Manifest Read online

  Dang it, Lily! He was getting tired of looking like a total noob in front of Dwik, and his subsequent bullying was weighing heavy. If he wasn’t his greeter, whatever that meant, Dwik probably would have quit on him long ago. Gitch sighed in indignation.

  "Alright Dwik, here’s the deal. Lily administered my exam personally. I may have misunderstood one of her questions and might have flirted with her a bit too strongly. She kicked me out of the class shortly after I completed the test with absolutely no indication on what I should do next. I don’t know what a greeter is. I don’t know what the full capabilities are for the friggin glass. AND I DIDN’T KNOW I WOULD BE THE SIZE OF A TAMPON AND MISTAKE YOUR FUGLY SELF FOR A GIANT AND YOUR TOXIC WHIZ FOR A MAGICAL POWER SOURCE. NOW LISTEN HERE," he pointed at Dwik with a trembling pink finger. " YOU PIECE OF DRAGON DUNG! I’VE HAD ENOU-"

  Gitch lowered his finger and stared in shock. Where Dwik had stood, only a steamy pile of shining crap remained. The mound was over two feet tall, and glowed a deep red while occasionally flashing yellow. Though beautiful in its own right, the smell alone was enough to make a maggot farmer gag. Gitch puked his way out of the stone house.

  It was only once he was outside, and could finally breathe properly, that he realized he still held the strange mirror. Needing a distraction from thinking about what the hell just happened, he looked back into it to try and uncover his hidden stats. He turned the mirror over in his hands, but nothing happened. He double tapped the glass, but zilch. Next, he tried pushing in one of the rubies, and to his delight, the mirror changed! He was now looking at his character page!

  Name: Gitch

  Race: Fairy

  Class: ???

  Alignment: +3

  Level: 1

  Experience Points Required To Level Up: 100

  ATTRIBUTES:

  Strength: 1

  Dexterity: 25

  Constitution: 4

  Endurance: 11

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom: 15

  Charisma: 17

  Luck: 1

  Unused Attribute Points: 0

  Ahhhhh yeah! He just found his stats! Sweet, sweet stats! Sure, he wouldn’t be wining a melee brawl any time soon, but by all appearances, he was some sort of ninja sorcerer! Magic had always appealed to him, and he could see why this might be an accurate reflection of himself. He was a bit surprised at his high dexterity, but he was a fairy after all. For better or worse, these stats seemed to fit his persona. Even his recent misfortunes were evidence of his terribly low luck stat.

  He lightly pressed one of the green emeralds, which allowed him to see the active effects on his person. Currently, there was only one listed:

  ACTIVE EFFECTS:

  You are drenched in the urine of another:

  -8 Charisma for 1 hour (13 minutes remaining)

  POOLS:

  Health: 21

  Mana: (79) 87

  Stamina: 53

  ARMOR VALUE:

  Ragged Trousers: 0

  Simple Tunic: 0

  Total Armor Value: 0

  RESISTANCES:

  Light Magic: 15%

  Nature Magic: 50%

  Well, that probably explained Dwik’s less than stellar attitude towards him. Low luck and low charisma did not equal a good first impression. He could also see his health, stamina, and mana levels. Gitch was the definition of a glass cannon. He could dish out some hearty magical punishment, but if someone so much as slapped him, he might be a goner. Still, he couldn’t help grinning at seeing his high mana pool. It was further evidence of his magical awesomeness!

  His armor level was listed at 0, but he was only wearing a torn-up pair of pants and a light tunic so that made sense. Hopefully there would be a way to increase that, and soon. When it came to fighting, he was essentially naked... which was all kinds of terrible.

  Lastly, the screen listed a list of resistances. Though nice, he didn’t really think a lot of evil creatures would be using light magic. Still, Gitches can’t be choosers.

  This screen was not quite as exciting a discovery as the first. The next screen, however, more than made up for it. He pressed a sapphire gem and was quite pleased by what he saw.

  RACIAL TRAITS:

  Tiny creature

  ???

  ??? ABILITIES:

  Transmorph, level 1

  Dubious Missioneer, level 1

  SPELLS:

  Wing Blast, level 1

  There was a tiny drop-down arrow next to each ability and his one visible racial trait. For some reason, the rest were hidden from view. He selected transmorph, which brought up additional information.

