Destiny Rising Prequel Read online

  A small light at the edge of her vision shimmered as the box disappeared. She sat in stunned silence, feeling a persistent urge from within to go forward, egging her on.

  She touched her face, feeling the familiar reality of her own skin and with resolution she wiped her face, shouldered her backpack and slowly stood up. Holding the Book Of Survival to her chest she recalled her uncle’s last words. Everything you need to know about yourself will be at an arm’s glance. She glanced at her right arm and a translucent screen illuminated in her vision.

  “What the…?” Her heart skipped a beat as she read the information.

  Name: Adrianna Swann

  Class: ???

  Level 0

  Speed: 30

  Armor Class: 10

  XP to next Lvl: 0

  Strength 10 (+0)

  Dexterity 10 (+0)

  Constitution 10 (+0)

  Intelligence 10 (+0)

  Wisdom 10 (+0)

  Charisma 10 (+0)

  Reputation: Nobody Special

  Proficiencies: None

  Traits:

  Keen Mind

  You remember everything you’ve read within the last 30 days.

  In that moment, she resented the lack of information she possessed. How is this everything I need to know? What even is this? Is this some sort of spell?

  She wouldn’t get any answers from the landscape of an empty house.

  Adrianna reached for the kitchen door and slowly turned and looked back at her beloved home. Her uncle was gone. Now this. Whatever this is. She had to find him. And make sense of whatever was going on.

  The instinct to run and hide in the house was strong, but she made her way back towards the market. No one paid attention to her as she started searching. She didn’t even know what Kelly Hancock was supposed to look like? Was he old? Young? Did he carry a weapon?

  If she was going to get answers, she was going to go to the tavern. It was the best place for information.

  The whole village hadn’t changed. Everything and everyone acted like normal. People still roamed around, bartered and bought and sold as if it was an average day. Everything has changed, but it looks like I’m the only one who’s noticed. Adrianna lowered her head a notch and drew her gaze to the bustling building ahead. No time for that now. She pushed through the crowd of people and walked through the open doors of the tavern.

  It was lively today. Three travelers were sitting at a table pouring over a map. The dairyman and the weaver were sharing a drink, smashing their tankards together. Two individual patrons were sitting on bar stools, and Adrianna straddled one seat away from them.

  “Excuse me?” Adrianna called. “Bartender?”

  “Hello!” The bartender smiled. “Can I get you something, young lass?”

  “Yeah, um, I’m looking for a person. Goes by the name Kelly Hancock?”

  The bartender gave her a blank stare. “Sorry, I don’t know that one.”

  “I don’t know what he looks like. Could be someone who comes into town a lot?”

  The bartender gave her the same blank expression. “Is that item on the menu?”

  She furrowed her brow and pulled out a piece of paper from her backpack. What is wrong with this guy? Do I have to draw him a picture??

  “Don’t try, he’s an NPC,” A voice suddenly spoke behind her.

  She looked up and blinked at an older man wearing a blue shirt and black jeans. Over his shirt he had on a metal shoulder pad and several strips of leather strapped across his chest. His broad shoulders and thickly scarred arms were nothing short of the signs of a fighter. “Oh, I thought he was just a little deaf.”

  “That would make life easier,” he replied with a nod. “But they’re just generic NPCs, so less helpful than you’d like them to be.”

  “What’s an NPC?” Adrianna frowned.

  “Non-player Character.” he yawned, his unruly black beard stretching across his face. “It means he has the emotional range of a piece of celery, works and says the same things for all of eternity and never leaves the town.

  “Non-player…” Adrianna shook her head. That didn’t make any sense. “But I’ve known the bartender like most of my life. He’s usually just quiet.”

  He looked down at her, brown eyes bearing down. “You grew up here?”

  Adrianna nodded.

  “I take it you’ve never had a full conversation with him?”

  Adrianna furrowed her brow. “I usually just buy whatever drinks my uncle needs.”

  “Your uncle should have been taught to look for signs like that.” The man took a deep breath and pointed at the Bartender who had gone to clean the counters. “Okay, I want you to look at him. Really soak up every detail. From feet to head. Especially the head.”

  “I’m not sure—”

  “Look.”

  With hesitation, she followed his command and studied the bartender. Plain white apron, a thin mustache, surprisingly well-kept hair. Her gaze stopped for a moment and she curiously focused on the top of his head. A display hovered just above it with a small white arrow pointing down at him.

  Bartender - Merchant

  Adrianna gasped. The boldfaced letters seemed to download information into her head. He had never been a real person. What was going on?

  “You see it now don’t you?”

  Questions started to litter her mind. “How long has that been there? Was it always there? Why couldn’t I see that before? Is this some sort of weird magic? Is it the same magic that makes my arm thing do the thing?”

  “Okay, one at a time, Adrianna,” the man put up his hand. “It’s been there the whole time. You’re just now able to see it though.”

  “How did you know my…?” It suddenly dawned on her that she may have the same thing above her head. Adrianna shifted her gaze to the man and gazed at the words above his own head. Words that she had never noticed before.

  Kelly Hancock

  Warrior

  Level 9

  “You’re Kelly Hancock?”

