5 The Game of Crones
'You have gained the Profession: Word Artist'
'Your Pro-FILE has been updated.'
'Mana Points (MP) have been converted to Word Points (WP) and Action Points (AP).'
'Intelligence stat has been converted to Wisdom stat.'
'You have leveled up.'
'Four stat points and one skill point awarded. You may distribute the earned points according to your will.'
'You are now able to learn the Word Artist basic skill <Bullet Spit, Active>.
'For successfully completing the class change quest, you have received <Trashtalking, Active> <Sound FX, Active>.'
Name: Jiggy
Species: Human (Homo sapiens)
Profession: Word Artist
Class Specialization: None
Title: <More than Words>
Level: 2 (10.9%)
Health Points (HP): 220
Action Points (AP): 91
Word Points (WP): 91
Stamina Points (SP): 146
Attack: 18~33
Defense: 7
Strength: 11
Wisdom: 15
Dexterity: 13
Vitality: 11
Fame: 0
Infamy: 0
Contribution: 0
Active Skills: <Trashtalking, Lvl. 1> , <Sound FX, Lvl.1>
Passive Skills: <Word Mastery, Lvl. 1>, <Action Mastery, Lvl. 1>, <Spiteful Tongue, Lvl.1>
Jiggy inspected his gains from this class change quest and was at lost whether to laugh or cry when he read the skills descriptions and the various word artist stats.
<Active: Trashtalking, Lvl. 1 (0.00%)>
Word skill that cannot kill. Conjures the power of words causing one random debuff while provoking the enemies. The higher the skill level, the higher the effectivity.
Skill duration: 3 seconds
Casting time: Instant
Word point consumption: 8 WP per word
Chance of drawing aggro: 50%
Debuff trigger chance: 50%
Area of effect (AOE): 5 meters
Debuff available: Identity crisis. Inflicted target will be in daze pondering the truth about his gender or origin.
<Active: Sound FX, Lvl. 1 (0.00%)>
Word buff. Effective accompanying skill for /interjection/-related skills, /noun/-summoning related skills and /verb/-conjuring skills.
Skill duration: 2 seconds
Casting time: Instantly after the words, phrase or sentence.
Cooldown: 8 seconds
Resource consumption: 5 WP + 5 AP per /noun/, /interjection/ or /verb/; consumption increases for each part-of-speech combination (N+I/N+V/N+I+V)
Word damage increase:
1~25 depending on word-sound complementing rate
12~50 depending on action-word-sound complementing rate
<Passive: Word Mastery, Lvl. 1 (0.00%)>
Strengthens the power of words. Increases the probability of /noun/ and /verb/ summoning and materialization. WP consumption is inversely proportional to skill level. The higher the skill level, the lesser the WP consumption. The higher the skill level, the higher the damage and effect of spouted words.
Skill effect during non-combat state: WP regeneration rate set at 1WPs (WP per second)
Skill effect during combat state: Reduces WP consumption and increases word damage and effect by 0.02%
<Passive: Action Mastery, Lvl. 1 (0.00%)>
Strengthens the power of actions. Increases the damage of normal gestures and actions. /noun/ and /verb/ summoning and materialization. WP consumption is inversely proportional to skill level. The higher the skill level, the lesser the WP consumption. The higher the skill level, the higher the damage and effect of spouted words.
Skill effect during combat state:
Reduces WP consumption and increases word damage and effect of /verbs/ or /action words/ by 0.05%
Reduces cooldown of action-related skills by 0.5 seconds if the action-word complementing rate is 100%.
Reduces cooldown of action-related skills by 1 second if the action-word-sound effect complementing rate is 100%.
<Passive: Spiteful Tongue, Lvl. 1 (0.00%)>
Strengthens the power of words. Increases the effectivity and duration of debuffs based on the mean words in your arsenal of curses and trash words. Increases the damage of humiliating words in proportion to the number of debuffs inflicted on the target.
Skill effect during combat state:
Prolongs successful effects of successful debuffs by 1 second.
