*posts potential new stories with malevolent intent*
It took quite a while for it to kick in, to be honest.
Cut Eragon a break, why don't you? He doesn't talk to many women for the first leg of his adventure.
Regardless, when he awoke after saving the elf, Eragon was quite shocked to see a sort of pink rectangle floating in front of him.
He blinked. It was still there.
[Congratulations! You are the protagonist, if you couldn't already tell. Let's get started!]
"What the…?" Eragon mumbled, not really in his right mind. A clumsy swipe with his hand made it dissolve. Was it the fading remnant of some dream?
Looking around, he realized that there was a small square with rounded corners on the edge of his vision, staying there no matter how he moved his head.
His intense concentration on it seemed to provoke it somehow- unexpectedly, it shot toward the center of his vision and ballooned in size.
Menu
*Stats*
*Titles*
*Skills*
*Quests*
*Feats*
What… what was a stat? What would a group of them look like? Thankfully, he kind of understood the other categories. He focused on the second item: Titles. He wouldn't have any, right? He wasn't a noble, after all…
The text in front of him changed, seemingly based on his thoughts. (Incredible. Worrying, but incredible.)
Titles:
Country Hick - Your origins, if elaborated upon, will not do you any favors in high society, although it gives you a certain appeal in your humility. Charm +1, Wiles -2, Intelligence -1
Shur'tugal - You are a dragon rider, possessed of a fire-breathing partner and incredible powers. In times such as these, the fate of Alagaesia lies in your silver palm. Charm +5, Wiles +3, Might +10, Intelligence +1
Hunter - You have some skill in hunting and stalking animals. An impressive and useful skill on its own, even though you now hunt more dangerous game. Might +2, Intelligence +1, Charm +1
A hick?!
He felt a little insulted, and batted the screen away. It shrunk back to its tiny position in the corner of his vision, and after a bit of steaming, he reopened it again. What were all those numbers, he wondered?
Stats:
Charm (7): A measure of your appeal to the common man- and of your appeal to non-high society women. (What did that mean?)
Wiles (1): Diplomacy and cunning, a measure of your ability to operate in high society. Also impresses some noble women and social climbers.
Might (12): A broad measure of your skill in combat, including magic. A bit of a catch-all, honestly.
Intelligence (1): A measure of your wisdom and understanding of the world, the ancient language, etc. Supplements might in magical combat, and helps peaceful magic as well.
Well… those were numbers.
Once again, Eragon was struck with the strong impression of being insulted, but the numbers seemed kind of intriguing.
He had no measure to compare them by, of course, other than understanding that a score of one was pretty bad, but still….
Skills:
Protagonist: The star of this particular story. Lives life like a janky visual novel with combat elements. (What the hell was a visual novel? Weren't all novels visible?) Allows menu access, gives immunity to mental disorder, increase calm, and protects the mind from mental attack to keep itself secret.
Eragon would appreciate some mental defense, although he didn't like the apparent agency (and control of his mind) that the power had. He didn't like it one bit, but he read onward.
The Weft and Warp of Fate: $(£×π©¶∆~[€
Magic/Ancient Language: Allows for the use of magic. Duh. Greatly improved by discovering the Name of Names, (¢÷×£∆
The last bit of text was completely incomprehensible, changing and shifting like vapor as he looked at it. That had to be the name of the ancient language, then. He couldn't do much with it, unfortunately, and the Weft and Warp was completely incomprehensible.
Swordsmanship: Stick 'em with the pointy part.
Archery: Stick 'em with the pointy part, at range.
Observe: A hunter's awareness, supplemented by the power of the System (was that what it called itself?). Allows for analysis of other people, showing motives and relationship status.
For some reason, he was taking this seriously. If there was some sort of magic that could fake this, it was complex beyond his imagining. He figured that if it was the work of a hostile magician, he was already dead.
If it wasn't magic, if it was something else… well, Eragon could investigate it, right? Try it out?
Looking at Murtagh, he wasn't entirely sure what to do. Wasn't he already observing him?
Murtagh Morzanson, 'Sins of the Father'
Bromance Points: 5/100
Thinks you're: A tremendous dumbass
Summary: The son of Morzan of the Forsworn and Selena. (Yes, that Selena.)
Eragon froze, struggling to comprehend what the floating text seemed to be implying. Was… was that the truth? It couldn't be. It couldn't. He kept on your reading.
Your half-brother, separated by the whims of chance.
Half-brother? Half-brother?!
Murtagh turned to look at him. "Morning."
"Morning." Eragon groaned.
Eragon wanted to read the rest of Murtagh's summary, but he shrunk under those intense eyes. He couldn't even imagine how to bring that particular subject with Murtagh normally.
