Parallel Vol. 1
Chpter 5: Welcome to Kerta

A familiar sight greeted Kashi as he rode into the grasslands around the town called Kerta. Several adventurers - mostly humans, were hunting the local wildlife which consisted mainly of rabbits and ferrets. The sight of grown men in full armor chasing a rabbit caused a chuckle to rise up his throat; he promptly killed it before it came out.

The duo drew curious glances from the mob. Partly because they were riding on horses, but mostly because of Kashi’s soot-black skin. The lack of any of his race on the field told him he was a rare breed to them.

“Be careful.” Leon noticed the looks the adventurers were giving Kashi. “Your kind is not welcome here.”

“Pardon?” Kashi rose an eyebrow in question.

“Since the war, dark elves have been persecuted by the rest of the continent. It would do you well to replace a disguise once we reach the town.”

“The war...” Kashi looked to the sky, remembering the battle that had ended far too quickly. “How long has it been since then?”

“Eleven years.”

“Eleven what!” He accidentally pulled sharply on the reins, causing his ride to buckle wildly. He was thrown clean off the horse, and landed roughly on his back. He quickly rolled out of the way as the horse turned around and galloped past him.

“You okay?” Leon placated his horse then walked to Kashi, reining it behind.

“Ah, yes. I am unharmed. Pardon my outburst.” Kashi nimbly got to his feet and dusted himself off, embarrassed.

“I told you to quit with the polite speech. What was so shocking?”

“It’s nothing,” Kashi said, choosing to loosen up. “I was just a bit surprised by the time is all.” It was quite common for games to start during an event then fast-forward several years into the future. Once the initial shock was over, he calmly remembered that fact.

“If you say so.”

They both walked through the fields to the gates of Kerta. Two guards in sparkling green glass armour stood on both sides holding large spears. They gave him dirty glares but did not engage.

“This is no town,” Kashi muttered under his breath. The city was huge. The roads were paved with beautiful green stones. The finishing were so good, he could see his own reflection in the ground. The building did not lose out; each had its own unique charm and beauty. It was like the city had been built by lovers of art.

The city bustled with life as adventurers ran around completing quests and forming parties for hunting. Kashi watched all this unfold around him as he followed Leon to an inn in a lesser developed part of the city - they could not afford the price of the higher class inns.

Leon generously paid for the both of them with money he had pilfered off the guards back at the prison.

“See you in a few.” Leon waved as he entered his room.

Kashi entered hi and went straight to the bathroom.

“Equipment,” Kashi said. The keyword activated and a window containing all the current equipped items appeared, and he unequipped everything. Naked, he entered the shower and turned on the heat. The slightly hot water refreshed him and he felt a huge load lift off his shoulders.

Quest Complete!

Escape the Prison

Several years has passed since Markoth lost the war and the dark elves were massacred for retribution. Survivors of the brutality either went into hiding or were tossed to rot in prison. Against all odds you persevered and survived, awaiting the day you would be freed. A harsh world awaits, but first, enjoy the breeze and relish in your freedom.

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

New stat: Endurance

Endurance: By overcoming terrible hardships, you can withstand harsh conditions. Reduces loss of Vitality and Stamina. Stat points can be distributed. Depending on avatar’s actions, can also increase on its own.

New trait: Scorn of the Fallen

Scorn of the Fallen: The blood and anguish of your fallen comrades empowers you against those who cut you down. Increased attack against humans. Stat points cannot be distributed, but will increase or decrease depending on the player.

Kashi stared in surprise and amazement. He had undergone and completed a quest without even knowing, leveled up twice and acquired two new stats; One of which was clearly rare.

He got out of the bath and put his gear back on - except the weapons.

He swiped the air, pulling out the window and clicked on his profile.

Character Name: Kashi Alignment: Neutral

Level: 3 Profession: N/A

Title: N/A Race: Daeben

Fame: 0 Infamy : 0

Health: 90 Mana: 120

Strength: 7 Agility: 11

Wisdom: 11 Intellect: 12

Dexterity: 14 Endurance: 10

Vitality: 9 Stealth: 8

Leadership: 0 Luck: 0

Attack: 10 Defense: 6

Magic Resistance: 5

(Fire Resistance: 0% Water Resistance: 0%

Wind Resistance: 0% Earth Resistance: 0%

Lightning Resistance: 0%

Light Resistance: 0% Dark Resistance: 5%

It was a pretty straightforward RPG setting. Health was the amount of damage he could endure before he died. Mana was the energy used to cast spells and special skills. Strength and agility affected what weapons he could wield and damage dealt. Dexterity improved his accuracy and critical hits.