Increases damage of incoming words and actions to 'debuffed' enemies by 0.05%.
***
Hidden Village was the general starting village for game newbies. The game developers had these villages 'hidden' on seven different tube-shaped regions scattered throughout the continent to promote cultural and societal differences while at the same time acknowledging 'all players are of the same origin.'
The idea was simple. If Villager A from Region A happened to traverse the wildlands and found Villager B from Region B, they will easily get acquainted because they happened to belong to the same 'Hidden Village.'
But of course, surprise is inevitable once they learned they came from two different regions with the same village name.
Subarashi!!!
Aside from the pointed-shaped region Eppendorf Tube, there were six other villages named after their distinct and unique landscapes:
Fallopian Tube — the J-shaped region. It is a wealthy region with several reigning royalties called No Balls…
No Balls were granted nobility during their birth and had their lineage preserved for several hundred years. They were haughty and arrogant to outsiders and the weak, but easily succumb to those with greater power and wealth.
No Balls were the greatest power in the Fallopian Tube…
FLIP…
Test Tube — round-shaped region with several conical structures.
Of the seven known beginner regions, the Test Tube had the most advanced buildings and facilities made of a special glass called Fire-X. Fire-X was resistant to heat and fire but was malleable enough to be reshaped into various structures and designs.
The Test Tube Region was governed by the 'Fire Prevention Man' whose origins were still unknown…
FLIP…
U Tube — U-shaped region and the continent's forerunner in the art of information dissemination.
Several nomads migrated to U Tube during the war in its surrounding regions. The nomads, were however talented and possessed exceptional skills hence, the king granted them nobility and conferred them the surname Ads.
Ads had been famous through the years due to their secret arts in close combat called blagging. The blaggers usually held monthly competitions to showcase their talents and skills.
Every blaggers's safety was acknowledged by the nation through a special product known as Coffee Rights…
FLIP…
Pneumatic Tube — the branching region…
FLIP…
Eustachian Tube — the region with the most abundant waterways and canals…
FLIP…
Bath Tube — the rectangular-shaped region…
PLOP!
An intrepid looking gal closed the book she borrowed from the Village Library.
She was mad.
She was unhappy.
Just yesterday, before the game was launched, her boyfriend dumped her just because she was one minute late on their date. He just dumped her after obtaining her one and only flower!
What a prick! What a scumbag!
Never in her life could she imagine, that with her soft, silky, white skin, of all the fairies and the goddesses, SHE, the one and only crowned Miss UniGirls, was dumped like an abandoned cat!
She couldn't help but curse that damned f*cking ugly rich kid, full of vanity but never turned good-looking!
She was deeply aggrieved.
She let go of the guy she loved in her high school years for the sake of fame and getting into showbiz industry. And now, 6 years later, that nonsensical guy who was not even her husband, not only directly dumped her after she agreed to finally do 'it' yesterday but also humiliated her in front of many audiences calling her names.
"Arghhh! I hope his pointed chin would accidentally poke his heart to death!"
"NO BALLS! He should belong to that nobility called NO BALLS!"
Jiggy was startled. He looked at the nearby sofa to see a beautiful ferocious young girl cursing loud, with her cold blazing eyes akin to an unsheated sword piercing the void. Despite her wild demeanor, she put down her book with elegance and class.
Sitting with her legs crossed, the girl's radiance was accentuated by the colorful flowers and ornamental plants beside the leather couch. The contrasting nature of the fierce cold girl, and the serene peaceful background, elevated the level of unity and harmony of the live landscape to a higher level, much better than the masterpieces known in the ancients and the obra maestra of renowned painters and sculptors.
A perfect model!
Fine arts teachers and students would surely prostrate themselves in front of this girl just to invite her to be the subject of their masterpieces...
World leaders and nation builders would most probably petition this girl to be a symbol of world peace and the bearer of unity...
Even the goddess Aphrodite would most probably bow and regard that girl to be her Ancestress once they met...
