Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Mana.
Chapter 2: Domina
"Since there's an inventory," Sean muttered as he walked down the dirt path away from the house. "Then there should be a stats box as…" Sean paused as his status screen appeared before him.
Name: Sean Rent
Race: Human
Title: Artificer
Age: 21
Level: Lvl 1 Next Level: 0/200
HP: 300/300 Regen: (3.6) per minute
TP: 900/900 Regen: (24.3) per minute
MP: 300/300 Regen: (4.95) per minute
STR: 8
VIT: 12
DEX: 28
INT: 12
WIS: 11
SPI: 5
LUK: 4
Synchro Effect: HP Recovery Lvl 1
Stat Points: 5
Lucre: 100
Skill List:
Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lvl Max
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows a peaceful state of mind. Immunity to psychological status effects.
Gamer's Body (Passive) Lvl Max
Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. Sleeping in a bed restores HP, TP, MP and removes all negative status effects.
Cure (Active) Lvl 1
Fire (Active) Lvl 1
Repair (Active) Lvl 1
Observe (Passive/Active) Lvl 1
Sean proceeded to click on each stat to ensure they worked the way he thought they did.
Attributes
Title: A designation that one owns. It can give extra perks or statistics and can be obtained through special actions.
TP: Tech points act similar to stamina in determining how many special techniques one can perform with either their body or weapons. Basic weapon usage and moves such as a punch or kick cost no TP. The amount of TP is found as follows: (STR * 25) + (DEX * 25). TP regen is found by this formula: ((STR * 0.075%) + (DEX * 0.075%)) * TP.
HP: Health points represent how much health one has. In most cases, once your HP reaches zero, that's game over.
MP: Mana points are used to cast spells. Many don't have the ability to cast magic so purely with the current state of the world.
Strength (STR): This is how strong you are. Adding points to this will increase physical strength, attack power, and HP regeneration. 1 point = +.15% increase in HP regen.
Vitality (VIT): This is how many health points you have. 1 point = +25 HP.
Dexterity (DEX): This stat determines your overall speed. It also affects hit chance, evasion, and accuracy and plays a role in determining damage with a bow or firearm.
Intelligence (INT): This stat determines the size of your mana pool. It can also affect your learning speed, boost memorization, and allow for quick thinking in various situations, among other things. 1 point = +25 MP.
Wisdom (WIS): In contrast to intelligence, more information gained through reading, wisdom pertains more to world experience and common sense. This stat affects mana regeneration and magic resistance. 1 point = +.15% in MP regen and +1 point = +.15% in Magic Resistance.
Spirit (SPI) (1): Much like one can strengthen their body through exercise, so too can one exercise their magic through training. This stat affects the power and effectiveness of one's spells.
Luck (LUK): This stat affects your luck and can turn the tide in your favor. Adding points can do things such as increasing the chance of rare drops, finding special items, and landing critical hits.
Synchro Effect: This is a special ability that comes into effect when in close proximity to a party member. There are various effects such as higher HP recovery, stronger attacks, and more money.
Effect: HP Recovery Lvl 1:
Boosts HP regen by 30% when within 20 ft of a party member while standing still.
"Well," Sean started after having closed the status box. "At least these attributes are basically the same as in most other RPGs."
It was only a few minutes later that Sean began to wonder. "How in the hell am I supposed to unleash the power within this artifact anyway?" He asked himself quietly, so deep in thought that he didn't notice his surroundings start to blur. It wasn't until the sun dimmed, bringing a sudden chill, that he was shaken from his reverie.
Sean watched as fields of grass and the path beneath his feet vanished, only to be replaced by a small circle of land on a large map. Scattered about, there were areas of glowing white light that were completely vacant of anything whether that be a town, city, or natural environment. Sure, there were illustrations of seas and hills on the map, but the only location Sean could see was his home.
The farther away from him the map went, the darker it became. Meanwhile, the sun shined brighter onto him like a spotlight as if an invisible audience was watching, waiting with anticipation to see what Sean was going to do.
Being familiar with the game, yet still not sure what to do next, Sean's attention was caught by the sudden brilliance of the artifact. "Woah!" He said in surprise as the artifact thrummed with the power of mana, causing him to drop the wooden box. Sean backed up a bit and watched the "Colorblocks" AF move to the spot directly north of his house where it landed on the map.