Wisdom and Intellect helped increase the effect of spells. High luck meant higher chances of getting critical hits and obtaining rare items. Leadership affected morale and while it did not matter much in solo-play played a big role in party battles, boosting the parties’ stats.

Kashi had ten points to distribute but he decided to hold off on picking anything just yet. He continued to browse through the menu familiarizing himself with the various commands until someone knocked on his door.

He walked over to the door and opened it; he froze in place, mouth agape when he saw who was at the door. “Who are you?”

“O-oi, that’s mean,” Leon said, chuckling at Kashi’s reaction. The scruffy man from the cell was gone replaced by a handsome devil. His beard had been shaved off completely leaving only a trimmed triangular goatee on his chin. His shaggy hair had been cut and treated so it fell around his head in an untidy-yet-cool kind of way. With nothing obstructing his face, his brown eyes seemed to leap out shouting “I’m cute! I know I’m cute!” Leon had also tossed his jumpsuit for a half decent piece of leather armor.

Kashi cleared his throat as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. The room had been rented for the day, though he most likely would not be coming back if things went the way he planned.

“You sure you came from the same prison I did?” Kashi joked as they left the inn. He knew it was time to part ways and the emotion in the pit of his stomach both annoyed and sickened him.

Leon burst out laughing and held out his hand which the daeben took in a firm handshake. The older man relaxed into a smile. “It was fun Kashi. If you ever come around Torgus, ask for me. We’ll catch up.”

“Sure. Thanks for the help.” Kashi watched Leon’s back until he disappeared into the crowd. There was no way to contact him anymore. Not yet at least because Leon was a resident, not a player, made obvious by the lack of a diamond floating above his head. This meant he could not ‘friend’ him and mail him.

When his partner was no longer visible, Kashi toured the city searching for something. He stopped in front of a small building and walked in.

Surprisingly it was quite empty. The only people in there were three residents sitting around a table. Bows of different sizes and colors were displayed on the walls; it was saddening that there was no one to appreciate them.

“You lost kid?” a resident asked. He was an extremely tall and skinny elf; the race was different though. Wisben maybe from his wood-colored skin and dark brown mop hair.

“Kind Sirs, if I am not mistaken, this is the training center for archers?” Kashi bowed politely. “I humbly request your permission to use your facilities.”

“Around back.” The elf pointed to a door at the back of the room.

“Many thanks.” Kashi walked past them to the door. He opened it and entered a large training field. There were several shooting galleries lined horizontally starting from right in front of the door. The galleries were numbered from one to five. Each number had approximately ten galleries dedicated to it; This meant there were approximately fifty of them. The targets were bulls-eyes painted on a cardboard cut-out. Some were human and others were animals depending on the difficulty.

Kashi walked to the first gallery and equipped his bow. The target was approximately thirty meters away from the first level. He let loose and missed the middle by a few centimeters. He did not let that deter him, however, and continued firing one after another; His aim was to get ten hits in the middle in a row.

A frustrating half hour later, he scored the tenth bullseye in a row.

Bow Mastery has increased by 1.

Increases Attack Power with a bow by 20%.(+20% ATK)

Reduces reload time by 3%

Strength Increased by 1 (+1 STR)

Dexterity Increased by 1 (+1 STR)

Vitality Increased by 1 (+1 VIT)

The notification was a reward from heaven telling him he was not wasting his time. He studied the stats that increased. Practicing at the range would raise these stats but the bow and arrow would not raise his agility which was quite important.

While pondering on how he would increase both his agility and keep up with his practice, his stomach growled angrily. His vitality was at an all-time low and if he did not eat soon, he would starve to death.

After paying for the room and calculating his transportation costs, Leon had left Kashi with only thirty bronze coins. Maybe it was because he started from a prison, but he had no money and was not given the obligatory bread RPG’s usually gave starting adventurers

He left the practice room, stopping to greet the residents at the training facility before leaving. They paid him no heed; they most likely thought he had given up. Not that he could blame them.

