The Forger

Laying in the cold empty space, I realize whats going on.

"am dead."

"Yeah you are." a voice echoes. "hey am jimmy, also dead."

Looking around I realize am not alone, thousands of billions of people surround me. My mind can't help but be overwhelmed.

"Calm down kid" another much older voice rings. "Panicking won't solve anything."

The man says with a gentle tone, he looks to be in his late fifties, he turns and stares at the dark space looking void around us.

"for now we just have to wait."

"For what-" as I speak a person in the far distance is suddenly sucked into a wormhole. "What was that?"

"Another life am guessing, guess the Indians where right." He smile and chuckles.

'Why would you think that maybe it's the complete death of that poor soul.' I couldn't help but think to myself.

"How long have you been here?"

"Around a week or so, hard to tell honestly. Don't worry the longest anyone has been here is two weeks."

"How do you know that?" I asked. 

"Some guy I found here, his gone now though-"

Before the talkative old timer could continue I felt something pull on me, and in an instant I was gone.

...….

Hi am Jonathan Patrick Simonson.

Born in Africa, raised in Africa and… you guessed it, died in Africa.

But that's definitely not the point right now. The point right now is definitely the giant ball of light, "is that the sun? no the sun is red… or orange? But definitely not white."

 In my moment of human confusion I heard one sentence before, "AM DYING" it was loud its voice was the loudest thing I have ever heard in my… death?

Nothing.

….. 

(Jonathan > Jacob)

As the lays shone in the small dilapidated house his eyes flickered awake.

The man sat up on his bed. "this is my life now huh?" he said seemingly to no one.

It was only a few hours, late in the night that he had woken up on this uncomfortable bed. It was made from nothing but hay and a single animal hide. His thoughts wondered on how he died.

"It's the only possible explanation… right." While contemplating his way of dying...

"Jacob lets go!"

A shout came from the door. 'From simple logic deduced from the fact that I live alone, his probably calling me.'

'Jacob huh, not a bad name.' I said as I walked towards the door… the piece of wood that acted as a door.

As I opened… moved the door out of the way I saw a young man probably entering his mid-teens.

"Took you long enough lets go!" he said as he started walking.

After walking for a while he realizes am not following him. He stopped, looked back and said "please don't forget your bow and arrows this time."

I looked to my side, inside the house and sure enough there was a bow and a few arrows near the bed.

"Am gonna stay back today missel, maybe tom-" I stopped as I realize that I knew the kids name.

"What's wrong jac you sick or something? I can go to the village and call the healer, she does owe you some favors."

"No am fine just need to think that's all." I said feeling a little confused.

"Okay uhm… see you later then." He said waving me goodbye as he left.

I went back inside siting back down as I started to slowly recall everything.

I was an orphan who decide to leave alone on the outskate of a normal village working as a hunter and herb collector, obviously I was alone and was currently at the age of 16.

In my previous life I was a single 34 year old man who was obsessed with anime and manga. With art as a hobby, I worked as a smith for a small town, and made some side money from making anime props.

"So what's the plan" I said asking myself.

I started thinking of all the possible things I could do to get my shit in order and then I remembered something.

Quickly standing up I threw the sheet off the bed and then started rummaging through the hay.

"Yes!" I screamed as I held the heavy bag of metal in my hands. It held all the money I have been saving for the past five years. "I must have been a good hunter."

Opening the bag I could see bunch of silver pieces. Going by the bragging of the baker's kid, the one that we hunted with, 2 to 3 silver was already a great sum here.

On normal occasions I- Jacob would bring in 1 to 2 silver and if he was lucky around 4 in a day!

This was because the village was located near a good forest that stretch quite far. And because of this, wild hogs were very common, and meat was always in high demand.

I sat down on the dirty floor as I began counting the coins in the bag. Jacob was academically lacking and that even stretched to currency.

"He couldn't count high too!" I thought out loud.

With simple guessing I rounded out the copper coins to silver.

'5 years times 365 days times one silver equal to around 1825 or 18 gold and 250 silvers… damn, that's enough to last a family of three for at least four years!'

"Is this enough though?"

Ideas were running in my head, ways I can make money and get away from this uncivilized living style. 'There's only one thing I can do huh.'

I will need a lot of equipment. I should check the village first if they even have the tools.

With that my first journey in this body began, it was a straight forward walk as I lived on hill and could see the village through the trees.