The artifact then let off blue sparkles as the blocks shifted into buildings and the town of Domina was formed.
Sean let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "Amazing." There really wasn't much else he could say than that.
Gazing at the newly formed town, Sean thought to try one of his new abilities.
'Observe'
Domina
A lively town frequented by traveling merchants and entertainers. The outskirts boast a church with a fabulous view of the countryside.
"Not too informative," Sean uttered before shrugging his shoulders. "Oh, well."
He put the wooden box into his inventory and headed towards the town, ruminating about where he might be in the game's timeline. Everything blurred once more as Sean's house disappeared and Domina came into view.
Upon entering the town, Sean didn't see Duelle asking for Elazul's name, but merely simplistic, everyday life with people dotted here and there going about their business.
To his left, there was a shop that sold weapons and other equipment if Sean recalled correctly. Ahead of him, there was a pub with a sign in the shape of a sideways bottle above the entrance. Beneath the yellow, thatched roof, the sign read "Amanda & Barrett's."
To the left of that, there was a hotel named "Mana's Blessing" where a nearby Sproutling was yammering on about how much he enjoyed nature. A tan-skinned man wearing a turban and sporting a goatee was sweeping dirt off of the short, stone walkway leading up to the hotel's front doors. The man frowned in the Sproutling's direction, but continued doing his job.
"Just be glad you aren't working in customer service," Sean thought, once upon a time having worked in a computer store with entitled consumers whining about this and that.
"You lost?" A voice asked.
Sean looked around before the clearing of someone's throat drew his attention downwards.
The person who addressed him was the size of a small child wearing what at first appeared to be an onion shaped helmet, but was actually a part of him. This was especially true since Sean couldn't see any eyes through the holes in the "helmet" and upon closer observation, saw the helmet was connected to his light skin. Four small leaves actually grew from the top of his head.
The little onion wore a blue garment around his whole torso with a red string used to tie the loose cloth around the neck closed. On each arm, he wore two golden bracelets and carried with him a pole arm consisting of a wooden shaft and a one-sided blade with a red ribbon tied around where the two met.
'Observe' "Might as well level up the skill."
Name: Duelle
Race: Onion Person
Title: Onion Warrior
Age: ?
Level: Lvl 9
HP: 531.25/531.25
TP: 450/450
MP: 800/800
STR: 10
VIT: 17
DEX: 8
INT: 32
WIS: 43
SPI: 3
LUK: 5
Synchro Effect: ?
Perk: ?
Description: An onion warrior. He likes everything straight-forward, and hates people like Niccola (2) with a passion.
"Niccola?" "Sorry about that," Sean said, thinking there might be an error with the system. "Have you seen a blue bird around here? It might have been singing."
"Pelican messed up another delivery, didn't she?" Duelle asked rhetorically.
"Yeah," Sean answered. "She took me for an aerial tour when I was just trying to mail a letter."
"If you're looking to complain, then you're wasting your time." Duelle said simply. "Criticism doesn't register with her."
"Are there any other mail carriers around?" Sean asked, planning to tell his new boss he was having car trouble to excuse his tardiness. That is, if he made it back home. "I'm late for work and I know my boss is gonna be pissed."
"Tough break. Pelican's the only one I've ever seen," Duelle replied, putting a damper on things.
"Do you think trying to mail myself back home would work?" Sean asked, somewhat doubting the idea actually would.
Duelle shook his head. "That's not a good idea." He responded without having to think about it. "It could work, but more than likely you'll end up somewhere else."
Sean snorted at the absurdity of it. "Why is she the only mail carrier if she messes up so often?" Sean asked frustratedly.
"She must do well enough," Duelle answered, readjusting his grip on his weapon.
"Do you know where she is anyway?" Sean inquired.
"She usually spends her time in the northwestern part of town past the Park of the Mana Angel." Duelle informed.
"Thanks," Sean said before trying to walk away.
"Hey!" Duelle called.
"Yeah?" Sean turned his head to look back.
"Aren't you gonna introduce yourself?" Duelle asked.
"I'm Sean Rent. Nice to meet you." He offered a handshake.
Duelle returned it with his left hand. "I am Duelle, Onion Warrior!" Duelle stated, somehow proud of that fact.
