Disclaimer: I do not own ½ Prince or anything other intellectual property that is not mine.

Thank you everybody who reviewed and put this story on favorites and alerts, especially dartya, who pointed out a ridiculous mistake I made last chapter. Author's note is at the end.

LINE BREAK

I headed out a short distance north from Afel-on-the-Pirenes, and it did not take me long to find a bunch of man-eating slimes cavorting in the long grasses, and the most telltale sign that they were even there was the way the top of the grass bent in twisting paths without there being any wind. I actually caught sight of one on the fringe of the grass, and if it was not moving I doubt I would have noticed it; although its body was in the shape of a fat teardrop, its coloring and patterning blended in perfectly with the grass.

The slime hadn't noticed me yet, so I took the chance to observe it. Save for its beady black eyes and a crease beneath them that I presumed was the mouth it didn't really look like a living creature at all. Most Second Life monsters are at least somewhat passable as living beings, and my first glimpse of a monster – the man-eating slime – was honestly disappointing. I hope that the other monsters are more interesting.

Then the low-level monster yawned – or at least, that was how I perceived it – and I was taken aback by the contents of its mouth. Rows of yellow-brown saw teeth lined its maw from corner to corner, and I shuddered. I hated to imagine what infections I could possibly contract from those dirty looking implements of attack, and even if it was in a game I most definitely did not want to find out in a personal way. Could players even become afflicted with such conditions? I mean, I know there are status affects, and the game is ninety-nine percent realistic, but that's just nasty.

I sighed, drawing my pitiful knife and taking a glance at what I was wearing. Neither my armament nor lightly armored robes seemed like they'd be much help. Nevertheless, I made a few practice slashes in the air and was pleased that it seemed like it could at least inflict sufficient damage.

My movements and the sunlight glinting off of my weapon had attracted the attention of the man-eating slime, which charged at me in a bouncing motion. Had I not been aware of the monster's teeth, combined with the first two words of its name, I would have been more amused. As it was, I side-stepped the monster's attack and pivoted on the heel of a foot, the other one already raised into the air which then struck as the slime passed me by, catching it in the side and sending it sprawling a few feet away.

Attack successful, Man-Eating Slime HP -15

System notice: Blackbird has learned a new ability – Spin Kick

The system notice surprised me, and seeing that the slime was still dazed from my attack I skimmed the explanation.

Spin Kick: Ability Level 1, 10% chance of immobilizing an opponent

Well, that was a useful ability, but I could already see the man-eating slime righting itself, a side of its smooth face/cheek starting to bruise. Perhaps as my ability grew then it would leave the opponents down longer, which could definitely come in handy.

The slime came at me again, and I dodged and moved to perform another Spin Kick. However, the monster anticipated this (I wonder if even NPC monsters like slimes gained something from the whole sentience thing kicking in), turning around and latching onto my attacking foot with its teeth, sinking them in and stubbornly refusing to let go. Have I mentioned that those teeth look painful? Allow me to reiterate: they hurt like bloody hell!

Note to self: buy better footwear than the lace-up leather sandals that you started out with. Perhaps some steel-toed combat boots would be a wise investment.

Man-Eating Slime attack successful, Blackbird -2 HP

I scowled, vowing to turn off the frequent notices as soon as and if possible, preferably immediately after this fight. I could see why they were there, but frankly enough it was distracting.

Having enough of the slime clinging to my foot like a damn parasite, I brought my leg up higher before slamming it down, and repeating the motion repetitively until the slime was an ugly stain. I spat out several curses, not having even heard the notices of the slime losing health rapidly and myself gaining two new abilities; the movement had only brought more pain to my foot, and I when attempting to assess the damage by wiggling my toes found that I couldn't make the movements that I had always been able to make even unconsciously. The tendons must have been bitten right through!

Sighing, I bit down on my lower lip until beads of blood welled up, not allowing myself to whimper even when I tried setting my injured foot down, only for pain to flare up and cause me to retract it back into the air. And no, I did not cry, thank you very much; it's not crying if the tears don't actually escape.

I shook my head and licked the blood off of my lower lip, savoring the coppery flavor. Taking a few deep breaths I tried to calm down, and had to stifle a chuckle as I realized I had to look ridiculous as I was, standing stock-still with one leg held up in the air. I eased myself awkwardly to the ground, taking care not to jostle my bad foot, and wondered how I should get back to the village. Wait until another player came along and ask for aid?

