[1 Quest Completed!]
[Reach Bladelbem Kingdom!]
Rewards:
[1000 XP]
[Explorer's Ring x1]
[50 Silver]
[Level Up! Level 4 Skills Are Now Available!]
Izuku looked down, his face red with anxiousness. This level up had been the best news he'd gotten in the last ten seconds—Hina tapped him on the shoulder, noticing his displacement in reality. Izuku turned to look, accidentally pulling the screen in front of him. The screen rested in front of Hina's bubbly face, making it seem brighter behind the neon screen. He used the opportunity to read the rest of the update.
[+1 Higher Level Skill Point!]
[+3 Lower Level Skill Points!]
Something Izuku had noticed after looking at this update was that the texts were always a little different from the last ones. He remembered reading about it in the handbook, slightly scared that his quirk might have been conscious after reading it; 'Over time, as the player levels up, so will The Gamer's ability to write better, and more organized text. This is a balance issue.' It was a strange thing, but Izuku appreciated the info. He suddenly jumped—
"Are you even listening to me?" Hina asked, puffing her cheeks. Izuku yelped, and nodded firmly. "Y-y-y-yes!" He stuttered. "Y-y-you w-want m-me to—to work with y-you!? A-are you sure!?"
The girl, in a giddy expression, jokingly returned the stutter, "Y-y-yeah. I mean, the pay's not a lot, but it will get you through all your expenses. After a while, you can even get documented for professionalism in your local transcripts. Uh, that means that you can get better jobs for higher pay. Also, it doesn't require any special kinds of magic or any real form of extreme talent; it's solely handiwork. See?" Hina lifted her arm, flexing it against the sun with a toothy, mad grin. She's the complete opposite from when I met her!
Seeing Izuku's obvious, yet strange smile as a yes, she pushed him forward, the chains around her waist tickling the wind with a ring. Izuku became hypnotized by her jumpy, bouncy self, following closely to her side. Bouncy—? Izuku flushed again in embarrassment, scolding himself mentally. The power of the cardiovascular system was a magic in its own.
Before he knew it, he was standing in front of a tall wooden door, metal beams welded to the top and bottom half sections, covered in what looked like the most pompous nails he had ever seen. After that point was a large gate leading to the inside of the Kingdom. Perhaps this was the entry toll?
Hina pushed the door open, but didn't get in his way. The inside revealed little but a large counter, maybe around four feet tall, but was extremely thick. Behind it was a man of… what Izuku could tell, large proportions… Izuku moved inside, his hands tucked close to his chest. He could practically feel his icy-blue hair dripping anxiously. I still need to find a place where I can bring back Boreal. That was his most important mission…
[New Quest: Talk To Boreal And Become Friends!]
Izuku perked up.
Check Out The Original Here! gallery/megowenson/fantasy-bar/
"Hey!" The barbaric man in front of the counter approached, a large hand in the air. He slowly got up from his chair, grinning at Hina as she walked aside the newcomer.
"Afternoon, Zachiel!" Hina looked towards the paper-filled section to the right of the counter, smiling. "A lot of newcomers lately?" She asked.
Both figures seemingly forgot that Izuku had existed as they continued their conversation, dabbling about anything they seemed to come up with. Most were simply questions at first, but slowly became more professional as they began to talk about the Yuuei requirements and exams. As it turned out, the Yuuei in this world was in the same amount of days, and had highly resembled that of a hero school. However, here at the kingdom, Yuuei trained the greatest soldiers; whether they be Wizards, Archers, Or Warriors—they would all be highly trained in their crafts to be of service to the kingdom. Apparently, according to Zachiel, the pay was no joke. Izuku would spend the rest of the remaining time looking around, observing and analyzing. While doing this, he accidentally scanned Hina.
Name: Hina Katsuma
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Level: 12
Stats: [Unavailable]
[Quirk: None]
[Ability: Magic Sword]
Weaknesses: Fire, Cute Boys
Emotions: Joyful
Intents: Becoming A Well Paid Knight
Ranking: [Unavailable]
Titles: Talentless, Swordsman, Lover. [Unknown]
Relationship: |-X-|-|-|-| [Talking Terms]
Occupation: Waitress/Mote-Assistant
He meeped in surprise, thankfully quiet enough to not raise suspicion—he didn't want to ruin the moment; he hadn't expected her to be such a high level. Why was it high, you may ask? Because, in the handbook, learning increases values continue to ramp down through every level up, and the Exp needed will also increase. However, the awards will get better each time, and every ten levels, he gets a Special Point to put into something a little more extra. He'd have to be careful with those—he only had two at the moment.
{Journal Tip #121: Level Systems. Levels Do Not Determine Skill, Determination, Or The Likelihood Of Winning In A Battle. Levels Determine The Overall Progress Of An Entity Or Object, Like A Classification. From "Expect To Win" To "Expect To Die" or "Very Weak," To "Very Strong."}
Izuku's eyes folded in as the forced screen passed his eyes. He slouched over and rubbed his eyes, now catching the attention of the two Joyfuls.
