Outdoor Training [Solo]

[Saber]

    As a twig snapped beneath a black boot, a soft but long yawn echoed out into the quiet forest. A single player stood just off to the right of a small natural lake, his hand against the bark of the tree beside which he was using to keep himself steady while his jaw dropped and air forced itself in and out of his lungs. It was strange to be so tired in the morning, especially after he had got a good night’s sleep in reality, but he had kept yawning anyways. Was it because of his run from the city? Or maybe was it because of the energy he lost during his hunt that his body wanted to lay down somewhere. If that was the case, then Saber’s body wasn’t going to get its way. Not this time at least. He had no plans to lie down and waste the day away like he felt like doing. He had plans, he had objectives, and he had no time to spare. It was a surprise that he was still only walking around without doing much, but that was about to end.

    A light wave of his hand and a press into the air brought up the player’s in-game menu. Saber walked out from the forest’s shadows and headed towards the small lake. He sat down nears it edge as he pulled up a message box as well as the virtual keyboard that went along with it. Two hours ago, he had been trapped in this game known as Elder Tale and made the decision to flee the main city of London for a short while so he could focus on leveling up and could become more familiar with the game without any interruptions. With that in mind, Saber had put together a list of things he would have to do in the initial days here to get himself going in the right direction. He had to remain vigilant and had to keep on track so he wouldn’t lose sight of his goal. He had to remain on one topic at a time and ensure that he didn’t get distracted by any minor details. Lost and wasted time would cause him to fall behind other players. That was unacceptable. He hadn’t run from London and safety just so he could sit around and sleep, even if that’s what he felt like doing.

    No, he had run so he could maintain his own sanity and avoid useless encounters. Being around other players in such a volatile situation was bad for his mental health. There was also a high chance he would stand out because of his personality of wanting to help others. It killed him inside to know that other people were in pain, crying, or lost in general and he couldn’t help them. However it was a necessary sacrifice that he had to make. Saber needed time to himself so he could collect his thoughts and set his priorities for the game. He needed this alone time more than he needed anything else in the world, more than his friends probably needed him, and more than the world needed him. Whether that was a good or bad thing, Saber didn’t know. He didn’t even know if he was right in running away but to him; it felt right. That was all that mattered.

    So, by the lake and by himself, Saber began to type away at the virtual screen in front of him once again. He had a plan in mind that would help him progress smoothly and had come up with multiple personal objectives he was going to make himself to complete. He took care to type down as much as he could into the message box until it was flooded, ensuring that he got everything down that he may need to refer back on. He wrote everything from things to remember during different situations, to the actual objectives that he had. He also wrote down the known points of reference and landmarks he had come across. For the moment he put the Lake in front of him as his “safety point” or “fall back point”. Should anything occur during his battles and he found himself on the verge of death of sorts, he’d fall back to the lake to recuperate and get himself back under control. If he got lost finding the lake, he would climb up high so he could find it. The player didn’t plan on straying to far from the body of water so hopefully he would have to do that.

    Time ticked by as the player’s fingers flew across the floating keys. He didn’t complain about the fatigue he felt from the constant typing, and he didn’t complain about the time he spent writing up the frightening wall of text. Planning and strategy before a hunt increased its success as well as the rewards gained, and that was the same for life. Good planning and knowledge of what needed to be done would help a person remain focused on their goals. If that person stuck towards a routine or some sort of plan, they would reach their goals much faster than someone who just kind of wandered about and did whatever they felt like. Saber had given himself twenty four hours to complete the goals he had set forth in front of himself. Due to their types of goals and how much time they’d take, Saber would have to be on point for every minute. There was no time for him to waste of the simple things, like writing, so he couldn’t let himself fall flat. Though, writing his plan down didn’t take him long so he was content with it. Five minutes, maybe six at the most, passed before he tapped the send button. After that, he opened and closed the message in order to remove the notification that had appeared in front of his face.

    “All set.” Saber grinned happily at his small victory and made his way over to the lake on his knees. At its edge, Saber leaned over the body of clear water and splashed his face. He was tired, but the feeling of the cool liquid helped him wake up and he felt some relief as it dripped off his skin. It was finally time to put his plan into motion and it was time for his twenty-four hours of hell to start.

[Saber]

    The player stood up and reopened his menu, this time navigating to the skills section. He looked down at the extremely short list in front of himself and was a bit surprised at what he saw. Initially, he had only seen two skills but now there was a third below them; Heatsink. Had it appeared when he killed the rabbit and the boar? Or was it maybe because of him touching the water that he was baptized with it? The player was unsure, but researching it would have to be put at the end of his list for now. Saber had to keep from straying from his plan which meant that the first skill, Atrophy Break, was his current objective.

    First, he had to understand the skill. He would have to learn what each word and sentence meant and how to use it in combat. He would have to break it down one sentence at a time and then pull it all together much like someone would do when writing one of those research paper things for school. Of course, Saber wouldn’t be searching anywhere for an answer from some genius who had time to read through hundreds of books on one topic just to write another book on the same exact thing. The only database of information that he had access to was his own empty mind, which meant that there was a potential for misinterpretation of the entire skill’s definition. That would be overcome by the second phase of understanding the skill, so he kept that problem for later.

Atrophy Break: Tier I Assassin Skill

Debuff Ranged Attack. While Assassins primary favor physical attacks, they have adopted some minor magic in the past to keep up with the advances of magi. By enchanting a projectile with a spell, the Assassin can cause spectral chains to bind their target on contact; the projectile itself only deals normal physical damage however. Weaker enemies with little resistance can completely paralyzed by the chains, while stronger enemies are merely slowed.