Sean was going to leave again when a thought struck him. "Hey, Duelle. You haven't seen any Jumis lately have you?"
"No, why?" Duelle asked with a tilt of the head.
"No particular reason," Sean replied. "Well, I have to get going. See you later."
Having said goodbye, Sean followed a path to the western part of town. He ended up crossing over a small stream via a wooden footbridge into the Park of the Mana Angel that Duelle had mentioned. The park was simply a circular clearing with a water fountain in the middle. In the center of the fountain, there was a statue of a robed angel standing on a pedestal with a staff in its right hand. Four continuous streams of water shot from the sides of the platform.
Around the edges of the clearing, there were a number of wooden benches spaced evenly apart under the shade of green-leafed trees.
Upon entering the park, Sean was beckoned by the call of the accordion, whose music was playing from a strange grinder-gramophone-wheelchair contraption being cranked by a sad-looking fish boy. Standing next to him, there was a juggling monkey decked out in some kind of circus getup. The monkey, with a beaming smile on his face, stood in stark contrast to the kid.
Though Sean liked the accordion, he felt it best to keep looking for Pelican. However, when he reached the northwestern area of town, he just saw a few houses with some people doing laundry and tending to their gardens. There was one small building that acted as a post office, but Pelican was nowhere to be found.
"Shit," Sean cursed before sighing. "I'm not going home am I?" He rubbed the side of his head.
Deciding to give up for the moment, Sean turned his thoughts elsewhere.
"Duelle said that he hasn't seen any Jumi lately, so Elazul most likely hasn't shown up yet." Sean figured, going along with the game's script for the time being. "And what was that thing about Niccola? Not to mention, when am I?"
Quest Alert!
Find your bearings
A stranger to the world of Fa'Diel, you find yourself lacking a point from which to move forward. Look for more information and discover when you are in the timeline and how to proceed.
Succeed: 50 Exp
Failure: Unforeseen Consequences
"And that just presents another problem," Sean muttered. "How do I level up if I can't get my hands on the other artifacts?" In the game, there weren't that many enemies to fight at either his home or in Domina. "I mean," He huffed. "There are daily quests, but they usually don't net the same amount of experience as a main or side quest."
Before he could think any further, Sean's stomach started to rumble as he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. It wasn't a true hunger, but it felt more like an emptiness where something was missing or lost.
With that, he decided he'd go take a load off and get a bite to each back at Amanda & Barrett's. Walking back to the center of town, Sean entered the pub with still no Elazul or Niccola in sight.
The pub looked as expected. A bar stood to his left with enough seating for five patrons and fully stocked with alcohol. In front of Sean, there was a stairway leading up to a second floor and on the first floor, tables were scattered about with enough seating at each table for four people. The room was lit by a combination of light streaming in from the windows and the chandelier overhead with glowing red bulbs.
Sean saw some other patrons, but the place wasn't that busy. He guessed it was maybe three in the afternoon judging from the sun. This meant there was a time difference between here and his home world since it was 7 AM when he was snatched. "How much of a difference is there though?" Sean dreaded the answer.
He heard minimal chatter as he took a seat by one of the windows and started looking over the menu, his mouth already salivating from the smell of chicken and steak intermixed with the aroma of freshly baked goods and coffee. Sean swallowed and adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. He became less sure of what to order, however, since there were foods like "Diceberry", "Applesocks", and "Masked Potato" on the menu.
"Can I take your order?" A feminine voice asked.
The one taking his order was a young girl with light blue hair that went past her shoulders and light green eyes. She wore a blue blouse on top of a baggy pink dress and had a pair of fairy wings on her back and antennas on her head. Behind the antennae, a red cloth wrapped around the back of her head and she had on a pair of red boots.
'Observe'
Name: Rachel
Race: Human Butterfly
Title: Waitress
Age: 16
Level: Lvl 2
HP: 150/150
TP: 350/350
MP: 175/175
STR: 4
VIT: 6
DEX: 10
INT: 7
WIS: 10
SPI: 8
LUK: 2
Synchro Effect: ?
Description: The daughter of Mark and Jennifer. She hardly talks, and does not become too friendly with anyone. She is sick of her Faerie-like appearance and the room décor.