He needed more information. He needed to know if the Observe skill told the truth. He turned to Saphira.
Saphira Brightscales, 'The "Last Free" Dragon' (What did those quotes mean?)
Romance Points: You're really not going to date a dragon, right?
Thinks you're: Her tremendous dumbass
Summary: One of the last dragons (that you know of) and your partner. Rescued from the Empire by the Varden, sent to the Spine by Arya. Capable of mysterious draconic magic, not yet capable of breathing fire. Also part of the System, to a lesser extent.
That was a relief. If the System was real- and Saphira could help him test it- then it wouldn't be hidden from her. That was a tremendous relief.
Eragon gave her a bit of a mental nudge, and Saphira received him, barely even moving… until she saw what he saw, those sheets of pink floating in the air.
She started at first, and then attempted to touch them with her snout- they provided no resistance, not to her.
"Little one?"
Saphira was even more upset than him with the System's lack of transparency, especially considering her access to a dreadfully knee-capped version of it.
She had stupidly large might and intelligence scores though, in exchange for significant losses in charm. She couldn't exactly talk to a normal person, after all.
Of course, she was most intrigued by his version, as complex and informative as it was.
He let his hand rest on her snout as they reviewed the ins and outs of his- or perhaps their- new ability. Checking Quests revealed nothing at all. Strange. Feats was similar, and Eragon felt a little miffed. He had done things!
Saphira confirmed the information Observe had about her though, so Eragon felt the system must have had something to it. Out of curiosity, he used Observe on the elf.
Arya Drottningu, 'Elven Maiden'
Romance Points: 0/100
Thinks you're: (Is currently unconscious)
Summary: An elven princess and warrior of remarkable talent, determined to see the Empire's end. Still coming to terms with the death of her lover. Is also quite poisoned.
Huh. Well, that was good to know. (Somehow, he didn't quite find her as dazzling as before. This was the Protagonist skill keeping him from acting like a total fool, not that he would know.)
There was a pinging sound, and another screen appeared.
Main Story Quest: To the Varden!
Arya is poisoned, and your only hope for a cure is with the Varden. Go!
Objective: Reach the Varden before she perishes.
Rewards: Arya's continued survival, story progress (including several new routes), +5 to Charm and Wiles.
Failure: Permanent closure of Arya's route, a terrible future for Alagaesia.
Eragon gulped and looked at Murtagh. Charm stat, don't fail him now…
Eventually, Murtagh did agree, and their "Bromance Points", whatever that meant, went up by five. Whatever waited at a hundred, Eragon couldn't say.
They proceeded to haul ass. For what it was worth, Eragon got an astonishing [+3 Might] over the course of the trip, considering the incredible pace they traveled at. And also the slavers they fought.
(Murtagh killed them. For some reason, Eragon probably should have felt more disturbed.)
The mountains were pretty neat, he guessed, but the being pursued by Urgals was a bit more pressing. This was also when Murtagh revealed that he was actually Morzan's son (what a surprise! Good thing Murtagh thought he was a total idiot, or he might have gotten suspicious about his subdued reaction.)
Then they had a rather unfortunate meeting with the Varden and their magicians. The System proved its worth by not only protecting Eragon's mind, but also feeding the magician information which got Eragon off the hook.
Even though they were brought into custody, the Quest was completed, and Eragon sagged in relief. Arya wouldn't die, at least.
The additional Charm and Wiles would probably be useful- he had no idea how to handle the Varden. As if the situation wasn't complex enough, another Quest popped up.
Quest: Bros before Broddring
Save your half-brother from being kidnapped and returned to the empire!
Objective: Engineer the death of the Twins before they can betray the Varden after the Battle of ${€[%=¥¶. Ideally, make it look like an accident.
Rewards: Unlocks the "Riders of Blue and Red" storyline. A better future for Alagaesia.
Failure: Severe damage to your relationship with Murtagh, growth in the Emperor's power, and an almost endless list of negative side effects, including the eventual death of €¶∆[¢
Well. That was certainly a turn of events.
Omake:
His curiosity evoked, he stole a look at Angela, using Observe.
Angela.
Romance Points: Lol. Lmao, even.
Thinks you're: ?
Summary: A reminder that you're not the only player in this particular game.
What.
Angela looked at him, laughed, and knocked the screen aside. It shattered like glass. His jaw went slack.
"Don't gawp like that." Angela chided. "You'll catch flies."
Of course, this is an obvious tribute to SAO the Eroge and Classroom of the Elite the Eroge, which compelled me to write this. I did try to make things a little different, system wise, though.