    So, just from looking over the skill, Saber could determine that it was a debuff, as stated at the beginning of the informational batch of the skill. It was also a ranged attack, thankfully, so he could use it in tangent with his bow without penalty. That was a bonus that he definitely needed to have at the start, as he doubt either of the other two skills would be able to provide him with an archery buff of sorts. All melee skills would be useless to him for the time being seeing as Saber didn’t have a melee weapon in his inventory. He only had a starter bow and some terribly made mass-produced arrows to use, so only ranged skills would benefit him until he was able to change that. If there truly were some ranged skills that he could use, then there was the potential that Saber wouldn’t ever need to use a melee weapon at all later on. Although he probably should get a weapon to carry around, even if it was only a knife, just in case something got to close for comfort and he couldn’t use his bow. After the initial labeling of the skills, Saber’s eyes moved to the first sentence;

"While Assassins primary favor physical attacks, they have adopted some minor magic in the past to keep up with the advances of magi.”

    The first thing that stuck out was the last word of the skill; magi? What was magi? It most likely meant “magic” and was just a typo, but it made Saber chuckle at the sight. It was a known mistake for such things to appear in video games like this and Saber wouldn’t make a hassle about it. He simply read it as “magic” because that was probably was the designers wanted to put. Saber returned to his serious analysis and pulled the sentence apart in his mind. He put each piece, each key word, into its own location so he could paint some sort of image that made more sense to him magic, Assassins, physical attacks, minor magic, past. The sentence said it one way, but Saber’s helped him remember it; Assassins used mainly physical attacks, but in order to keep up with advances in civilization they adopted minor magic skills. Such an action was understandable, but for a player it meant something else entirely.

    Due to the presence of older Assassins in the game and their research, there was a potential to learn magic, albeit weak magic but it was still magic. That meant that as he leveled, Saber wouldn’t be restricted to only physical attacks like he had initially expected. He would be able to choose from a wider variety than he had initially thought he would. The potential mix of physical and magical attacks would also allow him to increase his damage output if he used them together correctly. What was even better was that if this skill, Atrophy Break, was a magical spell cast on his arrow then what else would he be able to enhance his arrows with? Poison? Stun? Armor Break? Fire? Ice? The possibilities of elemental effects were endless, and for a person who would be striking from the shadows this was something he was going to love learning about as it would increase his deadliness in the field. However Saber didn’t dwell on just the knowledge that he could use some magic, he needed to know what the skill did. Thankfully, the next sentence began to explain it;

"By enchanting a projectile with a spell, the Assassin can cause spectral chains to bind their target on contact; the projectile itself only deals normal physical damage however.”

    So, his theory about using magic was correct. He would be casting the spell on his arrow to instill the magical effect into it, not himself or his bow, and then the enemy struck with the arrow would be affected by the elemental effect. In this skill’s case, Atrophy Break would cause some sort of binding effect. Yet, that opened up other questions. How powerful was the bind? Would it freeze a giant beast or only slow it down? What about small animals? Maybe if he had used it on the bunny, he would have been able to avoid losing it in the trees. If he used it on the boar, he could have ended the hunt much quicker than he had by binding it before it ran away from him. In phase two, he’d have to answer the question of how he would activate the spell. Would he have to tap on the menu manually? Or was there another, more efficient way? For now, he kept reading to the next sentence;

“Weaker enemies with little resistance can completely paralyzed by the chains, while stronger enemies are merely slowed.”

    Well, that answers the previous question about the limit of the skill effects. Smaller enemies, such as rabbits, boars, maybe fish, and other animals would be paralyzed completely by the attack. However, a creature such as a fictional Cyclops or a Giant would most likely be forced to move slower and wouldn’t be completely bound. Now, would the skill remain weak like that or was there was way to level the skill and increase the binding power? So far, Saber had only gained some experience in his main class from his engagements, but nothing had appeared to allow him to level up his skills. There were no flashing icons to designate such a thing on his main menu nor was there anything on his display, and there was nothing around the actual skill menu that allowed him to up the skill level from one to two. Maybe its effect would grow with a stronger weapon, or maybe it leveled up along with his main level. He didn’t know exactly how it would work and it was confusing.

[Saber]

    “This is why I need a manual.” Saber scratched the back of his head and pushed his lips together tightly as he looked in an irritated fashion towards the words in front of him. Such a lack of information was obnoxious for someone who desired it, but he would have to deal with it for the time being. There was no way to break into the coding of the game and somehow make the skill talk to him, nor was there a fairy floating about that would tell him everything that he wanted to know. Saber would have to figure it all out on his own just like he would have had to in reality if he came across a problem. Either way, Saber was thankful to have such a useful skill in his arsenal. Atrophy Break would come in handy when hunting fast and light targets. If he could raise his agility and got himself a melee weapon, there was a chance he could increase its power by using it as a preemptive strike tool. Although, that would come with time and practice before that combination was actually an effective thing.

    A soft tap to the floating screen brought Saber back to the main skill menu and he was able to see all three of his available skills once again; Atrophy Break which he had just analyzed, Silent Move which was next on the list, and Heatsink, the curious skill which had randomly appeared without any notifications or sounds. Part of Saber wanted to jump right to Heatsink but he fought against the urge and tapped on Silent Move, forcing himself to remain in order. Upon doing so, he realized that the second skill was much different than Atrophy Break. Earlier he had only glanced at the name of the skill and a little of what it said, but he had not read everything. Now as he glazed over it all, Saber realized that the skill wasn’t the reason he was moving quietly before. There was another reason for that he would have to investigate later. Right now, it was time to pull apart his next skill;

Silent Move: Level I Tracker Skill

A skill that deadens the user's movements whenever traveling, preventing them from making any sound while walking. In exchange, the Tracker's movement speed is reduced by 50%. For every 10 levels the tracker gains in their subclass level, this debuff is decreased by 10%. After Level 50, the debuff is eliminated completely.

    Unlike Atrophy Break, Silent Move didn’t have any notification of whether it was a passive skill, a buff or a debuff skill, or even if it was something that just happened to be there. Aside from its name and the label which attached the skill to his Tracker subclass, there wasn’t any point of reference for Saber to actually categorize the thing. It bothered him knowing that but he would have to deal with it. From the name and a look at the skill’s contents, it was safe to assume that the skill was a buff of sorts, if nothing else. Though, that was still to be determined. He would have to make the choice of whether to label this skill as a buff or debuff after using it a few times in actual active situations.

