
  You may choose from assassin, thief, soldier, farmer, or noble.

  This will determine your backstory and starting abilities.>

  The buttons flashed before me again. My hand reached towards noble. I had always been curious about what it would be like to be a part of the nobility. As my hand hovered over the nobility button, Mira leaped forward and slammed my hand down on the soldier button.

 

  I gawked at Mira.

  "That's your starting story. Trust me, everyone you love dies in those other professions." Mira shivered. "Especially for the nobles."

  I nodded in acceptance.

 
  You may choose from Human, Fae, Demon, or Fauna.

  There are sub-races within each. Some can be unlocked immediately, and some will need to be unlocked over time or through special quests.>

  Over each button, a person for that race hovered suspended in the air.

  The human was a female soldier in armor standing proudly. The fae was like Mira, but where Mira wore simple leather boots and a plain tunic and trousers, this fae wore elegantly flowing robes. The demon looked like a vampire, beautiful with deep black eyes and sharp fangs and nails. The fauna was a woman with doe eyes, horse hooves, and tiny antlers parting her fine green hair.

  Their appearance didn't tell me anything.

  Mira cleared her throat.

  "The fae and fauna are the best magic users, but relatively weak with swords and shields. You'll start with lower health and constitution, but higher energy. The demons are great with dark magic and physical strength, but they are the demons... So, if you're born in any other lands besides the demon lands, you're dead. Plus, I'd rather you not choose the race we are trying to defeat. Lastly, there are the humans. Weaker in both body and magic. But, there's something to be said for their resilience. They are the last race with any decent land."

  This wasn't really a choice. I really needed Mira, and I wasn't sure how much she'd help me if I chose the demon race. But, they were definitely the strongest.

  Something told me that knowledge would be a more powerful asset than brute strength in this world.

 

 

 

 

  A screen with every customization possible flashed before me. I selected presets Auburn hair, medium height, and athletic build. I customized my face to be the same as it was in my past life: full lips, strong jaw, and high cheekbones. The only changes I added to my new self we're blue-gray eyes, and I let my hair tumble to my waist.

  Once I made my selection, I felt my new form settle around me. Mira's eyes twinkled a bit as she changed the setting from a light brown to a deep reddish-brown for my hair.

 

 
  Please select (1) Skill and (1) Special Item.>

 

  Mira launched forward and selected for me before I had the chance to read.

 

  "I'm not a mage, what am I supposed to do with a spell book?!"

 

  I'm not ready.

 

  Why am I here?

 

  Is Evandaria as dangerous as Mira says?

 

  Wait-

  "What's my first objective, Mira?"

 

  "Don't die." Mira broke out in a laugh. As my vision started to darken, I realized the noise from Mira that I thought was a laugh sounded more like a choking sob.

 

 
  Character Traits: Rogue Class, Human Race, and Soldier Profession

  HP: 42

  Energy: 45

  Cunning: 35

  Attack: 3

  Level: 1

  Skill's Acquired: Stealth

  Item's Acquired: (1) Starter Pack: rope, knife, rations, healing potion. (2) Basic training gear +2 Defense (3) Dual swords +2 Attack (4) Spell book (5) Map (6) 3 gold >

  CHAPTER THREE

  In seconds, the world of Evandria was constructed around me, brick by brick. For a moment, the image faltered before righting itself.

  In the world around me, the sky was blue, the buildings pristine, and the grass a vibrant green. It was hard to believe that this world was at war. It was even more difficult to imagine that demons were terrorizing the other races in the land.

  Mira materialized by my side, wearing the same plain clothes and boots. She had tied up her loose white hair into a messy bun leaving only a few pieces to fall around her face.

  "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mira said with adoration in her eyes as her gaze fell upon the fields of flowers wrapping around the quaint city. "The bad news is, this beauty is fleeting." A sigh of regret escaped her lips. "The magic users created this as a landing point for the people entering Evandria." Mira walked away and sat on a wall. "Sometimes, I wish we could stay within this illusion. Instead, we relive the same horrors over and over and over again." Her legs were crossed, and her head bent in defeat while her hands gripped the rock wall.

  I sat down next to her and leaned my back against the building that was connected to the wall. We were looking at a sea of flowers, but neither of us really seemed to focus on anything.

  "Why do you guide people?"

  "I don't have a choice," Mira said bitterly.

  "Everyone has a choice," I said firmly.

  "Did you have a choice in coming here?" Mira bit out sharply.

  "Well, no. But I can still choose how I live in Evandaria. If what you said was true, there's a big chance I might not make it out alive." I paused as an idea struck me. "Wait, can we be resurrected? Like, with magic?" I resisted the urge to say, 'like in games?'