Skill Level Up!
Observe Lvl 1 → Lvl 2
Lvl 1: The user can see the target's stats and a basic description.
Lvl 2: The user can see how much experience the target needs to reach the next level.
"Yes, I think I'll have th—" Sean was suddenly interrupted.
"Oh, honey-bun!" A loud, manly voice rang out.
Rachel groaned with a downturned head, her hair shielding her face from view, when an older man carrying a bag entered the establishment. He had a jovial air about him and was donned in what at first appeared to be a suit of red and blue armor. Upon further inspection, Sean saw that the "armor" looked too alive and was actually an exoskeleton just like that of a beetle. It even shined when the light from outside hit it and the man's head had a set of blue pincers pointing upwards with one on each side.
'Observe'
Name: Mark
Race: ?
Title: ?
Age: ?
Level: ?
Description: The owner of Domina's item shop and also Rachel's father. He really loves his family, but they seem to be a little sick of his overdose of love.
"Hey, Daddy," Rachel gave her father a strained smile, a pen clenched firmly in her grip. Sean hid his face behind his menu in a futile attempt to make the situation less awkward while the other customers kept to their conversations, apparently used to this occurrence.
Mark beamed as he strode up to his daughter. "Sugar-cakes, daddy noticed you forgot your lunch this morning and made something extra special for you."
"Sugar-cakes?" Sean grimaced, creeped out by the daughter's pet names. "Even for a wife, that'd be weird." He thought before looking back to the menu. "Haven't had pasta in a while."
"That's great, daddy," Rachel replied, taking the bag with her father remaining completely oblivious to her embarrassment. "I'm sure I'll enjoy it."
"Only the best for me little sweety-baby!" Mark practically shouted, completely missing the brief glance that Rachel gave the pub, her gaze only stopping on Sean for a moment when he went "ugh."
"Daddy," Rachel spoke patiently with a hint of weariness. "I really need to get back to work now. Why don't you go see how mommy's doing at the store?"
"Wonderful idea, daughter of mine!" Mark exclaimed with excessive pride. "Tone done the fucking volume, dude." "I'll be sure to tell her what a bang-up job you're doing."
"Bye, daddy." Rachel bid her father farewell, or at least tried to, when he suddenly enveloped her in a big bear hug. She patted her father on the shoulder as she hung in his arms a few inches off the floor, her smile straining even further.
Mark set her down and left, but not before yelling, "See you later, pumpkin!"
With her father now gone, Rachel just stood there as her smile finally slipped from her face with a sigh. Sean gave her a moment to wind down after that ordeal and waited calmly, ready to give his order.
After about a minute, she turned and with a more relaxed posture, asked, "Can I take your order?"
Sean just ordered a simple dish with breaded chicken breasts and masked potatoes. As she wrote down his order, Sean inquired, "By the way, miss, have you seen any Jumi recently?"
"None that I can remember," She replied quickly, needing to move onto the next table since her father held her up. "Your order will be out shortly."
Sean took his time enjoying his meal once it came out, the flavor of garlic and butter dancing on his tongue. He was already planning to go the marketplace next to see if Niccola was there. If she wasn't, Sean figured, then he could just ask the fortuneteller woman for some advice.
Normally, Sean disliked fortunetellers, seers, and the like, but in the game, the woman offered hints more than a deep look into the future or past.
Once he was finished eating, Sean paid 15 Lucre for his meal and left for the marketplace.
The market, lying to the north of the town's center, wasn't that different from a farmer's market back home. There were a few buildings selling various items ranging from fruits and vegetables to flowers, clothing, and mirrors. In one area, a blue tent selling fish was erected with a blue sign on the front and side of said tent, each in the shape of a fish.
Sean could smell the catch of the day as he approached the fortuneteller since she was right across from the fish tent. Thankfully, out in the open air, the stench wasn't too powerful.
The fortune teller was a young woman close to Sean's age with hair that looked like a big bundle of grapes except the berries were pink while smaller bundles of blueberries framed the sides of her face. A bunch stem actually stuck out of the top of her hair. Holding a long smoking pipe in her right hand, the woman somehow possessed an air of sophistication despite standing in a wicker basket surrounded by fruit.
