Yawning, Harriet blearily peered at the sloped 'ceiling' of her room. The same ceiling which rained dust and other particulates down when Dudley decided to stomp down the stairs loudly as he had taken to doing all too recently. Though Harriet supposed she could attribute it to the worsening relationship status which her blue boxes described for her. Truly, her relationship with her cousin had done nothing but go downhill ever since they had played that game. He blamed her, Harriet somehow found herself realising, for having that fun game taken away.
There was too much which was blamed on her for reasons she didn't understand, and there was a strange part of her which was beginning to loathe her relatives for that much. Harriet didn't quite understand that part of her – the seed which had been planted and was beginning to sprout perhaps even before the odd game had taken over her life.
[A NEW QUEST HAS ARRIVED!]
The familiar, routinely pop-up window appeared in front of her, merrily proclaiming such a thing. It was expected by that point – she had a few daily quests which varied, ironically, for all they were called 'daily'. Mostly it was chores which her aunt assigned her – like cooking and cleaning, meaning her cooking and cleaning skills saw an almost daily increase in EXP.
There was a skill bar, she had learnt, and it showed her progress towards the next level via a dark blue bar which filled up from left to right.
[DAILY QUEST]
• Cook breakfast for your relatives
[REWARDS: +10 EXP, +50 EXP in 'Cooking' Skill]
There came another, new soft ding heralding the arrival of another of those boxes, and vaguely, Harriet remembered instigating the daily quest, preparations for something of another. The latest blue box was bigger than her previous daily quests, and there were two of them which displayed rather different things.
[DAILY QUEST: PREPARATIONS FOR ELVENGUARD]
• Run: 0/5km
• Squats: 0/100
• Push-Ups: 0/100
[Note: As the Player progresses more challenges may be added to the daily quest!]
[REWARDS: +100 EXP, +1 STAT POINT, +Cursed/Blessed Random Box]
Harriet frowned, staring at the list of things she had to do to complete that daily quest. "I'm gonna be busy," she muttered. One-Hundred was a large number. Yet that wasn't the only box which had popped up in front of her. She turned her head ever so slightly, glancing at the other box, the white writing of which made her pale as she read the introduction of sorts.
[Elves are a race known for their love of nature. Deeply spiritual in nature, sensitive to the moods of those around them, they strive for harmony! The mastery of certain kinds of magic are essential for elves in Elvenguard.]
She swallowed at that, thinking on how much her relatives hated magic and even mild references to it. Harriet could only ponder on how badly they would react if she actually performed magic. Chewing on her lip, the thought occurred to her. That was only if they found out, wasn't it? She ignored the part of her which almost seemed to relish in the idea that she would be disobeying her aunt and uncle for perhaps the first time in her life. It was the part of her she didn't quite understand, what with the fact she wanted to be a good niece to the aunt and uncle who had taken her in through the kindness of their own hearts. She could hardly be an ungrateful brat or a stupid girl, if she wanted to repay them, after all.
Harriet ignored the irritation which rose in her chest at the thought of that matter.
[PREPARATION QUEST: PART I]
• Reach Nature Magic (Novice) Lvl.100
• Reach Voices of the Trees (Novice) Lvl.100
• Reach Wrath of the Forest (Novice) Lvl.50
• Reach Stealth (Apprentice) Lvl.50
• Reach Archery (Apprentice) Lvl.50
• Learn Skill Mana Arrow (Novice) Lvl.1
[REWARDS: +1000 EXP, +5 STAT POINTS]
Harriet blinked, staring at the long list of what she needed to accomplish to be prepared to enter Elvenguard. It was a place, she realised belatedly, re-reading through everything her game interface was telling her. Elvenguard, Home of the Elves, she mused to herself, hands finding her pointed ears once again. It was an ever present reminder that she was an elf. She had chosen to be an elf while everyone else around her was human. "Wait," she murmured, peering once more at that second blue box, noting the Part I after the quest title – ever indicative that a quest had multiple parts.