"A skill that deadens the user's movements whenever traveling, preventing them from making any sound while walking.”

    So, there was no elemental effect that came with the skill per say, but it was something magical that affected his own physical movements, making the skill a potential buff. The Silent Move skill would quiet his steps as he traveled and would keep him from making noise if he was walking. Saber’s question was that if it affected his walking; would it affect his running? In reality Saber walked on the balls of his feet and not his heels like many others, eliminating the clicking noise of each step that he took. When in the wilderness and when hunting, this assisted him by eliminating the harsher vibrations in the floor and it also kept his steps from being extremely noisy. By remaining on the balls of his feet, Saber was also always prepared to run or move if necessary as well. If Silent Move only affected his walking, then maybe there was another skill for his running that he would have to get.

    Yet if there wasn’t, then was it really necessary to even have it? During a hunt, Saber found himself running only when he had become spotted or if his target was running and he had to catch up. At that point, the animal was most likely far too quick for someone to simply walk after. In that situation, the animal was probably also very aware of its surroundings so a hunter had a lower chance of remaning hidden. When the hunt changed from stalking to chasing, Saber rarely hid himself anyways so the skill would prove useless at that point, and that wasn’t entirely a bad thing with all things considered. If Silent Move affected his walking, then Saber would be able to use it when moving into position and stalking his prey. That was a priceless bonus as getting into the right spot was the most important part of the hunt aside from actually killing ones prey.

“In exchange, the Tracker's movement speed is reduced by 50%.”

    “Ow.” Saber said out loud as he read over the next sentence. That… that really hurt. Bad. A fifty percent movement speed reduction in exchange for silence? What was this? Hunter Handicap Special? Such a decrease in movement was a crippling effect compared to what he expected and Saber couldn’t help but lose almost all interest in using the skill. BUT one thing kept him from completely writing the skill off his list; patience.

    In a hunt, time was precious just like it was to Saber now as he hunted for information about the world around him. Every second spent thinking, watching, and moving was a time wasted actually finding a target. If the hunter loses his prey, he doesn’t get the two, three, or even four hours he spent tracking it back. The time is gone, poof, in the air, lost in space, and said hunter is left without a kill. Losing a kill could be devastating, especially if that kill determines whether his family can eat or not or if he would get his next paycheck. With so much weight on time, precision, and actually getting the kill; patience was a trait every hunter must have. Time was short so making the most of it was something even more important. With Silent Move halving Saber’s movement speed, that would force the player to slow down, think, and evaluate his situation. He did that anyways but now the game would assist him with doing so by quieting his steps. Sure, he may be unable to move extremely quickly but that was something he was content with losing if it meant increasing his chances of success.

“For every 10 levels the tracker gains in their subclass level, this debuff is decreased by 10%.”

    It seemed the creators weren’t hell-bent on messing with him though. The third string of information Saber read gave him some hope of relief at least. Initially, he’d be cut fifty percent of his movement speed when walking. The reduction was terrifying for someone who may have wanted to be quick on their feet, but the fine print didn’t lie. Later on, as the skill stated, Silent Move’s double-edged blade would become duller and duller on one side as one progressed through the levels. Saber was thankful for that, and he was quite content with taking the initial hit of fifty percent if that was the case. By the time he would reach the end-game, Saber would be a force to be reckoned with because of this skill. All he would have to do now is find a way to level his Tracker class. If it was like the actual game, he would most likely have to actually use the skills of the subclass to level it. That was the only way he could see leveling it unless the system had also changed with the expansion. That was something he did not doubt that could happen.

“After Level 50, the debuff is eliminated completely.”

    Saber grinned at the last part of Silent Move’s description and nodded happily at the sight. At level one, it was expected that he would be hindered brutally by the system. It was just like when he started training with his father when he was a child; Saber was beaten to a pulp almost every day because of how tough it was at first. However the more he performed the exercises, the easier they got because he became stronger and more mentally tough. The same would obviously translate into this game. Just like in reality, he would be practicing his skills and using them to make them better. The more he used the skills, the better he got at using them. His efficiency would increase, his accuracy would increase, his strength would increase, and his flexibility would increase. The more he used Silent Move, the better he would become at remaining quiet and he would most likely be able to move faster as time went on as well. Practice would be the difference between the fifty percent debuff and the complete elimination of the penalty. It would take a long time before Saber got anywhere near that elimination, but it would just take some determination and a drive to succeed to do it.

    With one last quick look over the Silent Move skill, Saber pulled all of the pieces together just like he did with Atrophy Break. The Silent Move skill was the Tracker subclass’s Tier One skill, or his starter subclass skill. It would allow him to remain silent as he traveled through the roads and as he walked through the forest, but in exchange his movement speed would be halved. However, as he used the skill and his Tracker subclass increased in level, the movement speed debuff would become less potent. Eventually the debuff would be eliminated completely. Saber would need to reach level fifty with his Tracker class in order to do that. Practice would allow him to become better at handling the skill, and practice would also level his Tracking subclass. In order to reach level fifty, it would take him a long time but he would need patience, something that every hunter needed.

[Saber]

    “Got it…” A quiet mumble fell out of Saber’s lips as the player turned to his right. He followed the edge of the lake and began to walk around it as he tapped on the menu. Atrophy Break was an extremely useful attack skill and would allow him to bind his targets if he landed a strike. Silent Move would act as a passive skill of sorts and his steps would be silenced at the expense of his movement while he traveled. Not a bad combination if used correctly. With Silent Move, Saber could get up close to his target to make a shot almost impossible to miss. He then could use Atrophy Break to damage and freeze his target long enough to fire off one or two more arrows. That would make hunting fast and nimble creatures much easier. Further, it would also allow Saber to engage with more than one target if something such as that occurred because Atrophy Break would free one enemy, and he could continue to strike a second or third while the fire was frozen, giving him a short time of relief.