But sadly, it's just Jiggy's thought.
Jiggy immediately turned his head somewhere to avoid the woman's gaze. He was nervous, because if looks could kill, he was surely dead by now.
Nevertheless, he was also happy. The girl was really pretty as an angel!
'Is this what they called love?'
Jiggy casted his thoughts aside.
Obviously, like him and the others, they were waiting for the next challenge to come.
TAP… TAP… TAP…
Two weak pair of steps were heard walking down from the second floor of the establishment. Ellen rushed forward to assist the two old woman, both walking with their third 'foot', who Ellen also referred to as "grandmasters."
"Hello travelers!" The woman in black meekly greeted. Despite her old age, beauty could be seen in beneath the wrinkles of her face. Her smile was enchanting as she exude an aura of an intelligent and perceptive beauty that transcends time and age.
The woman in white, on the other hand, swept his gaze over the 10 or so people inside the room. She held her hands on her waist as she sized up the several word artists vouching for supremacy,
"Whatever, they barely make it. Let's start!"
If Jiggy and the other people in the room knew what the crone in white was thinking, they would immediately protest in fright, "What kind of scam is this vouching for supremacy? Didn't we gather here as an open-minded individual with ambition and dreams?"
Well, no one really knows what the truth beyond Ellen's words was.
She just asked them right after the class change, "Are you open-minded?"
"Do you have ambition and dreams?"
And so, after those individuals answered 'yes' or 'I think so,' a special quest was immediately accepted.
[Special Quest: Participate in the Game of Crones]
Quest Difficulty: ???
Quest Reward: An item befitting your ability.
"Shatter!!!" The group of people heard someone shouted.
Swoosh!!!
The world changed.
From the spacious room filled with plants, furniture and other equipment, the fourteen individuals seemed to be teleported to a different dimension as they saw themselves standing on a wide leveled platform.
"Is this the power of words?" The players were lost in awe.
Grandmaster, it was the realm beyond masters and the highest known existence.
The two crones appeared in front of the stage then shouted, "The boat is sinking, group yourselves into three!"
"What the f*ck is happening?" Jiggy was at lost whether he should laugh or cry. He knew this game. And as a matter of fact, never lost in this particular grouping game.
Jiggy saw the other 'participants' standing in daze. He dashed forward towards the location of the beautiful maiden while pulling a guy, he came across, along with him.
Tick... Tak... Tick...
Silence ensued. Only the sounds of the ticking clock could be heard as two individuals were standing 17 meters away from each other.
"What is happening?" They seemed lost.
Who would have thought that just as they were transported, a game would suddenly commence without the whats-and-hows.
"Eliminated!" Without warning, two streaks of light flashed out of the platform. The slow-witted duo disappeared without trace until a heart-shaking BLAG! was heard across the open platform.
Pain was painted on everyone's faces. The twelve remaining individuals didn't dare to imagine the miserable fates of the two eliminated players. They didn't even dare to dawdle and instead remained alert and ready for what's to come.
Elder White swept her gaze along the remaining crowd. She nonchalantly waved her cane and four chairs appeared 15 meters away from each group.
The haughty elder once again raised her cane. She murmured something before she stomped the cane three times down to the ground.
Screech...
Glass compartments rose from the ground separately encasing the four groups.
R E L A Y
The word flashed on a wide 92 inches LCD screen behind the two elders. Elder Black, on the other hand, clapped her hands,
CLAP... CLAP...
All the participant's were baffled. They felt some force dragged their hands to their back. Seconds later, they felt a handcuff tied their hands.
The two elders disregarded the questioning gazes of the 12 remaining word artists. No matter what, those twelve can only gaze, they can't neither talk nor turn their heads around.
CLAP... CLAP...
A spoon appeared in the mouths of all the participants. The handle was tucked between their lips, with the hollow spoon bowl facing up. The eyes of the twelve participants, including the cold indifferent gal, widened in shock.
"What kind of absurdity is this? Who needs to be open-minded to play these games?" The players thought.