It looked like she wasn't going to be visiting Elvenguard anytime soon.
Which was a shame. Harriet had the strangest of feelings that she might like it there in Elvenguard. Part of her wondered why that was.
A sharp rap at the door to her cupboard had her moving before her aunt's harsh voice even came, and Harriet wandered, by then on autopilot, to the kitchen, ready to cook up yet another breakfast for her family. A family of humans. She was the odd one out, the elf amongst humans, and Harriet could only wonder about what that meant and why she kept thinking about it.
Sighing to herself ever so softly, she could only continue cooking bacon and eggs, wondering if there would ever be anything different for breakfast. There was a certain monotony to her routine by such a point, despite the few days it had been in place – well, with the added effect of her being welcomed to the game. Though she suspected, with her new preparation quest and her latest daily quest, things would be becoming a bit more interesting.
Interesting was the wrong word to use, Harriet decided, gasping for breath as she eyed her home from the street outside. "Detect… Enemies," she muttered as she had been doing every few minutes, ever aware that she had an enemy out there. One who could kill her.
[No Enemies Detected]
Perhaps it was paranoia, but that declaration was like a balm to her terrified soul. It also told her that she didn't have too large of a range for detection of enemies, what with the fact that she knew Uncle Vernon was home by such a point, and Aunt Petunia was almost always home. His car was on the drive, and Harriet could only wonder whether or not she'd be in trouble for arriving back as late as she had.
[Your struggles make you more durable +1 VIT!]
The notification made her huff another breath as she took another step forwards. "Detect Enemies," she muttered, remembering the few DEX improvement boxes which had popped up whenever she really pushed herself.
The dexterity stat was easier to improve than the vitality stat. Or maybe she wasn't doing the best thing to improve her VIT count, whatever that might have been.
[ALERT! Enemies Detected! (Count: 2)]
Harriet blinked, reminded, soberingly enough, that her aunt was also marked by the enemy status by such a point. Ever since she had decided to become an elf and improve her charisma stat. She chewed on her lip, a nervous habit, as she went into the garden and back in through the back of the house.
"What are you doing?" Her aunt's voice snapped her out of her daze, making her ignore the irritated feeling she felt as she stared at the blue box all but declaring how she had failed.
[DAILY QUEST: PREPARATIONS FOR ELVENGUARD]
• Run: 2/5km
• Squats: 15/100
• Push-Ups: 2/100
[Note: As the Player progresses more challenges may be added to the daily quest!]
[REWARDS: +100 EXP, +1 STAT POINT, +Cursed/Blessed Random Box]
It was late afternoon, dipping into the hours of early evening – a time when she had to be in the house, or so she had decided. She hardly wanted to be out after the sun went down with a killer on the loose. It wasn't like she had told anyone about the chase through the woods, and besides, who in their right mind would believe her? Her family would just claim she was making stories up to get attention. That was what they had done before, whenever she had tried to point something out – like the fact that she hadn't cheated on a test a year or so ago.
Harriet paused, pondering on whether that thought was down to her improved stats. She still had five unallotted stat points, thanks to a level up from seven to eight the day previous, and yet, unlike before, she hadn't put them to use.
"Profile. Stats," she muttered in quick succession, watching out of the corner of her eye as the boxes burst into life and her aunt finally rounded on her fully.
Harriet Lily Potter – Lvl.8 – Age: 7
Race: Elf Sponsor:?
Class: Arcane Archer Subclasses: Druid, ?
Title(s): The Last Druid (Other Titles Available)
HP: 70/70 MP: 150/150
Exhaustion: 133/350
Her stats box appeared beneath it in an instant, and Harriet could only muse on the fact that she felt awful and tired and her exhaustion count wasn't even half of the way full. Darkly, she mused on what would happen if she ever reached her exhaustion threshold. The white letters from what felt like so long ago came to mind. DEATH. She closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh, even as the sound of her aunt's voice washed over her.