  “Just Hancock. Thanks.” He turned back to the table. “I take it you’re one of the new players I was told was coming.”

  “Um…”

  “Are you right handed or left handed?”

  “Uh, I use both.”

  “Not common, but pretty cool.” The man nodded, pointing at her arm.. “Do you know about your character sheet yet?”

  “This thing?” She lifted her arm and the translucent screen appeared again.

  “That’s the one. It’ll show up on both arms since you can use both, which is pretty useful in a pinch.”

  Adrianna frowned. “How do I know you’re not an NPC?”

  “First time out in the Quell?”

  Adrianna frowned. “I’m still in my hometown, not the Quell.”

  “Like a spring flower, my little hooded friend.” He murmured. “First lesson of the Quell is unless you’re in a haven, you’re in the Quell, and this is no haven.”

  This is the Quell? What Uncle had warned her about? She hadn’t gone far at all. She gripped the book in her hands and took a deep breath. Focus and move forward. “You didn’t answer my first question.” Adrianna would question her lack of subtlety later. “How do I know you’re not an NPC?”

  “I level up,” he gestured to the top of his head.

  Kelly Hancock

  Warrior

  Level 9

  “When you enter the Quell, you become a Player. What sets a Player apart from a Non-Player is their ability to grow.”

  Adrianna blinked as she stared at the heads of the townsfolk she’s known for a long time. Each of them had words hovering over their head.

  Dairyman - Citizen

  Weaver - Merchant (!) Quest Available

  “You know a lot about what’s going on here.”

  “It’s my job.” He gave a withering smile. “Call me the tutorial. Ever since someone started collecting all the Player Handbooks, I’ve taken it upon myself to be a helping hand t
o the fresh talent like you. I’ll help you manage not to die. Without a cleric that’s powerful enough, there’s no returning. Even though it feels like a video game, it’s still very real.”

  “A…video game?” Adrianna cleared her throat. That was a lot of information together. “Sorry, what’s that?”

  “It’s a video game. You know. Televisions and stuff.”

  History Check: Old Tech 3 + 0 (Int) = 3. Failure.

  Adrianna pursed her lips and looked at him. These weren’t in her books. She recalled something about televisions, but it was brief and insignificant enough.

  “How old are you?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “Figures.” He frowned, before pointing at the top of her head. “Since this is your first time in the Quell, you don’t have any levels yet. When you get your first level, you should get a class and such.”

  “Class?”

  “I’m a warrior. It means I’m really good at fighting and hitting crap effectively.”

  “What other classes are there? Are there more than one?”

  He guided her gaze to the three travelers—no Players—sitting at their table.

  The display over their heads read:

  Jonathan Price

  Warrior

  Level 4

  Kathy

  Cleric

  Level 5

  Umbra Prime

  Mage

  Level 4

  “So far, the consensus that most people have is that there are six classes. Warriors, like me, are weapon masters. Mages are aggressive spell casters. Rogues specialize in stealth and subterfuge. Hunters are basically survivalists. Clerics and Knights are the healers. Spellcasting and Combat, respectively. Each class has their drawbacks. Each class has their benefits.”

  “How do I know which one I am?”

  “It’s usually randomly chosen when you go out into the Quell. Whatever weapon you may pick up, or the first way you solve a problem. The Quell is a nasty, unforgiving place. Think of it like you’re stepping on to a playing field, where the Reckoning controls the goal posts and the stakes are your life.”

  “Why didn’t my Uncle tell me any of this? This sounds incredibly dangerous.” Adrianna frowned. “I feel like I should have known this.”

  “Well, normally, you’d get a handbook and you’d learn everything from there before hand. But those are gone. Most people would kill for something like that in their hands, though.”

  Adrianna felt the Book of Survival in her left hand and surreptitiously dropped it into her backpack.

  Sleight of Hand Check. Don’t let him see. 13 + 0 = 13. Success!

  Hancock yawned again and nodded to himself. “The rest of it all is pretty self-explanatory.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.” Hancock nodded with a smile. “The basics anyway.” The sound of a chime rang in her ears. Ding!

  LEVEL UP!

  Light flashed around her and she heard chimes in her mind as her body momentarily lifted off the ground. The light rolled off her and burst into a victorious halo. She felt a warmth of calm energy.

  Congratulations! You are now level 1. You have gained your based attributes!

  +4 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +6 Intelligence +1 Wisdom, +3 Charisma

  NEW TRAIT(S) EARNED:

  Ambidextrous: You have no penalties with using your off-hand

  “Congratulations,” Hancock grinned. “Welcome to the life of a Player.”

  “Wait, I’m level one now.” Adrianna frowned, staring at her arm.

  Name: Adrianna Swann

  Class: ???

  Level 1

  Speed: 30

  Armor Class: 12

  XP to next Lvl: 100

  Strength 10 (+0)

  Dexterity 14 (+0)

  Constitution 12 (+0)

  Intelligence 16 (+0)

  Wisdom 11 (+0)

  Charisma 13 (+0)

  Reputation: Nobody Special

  Proficiencies: None

  Traits

  Keen Mind

  You remember everything you’ve read within the last 30 days.