    Those two skills aside, the third skill, Heatsink, seemed like something completely different than the others. It hadn’t appeared initially when he spawned in and he never heard any notification of sorts to alert him of its unlocking. It was strange for something like that to happen and it filled Saber with a bit of concern. Someone somewhere had modified his character. The first thing Saber thought of was that someone had cracked into his system and changed it forcibly. A second possibility was that a Game Master had changed his data from outside the game. If the first was correct then Saber’s character was compromised and he could be in trouble. In the case of the second, then that meant someone was watching over this game. Such a thought sickened Saber. Who in their right minds would trap so many people into a fictional world and just watch them flounder about? Actions like this were brutal to the more fragile human minds.

    “Focus.” Stealing himself from the distracting thoughts, Saber blinked hard and then tapped on the new skill. To his surprise, this skill was under the name of another class he apparently had at his disposal; Blacksmith. Saber didn’t remember choosing that class, which meant that it may have been a part of the expansion. The game could have automatically put it as his third class as well. Either way, he had the skill and if he had it, he could use it, which meant he would need to learn it.

Heatsink: Level I Blacksmith Skill

Blacksmiths are able to wear chain armor without penalties if they are normally unable to wear chain armor. They are able to wear plate armor without penalties if they are normally able to wear chain armor but not plate armor. Also a toggle skill. Through their skills at working around a forge, blacksmiths have developed a slight tolerance toward heat. They take reduced damage of 10% from fire-based attacks.

    A quick look made Saber think about the skill’s use. He was an Assassin, a Tracker, and now a Blacksmith. The initial two-class combination was an obvious choice for a hunter to make but the third class was something that didn’t seem to fit in. Still, Saber could work with it if he thought about it. Under the Blacksmith class, Saber assumed he would be able to craft a variety of weapons, armor, and tools that he could use. After looking over his Assassin class information a month prior to the expansion, Saber learned that he could use every weapon available in the game but was limited to cloth and leather armor for protection. If he could create any weapon in the game with the Blacksmith skill, he would be able to build his own arsenal of weaponry that he could choose from. Saber rarely wore anything other than cloth as an Assassin so making armor would be useless for him; but that was now made out to be false it seemed.

“Blacksmiths are able to wear chain armor without penalties if they are normally unable to wear chain armor."

    Previously without Heatsink, Saber was indeed restricted only to cloth and leather armors. However now it seemed he was able to wear chainmail, and wear it without penalty because of the skill. That could be both a bonus and a hindrance. If Saber needed it for a special occasion, chainmail would provide extra armor and protection for the weak character that he was and would allow him to survive longer in close combat. Yet it would slow him down because of its weight and would cut his maneuverability down drastically. If Saber wanted to wear the chainmail, he would have to use his Blacksmith skill to find a way to shape it to fit what he needed. He would also need to find a way to make the gear light so it wouldn’t slow him down. Doing both of those things would require him to practice his Blacksmith skill and level it. He would have to look more into that later, but for now he kept reading.

“They are able to wear plate armor without penalties if they are normally able to wear chain armor but not plate armor. Also a toggle skill.”

    That statement was fairly useless for Saber as a whole. As an Assassin, he was unable to wear chainmail because of the restrictions. Heatsink would give him the ability so he would still be given a penalty if he wore plate armor. Though, also as an Assassin, wearing plate armor would be foolish anyhow. He would be slower and his mobility would be reduced to an absurd level. Speed and silence was something he needed as a weaker player so plate armor was out of the equation due to it being bulky and clunky. Though, he could see where this bonus would come in handy for someone more of the front-line class who was also a Blacksmith. If the player could use chainmail, it would be better to beef themselves up and wear the stronger plate armor. Mobility for them may not be such a necessary thing as it was for Saber, making it less of an issue to upgrade.

“Through their skills at working around a forge, blacksmiths have developed a slight tolerance toward heat. They take reduced damage of 10% from fire-based attacks.”

    “Oh…?” A reduction of damage from fire-based attacks? It wasn’t much of a reduction, but it was something. A hit that would originally cause a loss of one-thousand health points would be knocked down to only nine hundred health points, saving Saber a potion if he needed to use one. If he decided to meet up with another player who was a healer, it would also lighten the load on them because of the smaller amount of damage taken. More resistance was always a benefit in disguise. Though, due to it only affecting fire-based attacks, Saber would have to remember that other elements would still cause the same amount of damage. That wouldn’t be too difficult, but later on it would be something he may have to keep in the back of his head.

[Saber]

    The only downside to the Heatsink skill that Saber could see was what he didn’t see. The skill didn’t increase anything in his actual Blacksmith class and only buffed his actual character. It seemed useless for the actual subclass and made Saber wonder; if there was no actual Blacksmith skill then how would he use the subclass? Would he have to actually manually create everything by himself or was there something hidden in the information sheet that he was missing? That was a hard question to answer, but it was one he was concerned about. His Assassin main class and Tracker subclass both had skills that were in direct connection with them, but this Heatsink skill was a bit strange. If it meant anything; Saber was still thankful for the fire resistance.



    By the time Saber looked up from his menu, he had traveled almost three-quarters of the way around the small lake. It was bit a of a distance and it didn’t bother him much but it really showed how small the little area was. During his time looking down, he hadn’t been attacked either. That was nice and he was happy for that. Saber looked up towards the sky and discovered that the sun hadn’t moved particularly far from where it was when he started to look over and pull apart his skills. His analysis of what he had available to use hadn’t taken very long at all. It actually took less time than he thought it would, giving him more time to prepare for the second phase of his plan. Though, he decided that would be move back. As Saber looked around himself, he learned that he was in the middle of somewhere prime for practicing in.



    Before during his hunts, Saber had issues with drawing his arrows and nocking them. Pulling on the bow he had was also fairly annoying to do. Initially, he had put bow training lower on the list than practicing his skills. After reading over Atrophy Break, Saber determined that being strong with the bow would help with using his actual skill. If he didn’t then his lack of bow skills would come back to bite him. Saber was already used to the motions due to practice in reality, but his character was not. His first two hunts went well, but that wouldn’t be the same for everything. Saber needed to strengthen his shooting skills just as badly as he needed to strength his character skills. If he could perfect his shots, it would take less energy to end a hunt. It would also make him a deadlier player later on. Firstly though, he needed a target.



