PreCursive

Chapter 25 - Justifying Trouble

The next morning found Azarus and I walking down the path to town again, this time wearing packs. Azarus had woken me up much earlier than the usual time that we did. I had no idea what time it actually was of course, because Azarus didn’t own a clock. Apparently, they were hard to come by, with how new the Profession that made them was. All I knew is that the sun had only finished coming over the horizon when I woke up.

As Grey had told me, he’d had a pack ready for me sitting in h...

Chapter 24 - Shape of the Wild

I stumbled my way into the clearing that Azarus’s house sat in, pushed from behind by a bored dwarven guard. I didn’t say anything in response to the shove, I just got my feet back under me. No use getting mad at these guard assholes, I was starting to get used to their shit. The bored guard behind me nudged me in the middle of the back with his truncheon.

Yeah, yeah. I get it.

I got moving, making sure I was still mentally and physically in ‘slave mode’. I trudged up the ...

Interlude 2 - Weird Guy

Walter Meyers tried to keep his head down while he followed his new dwarven master through the markets. This wasn’t difficult for him, as he had already gotten a harsh lesson about staring from the dwarf that had purchased him. In the scant few days since he’d been a slave, he’d learned. Master Horsoun had no pity for him.

Walter was slowly becoming numb to it all. Only sixteen years old, and his life was already over. He’d been forced to flee the war by his frantic father, alon...

Chapter 23 - Assassin's Potential

For the first time since I’d met him, Azarus looked genuinely uneasy. “Tha’s not good. Tha’s not good at all.” He said, his accent thickening in his distress.

I looked over at Azarus, furrowing my brow at the blatant agitation written across his face. “What do you mean? I’m not a fan of hurting you guys, but isn’t it good that I have a strong racial?”

Grey spoke before Azarus could, drawing my attention back to him. “Indeed, it is.” He said evenly, his gaze s...

Chapter 22 - Paper Cut

I panicked.

I let go of the spear still lodged in Azarus and sprang away from him clumsily.

“Oh shit, oh fuck, oh shit, oh fuck.” I chattered uselessly, staring at the point that the spear had pierced Azarus’s flesh. My ears were ringing and my world was narrowing. Vaguely, distantly, I was aware that I was having a panic attack. I was familiar enough with them at this point in my life to recognize the symptoms. I was violently knocked out of my fugue when Azarus nonchalantl...

Chapter 21 - Aurora

I made my way downstairs, still somber from my nightmare. I was trying not to let it affect me too much, but it was difficult considering my past experiences with them. Luckily, it didn’t seem like anyone else was up yet to see me in this state. For once, it looked like I had been the first person to wake up in this house. Making my way into the silent kitchen, I opened the curtains to the small window set in the far wall to let in some morning light. I sat down at the kitchen table afterwa...

Chapter 20 - To Be A Magi

“I’m pretty sure I’d prefer to be a Magi,” I told them.

Azarus rolled his eyes. “Saw that one coming.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “What, was I that obvious?”

“Oh, only somewhat.” Grey smiled broadly at me. “It was noticeable that you were visibly more interested in the subject when Magecraft was mentioned.”

“Thought about betting on it, but I didn’t want to lose me money on a sucker’s bet,” Azarus smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes b...

Chapter 19 - Bio Spheres

Mentally selecting the yes button, the small mirror exploded with little blue boxes.

You have gained four levels!

You have gained the General Talent, Spear Proficiency!

Spear Proficiency has reached level 3!

You have gained the General Skill, Observe!

Observe has reached level 2!

You have forty unspent Virtue points

“Hmm,” I said thoughtfully, gazing down at the prompts. I looked up at Azarus after a moment. “Looks like we found out how many fre...

Chapter 18 - Scars

I jerked awake with a gasp.

Lurching forward into a sitting position, I looked around wildly only to slow down in confusion. The last thing I had remembered, I had just succeeded in killing that monster deer and had laid down on the forest floor. I definitely wasn’t in the forest anymore. Calming down, I could tell that I was back in my room in Azarus’s house.