  Ambidextrous

  You have no penalties to with using your off-hand

  “Shouldn’t I have a class?”

  “Yes, you should.” Hancock stared above her head, no doubt looking at the question marks, the same as she was. “I thought for sure you were going to get one.”

  “So, what does that mean…?” Adrianna started and was interrupted by a display that suddenly popped up.

  Quest: Origin Story - New Horizons (LVL 1)

  Your task as a new adventurer has begun! Search for a town to get weapons and supplies so that you can survive your new environment.

  Success Conditions: Buy and Equip Weapons and Armor

  Reward: Experience. And some sweet new weapons.

  Refusal: I guess you just won’t have anything to defend yourself with.

  Do you accept this quest?

  “Maybe it’s because all you did was talk to me.” Hancock continued, none the wiser. “That’s not too uncommon. It should pop up when you’ve done some more things. Maybe got into a fight or two.”

  Adrianna read through the whole thing silently then said, “yes.”

  Hancock glanced at her. “Did you just accept a quest?”

  She nodded. “I need to go find some weapons and stuff.”

  “You’ll need armor too, then.” Hancock frowned and finally got up from his seat. “I’ll take you to a place I know.”

  “You’re coming with me?”

  “Just to the next town over. I was going to do that anyway. You have everything you need in that bag?”

  With another nod, the two exited the tavern and Adrianna stared at the world she once knew. Every time she focused on a person, their display hovered just above their head. This is just so weird! It’s like waking up to another world, yet it is the exact same place I’ve always known. How could I have been so unaware??

  “Come on,” Hancock said. “We’re losing daylight.”

  “I should say goodbye…” Adrianna looked around the tavern. “I might not ever see them again.”

  “Don’t bother,” Hancock grabbed a traveling cloak from outside the door. “NPC’s won’t really know the difference.”

  Chapter 5: First Blood

  The roads were paved with cobblestones. The landscape was varied with dense bands of forests, long swaths of hills and large outcropping of rocky cliff faces wearing clumps of trees and shrubs. Leaving her little town was something she only dreamed of doing, yet here she was. The smell of forest and loam was heavy in the air and the occasional bird song sounded somewhere in the distance. She peered into the forest lining both sides of the road as they walked but dense underbrush blocked her view past a few feet.

  Adrianna held her breath soaking up the sky that seemed to be a new shade of blue, flowers and grass cropping up around the bases of trees and sprouting from cracks in stones. This was the Quell. A place that her Uncle warned her about. To stay away from until she was ready. This world had a beautiful quality about it. How could something so beautiful be dangerous. She wondered.

  Every step was a new experience that sent a thrilling sensation shivering up her spine. With it, her questions began to multiply.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Willow Creek,” Hancock replied. “Stay close, we should be there within the hour.”

  Adrianna nodded and looked up at everything there was to see. So much to explore! How many years in her life she had wanted to visit every inch of the Quell and see for herself what it had to offer. Secrets and treasures and ancient artifacts. She pulled her knapsack around her front and contemplated pulling out her book.

  Something in the road ahead caught her eye. Recognition set in and she froze and stared at a body, flies hovering around it. “Oh my god,” Adrianna murmured as Hancock sighed. The clothes were shredded into just as many ribbons as the flesh. Adrianna read the words that flo
ated above the body.

  Here fell Xandar, who lived the quick life and died faster. No one remembered him.

  “Poor guy,” he put a fist to his chest and bowed his head. “May he pass on peacefully to the next life.”

  Adrianna watched Hancock as he thrust his fist toward the body and turned away. The duo walked away as questions welled up in Adrianna’s head. Did everyone die like this in the Quell? Dissatisfying and lonely? What did Hancock mean—next life? Was there something after this? “Hey, do you think—”

  “Shh…” Hancock frowned as he looked around them.

  Perception Check. Listen carefully. 18+0 (Wisdom)=18. Success!

  A small crunching of leaves from a ravine below them sent the Players on high alert.

  “We’re being followed.” Hancock held out his hand and a long black blade appeared in it, shimmering in a purple hue. The katana was decorated with gold runes across its shaft and the hilt had matching inscriptions. It took everything in Adrianna’s power not to start asking questions. “Stay close to me,” he lifted his blade. “I don’t know what—”

  Ambush! Start initiative!

  Adrianna jumped to one side as a sickly green creature leaped at her, wearing only a loincloth and wielding a sharp dagger. Two more jumped in front of Hancock as he readied his blade. She recognized goblins from her readings. They were low-level monsters, dedicated to making player’s lives a living hell. Stealing, killing, raiding towns when they were led by their more intelligent cousins.

  “Stay back, Adrianna!” Hancock bellowed and slicing his sword through the air. The one in front of her was cut clean in half and the body disintegrated into black mist.

  Adrianna scrambled back watching the warrior block a strike with his blade and retaliate with another violent slash.

  Defend yourself! Adrianna started to search for the weapon the creature dropped.

  Perception Check. Search the area. 1. Critical Fail!

  She barely had time to react as another goblin appeared behind her with a feral scream and jabbed his blade into her flesh.