9/9/22 edit : Spelling, capitalization, punctuation.
"So, is it just me or are these meals getting, blander?" Klein asked from his seat at the table. His four friends were down the tables side, while across from him sat Kirito.
"Well, yeah, but that first meal was a welcome feast, right?" Kirito answered simply as he picked up a piece of bread and tossed it into his mouth.
"Well, I get that, but it still seems too bland, right?"
"No, not really if you look at it in a different light," a girl with short pale blonde hair said as she sat down beside Kirito and placed her own plate down on the table.
"Uh, do you know her?" Klein asked Kirito unsurely.
Kirito nodded as he finished his mouthful of bread. "Yeah. Klein, meet Argo, she was a beta tester in SAO like I was. Argo, this is Klein,"
"Pleasure knowing ya," Argo said with a casual smile as she sideways glanced at Kirito. "So, you took to using your in-game name too huh?"
"A lot of people are,"
"True, but some people are not, though most of them are those who chose to look more like they did IRL," Argo stated with a grin.
"Uh, how do you know that?" one of Klein's friends spoke up curiously.
"Argo was an information broker in the Beta," Kirito supplied, causing her to sit straight and push out her modest chest in pride.
"I was the best information broker, and I still plan to be even if this isn't SAO."
"But, this isn't a game, what good is," Klein began to say, till Argo interrupted him.
"We are in a fantasy world that we know nothing about it what we have been told. Knowing street knowledge, rumors, and any other information that will help us all survive in this place."
"I agree, information is going to be very important. Especially if it tells us about those creatures,"
"Right, those Mamano. That Bird thing was, pretty bad," Klein said with a shiver.
"Do you know how that girl is?" kirito asked as he turned to Argo.
Argo shook her head. "She was taken to a room upstairs, but the only door up there is locked tight and banded in metal. I did hear Lenth mutter about her earlier this morning, but not enough to hear."
"I see, I hope she's okay then. It takes a lot of courage to fight against something like that," Klein said seriously, not noticing someone walking up to their table.
"Don't worry, she's fine now," came the new girls voice, drawing all eyes to her and making them realize she was the one they were just speaking of. "May I sit here?" she then asked, looking to the open chair beside Argo.
"Of course, I take it ya got released for good behavior?" Argo joked as the girl walked around the table and sat down.
"Something like that. It's hard to be bad when your whole body hurts," She said as she leaned forward and looked over to Kirito. "I want to thank you."
"What for? You're the one that got hurt, I didn't do anything worthy of thanks from you," Kirito admitted.
"No," the girl said with a shake of her head, causing her blonde locks to float about. "If you didn't challenge that monster, I would not have had the courage to shoot it with that bow I had. I would not have given you, or Lenth that opening. It's because you had courage that I was able to help."
"That's, not really true," Kirito muttered under his breath before sighing. "Alright, it's your choice. Um, I didn't catch you name before."
"Oh, right uh . . I still have not decided whether to use my real name or my game name actually. Which did you go with?"
"Well, all of us here seem to be going with our game names as that's what most of us know," Argo stated.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," the blonde girl said before taking a deep breath. "Then, if it pleases you, my name is Lux,"
"That's a good name," Klein said with a smile. "You were pretty good with that bow by the way. I tried archery once I could barely hit the target, let alone a moving one,"
Lux seemed to lower her head a bit at Klein's comment. "Well, I'm not that good really, I just-"
"If I could have your attention please?" came the voice of Amily from the back of the hall, drawing many eyes toward her. "as your training over these last few days has been going well, I thought it prudent to now explain to you, as the goddess has allowed me to understand, how some of you may become acquainted with magic."
"Can't it wait until after breakfast?" someone called out in a way that made it clear they were not against the idea.
"It can, but this lesson is more a lecture then a show of force, as I can only pass on what information the goddess has granted me. This information shall also pertain to the goddesses marks upon your hands, and their abilities therein," Amily explained, causing the whole hall to go quiet as many were still very curious about the sigils on their hands that had yet to be fully uncovered.
"Then get to it already and tell us what these things do already!" another person called, much more rudely.