  Mira started to laugh.

  "Magic has limits. If you die, you're dead. I wasn't kidding when I said your first objective will be to stay alive." Mira glared at the flowers. "Well, no point in putting it off anymore." She snapped her fingers.

 
  As a rogue, she thought her skills would be invaluable in the military of the human kingdom in which she resides. She'd spent many years developing her abilities in stealth and deception.

  Kyra's goodbyes were heartfelt and bittersweet as her father hugged her with both pride and tears in his eyes.>

  "Is this going to happen every time we do something?" I asked while covering my ears to block out the noise. Though I was starting to realize the sound was in my head.

  There was nothing like a voice only you could hear.

  "No," Mira shook her head. "It's just a thing in this landing point." She plucked a flower. "I think the mage that made the simulation was trying to make you feel at home."

  I stared at her confusion and looked around.

  "I don't even have a father in this world." No sooner had I spoken the words, a thin man with graying hair burst out of the house. With anguish, he crumpled a piece of pristine white parchment in his hands. The man's expression was broken.

  I looked upon Mira in abject terror as the man enveloped me in a hug. She shrugged and sat down on the rock wall again.

  "Kyra, you don't need to join the military. We have enough money and plenty of food on the table." My father said, with a pained look in his eyes. His expression was simultaneously bursting with pride.

  "Dad," I said against my will, I could feel tears starting to pool into my eyes. "I need to do this. For me. For our kingdom." I paused and looked into my father's eyes. "I will come back home. And I will make you proud." My expression shuttered resolutely. I hugged my father one last time and picked up a bag that likely contained my starting items and walked down the cobbled street to the center of the city.

  "So..." Mira snickered, "How does it feel to be marionetted by magic against your will?"

  "Does this happen a lot?" I asked between clenched teeth. Something told me, if I didn't hold myself back, I would cry during the entire journey.

  "Mostly in the beginning and at your end." By the mischievousness in Mira's eyes, it happened often enough.

  I didn't miss that she said 'your' end instead of 'the' end.

 
  You set out on your journey to the heart of the capital city Andora in response to the kingdom of Feyl's recruitment letter.

  Every journey must start somewhere, and your journey begins with enlistment.

  Objective: Meet with General James Atkinson for your first mission.

  Hint: Your map is your unbiased guide. >

 

  I raised an eyebrow at Mira. How long was this beginning narrative going to last?

  "Enjoy the peace for a few more weeks. It's the last you'll see for the rest of your life." Mira may have been my guide, but that didn't mean she needed to have a cheerful disposition.

Clearly.

  "How am I supposed to find the General?" I asked, focusing on this objective. Maybe if I completed all these objectives quickly, I would be released back into my world. Not that I had any proof this would happen.

  "Pull out the map," Mira spoke with frustration, reiterating the hint.

  I didn't know how that was going to help. But, I tugged it out of my bag.

  Unsurprisingly, the bag was magical. When I had shuffled through it for the map, my hand had bumped swords, rope, and a few other items that shouldn't have fit into something smaller than my torso.

  "Yes, the map is amazing. And, yes, before you ask, there is a limit to how many items you can carry in that bag." Mira snatched the map out of my hands and unraveled it. "If you go over it, you'll know." As we huddled around it, the ink began to slide across the page and form a small triangle of land marked 'Feyl.' Then the words melted, and the map zoomed in to a city called Andora.

  The buildings in the pictures became denser and denser from outside the city to the city center. There were a few water fixtures and numerous shops. A tall woman carrying a pail of water graced the top of one of the fountains. If you looked close enough, the water seemed to flow steadily from the mouth of the jug.

  A tiny golden star appeared on the map.

  "So, this map can track friendly people. And, that star would be General Atkinson." Mira pointed to the star.

  I continued to stare in awe even when I took the map from Mira.

  "Show me all of Evandria," I whispered to the map. It zoomed out, showing me city upon city sprawled across the map. Feyl was a kingdom bordering something called the 'Etherwoods.' An image of a fae running through the forest came to life on the map.

  "Why aren't you here, Mira?" I motioned to the Etherwoods on the map.

  "We're still in that fake introductory world, Kyra." Mira gulped, tears glistening her eyes. "Most of my people are dead. And, most of the current world map is covered by the netherworld."

  Mira pulled the map out of my grasp and whispered to it. Feyl's major city center reappeared. A blinking star still highlighted General Atkinson's location.