  Transmorph, level 1

  Once per day you may transform your target into any object or animal (O/A).

  Choose one additional O/A every 5 levels. Can only be used outside of combat.

  Current O/A Options:

  Exotic Excrement: Some creatures are so magical, even their droppings may become enchanted.

  Cast Time: Instant

  Cooldown: 24 hours

  Duration: 1 hour unless otherwise provoked

  Cost: 50 mana

  Range: 25 feet

  There was another drop-down arrow next to Exotic Excrement. He selected it, which brought up yet another screen.

  Current Excrement Knowledge:

  Dragon Dung: Releases noxious fumes that may render surrounding creatures unconscious, and also corrode nearby items. Upon returning back to natural form, victims may experience ongoing confusion, terror, and an intense desire to scrub thoroughly.

  That explained what happened to Dwik. He peered back through the open door to where the steaming mound still sat. That pile of Dwik would turn into one pissed off gnome, but if he was reading the transmorph description correctly, he still has some time. Gitch pulled up the next three, and read in quick succession.

  Dubious Missioneer

  You may assign ‘quests’ to others. Have the gullible spend time cleaning dishes, mopping out stables, or slaying the one-eyed necromancer on the other side of the realm! Is the necromancer a figment of your imagination? Of course! Do they know this? Nope! Still, they may enjoy a scenic trip through the countryside, or maybe not! Either way, have a laugh as they embark on their ‘noble quest’. Each mission successfully handed out grants an additional 3% to personal experience gain for 12 hours.

  Maximum number of quests per day: 1

  Wing Blast

  With a great flap of your magically enhanced wings, you release a concussive blast of enchanted air. All enemies in front of you are sent flying back, causing extreme disorientation, but minimal damage.

  Cast Time: 1 second

  Cooldown: 5 seconds

  Duration: 10 seconds

  Cost: 50 mana

  Range: 15 feet

  Damage: 11 points

  Chance of Extreme Disorientation*: 10%

  *Effects May Vary

  Tiny Creature

  Fairies have a +50% chance to evade, but may not wield average sized weapons or don typical armor due to their diminutive stature.

  It was an impressive, though very strange, list. He didn’t have any spells or abilities that offered much in the way of damage, though a small drop-down box indicated the damage from his wing blast spell would continue to increase as he gained in power. There was some sort of complicated math formula with more letters and squiggly symbols than actual numbers. Gitch couldn’t make heads or tails of the formula, and resigned himself to just take the system’s word for it.

  He also didn’t know what to make of his two class abilities. They sounded...well, actually pretty fun! He had no idea what kind of strange class he had been assigned, but it sure was interesting. He just kind of hoped he would find out soon, preferably before he made some terrible mistake. Again.

  He was bummed that he wouldn’t be able to choose another option for transmorph until the spell reached level 5. For the foreseeable future, he was literally left with crap. It would have been nice to know mo
re about himself before turning Dwik into dragon dung. Live and learn, extra emphasis on the living aspect.

  Gitch looked away from the glass. He would need to review himself in more detail later, but for now, he had a rather stinky situation to deal with. He didn’t care that Dwik would smash him flat, and he would kill himself before allowing himself to be ‘toothbrushed’. Once he respawned, Gitch thought he might just be able to evade the gnome by simply flying away with his newly discovered wings. Yes, he may be tiny, but he wasn’t going to put up with Dwik’s crap forever! Gitch walked back up the large steps with firm determination, right before erupting in a fit of giggles. "Heh, crap!"

  He re-entered the house just seconds before the hour was set to expire. Gitch stood in front of the pile, all traces of mirth wiped from his face. One, because he was facing his first possible death. Two, it was hard to feel cheery when you could actually taste the stench emanating from the pile of Dwik. By now, the large white rug had completely disintegrated. Gitch stood waiting on the stone floor, hands balled into fists, ready for the confrontation. The timer reached ‘0’, and Dwik reappeared.

  The gnome looked like he had just seen his parents at a swingers convention. Giant gnome tears fell freely from his face, and he was shaking from head to toe. Words escaped him as he sank to the floor and crawled up into a ball. He lay there for a full minute, sobbing. When he finally spoke, it was with the sullen voice of defeat.