"I will. To begin, magic is done by manipulating the mana in ones body. All creatures have mana in their bodies, and it is through the corruption of this mana that people of all races can become Mamano. Because or this, all creatures with sentience, and a proclivity towards it, may use magic. Additionally, a creatures affinity can affect what sorts of magic that it would be able to more easily learn. Humans however, are one of the few creatures who do not naturally have any affinity to a particular element. Due to this many humans can learn magic with study that takes time. That is how humans normally would learn, however the goddess has told me that, with her blessing, you may learn some magic simply if you have the capacity."
"And how pray tell do we know if we have this capacity?" an older man with scholarly features and broad shoulders asked as he stood up and stared at Amily. "You speak much but tell us very little and I begin to wonder if this goddess actually means for us to have any sort of a ability to defend ourselves at all in this prison!"
"Of course, the goddess of balance would not leave you undefended, why do you think we have been having you train to prepare yourselves? We merely needed to make sure you were ready to learn," Amily said with a grin that seemed a bit to smug somehow. "You can learn magic as you grow from , what the goddess tells me, is called a skill window. If you simply hold two fingers on your sigil she tells me it shall bring up a form of status window that only those with the blessing you have will be able to see. Please do so now that you can acquaint yourselves with it."
All at once everyone held their fingers in the back of their hands, and a second layer their status windows popped up, visible only to themselves and each other.
The status window was similar to many from video games that most people had played. It was split into three areas that were labeled as stability, skills/abilities and affinity. The stability section was the only that had entries in it that were a number or scales or bars. The first was marked as physical corruption and was a green bar marked in increments from 1 to 100. The second was marked as mental stability and was a blue scale from -100 to +100, with most peoples scale being in the top 90 to 100. The last was marked as mana and was a simple number bar.
For most people their skills and affinity windows were empty, but not for everyone.
"Uh, you okay Lux?" Argo asked, making the other at the table look away from their own windows.
"No, but I will be," Lux said as she gingerly touched her window and turned it so the others at the table could see it as she sighed. "I'm just a bit, well, seeing it after being told is, revealing."
Name : Lux.
Stability-
Physical corruption : 21
Mental stability : +85
Mana : 320/320
Skills/abilities –
Shock sensitivity : electrical energy is converted into sensitivity and/or positive physical feelings.
Affinities –
Thunder/electricity : +25
"Uh, your window is, is it supposed to be like that?" Klein asked, unsure what to assume.
"This is what happened to me from getting struck by that Thunderbird like I did," Lux said slowly. " apparently my body has some Mamano energy in it now, so I guess that's the physical corruption, and the shock apparently gave me an affinity for lightning."
"But, you can get rid of it, right?" Kirito asked as calmly as he could.
Lux shook her head. "Amily told me that since our body and mind can be corrupted at different rates due to the blessing that physical corruption will be harder to undo than mental corruption,"
"So, what happens if that one bar gets filled?" Argo asked, gesturing to the physical corruption bar.
"Well she said that,-" Lux began to say, till Amily spoke up again, unintentionally cutting her off.
"The goddess has told me that you will have a few statistics focused on your bodies corruption, and your minds stability, these are your most important as she told me that if your body becomes too corrupt it may start becoming a mamanos, and that if your bodies corruption is completed then you will physically become one and be unable to be human again. However, your blessings have split the corruption of mind and body, and you do not need to worry about your mind be coming corrupted at the same rate as your bodies. She also tells me that acts such as massage, meditation and other calming activities can help reduce the danger to your minds turning, but that the corruption of the body must be dealt up with over a long period of time on their own."
"Wait, so if that bar fills, you'll turn into one of those thunderbird things?" Klein asked in a worried tone.
"It's a possibility," Lux said with a nod. "She also said I could turn into other kinds of Mamano if by that point I have different elemental affinities, and depending on what Mamano I have fought."
"But as long as your mental stability is in the positive your mind won't change right?" Argo asked.
"I think so. She said that if it reached -100 then I would lose my humanity and any remnant of my prior morals and beliefs, as well as any care about having had such things," Lux said in way that sounded kind of sad.