My lips curled at the thought. As if! I had no desire for anyone to see me in this state, so weak and defenseless. Besides, I was more than capable of taking care of myself! I sneered at myself for the idea to have even crossed my mind. Then realizing I could be attacked by another slime I looked around in an attempt to catch sight of another. I didn't see any more monsters, but I did notice a stoppered vial containing a thick-looking red liquid in the remains of the slime I had obliterated, along with a few small bronze coins. I quickly snatched up the loot, depositing the coins into my pouch before examining the potion more closely. The red ones were healing potions, I was pretty sure.

Well, if it wasn't a standard healing potion then it all likelihood it was a typing mana replenishing one, as a beginner monster wouldn't drop any potions more potent I was sure. Shrugging, I pried the cork out of the glass and brought it to my lips, downing it in a few large gulps and making a small face. It tasted like cherry medicine, which meant it had that nasty aftertaste. I rolled my tongue around my mouth a few times and spat onto the dusty ground, trying to get rid of the taste.

My foot had stopped throbbing now, and I looked to it to see that it was completely healed. My toes were even capable of moving at full capacity as before. In fact, the only evidence of the wound was the blood staining my sandal on that foot and a bit of the ground around it. I wondered idly if the healing potion acted for infections also; how nice it would be, to just have to drink something and be cured of all ailments.

Even though the vial was drained of its contents, I nevertheless placed it away into my pouch, the interior of which was far larger than the outside, with the plan to see if I could sell it so that I wouldn't be as near-broke as I currently am.

Feeling rejuvenated, I leapt to my feet and stretched a bit.

"System." I brought up the system menu for the second time that day. I flipped through it, reaching the options menu, and made the adjustment so that I wouldn't receive notices until I opened the system menu again. Then I returned to the main screen and checked how many experience points I received, along with noticing two more abilities.

Nasnas Stomp: Ability Level 1, has a 25% chance of inflicting critical damage

Continuous Attack: Ability Level 1, allows the player to attack in rapid succession

Is every single action I take going to result in gaining another ability? Doesn't that seem a little, I don't know, silly? Eh, whatever. I shrugged and walked over to the fringe of the long grass, picking up some rocks on my way. Knowing that it'd be foolhardy to attack an enemy of unknown numbers in an area where I wouldn't be able to see them well if at all, I decided to flush them out by chucking the rocks randomly into the grasses before taking several long strides back to give myself space.

Sure enough a couple of slimes came out. One was sporting a small injury, but the other had one of the rocks lodged in one of its eyes, obscuring the organ completely from sight. An ugly looking bit of viscous fluid that actually reminded me of Jell-O, if it were slightly more pus-like, welled up around the eye socket and dripped down its face. This man-eating slime kind of lurched, looking unsteady.

The healthier slime was quicker to get to me and I wasted no time in kicking it, punting it back into the fringe of the grass. Not wanting to wait for it to gather its bearings, I sprinted after it and past the one-eyed slime, noticing at once how much faster I was in-game in comparison to real life. A part of me reveled in the sensation of the ground flying beneath my feet and the air rushing past my face and causing my robes to snap like pennants, as my bunch of braids swung around and slapped up and back down onto my head with every stride I took.

I reached the slime just as it started to get up, and before it could do so I stomped on it once and then lunged down, striking it right through the center of what passed for its back with my knife. Goop spurted out from the wound, the translucent yellow substance splashing onto my face. I wrinkled my nose and placed by foot on the monster, grinding it into the ground for good measure. The action tore at its wound considerably, and sure that it was dead for good I turned to my other foe, which was almost close enough to pose a danger.

However, as it was still slow I could take it on with ease, especially since the other threat was eliminated. I dropped into a crouch and sprung at the slime, slashing it across the face. My knife eventually met its earlier injury, slipping past the embedded stone and deeper into the head. The slime seemed to deflate and became a limp splotch on the ground to my satisfaction.

I then gathered up the loot from my kills, satisfied with my efforts and their rewards. Even though I had been injured with that first man-eating slime, I really felt that I was starting to get a grasp of this. Actually, all of this fighting was pretty invigorating and made me feel good. Having always been the weak guy, the sensation of being powerful was an inexplicable one that left me feeling empowered.