I stared at my surroundings in wonder, every detail was different the trees, the occasional blue grass, and the mysterious specks of blue… something. 'It's like that speck you see drifting away from the center of you eye.'

As I got cross to the village I started seeing people. Children playing in a nearby stream, women washing large clothes, probably blankets.

As I got deeper in the village I realize I have no were to start. With a sigh I start walking up to a man working on the side of the road. But before I can say anything a hand grabs my shoulder.

"Jac? What brings you here at this time of the day?" are woman wearing a white and gold embroider silk gown.

"I need your help." I said without hesitation, the woman in front of me was this villages healer and also the nun of the light orphanage. An orphanage run by religious group called the Light of Alayah.

Her name was- Jacob just called her nun, or miss nun. She was the one who bought the herbs, she was also the kindest person Jacob has ever met.

"Come with me." She said guiding me to a church like structure nearby.

We walked to the back of the church, inside I could see children learning from a young looking nun.

We sat on bench near a well. "What can I help you with Jac." She said smiling gently.

"I want to open a black smith in the village, but I don't have any tools." I said shyly scratching the back of my neck.

"I could see from the shine in her eyes she was happy the upcoming smile proved me right.

"That's wonderful Jac, you have no idea how many times the head has nagged me about how youngsters don't want to be blacksmiths in this village. I almost thought I would die never seeing one in this village-" she continued on about how the village mostly got its tools from merchants and how expensive it was.

"The tools! Can you get me tools?" I said stopping a long monologue.

"Not to mention the- huh, tools? One moment." She said, lifting are gown as she hurried towards the church shouting the name Anna.

"Anna dear can you go grab my crest please." She said no fully entering the church.

Less than a minute later the same young nun who was teaching came out holding a ornament ceramic orb with an amber colored crystal on top, she proceeded to walk back to me before sitting next to me again.

"Here we go" she said as she began to write on the amber crystal.

"What's that?" I asked pointing at the weird object.

Without looking at me answered saying it was a type of communicating device, and what she was doing was wright a message to a friend who would pass through this village to bring some of the important tools and ores.

"Aren't you going to ask if I even know how to smith?"

"Boy if you were paying attention to my rumbling earlier you would understand. The cost of training you is way less than being bamboozled by those merchants." Said with a grin on her old face.

I couldn't help but chuckle, And seeing me she started laughing too. At that moment the amber glowed and after touching it characters started flashing through it, this repeated 3 times before stopping.

"Okay that's done. the stuff will get here in about a week so come by the village front next Thursday. Oh and it should be in the morning." She stood up walking back to the church.

As for me I sat there wondering what just saw. 'Looks like am about to start making real flaming swords.' I said with a huge grin on my face.

My mood couldn't be more positive after what just happened, not only was I able to acquire my tools but I also found out what type of world I was in.

While going back I stopped at an inn to get something to eat before heading home. I bought some bread as well. I got home took a bath outside using the water filled pouches lying around the house. I went inside and sat on the only furniture in this dump.

'Sigh' I couldn't help but be disappointed at my current living style.

I spent the rest of the day jogging my memory of my surroundings.

Night came and I wrapped myself in the animal skins, slowly I drifted off to sleep.

…

In darkness I awaked looking around I saw nothing, 'what the actual fuck!' I thought. slowly above me a light came, shining brightly, not as bright as the sun but something aching to those bright neon light billboards. What I was seeing made me ecstatic!

Why?

Because of what was written on it of course. In large uppercase letters and numbers it was written;

STR: 11 (Muscle strength)

DEX: 19

INT: 49

WIS: 31

MGK: <1< p>

STATUS POINTS 1

'Hahahahah FUCK YEAH!' in the void a young man could be seen dancing while laughing hysterically.

'This means I will someday be overpowered right?' as he was talking to himself about his 'grand future' a red light caught his eye.

Looking back at the large status screen he saw a red number 9 count down to 8.

'Fuck' without hesitation he want to put the one point he had into magic, a 'are you sure' window popped up. Willing for the yes, the window closed.

'I hope it is one point a day.' With that thought the countdown reached 0, he blacked out before waking up on his bed. Slowly he sat up, looking at the dim light under the door he concluded that it was early morning.

Walking outside I realize that it was quite early, a fog hang all around my little hill.

The sight captivated me for a long while. "Lets make the most of this life." I whispered.

Considering how my previous life was, I hoped to do everything that I didn't.