  "We are heading to the General," Mira announced and began to speed up her pace towards the city center. We could see it, but we hadn't quite made it there yet. "I know you haven't lived here and that you don't understand. But, Kyra, you only have three weeks before everything falls apart. And I can't have another one of my charges die."

  Another one? Another.

  I wasn't sure what to say to that. Things seemed surreal. Death didn't seem imminent or even possible. Not here in Evandaria, where everything was brighter and more beautiful than home.

  Mira marched upon the path resolutely, and I followed staring at the ground, mulling things over.

  How bad could things really be?

  Before I knew it, we were standing before a large burly man who was at least a head taller than me and twice my weight. He eyed me up and down and laughed.

  "Kid, I hope you aren't trying to be a soldier."

  Please tell me this isn't the General.

 

  Okay, so what's my next quest?

  I waited for the voice to continue.

  Mira nudged me towards the General and cleared her throat.

  Maybe the system doesn't guide everything?

  "I am here to join the military..." When he stared at me for a moment too long, I tacked on the next word. "Sir."

  After an even longer pause, the General met my words with a laugh.

  "Doubtful. I'll tell you what, young scrap. If you can find the recruitment list and return it to me, I'll verify if your name is on it." His smile widened. "If you complete it in under thirty minutes, I might make an exception for you if your name isn't on the list." The General turned away, making me feel thoroughly dismissed.

 
  The General does not believe in your ability to hold your own in a fight. Your first test is whether you can find something he has lost in less than thirty minutes.

  Primary Objective: Find the recruitment list.

  Secondary objective: Return it to the General in under 30 minutes.

  Hint: General Atkinson doesn't travel very far.>

  "Well, that was odd." Mira mused aloud.

  "Which part? The fact that I'm searching for a list instead of training? Or that my name might not be on the list for the profession I chose?" I asked in irritation. Is the system messing with me?

  "Oh, he always loses the list," She waved a hand dismissively. "What's odd is him insinuating that your name isn't on it and that we have a time limit to find it." Mira tapped her chin in speculation and then shook her head. "Well, let's get a move on. You need to join the recruits and start training within the hour. We are trying to get you to level ten before 'The Scourge.'"

  "Why does that sound so ominous?" I asked apprehensively.

  "Because it's when sixty percent of fauna, humans, and fae are wiped from existence by the demons." Mira bit the words out. "Our goal is to make sure you aren't part of that 60%." Her words oozed sarcastic cheerfulness.

  Mira unfurled the map and then groaned in frustration. The entire city center was covered with a pulsing circle.

  "The list isn't even in the same place as it usually is. This indicator says it could be anywhere in the square." Mira pointed at me with the now curled up map. "You! You must have angered our gods for this to be happening. Or worse, you angered the magic that is creating this simulation." She sighed in frustration. "Everything is already wrong, and it's the simplest quest."

  "You've been with me the entire time. What could I have possibly done?" I replied and pulled the map from her hands. "Maybe the magic changed the difficulty?"

 

  I'm starting to really hate these timers.

  Looking around the City Square, I could only see that there were dozens of shops and hundreds of people milling about.

  "Mira, does he lose the list because he is forgetful, or because someone hides it?"

  Mira looked up at me with confusion.

  "Because he's forgetful." Curiosity burned in her gaze, then understanding dawned on her expression. "He never goes into the shops. He walks around the plaza all day. If this were a normal instance, he usually leaves it in the training yard."

  Our eyes scoured the plaza.

 

  I took off at a light jog towards the fountain. The list wasn't anywhere on the ground, so it had to be on the fountain.

  The statue of a woman holding a jug of water loomed overhead. One of her hands was outstretched. I was unsurprised to see the rolled-up parchment in her outstretched palm.

  Maybe the gods were taunting me.

  Preparing to climb into the fountain, I reached down to remove my boots. Mira walked up beside me, placed a hand on my shoulder, and shook her head. Holding out her hand, a glow began to envelop her. With a flick of her wrist, the paper drifted down from the statue and landed in my grasp. I smiled.

 

  I ran as fast as I could to the General and held out the list. He took it and unfurled the paper.

  "Who would've guessed. Your name is on the sheet." The General was pointing to a blank line on the form. "Well, Kyra, head on over to the training field so that we can start your training."

  I never told him my name.

 
  You have acquired: boots that increase your movement speed by +2.>

  "Mira, are all the quests like this?" I asked in loathing. Even in games in my world, I hated playing fetch or doing the same simple thing a thousand times.

  "No, " She replied, and I sighed in relief. "They get much more tedious during recruit training." Mira patted my back and laughed heartily at the pained look I gave her.