    The player made his way slowly towards the side of the lake he had initially walked in at and reached out towards the lake with his bow. Very gently, he tapped on the pad of one of the floating lilies and carefully wiggled it over to him. He did the same for two others and brought all three of the little green objects close enough so he could pluck them from the surface of the water they floated on. He reached into his quiver and pulled out three arrows as he made his way towards the tree line. He picked the closest three trees and used the arrows to hold the lily pads in place. They weren’t large objects and he would have trouble seeing them from an extreme distance, but he didn’t have to stand too far off for the time being. Saber needed to use what he learned in reality to train his new body. This phase would be the longest, and it would take the most time. Yet it would allow him to become a better player later on because of the experience it would give him. Patience was key, and as much as he wanted to rush; Saber needed to take a step back and focus on the fundamentals. Survival was all good and dandy but if he couldn’t make a kill then he was better off starving.



    The lily pads would prove good enough as Saber made his way to a twenty five-foot distance away from the three trees. The pads varied slightly in size but they were all easily visible against the dark brown bark behind their light green edges. As Saber raised his bow and nocked an arrow against it, he could see all three of the pads clearly. They were perfect and he was content with them. He didn’t have any real targets to put up so even if he didn’t like the pads, he would have to deal with them. It was a sacrifice he would have to live with, but it wasn’t something he was going to cry over. Now, he just had to practice.

[Saber]

    Saber removed the arrow from in front of his eyes and returned it to his quiver. Then, he gripped onto the bare string of the bow with the tips of his index and middle fingers. He turned his hips slightly, raised his right elbow and slightly bent his left, and then firmed the grip he had on the wood. With a very gentle pull, Saber slowly started to flex the bow he held. Tension built in the string as he pulled more and more. His left hand began to shake a little because of the weight that was building on it, but he continued to pull. The string flexed until it reached its breaking point. Saber held it there, steady, and slowly relaxed his shoulders. Strain built in his arms as he held the string and the player stared forward towards the center lily. He visualized a deer at the other end, removed the forest around him from his view, and focused on its skull. Then, his eyes followed the creature’s neck to its back, its ribcage, then its stomach. When he reversed where his eyes were tracking, Saber followed the exact same imaginary path he had taken back to the imaginary deer’s skull. When his eyes were reset on its head, and where the lily was; he exhaled. At that same moment, Saber shot his right hand forward and collapsed the tension safely. He pulled his bow towards his body and dispersed the strain as he relaxed his arms.



    It hurt a little to do such a thing, but Saber knew it would before he started. He personally didn’t like manually releasing a string and returning it back to its original position but it preserved the bow string itself. Dry firing was a horrible thing to do and it hurt the weapon more than it helped. Releasing the tension by releasing the string without an arrow in it would cause it to fling unnecessarily forward, potentially causing it to snap or break. With his hand there in the middle of the wood, Saber could guarantee that he would be sliced by the string as well. He had a string break on him once when he was younger and it had cut a deep line into his left arm. He didn’t feel like making that mistake again.



    Lifting his bow once more, Saber steadied it and aimed at the right lily this time. He placed his right hand beside his left on the bow, straightened his fingers, and retracted his hand to his cheek. His torso twisted due to the motion and he was almost completely sideways as he looked down towards the distant target. He locked his body in that position and slowly reached forward again. As he had done before, the man gripped onto the bowstring lightly with the tips of his fingers and began to draw it back. His left arm began to shake and shudder as the tension and pressure increased. Once he reached the max amount of drawback, Saber held the string tight and stabilized the bow in front of him. The weapon swayed slightly, but he was able to at least focus it on the lily.



    Taking a deep breath, Saber took a quick step to his right. He followed the pinned up lily pad with his bow and slowly started to circle to his right. In his vision, he began to visualize an elk on the other end of his shot and placed himself back into one of his memories. It was during his second winter as a hunter with his father. The snow was deep, the air frigid, and he could barely feel his toes and fingers. It was a tough time for him as a teenager, but Saber was determined. His father had played a support role that day, only guiding Saber whenever he made a mistake. Food was on the line that day and they couldn’t afford to lose an opportunity. After four hours of tracking, stalking, and preparing, the young elk was within sight. Saber stood fifty feet away at that time, twice as far as the distance he stood at now, but he was confident. He had shot with his father daily and had been on many hunts where Elks were the targets. He knew where to place his shot, and he knew when to do it.



    Saber stood for almost three minutes steadying his bow before he finally drew back on the string. With it pulled and a notched iron arrow nocked, the boy began to drift to the right. He circle slowly, steadily, quietly into a better position. He passed two trees and maneuvered just beside a third before he was finally able to get a good look at the head of the elk. The animal chewed on some grass it had found exposed and was happily devouring its find when it looked back to see something moving. That something was gone before it could get a good look though, so it continued to chew away. Saber on the other hand, had a perfect view from beside the tree. It took him an extra second to stabilize once more and turn, but after that; it was in Zeus’s hands. Saber exhaled and released the arrow he held, firing it across the fifty foot distance to his target.



    In the land of Elder Tale, Saber misfired and reset his bow safely as he fired the imaginary shot. His memory continued and he watched the arrow flash across the white world, crashing into the weak point of the Elk’s skull. The large body dropped in a flash and a massive smile crossed the young boy’s face. It was at that moment, a second arrow shot across his view and stabbed into another animal he had not seen. His father struck a small fox that was also hunting the Elk, adding their take for the day. The winter was cold, but it was one Saber remembered because of that day. It was his first large kill other than a deer, and that Elk was young and lean as well so they were able to eat off it for several days. Due to its size, the bones were also extremely strong. They provided the little boy with several tools and he was able to make a lot of new arrows from it. Sure, Saber’s family wasn’t exactly into the technological age but that was a choice. He had plenty of fun without televisions and video games.



