When facing a manticore, it is prudent to note that the beast has few to no blind spots. The scaly hide is dense and thick and will repel most non-magical weapons, though across the belly one’s weapon may find purchase.

  One must also observe that, despite being a beast, it has some capability with the arcane, with an ability to cast elemental magics from the fire and ice domains. I would recommend a party of at least five highly skilled Adventurers to best one of these fearsome creatures.

  — Monsters of the Mortal Realms by K. D. Fidditch.

  Groggily, I woke to the night. Stars shone in the sky like a beautiful sparkling tapestry adorned with shining pearls, and I saw a single oversized blue moon through the boughs of the tree. Squinting, I fancied I could perceive great craters on the moon’s surface. Its light bathed the world with a soft ethereal glow in shades of blue and silver, and the grass rustled in the chilly night breeze.

  Pulling my thoughts away from the stunning beauty that surrounded me, I slowly hugged my knees to my chest, trying to draw some warmth from the bitter cold. Shivering, I forced myself to peruse my notifications, verifying the changes to my character. I noticed that despite the increase in Wisdom, my maximum Mana had not changed.

  Nevertheless, I now stood at the full six points of Mana. Could it be that the Wisdom attribute affected Mana regeneration? More significantly, I breathed a sigh of relief as I observed that my Health had climbed to eight after my rest and the agonizing healing spell. In my slumber, I had also attained a mysterious skill called “Endure” at level one.

  STATUS

  Calling: %^& Level 2 Acolyte of Avaria

  Strength: 8

  Dexterity: 8

  Constitution: 9

  Intelligence: 9

  Wisdom: 9

  Charisma: 8

  Luck: 10

  SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

  Pain Nullification (lvl.1)

  Power Strike (lvl.1)

  Endure (lvl.1)

  SPELLS & MAGIC

  Heal (lvl.1)

  Rust (lvl.1)

  GIFTS

  Curse of Entropy: -20% all starting attributes.

  Experience to next level 100/220

  Health: 8/13

  Stamina: 14/16

  Mana: 6/6

  Feeling miserable, I hesitated to try to cast “Heal” again, as I had not enjoyed the unpleasant ripping sensation I felt when I st cast the spell.

  As I pondered my situation, I analyzed my absurd circumstances. In some games, the system penalized pyers if they reached zero in a statistic. A ck of Stamina would hinder movement, depleted Mana would impede spellcasting, and zero Health would result in death.

  My conclusion was that I did not want to perish, and therefore I had to endure the pain once more to restore more of my Health. I tried to convince myself that the discomfort was akin to receiving a painful injection. Hopefully, the pain from the previous spellcast was a result of depleting my Mana completely, but the only way to find out was to try again.

  Wincing at the expected agony to come, I gingerly uttered, “Heal,” and focused all my will on the spell. Once again, I felt a shift of some sort of energy, and an uncomfortable pulling sensation. Expecting daggers to assault my mind, I scrunched up my eyes and clenched my fists tightly.

  A soothing warmth flooded my body, but there was blessedly no suffering. Gncing at my Status, I saw my Health had increased by a further two points, bringing it to a much safer ten. I breathed deeply as tension left my body. My Mana had dropped to one; I felt a little lightheaded, but there was no excruciating pain.

  Fighting against a wave of mental fatigue, I tightened my robe and struggled to my feet. If this was indeed a game world, then this coarse robe was likely my pathetic starting gear. I also made a mental note to investigate the mystery skill, “Endure,” ter. However, the growling in my stomach and the dryness in my throat reminded me of my immediate, more pressing needs.

  Searching around the stone shrine, I was prompted with another quest.

  Restore the Shrine of Avaria? -Yes/No

  No, I thought, quickly dismissing the intrusive notification from my inner vision. I owed nothing to the supposed “goddess” who had callously plucked me from my comfortable life and thrust me into this harsh and unforgiving world.

  My immediate needs took precedence; I had to find food, water, and some sort of protection. I shivered as I remembered my encounter with Avaria in another life. The cold realization that she had all but stripped me of my free will with feelings of forced adution struck me to the core. That such a being had deigned to mold me into a mere instrument of their indomitable will was a terrifying thought.

  With the moon high in the sky, there was plenty of light to see by. I searched around the altar and found a broken spear. It was split in two about halfway up the haft, and the spearhead seemed to be made of sharp stone, bound to the shaft by sinew.

  I now had one of humanity’s oldest and most trusted tools as a weapon. Two halves of one, anyway. Buoyed by my discovery, I searched more of the area, revealing a rolled-up piece of leather parchment, tied with what looked like rawhide string.

  Untying the cord, I noticed there were further knots on the string at varying points down its length. Under the moonlit sky, I wondered if there was enough light to see by as I slowly unraveled the cloth. I was not to be disappointed.