"Geez that's, well beyond simple hypnotism," Klein commented with a shiver.
"Um, I don't think so," Lux said, making everyone looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "Amily mentioned that if a person's mind is strong, even when corrupted they can sometimes be considered the same person."
"Did she give ya any examples?" Argo inquired.
"She looked like she wanted to, but cut off our conversation there, saying I needed more rest yesterday night."
"Well that sounds like something that needs to be-" Argo began, before Amily clapping her monsterous clawed hands interrupted her.
"So, I hope that is enough time to see your own windows, as I cannot. The goddess has led me to believe that your understandings of magic can improve in many ways, and you will gain magic, and skills in your skill window as you experience the world. Your affinities should improve in a similar fashion over time it is believed as well."
"So we don't get magic or special skills immediately?" someone called out from somewhere in the hall before swearing. "This is bullshit, how are we suppose to fight monsters that can fry people like that bird could if we don't have any overpowered abilities?"
"You saw how!" Lenth spoke up from one wall he was leaning against. "You saw your fellows, and myself fight it and win. Because Mamano have humanoid bodies, they follow much of the same logic. Yes, some have tough hides or scales, yes some can fly and throw lightning, and some can even regenerate at high speeds, but all creatures that live can die in the same ways you can within reason. A creature using lightning may be immune to it, but will often be weak to fire or water. And all live creatures die if you behead them, tear out their innards or pierce their heart!"
"And that is why we wish for you all to be, at the very least, comfortable with the weapons of your choice. We can only keep you here for a handful of days more before resource limitation will require us to ask you to spread out and live your lives, but until then we hope to allow you to gain the skills in combat you will need to learn what else you will need to know," Amily calmly said.
"For that reason as well, those of you who have found a weapon, or weapons, that you believe suit you may pick up non training versions in the courtyard now to get a feel for them and further improve your skills," Lenth spoke up again, stepping away from his position by the wall. "Also, I will be wondering around and looking for those of you who need additional help and offering it where needed, so do your best and do not slack off!"
"And once everyone is done their food, I will be going around and providing some insight to those who are doing their best at how they might fight against those Mamano with greater than average speed or strength," Amily added before smiling. "So please, finish your food and we may all continue with your training."
With their declarations seemingly done with noise and chatter returned to hall and people went back to talking over what was left of their food.
"Well, I guess that's all were getting for now," Klein said with a sigh, seeming a bit upset.
"So it seems," Kirito said as he stood up and looked to Klein. " need more training?"
"Yeah, but were all going to try some training as a group," Klein said as he motioned to his friends.
"Alright, I'll need to find a sparring partner then," Kirito muttered with a sigh.
"I'll spar with ya," Argo said with a smug grin as she tossed her last bit of carrot in her mouth.
"Alright, let's go then. I want a good spot in that courtyard," Kirito said as he began walking away from the table, Argo getting up to follow.
"Um, can I come too?" Lux asked, making Kirito stop and turn to look at her. "I mean, can I please? I need to get better I think with other things than a bow."
"Alright fine, c'mon," Kirito said with a begrudging sigh.
As Kirito headed off toward the door Klein could not help but let out a chuckle. "Guys got two cuties hanging off him already. I'll need to pick up my pace!"
"Good luck with that, I heard that of everyone here, barely a sixth are girls," one of his friends replied with a laugh.
"Really, well damn, maybe I'll be lucky with a Mamano that won't attempt rape?" he muttered before sighing. "Yeah, probably not."
Training progressed well over the intervening days. With Lux's recovery many people were relieved to see that being attacked by a Mamano was not a final event. That of course did not stop many from taking up the bow or other weapons of ranged attack. With Amily and Lenth actively providing tips and assistance, as well as those who were already comfortable with their weapon providing help, most of everyone was becoming basically proficient enough to be able to protect themselves.
At least in theory.
Most were at least very serious in their training, while fewer and fewer actively complained about their situation out loud, and on the final day of training as the sun began to kiss the horizon Lenth stood by the doors to church and rang a bell, signaling everyone to come inside. Only the doors to the church were not open, and as the groups gathered in front of them he stepped forward.
