6) First spells (I)
He turned around and realize that a wooden door has appeared on one side of the library. He walked out of the library and into a bustling town. However, it was not as he expected. It is a post-apocalyptic world after all.
The buildings were made out of metal scraps, some had dirt walls, others had walls made out of plants, cables were running from place to place, it had both a futuristic and medieval feeling. It was a very peculiar clash but it was also beautiful. There were even some beasts walking around with people, some mechanical dogs, drones flying, demons, it was a mixture of everything.
[Welcome Ryker, you are currently at level 0, to open the status window you have to will it before you. You are eligible for a beginner's kit. Head to the mayor's to claim it.]
He did as he was told and soon a blue translucent screen appeared before him.
Level 0 (0%)
Name: Ryker
Affinities: Food, neutral
HP: 100
MP: 200
Stamina: 150
Strength: 10
Vitality: 10
Resistance: 0
Dexterity: 5
Speed: 10
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Willpower: 0
Perception: 5
Charisma: 5
Luck: 5
Spells: none
Free stat points: 0
'Damn, that is a very full status screen. Okay so what I see, one point in vitality is 10 health points, mana is wisdom plus intelligence times ten, stamina is dexterity, and speed times ten? Then how does resistance work? And willpower? I know charisma and luck. I just hope they give a lot of stat points per level up otherwise this is going to be impossible'
After asking for directions he decided to go straight to the mayor's to see what this beginners kit was all about, this was a very different RPG game, it followed its own rules like the elimination of classes. That is the most basic RPG thing!
He walked for about five minutes until he arrived at a big house made out of black volcanic rock. The guards outside did not even bother looking at him as if they were expecting him, it probably had something to do with Mr. Hoot hoot, he never knew his name and there was no way in hell he would call him "The Guide", so it is Mr. Hoot hoot from now on.
When he entered the house there was a metal box on a wooden table directly in front of the door and beside it was a short red-haired man with a huge belly and hazel eyes that lit up as soon as he saw Ryker.
"Hello, Mr. Ryker, I have been expecting you. Let me explain what this beginner's kit includes. So, it will allow you to choose one weapon, they are very basic weapons but there are hundreds of options, you will also be able to choose two Tier 0 spells, one neutral and one for your affinity, three spells will be selected randomly and you will choose one from those. If you have any questions please feel free to ask."
"What do you mean Tier 0 spells?"
"Spells are classified from Tier 0 to Tier 10, the higher the tier, the stronger the spell. You can learn as many spells as you want."
"Do I need to buy new spells every time I want a new tier? Isn't that expensive?"
"Haha, I like you, young man, you think ahead. Every spell has its own level, you level a spell by causing damage or using it. Once your spell reaches level 10, you get the chance to evolve it. The evolutions make a Tier 0 spell a Tier 1 spell. Now, why would you spend your time evolving spells when you can buy new ones? Higher tier spells have something called restrictions, these are conditions that have to be met before you can use the spell, there is no way a Level 1 individual can use a Tier 10 spell. These restrictions can be from killing certain beast to collecting herbs, it can be anything really, and they are all random, but the difficulty is proportional to the tier of spell you want to use. By evolving your spell, you get rid of these restrictions and the spells have 50% increased efficiency when they are evolved. If you are lucky, you might even get a hidden trait. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes, it certainly does, by the way, how do you learn new spells?"
"You must have an Esper ability, right? Do you remember the crystals? Well, spells also come in crystals, to learn a spell you just have to pop that crystal into your mouth and you will know everything about the spell. Shall we proceed now? I have other appointments Mr. Ryker, I am the mayor after all."
"Oh yeah, what should I call you? And is it possible for me to know your affinity?"
"My name is Lazmor, and regarding your second question, never ask someone their affinity, indeed, you will eventually know it but it is considered rude. Mine, as you can see, is a lava affinity, that is why my house is made out of volcanic rock. Enough chatter, open your box."
Ryker just nodded his head and did as instructed.
[Congratulations on acquiring your beginner's kit. Would you prefer to see ranged or melee weapons?]
He of course selected ranged because of his Esper ability, double shot.
[Please select one weapon]
Holographic images of the weapons hovered over the box, he didn't know it but Ryker was the only one who could see what was going on. There were bows, crossbows, throwing axes, throwing knives, shurikens, pistols, rifles, magic wands, staffs, and a ton of other funny-looking stuff he didn't recognize.
[Would you like to select "Basic magic flintlock pistol" as your first weapon?]
[Basic magic flintlock pistol- a magic pistol that shoots concentrated mana pellets.
Recharge time of 1s. 1MP per mana pellet. 5 damage per pellet]
It seemed like a good weapon to start with, it had a low mana cost, he didn't know if 5 damage was a lot but compared to his health, he would need 20 pellets to kill himself, so 20MP, he had 200 so it was a good choice.
[Generating three random neutral spells… three compatible spells generated, please select one]
[Accuracy- The user's next basic attack hones on an enemy, it can make a total of two turns. 5s cooldown. 5MP. Cast time: none]
[Power shot- The user shoots a concentrated basic attack, the mana/stamina usage and damage depends on the time the attack is charged. 10s cooldown. 1-10MP. Basic attack damage +10-20 damage. Cast time: 1-10s]
[Volley- The user sends an extra two diagonal shots for the next 3s every time they attack. 10s cooldown. 10MP. Cast time: none]
'Oh gosh, these spells are AWSOME! How am I supposed to choose?'