"Oh, yeah! I totally forgot about you there, kiddo," Zachiel waved, a stupid grin on his face as he pulled up a slip of paper. "So, you're the new guy?"
Izuku nodded, "Y-yeah, that's me." He approached the counter, accepting the papers that the man was offering him. Taking a look, he lowered an eyebrow. There was no registration on this paper, rather, instead there was a simple contract to pay the fees on time or become a slave to the Kingdom. That made him wince a bit. They have… slaves?
Without further thought, he signed the contract, and handed the man the needed amount of silver— he had slight trouble finding the Silver coins, opting to just turn around and bring them from his inventory. Zachiel turned towards a small dispenser, his hand underneath a slot, and returned several copper to Izuku as change. He then pointed at a small stone at the other side of the room. "Follow me," he ordered, guiding Izuku towards the stone.
Izuku stood frozen before the strange stone tablet, held neatly by a small, rectangular podium.
' Observe.'
[Observe Has Leveled Up!]
Identification Stone: This Stone Is Made Entirely Of Third-Branch-Manarite, Which Absorbs A Small Amount Of Mana At A Time And Stores Its Information Like Code. Every Form Of Mana Is Different In Every Life-Form, And Accesses Information From That Mana Like A Program. Place Your Hand On The Table To Activate It.
Izuku looked towards Zachiel, who stared at the tablet and back at him; use it, kid. And so he did—his hands fell onto the stone, which glimmered in a sparkly, glittery blue haze. The neon light glazed the air around it, forming many images unknown to Izuku, before landing on one that was more than familiar to him. A massive , frozen snowflake, not once losing its shape; just on top of it, there was a small accessory.
Hina perked up a bit, "Zachiel! Look!" she pointed at the round, crowned object of the flake. Zachiel perked up as well, seeing something he hadn't seen very often, and mostly never from newcomers. He evaluated Izuku, staring at him. His icy hair, the mist above his fingertips, and the comical snowflakes dripping from his arms… it made sense now, and was almost obvious.
"So, you're an Element Born?" they both seemed to ask. Izuku turned slightly, his mind a little behind in the race.
Immediately, they both flushed. "Ah, sorry!" Hina apologized, "I'll keep it a story if you want, but—"
"But regardless, your blood-line is going to be written on your local transcript," Zachiel paused for a short moment before continuing, "however, that's not a bad thing. If this is your actual first time doing one of these tests, then I should mention that the image shown is what element you are best suited for, and that if a crown appears above said image, then it means you were born with it, or a plentiful amount of other things." Zachiel reached his hand into his back pocket, pulling out a fairly thick book and handing it towards Izuku. Izuku accepted the offer and read the cover. It was a handbook of information about the Identification Stone.
"If you're curious to learn more about the thing, then by all means, go ahead and do that—"
"You just want somebody to take your place," Hina mocked him, pulling on her eye and sticking her tongue out. Zachiel turned pale for a moment, "I have to retire some day, Hina!" he stuffed his fist in the air, "the Kingdom will never drop me until I find a successor!"
Hina chuckled, which raised Izuku's attention. "Good luck with that, oldie." Then, from behind the two, Izuku opened his mouth. "I'll be sure to look into it, mister! Thank you." He bowed slightly, and Zachiel put on a giddy grin. And after a few more bits and babbles, they continued on with the test.
"Just put your index finger on the part labeled 'Geno' and you should be done. It's not that complicated, but your identifiable information will be uploaded to the Mana stones infused with the tablet. When those run out, we'll make sure to notify you so that you can refill the stone and pay the next fine."
Izuku nodded dumbly and placed his index finger on the red batch of hue labeled as 'Geno' and watched as another ray of light bursted from the stone. His eyes widened a bit… ' this looks just like my—!'
Name: Izuku Midoriya
Gender: Male
Age: 14
Level: 4
Stats: [Unavailable]
[Ability: Extreme Growth]
Weaknesses: Fire, Girls
Emotions: Anxious
Intents: Going To Yuuei And Becoming The Best
Ranking: [Unavailable]
Titles: Quirkless, Talentless, Destiny Bound, Lover, Son, Ice Proficient, Magically Proficient. [Unknown]
Occupation: None
Izuku felt an arm wrap around him, buckling to purely his knee-strength to keep from falling over. He looked up at Zachiel, who had a pestering smile. "Afraid of girls, eh!?" he hysterically asked, before pointing at Hina, "then you should be shitting your pants with this one—! Gah!" he yelped, being smacked on the head with the end of Hina's rapier. The ice didn't crack on impact, signalling that either, one: the Ice was strong, or two, she hit him lightly. Izuku attested that the first one was more likely, as Zachiel dazed around a bit before returning to his normal, cheerful self. Hina puffed her chest at him, slightly turned away from Izuku with a small blush on her cheeks.