"Everyone, as you know, this was the day we had called the last day of training, and I am sure many of you are still curious as to what that means. Tomorrow morning all of you will decide to what cities you will travel to too work out of. In addition you will all be getting given some basic armour and your first weapons that will not need to be returned at any point. How well you take care of these will be up to you, as will what you do from that point forward in how you decide to live and work. We will also be providing each of you with some money to start you off."
"We have also decided to warn you of certain dangerous entities that exist in the world," Amily added, making Lenth sigh and nod.
"Yes. We have told you about much of our world and countries, but there are two particular groups we have spoken little of that need to be told to you. These are the Extremists faction of the monster realm, and the Order of the Chief deity itself. The order of the chief deity has, in recent years, been becoming very paranoid and controlling. Using their political clout to forced the nations around their church to join with them in their extremist views that all monsters, even those that are friendly and not a danger to humans, be exterminated. This goes so far as to include races such as the elves, dwarves, and fairy's, who only a small number have become Mamano. If you ever encounter a priest or bishop of the order, you should have as little to do with them as possible.
"As for the extremists of the monster realm, they rose to their current power when a daughter of the overlord, a Lilim named Druella, rose and took her followers, and conquered the once holy order city of Lescatie and turned it into her base of operations. Lescatie was once a city renowned for its numerous heroes of the order, and now it is known for those same heroes being Mamano, and extremists in Druella's faction. If you ever meet or hear of someone who is titles as a hero of the monster realm, especially the one named Wilmarina, do your best to not get involved and get away if you value your humanity. The same goes if you encounter a Lilim," Amily said in a very serious tone. "do not fight, run. Few ever have a chance against the fallen heroes, or against lilims!"
"Why precisely are these heroes so dangerous?" someone from the crowd asked. Kirito recognized their voice as an older man named Heathcliff who had been one of the most vocal complainers to the situation by using his admittedly impressive charisma to make others vocally complain. He was an odd person, as he talked eloquently, but wasn't actually the most proficient at anything else it seemed.
"Thankfully all of the heroes have husbands, this means that if you encounter them there are a few things they may do. They may ignore you or let you leave, they may try to beat you down and forcibly fill you with mana to make you go crazy and find a mamano to make yours, or if you are a woman they may likely try to turn you into a mamano by sexually assaulting you. They are extremely powerful in combat, still having their skills from when they were human, but they also are very well versed in their abilities as monsters, having had decades to learn and master them,"
"Do we have to worry about those monster heroes all the time, or only at certain times or places?" Someone who looked kind of like a businessman might have before ruining his clothes asked intelligently.
"Luckily, those of the extremist faction have been quiet for many years. You should only need to actively worry about them if you near monster realm territories or the city of Lescatie, though there is no reason to be there as the air is so corrupt to humans it can start causing monsterization just by being there," Amily stated as if it was common knowledge.
"Back to tomorrow, inside the church there are boards for each town, or outpost we can send people too. These boards state the climate, political environment, and what kind of average jobs and quests you could take in these places. We would like you all to mark your names on the board of whatever place you would like to go to while inside for dinner tonight. Then in the morning, everything truly shall begin for you! That is all."
"Though not everything, there is still a dinner for everyone inside, so please do enjoy it as you make the choice of where you will be operating out of," Amily added as she kicked the doors open with a clawed foot.
With the information dump seemingly done everyone needed inside with renewed fervor for both dinner, and to decide upon where they would go. Which led to the noise level inside being much greater than normal.
From his seat Kirito watched as people swarmed the boards, mostly around the temperate climate ones, or those that had a wide variety of simple, but less dangerous work. Some people went for the moderate danger boards, but the one board that had a notice stating it was an area of high potential danger was mostly untouched. It looked to have a few names, but had no crowd around it.
"Yo, Kirito," Klein said as he sat down a cross from Kirito and grabbed a leg of some bird that mostly everyone had silently agreed was close to chicken. "You must have been quick to be finished eating already," he then commented, seeing kirito's mostly eaten plate of food. "Where do you choose to go to?"
"I haven't decided yet," Kirito replied as he cut a piece of meat and tossed it in his mouth.