  "Gitch... I don’t... That was... poop!?" he finally blurted out. "The whole time, I was fully aware of the texture, the smell… By gods, the taste! There was no escape! Please, I swear to tell ya whatever ya want to know. Just, don’t turn me into crap again," Dwik pleaded.

  Gitch took a moment and pondered his request. Seeing the sorry state of the despondent gnome, Gitch knew full well he would never use his ability on Dwik again... without cause. He did, however, want Dwik to think him capable of such a feat. He spent some time shaking his head, and looking off into the distance. Gitch would occasionally mutter something unintelligible and put his hand to his mouth. Dwik continued to stare at him, wide eyed and sweating profusely. Eventually, Gitch gave a sharp nod before ‘finally’ settling on a decision.

  "I have a few conditions. First, you will NEVER bring up the incident at the stream with anyone else. Ever. Second, you will never use me as a toothbrush. That should be a given, dude. I mean, who the hell thinks of that? Third, you will teach me anything I ought to know at this point. I am tired of noobing out. These are my conditions, and if accepted, I swear to never turn you into dung again without reasonable cause. What say you, Dwik?"

  Dwik nodded his head emphatically. "Yes, of course! I do so swear."

  "Good! Now, tell me everything."

  Chapter 6

  Though there was no trace of the foul substance, both fairy and gnome felt like leaving the hut for some fresh air. They made their way across the glade and over to the bubbling pool. There were several blue and purple ferns circling the water, which gave off a rather pleasing aroma. This might actually have been the best part, given the circumstances. A fallen log lay on the western edge, making for a fine bench. On the other side sat a small rock formation which dipped sharply into the clear water.

  "This here be yer magical pool," Dwik stated as he sat down near the water’s edge. He cupped his hands together and allowed some of the liquid to pool in his hands. The gnome brought his hands to his mouth and drank deeply. He finished with a small burp, and for the first time since his transformation, Dwik smiled. Whether it was his charisma returning back to an appropriate level, or he had put the fear of dung in his gnomey brain, Gitch didn’t know, but Dwik was now acting much more amicably. He wasn’t about to complain.

  "No matter what ails ya, be it sickness or mangled limb, this here pool will heal ya up real quick. When I came back to meself, I was still suffering from a pretty terrible debuff. I always seen meself as the bravest of gnomes, but cursed if I wasn’t scared by the sight of you when I came to. Thought you might be waiting to cast yer poop magic on me again; I’m glad it wasn’t so. Along with me fright, I had this gut wrenching feeling to get clean. If I hadn’t a been near this here pool, I got a feelin’ I’d be scrubbin’ me skin raw."

  Gitch remembered reading something to that effect in the transmorph spell description. He really was feeling sorry for Dwik. Sure, Gitch had been upset, but he hadn’t meant to turn him into dragon excrement. By Dwik’s account, it sounded more like torture. Best only to use it when really necessary... or only on the biggest of douche bags.

  "Dwik, I confess, I actually did not intend to transform you into dung. Truthfully, I didn’t even know I had the ability. I was just sick of all your snide comments. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Gitch said before sticking out his tiny hand.

  Dwik looked at the outstretched hand and offered his own in return. The two stood there shaking hands for a little too long, but he let it go. For the first time, the pair shared a moment of actual camaraderie, each starting to understand the other just a little bit more.

  "So,"‘ Dwik said with a chuckle, letting go of Gitch’s hand. "Ya flirted with Lily, eh? She sure is a pretty thing, I’ll give ya that. Forgive me fer sayin’, but ya must be either brave or stupid to hit on someone who has the power to send ya to the Lava Lands. That be a place of true terror. Some say demons migrate there once they murder their foolhardy summoners. It be only conjecture, mind, but I have no reason to test the theory. Greeters are tough, but ya just don’t mess with someone like Lily.”

  "I prefer to think of myself as brave,” Gitch said with a laugh. “Actually, that leads into another question I had. You mentioned earlier that you were my greeter. What is a greeter, exactly? Is that why you have that red dot over your head?"