    “Those were the days…” Saber whispered as he lowered his bow. The player looked over to his left at the lake at smiled. It was fun living that separated life and it was one that had provided Saber with enough experience and knowledge to last a life time.

[Saber]

    Looking back to his right, Saber decided to pull out an arrow from his quiver. He raised his bow, nocked it, and pulled back on the string. At the string’s greatest point of tension, he held it. The player steadied the arrow head and aligned it with the center of the left most lily pad. He inhaled deeply, steadied his shot, and prepared to fire. Yet before he released, the man took a hard three steps left. The movement forced him to quickly refocus and readjust. He didn’t give himself long, not even a second, before he forced himself to exhale and release. The sudden movement threw off his aim and the arrow whizzed past the tree into the forest. Saber cursed at the sight and lowered his bow. He really was back to being a novice if he couldn’t even hit the tree. That was more aggravating than anything else, but it was something he would work on.



    Reaching back once more, Saber drew another arrow and held his bow out in front of him by his waist. He nocked the arrow and raised his bow up high, almost completely above his head, as he pulled back on the string. When it was fully drawn, the man lowered his bow on the central lily pad, sucked in a breath to steady himself, and fired. The swift loading and release only took three seconds, but for Saber it was much longer. His eyes had been fixed on his target as he felt a wind brush against his face. It was light, almost unnoticeable but he would adjust to it. The pull was hard, and the string unkind to his fingers as he pulled. The arrow almost fell off his bow, but a firm grip and push kept it steady. The lily fluttered slightly due to the wind, but Saber looked beyond it. He looked towards the space behind it. The lily was in the way and Saber visualized the target much further. When he released, Saber did so slowly. He exhaled carefully and gently let his fingers roll off the string. The shot, aimed at a target two hundred feet away, soared in slow-motion as it passed right over the greenery. Saber cursed when he struck the tree and the lily pad, as the target behind it in the distance was untouched. Yet, when he saw that he hit the lily in the lower left part of its pad, he grinned.

It was on. 

    Pulling out another arrow took a third of a second, knocking it took another, and priming the shot finished it. Saber inhaled deep, exhaled, and released. Three seconds and the arrow flew across the air, skimming the thick bark of the left tree. The player hissed and yanked another arrow free. With ease and precision, he nocked it, drew back, and fired. This time, the shot was clean. The arrow head pierced the right lily in the top right corner and stuck the flapping object against the natural pillar. Another shot flew out a moment later, digging into the bottom right of the center lily as Saber didn’t hesitate to shoot again. He prepared another shot and was ready to fire again before the sound of the impact dissipated, but held back. The arrow quivered against the wooden frame of the short bow and the string was taut, tension at its peak throughout the weapon. Saber stabilized, breathed, and visualized his shot. He looked beyond his target and was ready to fire when a light breeze started to touch the left side of his body. The leaves rustled, the grass flowed, and the water just to his left rippled at the surface. Using the breeze as a timer, Saber relaxed and continued to slowly focus the bow sway. The instant there was a split in the breeze, the string snapped free. The arrow shot forward and whistled as it crossed the open air. The right lily was no match for the well placed shot, and the head of the arrow dug into the middle left, barely two inches away from the center bullseye.



    Reaching up, Saber opened his menu and navigated directly to his skill list. With the screen open, the player tapped on Atrophy Break in order to activate the skill. It flared a yellow color, showing that it was waiting to be used. Once it was ready, Saber reached back and grabbed onto the back of his next arrow. As he touched it, the arrow began to slow slightly at the tip, showing off that it had some sort of effect to it. The arrow didn’t feel heavier to the touch and it didn’t look any different aside from the water glow the tip gave off. It was a cool animation and it made Saber smile. He slipped the string into the groove at the back of the arrow, steadied the shaft of his projectile against the bow, and pulled it back slowly. The instant the string felt as if it would break, Saber stopped his draw and leveled his shot on the left lily. He breathed deep, raised up the tip of the arrow slightly, and relaxed his body. He then exhaled and released his shot. The enchanted arrow soared through the air, arcing slightly as gravity pulled it down just enough to cause the arrow to pierce just above the center of the green pad. Upon contact, a purple spark flared out from the impact location. It dissipated though and the tree was unaffected, but the spark showed that the skill had worked. Saber nodded and pulled another arrow free. At least the thing worked or showed that it did.



    He spent a few minutes firing freely at the three trees, getting himself situated as he dug in his feet. In reality, he spent hours shooting at trees when his father first showed him how to use a bow. Then it took him hours to actually get his first few shots on target. Now it was much easier, but it was still a little tough. The lily pads were proving to be very shy as one out of every four arrows whiffed by or stabbed into the trees themselves. However, the ones that most completely weren’t completely lost. It would just take some time to recover them all. If possible, he’d recycle every single arrow shot. It would save resources and they simply required a little sharpening after a while. Since he was just starting out, Saber didn’t need anything particularly deadly. The special-made arrowheads would come with time.

[Saber]

    After releasing one last arrow, Saber felt his arms start to shake a little. They quivered with fatigue and he watched as the last arrow dipped down, stabbing into the lower part of the central tree. He was getting tired it seemed. Going any longer would only hinder him later as the day was still fresh. He needed to recover his arrows and move from phase two into phase three of his plan. After his short little detour of fun, Saber was more comfortable in his new skin. He hadn’t perfected his shot yet with the avatar but he was still doing fairly well for having become a novice again. Patience was going to get him further than he thought in this place. Yet he couldn’t be the turtle in this race; he had to be the hare. He assumed that three hours had already passed since the game started, leaving him with twenty more left before the initial day came to an end. He had plenty of time, but there was much to do here.