Kashi scanned the area until he found the poorest looking shop; this was not easy considering the town’s obvious concern for aesthetic beauty.

An old human greeted him from behind the counter when he entered. He had his back turned to Kashi, working on something. The clerk turned around and his smile turned to a snarl filled with so much hatred Kashi stopped in his tracks; Wrong - He was frozen in place, unable to move. Then it was gone like it never existed, replaced with a clerk’s bright smile.

“What can I get for you?” the clerk asked, all business-like.

“W-what...” Kashi cleared his throat to regain his composure. He recalled Leon’s warning of the hatred towards Dark Elves. “Forgive my impertinence, Sir. This young one took part in the atrocious war all those years ago. My people have wronged you and for that, I humbly offer my apologies.” He bowed before the inn-keeper. Take the bait, take the bait.

This, of course, drew the attention of a few adventurers who were hanging around the shop.

“Gross. Is he bowing to an NPC?”

“Oi, you can’t say that. It’s banned.”

“Still, what kind of player bows to an A.I?”

“Did you hear the way he was talking? Eeew”

Kashi paid no heed to the mocking laughter behind him. He kept his head down, hiding his twisted expression from both the adventurers and the clerk.

“You have honour, unlike most Delves.” The clerk scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by the commotion. “Stand straight. A man should not bow his head so easily.”

“Alas I am not a man, but an ex-convict without a country or home, in a land foreign to me.” Kashi raised his head and smiled at the clerk. “Your kindness warms this one’s heart.”

“I don’t blame you for what happened. That was eleven years ago. Much time has passed and should not be wasted on hatred.”

“Wiser words were never spoken.”

“Ah, I still need training if I’m still letting my emotions get the better of me. What can I get for you?”

Kashi felt the coins in his pocket and was about to draw them out when an idea flashed in his head. Let’s see just how flexible these residents are. “I would ask for a loaf of rye bread, but as I have but three bronze coins to my name, I am inclined to settle for whatever you can give me.” He put on his best pained expression, rubbing his stomach with his left hand.

“Unfortunately, I cannot give you any more than three rye bread.” Downcast, Kashi nodded solemnly drawing the clerk’s pity. “I cannot give you any more than that, but to apologize for my earlier behavior I will teach you something useful.”

Kashi shivered but kept his eyes downcast. “I am not worthy of such kindness.”

“Nonsense. Here, take this.” The clerk handed him the three loaves of rye bread and leaned over the counter. Kashi took a step forward and leaned in to listen. “That pressure you felt earlier when you walked in is called bloodlust. It’s a skill that channels rage and anger into a pressurizing force. It’s not a skill I recommend however so I suggest you start off with Fighting Spirit.”

“Fighting Spirit?”

“Yes. This is fundamental for warriors. It imbues warriors with a short boost in power and sometimes causes a smaller pressuring effect like bloodlust.”

New Stat: Fighting Spirit

Skill: You learned Bloodlust

Fighting Spirit: Grants you uncommon strength for a limited period of time. Can force weaker enemies to their knees with but a glance. Stat points may be distributed. Actions by the player may also increase stats, especially if player fights for an extended period of time or continually fights stronger monsters

Bloodlust: An indomitable pressure born from the desire to slaughter your target completely. Directly proportional to player’s strength and desire to kill the target. Increased by killing one’s enemies.

“Many thanks, kind Sir. This one cannot thank you enough for your kindness.” Kashi bowed again and shook the clerk’s hand firmly. He left the store, taking a bite of the bread on his way out. It was quite nice; Considering he had gotten them free, he was satisfied with the taste. Stopping at another store, he bought ten stale bread for ten bronze coins and returned to the Archery training center.

He needed to eat about twice a day, and stale bread worked fine in filling him up even though it tasted like sand. All he needed to do was keep from starving and he would live; This he told himself to cheer up, as the long week of stale bread reared its ugly head at him.

Back at the archers’ training center, the residents were quite surprised to see him return and watched with piqued interest as he entered the other room.

Kashi walked over to the second gallery and equipped his bow. The target this time was about forty to fifty meters away. He fired the first shot but it fell short of the target. Sighing, he continued firing.

It was going to be a long day...