VIT: 7, STR: 3, DEX: 9, INT: 15, WIS: 15, CHA: 30
Unallotted Stat Points: 5
[ALERT! -1HP]
Her cheek stung, and dimly, Harriet lifted a hand to protect her cheek from any further abuse, wide green eyes staring up at her aunt in nervous shock.
"You're not even listening to me, you stupid girl!" Aunt Petunia declared, and Harriet supposed she hadn't. But that was no reason to slap her, was it? Dudley never got slapped, after all, and he all too often refused to listen to his parents. Not for the first time, she wondered about the disparity between the treatment of her and Dudley. "Go wash yourself now!" Aunt Petunia screeched, stirring her from her thoughts once more. "I won't have you tracking in dirt and filth…"
Blinking, cheek still throbbing, she made to head to the bathroom, only to find Aunt Petunia in her path. "Huh?" she mumbled.
"Aren't you listening to me, you little pointy-eared freak?" she hissed, pointing outside, and Harriet felt her pointy ears burn red at that. "Use the hose outside. I already said I don't want you tracking in dirt and filth," her aunt declared, and Harriet supposed that made a bit of sense.
Yet Dudley had once come in, covered in more mud and dirt than she, and he'd been allowed a nice warm bath.
Harriet supposed she might as well be thankful it was summer. That had to be the reason her aunt was even considering the prospect of making her wash herself outside. Still, the hose was in the shade – most of the garden was – and the shade was somewhat more chilly. It wasn't unbearable though, and Harriet quickly pried off her clothes and washed herself down with the cool water, feeling a prickling down her spine all the while.
Her aunt was thoughtful enough to leave a towel on the little step leading to the kitchen. It was threadbare and barely did the job of drying her off enough, but she pulled her clothes back on, wrapped her wet hair in the towel, and went back inside the house. Aunt Petunia wasn't in the kitchen, and Harriet could only shrug and head for her cupboard.
That was the only place in the whole house that she felt some small degree of safety.
There was a small grove of trees in the opposite direction to the path. It was nothing like her potholed park, but for all she knew her scariest enemy was hiding out there. Meaning that was the only place she could really go to practice with magic.
Harriet caught her breath, exhaling ever so shakily, part of her wondering and worrying whether her aunt and uncle would somehow know that she was practicing magic. Well, the magic she needed to be able to go to Elvenguard, wherever that was. Harriet only hoped there'd be a quest which would guide her to where she needed to go when the time came.
One which she'd be able to complete far easier than her current daily quest which she hadn't even been able to attempt that day thanks to her sore muscles from the day before. Her legs felt like wooden blocks, and her arms felt like limp noodles, and only rest could cure that much – unless there was something which miraculously cured exhaustion and brought hers back down to zero. It was in double digits, despite her night's sleep.
"Nature Magic," she mumbled, wondering then if there was any way to use her Skills without saying them aloud. She was enough of an outcast as it was, and that was without rumours flying around about her muttering strange things under her breath. Knowing her schoolmates and her family, she'd be soon accused of being a witch muttering spells upon everyone, never mind that she was actually a magic-using elf.
Her aunt and uncle would hate her either way.
Something in her twisted at that thought – the acknowledgement of that thought and the lack of an argument she had against such a thing.
[ALERT! Nature Magic (Novice) has levelled up to Lvl.2!]
A rumbling came from the ground, tree roots moving, expanding, and Harriet wondered if that was what had saved her life the last time she had run through the trees. Her pursuer had undoubtedly tripped, and his longer legs hadn't been able to catch her before she reached her hiding spot.
"Detect Enemies," she muttered, all too aware that she was sitting outside rather than in the safety of a building.
[No Enemies Detected]
Harriet breathed a sigh of relief, even as she listed off some more skills she could begin using. "Stealth," she mumbled. "Observation." White tag markings appeared above many of the objects in her eyeline. "Skills," she said, wondering if there were any other skills she could use at that moment in time. She might as well level up as many as possible alongside the ones she needed for that preparation quest.