  "A greeter is a lot like it sounds. I am here to ‘greet’ new aliens entering Mentira. Greeters provide advice and even some starting quests to get players on their feet.”

  “Aliens?”

  Dwik snorted. “Yeah. Ifin I’m bein’ honest, Lily actually did tell me that you aliens think of yerselves as players in something called Manifest, just in case you started talking weird.”

  Gitch looked at him sternly, just one question coming to the forefront of his mind. “So, you knew I wasn’t talking about man-fests?”

  Dwik turned his head to the trees as he answered. “Maybe.”

  Gitch sighed, resolving to figure out as much about this new world as he could before he kept acting the king of noobs. “So, about the dots...”

  Dwik looked back at his tiny companion gratefully. “The red dot means I am at a higher level than you are, but by no more than ten. Orange would mean we were within five levels apart. Yellow, two, and white would mean our levels were the same. Likewise, you would see a green dot if I was within two levels under yours, blue if within 5, and grey for anything below that. Make sense?”

  “Only attack white, green, blue, or grey dotted enemies, got it.”

  “You would think, but the further yer target’s level is below yer own, the lower yer experience gain will be fer killin’ it, with the opposite bein’ true for enemies of a higher level. You attack a grey dot, and you aren’t likely to get any experience. For blue dots you would receive just 50% of the total experience, and green would be 75%. The opposite is true for those of higher level. Also, ya see any purple dots, run like hell and pray yer the faster. Those will be at least 10 levels above ya and mighty difficult to slay by yerself,” Dwik cautioned. After a moment’s pause, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began writing. When he was done, he handed it over to Gitch.

  Blue dot, 3-5 levels below: 50% experience gain

  Green dot, 1-2 levels below: 75% experience gain

  White, on level: 100% experience gain

  Yellow, 1-2 levels above: 125% experience gain

  Orange, 3-5 levels above: 150% experience gain

  Red, 6-10 levels above: 175% experience gain

  Purple, Run like hell: ???% experience gain
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br />   Gitch poured over the list, doing his best to commit each line to memory. It actually made a lot of sense. The game would be too unbalanced if he was awarded the same amount of experience for killing a level 2 rat versus a level 20 goblin. Just one more factoid to store away.

  “Thanks, Dwik! So, what else can you tell me about myself?”

  “Well, yer examiner didn’t feel the need to share much with me. She would typically provide some additional details regarding the player’s abilities and starting gear so we can help teach you once you arrive. Lily basically dropped off yer gear and split."

  Gitch’s ears perked up at that last statement. "Starting gear? Ooooh, what is it?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

  "Ha, I knew ya might get excited about yer equipment!" Dwik laughed. "First, I am going to give ya the map of the forest you were peekin’ at earlier. I have no need of it. Got the whole forest memorized, but you might find that it comes in handy, especially once you sync it with the glass."

  Gitch’s smile grew wider. Dwik was right; that map would be VERY useful for exploring the forest!

  "I also am giving you that looking glass. I noticed you were holding it in yer hand when I transformed back into my handsomeness, so I can only assume ya figured out the remaining functions?"

  "Yes, I think so," Gitch replied excitedly. " I was able to see three different screens. One for my stats, one for current effects, and one for abilities/spells. Was there anything else?"

  "Oh aye! It be small, but there is a near invisible diamond near the top of the glass. If ya push it, you will... Actually, I think it best you find out for yerself. Go ahead and push it when yer ready," Dwik finished with an overtly innocent look.

  Gitch looked at the tiny diamond with trepidation, trying to convince himself it was nothing to worry about. The mirror was supposed to be helpful, right? He just didn’t like how Dwik was refusing to look him in the eye. In the back of his mind, he knew everything would be fine, but it still felt like something fishy was going on. Gitch hated fish.

  He hovered his left thumb over the diamond for a second, shooting a look at the suspicious gnome, before pressing down. He felt a sharp pain, like a splinter shooting itself into his finger. What felt like ice water flooded into his veins, spreading throughout his whole body in a matter of seconds. He lost all control and collapsed onto the ground. At least it was not exactly a long way down. He began convulsing yet again, arching his back and thrusting his hips into the air. The pain dissipated after about 30 seconds, but it was a long 30 friggin seconds.