Zachiel then pressed his hand on the tablet, moving Izuku to the side carefully. After a few pushes and pricks, the tablet went dim, and now there was no glow. "Alright, you're all set to enter the kingdom. Oh, don't forget. Even if you lose your home, job, or physical body, we'll find you if you don't pay the fine." He let out a hearty chuckle, and Izuku soon joined, thinking it was a harmless joke. "I will, I'll come by every month." Actually, what day was it? And even more, what year was it… was time the same here? Would he have to learn an entirely new calendar?
Hina coughed, knocking Izuku out of his mumbling stupor. "I didn't know you wanted to go to Yuuei?" she said. Izuku smiled, and nodded, only to realize that there were two Yuueis, and that she was talking about the one in Merildek. However, despite his answer, Hina's mouth reached a new height. She put her hands on Izuku's shoulder and shook him up, "Oo! Maybe we can take the exams together!"
A few minutes passed, and Izuku was now free from his confinement in the toll center. It was only when Hina had taken him into Bladelbem, that he had realized that he was actually in a Kingdom. It looks just like they do in the movies! Izuku thought, glaring at the magnificent archistructure that was the gravelly roads, finely constructed homes, and neatly organized shops that were crowded in all sorts of people. It wasn't quite like his world, though. In fact, there was not a single noticeable mutant in sight. He did notice that a few of the people had longer ears, scaly skin, or were extremely short, but that had been the jist. A smile plastered across his face, and Hina was quick to notice, accidentally looking at his irises. She immediately buckled, the wash of comfort overtaking her body in such a sudden way that it was paranormal. Come on, body! Hina yelled at herself internally.
Time and time again, Hina had to direct Izuku in the right direction, often tugging at his uniform to remind him that he had a body of his own. She didn't expect him to get lost so easily, or to wander off from time to time, having to chase him down at one point. He was so strange, and so… cute? She always had a weakness for cute boys, but not quite like this. So far, she only saw him as a soon to be 'Very Awesome Friend' considering that they might start working together, but something inside of her told her something else. She had known that since she had begun to trust him, she started showing her normal, school girl personality. She considered herself to be the most jumpy person she knew, but after a thirty minute walk with Izuku within the castle, she knew she was being outmatched almost immediately. Somehow, she knew she could trust this guy; am I foolish or something!?
Taking a deep breath, Hina waved her hands towards a large sign on the building in front of them. "This is the place!" she informed, "if you really want a place to start out, Rihs Quin has some of the best prices in the Kingdom for living space, food, and all sorts of 'drink' if you're into that." Izuku gently declined the mention of 'drink,' assuming she meant alcohol, which seemed to make her smile a bit. There was a lot of smiling today, he noticed. It's a good day .
"So, what'll it be?" Hina prompted, a hand on the knob, "would you like to work with me? Or do you want to look around a bit?" Seeing Izuku fumble and shift, she prompted him again with, "I'll be sure to put in a good word for you to my boss. I bet she'll love the extra pair of hands. There's also an empty room close to mine if you have any questions."
Izuku stepped forward, ready to be done for the day and head to wherever bed he'd be offered. "I'll take that as a yes!" Hina giddily opened the door, allowing him to enter before herself. Izuku was greeted with silence as a few people looked at him, drinks in hand. After a few seconds, they returned to their feasting, and the chatter was wrought back to life. A particularly busty woman made herself present from behind a nearby counter, waving at the two.
"Hina!" The lady yelled, not attracting any attention as if it had been the most normal thing in the room. Hina walked up to the counter, Izuku following closely behind, trying his best not to accidentally make eye contact with one of the patrons. "Hey, you've been gone all day!"
"Sorry about that, I was just taking a break outside the walls. Needed some fresh air for the upcoming exams," Hina replied. The lady forgave her, and Izuku listened in, remembering how Hina had mentioned during their trip here that there was an exemplary exam in a few months that would determine if you could attend Yuuei or not. Hina had mentioned how she was trying to shake it off, and clear her mind. She had clearly been stressed, so Izuku offered a few words of advice to her about studying and memory techniques. He was just glad that he could help a little.
"Anyway," Hina pulled on Izuku, bringing him to the lady's attention, "this is Izuku—it's his first time in Bladelbem, so I'm showing him around. He doesn't really have a lot of money, but I think he'd be great here!" To that, the lady's eyes perked up, and she crossed her arm, staring down Izuku. He was wimpy, cute , and obviously anxious. The people would surely love him. Good tips, too.
A few seconds of staring later, and the woman nodded. "We'll talk about him later, Hina," she turned to Izuku again, "there's one room left right next to Hina's. Do you want a room? If so, that'll be a few silver for the day. If you want to get all homey, you can purchase the monthly stay for thirty—"
"That's what I did," Hina budded in, "it's not that great of a room, but it has all the essentials, and it's fairly cheap."
Both of them looked at him.