[SKILLS]
Stealth (Novice) Lvl.12: going about unseen and undetected
Sprinting (Novice) Lvl.12: the fast movement; basically high-speed running
Dodging (Novice) Lvl.17: avoiding collisions and other obstacles
Nature Magic (Novice) Lvl.2 [1 UP!]: control and growth of plants and trees
She scrolled down the much lengthier list than the one she had originally began with. It was almost scary to think of how much everything had changed since that welcome to the game greeting had appeared before her. In a distant corner of her mind, she wondered what things would have been like if she hadn't had those boxes and those quests. A smile curved at her lips. Her life might have been safer, or it might have been far more boring. Who knew? It wasn't like she was omniscient.
Her eyes found a skill – one she vaguely remembered acquiring from that terrifying chase. She clicked on it then, opening up a full window of explanation as to what that specific skill was and did.
Overboost (Novice) Lvl.1: temporarily increase the level of a skill. The magnitude and duration of the increase in level is determined by the level of the skill: Overboost. Can only be used three times before the cooldown period is required. Current duration: 3 minutes. Current magnitude: +25 Lvls. Current cooldown time: 240 minutes.
"Huh," she mumbled. "That's handy…" she mused, thinking about what that might be good for – because if she was running from someone and overboosted the sprinting skill, then that would help her get away.
Then again, she supposed she had received that skill from getting out of that sticky situation. A snort escaped her as she mused on that. A sticky situation. Was that what she was going to call a situation which could have ended with her death? Her teeth sunk into her lip, and she reminded herself that she was there to level up her skills and herself to ensure that such a situation didn't happen again.
Or that she would at least be more assured of herself not failing the quest and coming out alive from the ordeal.
"Voices of the Trees," she said aloud, almost sighing as those, by then, familiar raspy voices reached her ears. There were fewer trees around, less voices ringing in her ears, yet she still liked it. There was a comfort in knowing that the trees had her back.
It wasn't like they had turned their backs on her before, unlike others around her.
Pain pulsed in her head, and silently she willed observation to stop, knowing that was the likeliest culprit behind the growing, pulsing pain in the back of her skull. It was something which she could do – will the skills to turn themselves off if she focused hard enough. She had figured that out the time that using the observation skill had given her headache – as it was prone to.
Observation (Novice) Lvl.2: can analyse an object and give values or other information about the selected target(s)
There was a reason that observation was still at such low of a level, despite how useful it was and how she used it from time to time.
Harriet sighed. "Detect Enemies," she mumbled.
[No Enemies Detected]
Part of her almost was waiting for when it came back with that all too familiar alert that there were enemies far too close to her. Stomach clenching at the thought, she slunk back into the shade of the largest oak tree, grateful that her stealth skill was active, if improving at a snail's pace, according to the progress bar. Yet a snail's pace was better than no progress at all.
She scrolled to the very bottom of her skills page, eyeing those all too familiar question marks which took up the space of the skill's name.
? ? ? ? (Novice) Lvl.1: ?
? (Novice) Lvl.1: ?
? ? (Novice) Lvl.1: ?
? ? ? ? (Novice) Lvl.1: ?
There were four of them so far, and Harriet knew exactly what they related to, even as she opened up her profile and stared at the two question marked spaces.
Subclasses: Druid, ?
It was something to do with that hidden subclass, and she was fairly certain the subclass related to the mysterious sponsor who had opened up that game-like world for her to peruse at her not-quite leisure. She wouldn't call the threat to her life leisurely, after all. Part of her wondered if that game-like life was a good thing – or whether it was a tragedy waiting to unfold. Harriet sat back against the tree trunk, the bark solid against her back, wondering whether or not she was supposed to be grateful to her sponsor.
Time would tell, she supposed.