"What? You mean, you haven't put your name down yet? Why not?" Klein asked in a scandalized tone.
"Dinner first. Besides I didn't feel like wading through everyone," Kirito said with a shrug as Lux and Argo walked over, the two of them having become surprising good friends in days past.
"Oh come on this is important, how can you just," Klein stopped as Argo and Lux sat down. "Girls, you already put your names on a board right? Where are you going to head to?"
"I haven't decided yet," Lux admitted with a smile.
"Yeah, the boards not going anywhere, I'll decide when it's not a hassle to get to," Argo said with a shrug as she began grabbing food.
"How can you, this is serious, it could set the course for our lives in this world!" Klein exclaimed in horror at their nonchalance.
"Well, I did look at them, but I think I might go for the board with fewer people on it," Lux admitted quietly.
"Oh, why that of things Lux?" Argo asked curiously.
"Well, well be working in those areas right? So I figured if I go to the place with the least people, I can help more people, I guess. Is that bad?"
"Naïve, but not bad," Kirito spoke up, drawing eyes.
"How is it naïve?" Lux asked.
"It's dangerous. In a place with less people we would be depended on more and be in more danger. You already know how dangerous Mamano are after all," Kirito said, making Lux look a bit grim or solemn for a few seconds. "Though, going where people need help the most, to help people its, well it's a nice idea at least. Just very dangerous."
"You don't need to be so blunt and grim about it, there's enough of that around this place," Klein muttered with a sigh. "Though I do agree its be dangerous. The board with the least amount of peoples names on it earlier looked to be the town on the edge or the wildlands to the northwest."
"That's that huge forest that borders the monster realm, right?" Lux asked, trying to recall the geography lessons Amily gave them.
"Yeah that's right. It's the huge untamed wilderness that borders the monster realm, as well as a bunch of other areas, including that city of Lescatie on it's far western edge," Argo provided. Before glancing at Klein and grinning. "You decided where you're going then, yeah?"
"Of course! Me and my friends are going to head to the silver river fort. It's on the eastern edge of the country, bordering the Zinpangu peninsula," Klein explained.
"You really want that Katana, huh?" Kirito said with a slight shake of his head.
"Is that so wrong?" Klein said with a smug grin before looking back at Kirito. Seriously though, don't you even have an idea of where you want to go?"
"I'll decide eventually. Though the town up north by the wildwood sounds like a good challenge."
"Well ya are one of the five best fighters out of everyone it seems, so maybe ya need that challenge?"
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," Kirito said as he stood up and began walking to the boards, noticing they were now mostly clear.
Seeing the same Argo and Lux got up to follow, making their way behind Kirito to the board for the wildwood town of Edgewood.
"So, ya really going to go there?" Argo asked as she looked at the board noting that it had a lot of open job types. Everything from basic guarding to woodcutting and blacksmithing, to very adventurer like jobs including ruins exploration. And everything in between.
Kirot stood there staring at the board for s moment before nodding and picking up the boards piece of chalk, scribbling his name on the board. "Yeah. I'm not sure, but I feel like it's a good idea for me to."
"Well I was already considering it, so I'll join you!" Lux said as she took the chalk from Kirito and began putting her name down.
"Well I guess I'll join ya and keep the two of you outta trouble," Argo said as she took the chalk from Lux when offered it.
"Wait, you both don't need to follow me, you can make your own choices," Kirito said in response to the girls actions.
"We are, it just happens to be where you are going," Argo said with a grin. "sides, me and some other beta info brokers may have a way to set up a information network. the more spread out we are the better."
"fine, I'm not responsible though," Kirito grumbled as he looked back at the board. "Not many people. I guess well learn about each other quickly then."
Above the church, or more accurately upon its roof, looking through an upper window unnoticed by all, a small Imp Mamano smiled and giggled to herself before flying away into the evening night. "Master will be so happy to know about this!"
Kibble dribble: I really wanted to get the third chap of this out, so here it is. I had been planning on listing all the people doing to the area our MCs are, but I couldn't figure out a way to make it sensible so everyone can just see me in the next chapter I guess. Hope everyone is liking how this is going!