Laying back down with a groan, I settled my right forearm over my eyes. I must have passed out after winning the fight...

Chapter 17 - Racked

Our trip through the forest would continue in a similar fashion for the next several hours. Azarus would stomp through the forest, making as much noise as he possibly could. The racket that he made would draw various monsters to us in droves. Then, he would grab them, pin them, and get me to kill them. Sometimes I would manage to kill them in one strike like I had with the Warg. Sometimes it took a few pokes with my pointy stick. While the monsters would always target me first, somehow instin...

Chapter 16 - Check A Look

Despite how I had thought this was going to go, Azarus made no effort to move quietly through the forest. In fact, he seemed to be doing the opposite. He was loudly stomping through the underbrush without a care in the world. I followed behind him, nervously clutching the spear that he had given me earlier. I only lasted five minutes before asking him why. Scurrying up to walk beside him, I cleared my throat.

“Uh, hey,” I asked hesitantly. “Is it a good idea to be making so much n...

Chapter 15 - Pokey Stabby

When I reached the forge that Azarus had mentioned, I found that he was rummaging around in a large cabinet in the back. Looking around, I could see that the structure was pretty well outfitted, as far as I could tell. There were tables, large metal cabinets, and tools all over. There was also the forging area itself, as well. There was the expected large anvil and a spacious kiln with an oversized bellows resting nearby. Azarus was sorting through the largest cabinet in the room.

He mu...

Chapter 14 - Divine History Lesson

We stepped out directly into the sunlight outside Vandimar’s butcher shop. Taking a guess based on the intensity of the sun, we might have only been inside for an hour and a half. It must have only been about midday.

Aware that we were out in public again, I tried to adopt a more subservient pose standing behind and to the left of Azarus.

Without turning to face me, Azarus grunted. “Going home.” He set off back in the direction we had come into town from.

I followed hi...

Chapter 13 - Steak and Surgery

Stepping through the door, I entered what seemed to be a preparation room. It was tiled, with long tables laden with tools and knives along the wall. There were hooks hanging from the ceiling, and a visible drain set into the middle of the room. The room had two other doors in it, other than the one we had entered into, one regular wooden door on the far wall, and one large metal one on the left-hand side.

Azarus had his arms crossed as he looked around the room. He seemed like he was l...

Chapter 12 - Gyre?

I was woken up by pounding on the door to my new bedroom.

After our discussion yesterday, we discovered that we had spent all day talking. It had been twilight by the time we had finished, and we had made the decision to turn in early after everything that had happened. I suppose that they were tired from the whole branding procedure, while Azarus had also had to go out and speak to his cousin. Personally, I was also bizarrely tired. Maybe from the emotional rollercoaster of everything ...

Interlude 1 - Candlelight Liquor

In a darkened room lit only by candlelight, two people sat at a small table nursing drinks. The sun had long set, and the calls of the various wildlife could be heard echoing outside the building. Curtains had been drawn over the window along the far wall to block out the light from the moon.

Azarus stared moodily down into his cup, finding it empty. He reached for the bottle sitting in the middle of the table to pour himself some more, only to find it empty as well. Across from him, Gr...

Chapter 11 - The Eighth

“Nathan, please repeat that,” Grey said hoarsely. “Are you saying that you still have open Profession Rings at each of the Professions star’s vertices?”

“Uhh,” I said. “You mean the circles at the points of the star? Yeah, they’re all still open for me.”

“Bleeding hells…” Azarus muttered.

Grey looked at me intently for a moment. “I think, Nathan, that it is time you share your racial Talents with us. That is, if you’re comfortable doing so.” 2023-07-30 20:18:52 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 10 - Unexpected Circles

I looked between both Grey and Azarus, somewhat bewildered. “Alright, that doesn’t help me much, you know. Can’t just tell me to choose a couple of Professions when I don’t know anything about them. I’m not from around here, remember?”

Azarus glanced away, rubbing the back of his head and mumbling something vaguely apologetic.

Grey coughed into his fist, embarrassed. “Apologies. I let my enthusiasm for the subject get away from me.” Shaking off his embarrassment, G...