Right after the shocking transformations, the players calmed down and fell in line. Elder Black once again clapped her hands and a round fruit appeared in the spoon bowl of the four people in front of the line.
'THE GAME BEGINS IN 3... 2...'
Silence echoed through the air. The players solemnly waited for the buzzer to drop as the counter on the screen changes from 3, 2 and...
On the fourth group, a young intellectual was waiting patiently. With his chest puffed out, he was sure that his team will surely pass this petty game.
... 1...
Eeeeeengg!
A high pitch buzz resounded through the hall. All the players at the forefront hurriedly walked forward to immediately circle round their respective chairs.
The young man in the fourth group was elated. He and his two teammates were childhood friends and knew teamwork better than anyone else.
Tak... Tak... Tak...
Several footsteps could be heard as the four guys paced towards the still chair.
5 meters... 4 meters... 3 meters... 2 meters... 1 meter...
The young man's teammate, Robert, was fast as a cheetah. He was an errand boy so he definitely won't lose with his forte, walking.
Robert briskly walked towards the chair. He felt proud of himself. The other three contenders were just so-so... Surely it will be an easy win for them.
They strive to win for each round because the triplets believed that the better their performance, the better the reward.
But...
Tug!!!
... the higher their expectation, the greater their disappointment was.
The young intellectual man was dumbfounded. His mouth agape, hanging wide open. He was left speechless... very speechless!
Robert was fast. That's a fact.
The calamansi fruit on Robert's spoon didn't fall. That's also a fact.
Robert reached the chair at the edge of the 15m mark faster than everyone. That's also an undeniable fact.
But where did things went wrong?
It was when he, Robert himself, casually sat down on the chair as if he's waiting for the pie to fall from the sky.
Yes, Robert was sitting down.
What was amazing was that he sat down on the chair as fast as he walked and arrived near it.
Did he think this is 'Trip to Jerusalem?'
The young intellectual man wanted to vomit blood. His green veins popped out of his neck. He cannot contain his embarrassment anymore.
"Robert, are you retard?" The young man wanted to shout. Time is ticking. He felt dizzy. It seemed his body was devoid of energy as he watched his buddy cozily sitting as if waiting for his ordered meal.
"Is he... is he waiting for a miracle?" The other guy wanted to ask.
It was only when the second member of the other groups traveled round the chairs that Robert was alerted.
"Oh! My! God!" Robert was shocked. He tried to maintain his composure and immediately head back to the starting line and passed the calamansi fruit to the next guy in line.
His buddies wanted to cry. But this time they learned that there was no cure for someone's ignorance. Furthermore, their so-called confidence was ignorance itself. And that ignorance led to their defeat.
Time passed by. The trio lost.
They turned into a streak of light and then BLAG!!!
They were gone.
The third elimination round continued. The participants were bewildered of the game inside the game.
"Who designed this game anyway?"
Without further explanation from the caning elder and the clapping crone, the game proceeded one step forward.
In the screen were various postures of animals.
Two hands clutched like a claw, it was a bear.
Two hands spread out while a the right leg was bent backwards, it was an eagle.
The last one...
It was a shadow lying down flat on its stomach. The shadow's butt curved up while its head was also stretched upward.
"Is it... an earthworm?" A girl wearing red hairband could't help but puff her fluffy cheeks. She tried hard to figure out what the outline of the shadow was until she saw it was actually a...
BEAR > EAGLE > SNAKE > BEAR
"Oh! It was a snake!" The girl exclaimed in delight as if she had unraveled one of the greatest mysteries in the world. The sad part was, another question popped out of her inquisitive brain cell, "How was it a snake?" The girl frowned again. She remembered clearly how snake's were depicted in martial arts movies. It was by raising... oh nevermind, the game will begin.
Ten seconds. Each team was given ten seconds to decide which posture to take. The greatest predator wins the game while the losing team will be sent away.