    Saber slung his bow over his shoulders and opened up his menu as he began to walk slowly towards the cluster of three trees he had turned into his targets. They were littered with arrows. The player navigated to his inbox, tapped on the message labeled “Day One” and watched as the information inside spilled out onto his display. He grimaced at the sight and felt a bit of regret for what he had typed up, but he was thankful for it anyways. A lot of what was one there reminded him of other things he had forgotten, especially the list of objectives he had put together. While he read over the list, the player began to pull arrows out of the center tree. He checked their tips and put the useable ones back into his quiver. The ones he could use he returned to his inventory by dragging and placing them into the menu. It was fairly seamless to do such a thing, allowing him to multi-task as well.



    Once he finished reading over his objectives and he was ready to move on, he closed out the menu and focused on retrieving his arrows. He had plenty to do today and arrow recovery wasn’t exactly something he wanted to waste too much time on, but it was a necessary thing. For a hunter, his tools were something that couldn’t be thrown away very easily. If Saber could recycle his tools, he would do so as best as he could. Nearly every arrow he pulled out of the three trees could be reused except for a small number which were labeled as “broken”. It hurt Saber to be unable to use them again, but he knew it would only be for the time being. The time would come for when he would able to create arrowheads and could create his own arrows. When that time came, he’d have plenty of shafts and feathers to use. Creating arrows was fun for Saber and he enjoyed sitting down for a day just to make them. It paid off later when he left for a hunt with a full quiver. More arrows meant more possible kills, and that meant more rewards. In this game, if Saber had a full quiver and became better with his bow; he would be able to level up with ease by taking down the strongest foes from far out of their reach.



    The last arrow was a little tougher to pull free, but it was quickly returned to the quiver as its body and tip were both still in good shape. Saber left the lily pads up against the trees for the time being and stepped into the forest beyond them. His boots were sucked into some spots due to the mud, but other than that he navigated the forest floor with ease. His arrows had bright white feathers for fins, making them easy to spot on the dark green floor. Initially Saber counted eight complete misses but when he only found seven, he was concerned. The eight arrow was the third to last shot and he was sure it landed nearby. Though, as he searched around, he couldn’t find anything that remotely looked like his arrow. He looked at some of the other trees, pushed apart bushes, and stared at the ground in hopes that it would randomly just appear. When it didn’t after a few minutes, Saber sighed heavily and gave up. It was one arrow. It wasn’t exactly worth searching all day for. He had another objective to complete now that he was comfortable with shooting.



    As Saber stepped out to of the forest and entered the small lake area, he felt a wave of relief wash over his body. He knelt down by the water and leaned over it. With his hands, the player scooped up some of the fine liquid and quenched his thirst. It was delicious to say the least and he felt rejuvenated after the third gulp of the water. After just those few drinks, Saber decided that this area would be his home. There was plenty of vegetation so after some scouting; he would be able to find some usable resources. After that, all he needed to do was figure out how to make food. If he couldn’t make it then it wouldn’t be an issue. He was still close enough to London that he could make daily trips back to the crumbling city so fetching food wouldn’t be too difficult. While on his way there, he would most likely come in contact with some of the wildlife, meaning that he could level up some on his way to the city and on his way back. It would keep him occupied during the trip and there was also the main path if he felt lazy and didn’t want to fight anything.



    “Talk about a prime location…” Saber whispered as he wiped off his lips with the end of his scarf. The man released a satisfied sigh and sat up, looking up towards the sunny sky above him. The sun still wasn’t in sight, but he could tell which direction it was off to so it was fairly easy to put together the time of day it was; late morning. In reality, it was probably around eight or nine. After logging in a five thirty and finally entering the game at around six, Saber had spent quite some time hanging around this area already without any other players coming in sight. He began to wonder… what was Shiori doing? Had she even signed in yet? Maybe. If she had, then she probably already knew the situation and was probably doing her best to contain the Guild.

[Saber]

    “I’m a terrible person…” The smile on Saber’s face slowly faded as he thought about his close friend and the fact that he had abandoned her. It was selfish of him to do so and he was beginning to regret it. Even though he told himself that it was fine, that he needed to be done, Saber couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight of pain push down on his shoulders. It hurt knowing he abandoned her and everyone else. It hurt knowing that he abandoned everyone, but it was his choice. One that was necessary.



    “Yea… necessary…” Saber shut his eyes for a moment and slowly fell backwards, flopping down onto the ground. He popped his legs out and let them spread out as well as he got comfortable. Time was short, but maybe it wasn’t so important to rush. If Saber was going to be living here in this world, he had plenty of time to learn and fight. There was no need for him to rush around and try to learn everything at once. He needed to relax and let his body just go with the flow of things. He was an assassin out in the middle of the wild. No one would come out to bother him and he doubted he would come in contact with any players until he returned to London for food. This lake was a good distance from the main path so it wasn’t somewhere someone could just stumble on unless they chased something back to it like Saber had. He had been lucky that the boar ran this way.



    A low rustle caused Saber to open his eyes. He remained still and looked to his right towards where the sound came from. At first, Saber didn’t do anything, but as he realized what he was looking at the player’s eyes opened up wide. Five feet away from where he lay, a pair of young boars stepped out of the bushes and trotted over towards the lake. However, before they got close, one snorted loudly and looked directly over towards the Adventurer. The scarf around Saber’s neck covered up much of his face and as he looked up, he could feel it slowly started to fall towards his eyes. The three avatars remained frozen, all staring at one another as Saber’s scarf fell more and more. Eventually, they had remained there long enough for the scarf to start to fall in the way of his vision. He waited, eyeing the two boards quietly as he began to use the cloth as a timer…



    “Stay… Stay…” Saber commanded in his mind as the scarf began to cover up half of his vision. He lost sight of the animals’ eyes but he continued to stare at their feet until the very last moment where he couldn’t see even those. When he was blinded, the man sprang into action.