Chapter 9 - Breakfast and a Choice

I woke up feeling completely fine.

Groggy, I didn’t even open my eyes at first. For a moment, I didn’t remember anything of what had happened to me over the last week. I just luxuriated in the surprisingly comfortable bed that I found myself in. I couldn’t tell how long I lay in bed, but after a while, I gradually opened my eyes. I was greeted by a room adorned with plain wooden wall paneled walls and a wood floor illuminated by an open window.

I didn’t recognize the room ...

Chapter 8 - Misdirection

Grey sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Azarus, I asked you to leave it in your workshop to prevent this exact situation.”

“Aye, well,” Azarus said, not taking his eyes away from me. “I forgot.”

Shaking his head, Grey turned back to me. “Nathan. Nathan! Please, look at me.”

Dragging my eyes away from the branding iron in the huge dwarf’s fist, I looked back down to Grey.

Grey met my gaze.

“Nathan, I promise you,” Grey said pleadingl...

Chapter 7 - Welcome to Vereden

Alright, okay.

I didn’t know what this was, but I could take a guess. I’m guessing that whatever this is, it was a result of whatever Grey had done to me last night. Beyond that, I was going to have to figure it out for myself.

I mean, I suppose I could go back out and ask Grey again what this was, but I was still feeling embarrassed from earlier. There’s nothing like having an old man explain to you have to work a toilet, as if you were a particularly dim toddler, to make y...

Chapter 6 - A Grey Introduction

“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hart.” The old man began, placing a hand over his heart and bowing at the waist as best he was able. “You may call me Grey.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Just Grey, huh,” I said skeptically.

“For now, Grey will suffice,” He replied unblinkingly. “Anything more than that is merely window dressing.”

That’s not suspicious at all.

“Okay, I guess,” I said to him, clasping my hands together in front of me and leaning for...

Chapter 5 - Awakening

I emerged into the entryway of the house, too tired to even be apprehensive at this point. The march from earlier combined with my generally poor state had led to a case of complete exhaustion that I had never experienced in my life.

From where I was standing, I could only make out a few things in the entryway. There was a staircase leading up to the second floor on the right side of a hallway that led to the back end of the house. On either side of the entryway, I could make out two cl...

Chapter 4 - A Panicked Squint

As we were marched in, I took in my surroundings as best as I was able.

Honestly, the way the small town was set up reminded me of an old west reenactment. Off to the side, I could see that the main road extended away from the closed main gate we were denied entry. In the distance, I could see that the main road extended to what appeared to be a palatial estate that was barely visible from where we were. Wooden buildings that were either single or two-story with signs spelling out unint...

Chapter 3 - Haggling Before the Gates

Actually, farm didn’t do it justice. It was more of a plantation.

Stretching out in vast fields in front of me were crops, as far as my eye could see. From a cursory look, it didn’t appear to be a mono-crop being grown. Ordered in neat plots, I couldn’t quite tell what was being grown from my position. From a distance, I could see a great many different people working in those fields. However, those same people gave me a sinking feeling in my chest, even exhausted as I was.

...

Chapter 2 - Sadism Trek

I was jolted awake by a boot to the ribs.

Somehow, I managed to get some fitful sleep in the aftermath of the caravan ambush. It didn’t feel like more than a handful of hours. I was still exhausted.

Looking up from where I had been slumped over, I finally managed to get a good look at the people that had attacked the caravan last night.

Tall, was my first impression. I wasn’t a short man by any measure, but this man (?) towered over me by at least a foot. He was visibly ...

Chapter 1 - Arrival in Green [Vol. 1 Start]

From one moment to the next, I was somewhere else. There was no in-between frame, no flash of light, or expository dialogue to explain my change in circumstance. I didn’t get a reason for the complete ruination of my life.

No, I got to fall on my ass in the middle of a forest clearing in-between eye blinks.

At the very least, I wasn’t naked at the time, being out and about and wearing regular worn clothes and worn shoes. I couldn’t even imagine how much more confused I would...