Jiggy was thrilled. It was his turn to talk to the beautiful girl. He remembered a while ago that his heart almost fell when he passed the calamansi fruit to the beauty's spoon. The ice cold chilly gaze he saw when he passed his 'little ball' made him felt excited to the bones.
They did it. They met eye to eye!
It was at that moment that Jiggy knew the meaning of the words 'an eye for an eye.' He had a hunch, it was the last words of the guru of love.
No!!! It was not a hunch. It definitely pertains to the guru's journey of love!
"Damn!" The countdown started. As usual, they can't talk.
Jiggy wanted to cry. He started questioning his life, "Where is the thing called opportunity?"
Curtains dropped down the glass compartments occupied by the three different groups. In panic, the other guy in Jiggy's group portrayed the posture of the snake.
The ice queen sharply looked at the guy flatly lying down the floor and kicked his butt heavily. She crossed her arms for a while before changing his posture to a cute bear paws.
Tut... tut... tut...
Eeeengggg...
BEAR ---- EAGLE ---- BEAR
Without further ado, the eagle team was sent out of the plane.
BLAG!
Elder White waved her wooden cane once again.
Shatter!!!
All the glass compartments were broken into pieces. With the wave of the elder's hands, the pieces of glass floated in the air. The old hag murmured something as she beckoned the glass pieces to condense and separate into two corners.
BAM!!!
Two glass furniture were formed. The crones were already standing separately in front of the tables, waiting for the respective teams to come. With their adaptability and hypersensitivity developed from countless senseless trials, the teams of three were akin to a seasoned veteran needing no more instructions before knowing what's to come.
The two groups separated and went to the two different tables where the grandmasters lied in waiting.
Clap... clap...
The black-dressed clapping elder once again merrily stroke his palms together. A marker appeared at the centertable as an answer sheet appeared roamed around the crystal clear table. The dimly light LCD screen flashed bright as letters condensed and formed a question:
"A survey was conducted on diamond (100 years) word artists around the continent. What are the top 7 most famous tools for word artists?"
A three-minute timer emerged on the screen. Seven rectangular boxes were moving around atop the circular glass as if seducing the three word artists, "Answer me! Answer me!" And as per the usual rule in the special realm of silence, no one could speak until the three-minute timer runs out.
With the flick of their hands, the crones collected the answer sheets.
Bling... bling... bling...
Survey says... The top 7 famous tools for word artists are...
Dice --- 4
Dandelion --- 6
Keyboard --- 8
Dictionary --- 15
Megaphone --- 17 votes
Pen and paper --- 24 votes
Fairy wand --- 26 votes
The answers were displayed on the screen. Shortly after, the total scores of the two teams were tallied. Jiggy's team got 24 points while the other team got 23 points. It could be said that Jiggy's team won by a fluke.
The ice queen beauty and the busy-nobody contributed nothing to Jiggy's team. It was only Jiggy who racked his brain for absurd answers while the two could be considered freeloaders. Simply put, they were like those thesis groupmates he had in college. Jiggy did all the work, but his groupmates got the same credit.
On the losing team, the puffy-cheeked little girl didn't know where their answers got wrong. Her teammates were two nouveau riche young masters who wrote the keyboard and dictionary thing. As innocent as she was, the girl didn't try to complain about their answers since she didn't know what those things meant.
At the last minute, the little girl discovered something amiss. She read something like 'pen and paper' on one of the boxes. She was familiar with those terms.
"Pen and paper absolutely are useless for word artists. Those things are used in quizzes and homeworks."
"Pen is what you feel when you're injured while paper is something you used for cooking." The girl thought it was the correct interpretation.
When you hurt someone with words, they felt pain. When you know some closeted gays, you ask them 'Are you a pepper?'
So my conjecture really is right. But isn't their spelling wrong?
With her magnanimous and competitive heart, she wanted to lead her team to victory.
"For victory!" She inwardly exclaimed as she sneakily changed the missppelled words.
Knowledge is power!
With the stroke of her cute little adorable hands, she wrote in a beautiful cursive penmanship:
Pain and pepper.