I had fought. I could kill. What was more, this was a game and I wouldn't be thrown into jail.

Heck, I could even kill Pansy in this game.

. . . couldn't I? After all, this game does have ninety-nine percent realism, so that probably means that players can PK each other.

That was definitely a possibility worth checking out.

For now though I had to get stronger; no longer would I stand being weak, not when I can kill and even make something out of it. For example, now I find myself in the possession of a strange sort of axe that was identified when I checked out its details as a nzappa zap, a bit more money, another healing potion, and a wooden stave that could make the magic of the wearer slightly more potent. Although I could use it as a physical weapon, I decided to stick to my knife and axe and sell the beginning magical weapon for more money.

Having a better weapon and a better weapon than a shoddy knife and my own two feet, I decided to stick around a bit longer and level up so that I could take on more dangerous animals and venture out into the wide world from this backwater village.

LINE BREAK

An undetermined amount of time that was at least over an hour later, I trudged into Afel Village. I was a bit tired from exerting myself so much, but I felt good nonetheless. I never had the chance to do run around and kick things in real life, and leveling up had made so much difference, especially after I allotted the skill points I had earned. Pretty much all of them went into my Strength, Physique, and Agility stats, seeing as I planned to be a melee fighter.

I was level ten now, which meant I could actually go into a class. First though I wanted to grab a bite to eat and invest in some better armor, since while I had a new weapon that would see me through for a few more levels before it became obsolete, I was lacking sorely in defense. Were I to engage in fighting more deadly monsters than man-eating slimes, I have no doubt that I would soon come to sport some bad wounds, and it isn't like healing potions grow on trees.

Walking down the streets, I snickered at seeing some of the people who just began getting up from where they were lying down in the middle of the dirt path that was a sorry excuse for a street, looking confused. My attention was soon diverted as I caught scent of a heavenly smell, tracing it to its origin: a street vendor with speared meat roasting over a contained fire. I could see the oils dripping off and hear the crackle of the grease.

"How much for a serving?" I asked the NPC who ran the tiny business.

"Five bronze coins."

I passed the money over, and the man pulled a slightly curved knife out from where it was sheathed on the back of his belt. He worked deftly, stripping meat off of the animal with practiced slices and sticking them onto a skewer along with some roasted vegetables. I walked away, happily eating my meal. It wasn't often that I got to eat actual cooked food like this, and it had a very authentic taste; Second Life really has succeeded in the realism from my observations so far. The food itself, while on the greasy side with some fat that made it difficult to chew every bite or so, was good, albeit with a seasoning that I couldn't place my finger on.

As I enjoyed my meal, walking to the village armory where I could buy combat equipment, I couldn't help but realize that being involved in a game like this was so much different than reading fantasy books. It was just so realistic, and in a way felt more real than the real world. There I always sought to escape reality, but here I was participating in it even though it was merely virtual.

I frowned at my unhappy thoughts, shaking my head to clear them out. I really shouldn't bother myself, dwelling on such subjects. By now I had reached the storefront of the armory, sliding the last bit of meat into my mouth and chewing before swallowing. I threw the skewer my meal had been on to the ground and wiped my hands of the grease and salt onto my robes, figuring that they couldn't be any worse off with the stains, dirt, and small tears that had accumulated from fighting. Checking over one last time to ensure my hands weren't unforgivably filthy I then entered the store, where I was greeted by the NPC owner.

"Welcome, how may I help you?"

I looked around the shelves that lined the wall and past the man, taking in the collection of armor and weapons. Plate armor displayed proudly on stands, helmets over mannequin heads, and rows of polearms, blades, and more perched on hooks on the walls.

"I'm planning to become a warrior and was wondering what armor I should buy that would be beneficial in achieving this objective." I mentioned. The NPC raised an eyebrow at me, and I wondered why. Was it something I said? Did he doubt my ability to become a warrior?

"You sound more suited to books than killing." he commented, much to my ire.

"I don't care; I want to be a warrior." I practically growled.

"Easy there, you don't want to fight me." the storeowner warned, and I could see his point; the man was built like a tank, with bulky muscles and scars that spoke of past conflicts, not to mention that he owned every deadly thing in the store.