'Observe'
Name: Meimei
Race: Human
Title: Fortune Teller
Age: 22
Level: Lvl 5
Description: A glamorous fortune teller. She led a luxurious and exciting life, but now she seems to be saving money for her old age.
"Hello," She greeted in a neutral tone. "Want your fortune told?"
"Yes," Sean said calmly, managing to hide his disbelief.
"That will be 10 Lucre. I'm saving for my retirement, so no less!"
Sean just handed her the money, deciding not to point out how there were better ways of making income than fortune telling.
After putting the money away, Meimei started spinning quickly which, in turn, caused the basket and the fruits within to spin as if in a washing machine.
"Vitamins, carotins, potassium, fiber…polyphenol!" She called before slowing down, not dizzy in the least.
Once everything came to a stop, Meimei reached down and picked up an orange, observing it closely.
"Many options can present themselves in a month. A busy time ahead, perhaps?" She said with a raised eyebrow.
"You have no idea." Sean responded, taking notice of the words "options" and "month."
Sean returned home after leaving the fortune teller, not having caught a glimpse of Niccola anywhere. He now contemplated what to do next since it was becoming more likely that there was no chance of him returning to his world.
"That chest didn't have enough Lucre in it," Sean thought, already having spent a fourth of his money in such a short amount of time. He scratched his head in annoyance. "Pretty sure my computer skills won't help me here."
"Although," Sean started. "Meimei did say that 'many options can present themselves in a month.'" At the word "options," a new box appeared. "So obviously, if she's right, then I have a month until canon events start."
Quest Completed!
Find your bearings
Reward: 50 Exp
"That's nice, I guess." Sean glanced at the options menu and found settings for difficulty, which was locked in normal, despite him trying to change it to easy. "Feels like some asshole is mocking me." A mini-map option was found and quickly turned on as well as event notification. "Glad as fuck that thing's there." Because honestly, how much help would Sean be if he didn't know when things were going down.
Sean closed the options box, the other menu items being inconsequential. His mind was still focused on his money problem and what skills could net him a job in Domina.
"I could try working at the item shop," Sean briefly pondered before shaking his head. "That guy Mark might be worse there than at the pub." He still felt nauseous just thinking about the guy's weird fatherly love and pet names. "Maybe the hotel or pub have an opening? Or what if there's a notice board somewhere offering quests? But since I can only go to Domina or stay here, then would that even work?"
Quest Alert!
Bring home the bacon
Being new here, you've found yourself with very little of the local currency and sadly your debit card won't help. Find a job or other method of bringing in cash to support yourself and keep your household running.
Reward: 50 Exp, A Steady Source of Income, Esuna Skill Book
Failure: Potential Death(s), Inability to buy things
"I'm definitely gonna need that." Sean remembered that the Esuna Spell could heal most status ailments in the Final Fantasy games. "I'll head back to town tomorrow once I figure out what my best choice is. Just hope getting a job isn't as hard as back home." Sean sighed. "Way too much bullshit in that process."
Author's Note: Well, here's Chapter 2. During this chapter, I introduced the Spirit attribute to help calculate the effectiveness and/or attack power of Sean's various spells. I may add another attribute later that I don't think I've seen in any of the other Gamer stories I've read. One having to do with music.
With some characters, I won't list all of their stats because not all characters will play a big role in the story although more will than in the game.
Niccolo and one other character will be female in this story. In the game, when you defeat enemies and bosses, items, exp and money appear that you have to physically pick up. Niccolo loves money. He'll trick people and sell fake items at exorbitant prices to obtain it. In the Sword of Mana, according to the wiki, Niccolo only saves the hero because he thought he caught a large fish, but remembered that being a good Samaritan was a good way to get more customers.
There's also a panel in the Legend of Mana manga, released from 2000 to 2002, where Niccolo sees a single Lucre coin on the road and his eyes open and nostrils flare, air shooting out of them. Niccola will eventually be in Sean's party and if he saw that Sean could make money appear, then I think things would get uncomfortably close to slash for me. If you like slash, that's your decision, but it's not for me. The other character will be female simply because I thought they were a woman when I was a kid.
Finally, I would really appreciate some more reviews as they give writers ideas about how they can improve. Thanks for the review, faves, and follows so far. Also, sorry for the long author's note.