    Using his elbows, Saber shoved himself up into a seated position and rolled over onto his right arm. He used it as a spring and propelled himself up to his feet. At the same time, he pulled his bow off his shoulder. The two little boars squealed in fright from the sudden movement and started to run, but Saber already had begun to place an arrow against his weapon before they could get to far away from him. He nocked the back of the arrow against the string and drew it back hard. Swiftly, he leveled the shot on the backside of the first pig, breathed in deep, and exhaled. The arrow shot out like a homing missile and dug itself into the back right leg of the animal. The boar squealed loudly and fell over onto its side as its health bar began to drop.

[Saber]

    Saber sprinted forward, chasing the second little animal as he swiftly pulled out another arrow. When he reached the first wounded creature that was just getting back to its feet, Saber readied his shot, stabilized, and released. His arrow screeched over the fleeing boar’s head but took some of the creature’s ear with it. Cursing, Saber focused his attention on the young boar by his feet. He positioned himself behind it as it finally got back up and fired a well-placed shot into the back of its skull. From point blank range, the arrow stabbed deep and actually popped out of the bottom of the young creature’s mouth. It was a critical blow and caused the animal’s bar to completely empty. Saber had another shot lined up just in case the game decided to ignore the brain damage and keep the animal alive. To his content, Elder Tale obliged to his aim and the pig fell over silent. It popped into dust and items, leaving Saber alone in the forest once more.



    “Damn it!” Saber snarled and kicked at the ground. He quickly gathered his items and sprinted forward. He wasn’t giving up yet. Not until he was forced to stop or found that damned pig.



    Dirt kicked up behind the angered player as he moved with all of his might. He followed the path the second boar had taken and snagged the arrow off the ground he had initially used. The piece of ear it had taken off was still attached but Saber quickly brushed it off and focused on his path. Due to the thickness of the undergrowth and the size of the creature, Saber doubted it could have gone far. He hissed and adjusted his angle. He strapped his bow across his chest and jumped up onto an easily climbable tree. From there, he went up. Using his strength and agility, the player was easily able to reach the branches above and returned to giving chase. He followed the same tactic he had done with the first boar he killed, but this time he was forced to search more vigorously.



    The time he had wasted was short, and as he hopped quickly from one branch to the next, Saber hoped he would be able to make up time. His path through the canopy was mostly clear and the branches were thick, putting his mind slightly at ease. Although if he came across a branch that was going to give out, he either be able to jump back up or at least towards the ground fast enough to recover. Still, safety wasn’t a concern. He wanted that boar and he was going to get it. With all of his might, the player kicked faster and faster. He growled low and narrowed his eyes on the floor, scanning the forest as he sped across it. He glanced at his minimap and noticed that he was closing in on the main road as well. If that happened, he doubted he could jump across. He’d have to touch down before then or he’d have to jump across and land in the forest again.



    “SQUEEEEEE!!” Looking down ahead of himself, Saber watched as a small object started to flee. That was it!



    “You’re not getting away this time!” Saber shouted as he pulled the bow off his shoulder. Holding onto it tightly, the player snarled and pulled out an arrow. He moved in closer and closer, almost to the point that he was right on top of the smaller creature. It kept running straight, heading for the main road. Saber grinned and placed the arrow against the wood of his weapon. Then, the moment came.



    Saber planted his feet and leapt up into the air, using as much power as he could as he emerged over the main road leading away from London. The little boar burst out of the brush ahead of him and was deadest on reaching the other side. Both of its ears were pulled back and it kept its head low to the ground. Saber focused his vision, drew back on the string until he couldn’t pull anymore, and then leveled it on the ground a few feet ahead of the pig just before the next batch of undergrowth. He reached the halfway point above the road when the pig entered the bottom of his aimed vision. At the sight of the pig’s snout, Saber released a silent prayer...



    “Atrophy break…” After the words, the tip of his arrow began to glow. Right after, Saber released the back end of his arrow and let it fly. Whether that would work or not was not up to him and he didn’t care. The player was more focused now on minimizing damage. He moved his hands out of the way, strapped his bow across his back, and prepared for a rough landing.



    The boar, focused on reaching the forest, didn’t stop to look around itself. As it prepared to enter the forest, the arrow Saber shot dug into the upper right section of its back. It released a loud squeal and took one more step forward before its body was suddenly ensnared by dark, ghastly chains and pulled to the ground. The young animal flopped over and whimpered loudly as its snout was locked shut. Saber slammed into the ground a few feet away from the little creature and tucked himself into a ball, forcing himself to roll over his head twice to disperse his momentum. He then popped back up to his feet, pulled his bow off his back once more and swiftly drew another arrow. This time, he loaded it and held as he turned to look at his prey. The pig was stuck in a mess of phantom chains that had most likely appeared due to his skill, confirming that his suspicions were correct.



    “That will come in handy…” Saber thought as he walked closer to the young boar. The chains didn’t last forever and after almost ten seconds, they shattered apart. Before the pig could move again, Saber swiftly released his arrow into the front of its skull. The shot broke deep through the animal’s skull and caused the health bar to become translucent. A moment later, Saber was left to gather another handful of items. He hated to say it, but this game was becoming interesting. He was having fun with figuring out its systems and the new game didn’t leave him bored for long. It seemed to be able to read him perfectly, but how long would that last?



    Saber strapped his bow to his back and sighed at that thought. It wouldn’t be long until the game decided to change things up on him and at his pace; that probably wouldn’t be far off. After finding a place to call a home and after becoming more comfortable with his weapon of choice, it was time to relax a little. The city of London wasn’t far off and it was going to be his place to return to for supplies so it would probably be best if he explored it a little. As much as he didn’t want to, Saber figured it would be to his benefit to return for a few hours. He had questions and objectives, but many of them would be best answered and completed more slowly than the ones he had just tackled.



    The player sighed heavily once more and started to make his way back towards the distant ruins he could see. He could already feel the horrid air coming from the place and he knew it was going to ruin his mood. However, he would have to return at some point. It would be best to deal with it now rather than later. If he waited too long, other players would most likely take over and scoop up much of the big stuff in the area. At the least, Saber could look into ways to procure food from outside or he could look into buying a new bow and better arrows. That would entertain him during his time there if nothing else.