"Well, as I was saying, I could use some help." I sighed, letting the matter slide. He shrugged.

"I guess it's on your head, not mine. Anyway, you have to kill ten wolves to become a warrior. The best kind of armor I could suggest to you is something cervical, to protect the neck. This is because the wolves prefer to go for the neck, especially with their jaws. This kind of armor would be in your budget as a beginner. I would suggest some better pauldrons, but the ones you have should be sufficient in the meantime, so long as you don't plan to go challenging anything stronger than your typical wolf. Although it is probably out of your price range, something to protect your torso would be especially good to have." he rattled off, impressing me. The man obviously knew what he was doing, or at the very least seemed to.

"Can you show me some of the neck protection?" I inquired.

"Certainly." he said, and started bustling around the room, looking over a few things before picking a small selection that I could choose from.

"This is a mail coif," he placed the piece of armor on the counter in front of me "which will protect you to some degree, although you will undoubtedly want to make improvements in the future."

He then set the other item he had brought next to the coif.

"And this is an aventail. It is similar to the mail coif, only it is to be worn attached to a helmet, most likely a bascinet. It will provide more protection, but if you're neither in the price range nor have the desire to wear a helmet, then it is not for you."

Even though I could see the practicality of wearing a helmet I couldn't help but grimace, not liking the idea of my range of sight being limited.

"May I try on the coif?"

The shopkeeper nodded and I picked the mail coif up, slipping it on to my head. I tested it out, moving my head this way and that to get a feel for it. It wasn't really to my liking though, the metal feeling heavy on my head and the sound that the individual links made as they moved against one another distracting.

"Do you have anything else to offer?"

The mail coif was removed from my head, the owner setting it back onto the mannequin head where it had come from.

"It's really basic, won't do anything but protect the neck, really . . . "

"Basic is fine."

He shrugged and walked off, returning a moment later with wide band of metal and handing it to me. I took it in my hands and gave it a look over. It was actually mostly metal, with metal plating that looked to be iron on the outside. There was a hinge in it, and opposite to that was there the band opened, revealing a simple clipping mechanism like you might find in some bracelets with an almost imperceptible lever sticking up to allow it to be removed.

I clipped it on around my neck, flicking it hard to test. It felt tough, but I could hardly feel the movement through the leather, and it was thin enough that I could move my head up and down without problem, and the material it was made of thankfully did not aggravate my skin except in the slightest as I moved, which was to be expected.

"I like it, how much?"

He listed off a price and I paid it, feeling that it was a good investment that did not eat into what money I had too much.

"Is there any armor to protect my torso that you could recommend me?"

"Well, I do have a lamellar cuirass made of cuir bouilli that you might be able to afford. Do you have this much?" he asked, indicating to the price written below the displayed armor that he pointed out.

"Err, no. I can pay about half of that, though, and maybe you would be willing to accept a staff and my knife also for it also?" I pulled the items that were mentioned out to show him, sighing slightly at the thought of giving the knife away. I was hoping to keep it for more variation.

The storeowner examined my offers, his lips thinning at the knife.

"It's not very good, but I could make something better out of it, with a little work. Tell you what, after you become a warrior and receive a proper weapon you come back here and give me this knife?"

I perked up at this. Had the shopkeeper picked up my desire not to part with it? Perhaps he was more observant than I gave him credit for. My lips tugged into a small smile at the unexpected kindness.

"Sure, thanks."

"No problem, now get out of here and get to killing some wolves; they come into town and cause too much harm anyway." he scowled, removing the lamellar cuirass and passing it over to me, making sure I was putting it on correctly also.

"Thanks again!" I left the armory after that, feeling better and more confident. Watch out wolves, here comes Blackbird!

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Author's Note: Sorry that this story is slow so far, but when I read this archive and see chapters where a character defeats two bosses in a thousand words or something like that it really gets on my nerves. Don't worry, the action will definitely pick up sooner or later, hopefully sooner with the planning I've been doing. Oh, and sorry that this chapter was also so late to get out; I meant to update days ago, but between bothersome exams and nags, I really could not bring myself to write any fanfiction. Which is quite sad, since this chapter was almost finished a day after the first one. Any comments are appreciated, especially critique; especially concerning weapons and armor if you're well-versed when it comes to them, as I myself am not as knowledgable as I'd like to be about them.