A lively village in the middle of a grassland came to Aridel's view as he stirred.
Then he stood, towering over most of the people in the village, erecting surprised faces from the passersby. Nobody had noticed him before, and the village wasn't huge, so people began to wonder how he got in.
"Oy big guy! Where ya comin' from?" a friendly voice said with a very informal dialect. Aridel turned around behind him to see a man rather short in size.
The man wore a silver badge on his heart. On the badge was a hammer, Aridel assumed it meant he was a blacksmith or something similar.
"The South," Aridel replied vaguely. He thought it was a smart answer, as he'd never seen a map of his location.
"No shit big stuff. Everyone 'round here from the South. Wait, Unless you's from Cracktow?" retorted the blacksmith.
"Yes, I'm from Cracktow," said Aridel, hoping this was the end of the blacksmith's interrogation.
"Well you damn sure don't sound like it. Well, my sorrows for your losses. I had some friends in Cracktow, they also passed from the Milclaws. Those bandits deserve nothing but death," said the blacksmith, "How'd you escape? The only reason they ain't well known is because of how little survivors there are when they strike."
To this, Aridel didn't know how to respond- or so he thought. Suddenly another idea came into his mind.
"I was outside hunting. I only saw the smoke. I didn't know it was the Milclaw. I just ran." said the cunning mouth of Aridel. Wanting to end the interrogation, Aridel changed the subject,"Oh- by the way, where's the nearest place I can stay? I'm very tired."
"Boar-inn got the best mead and sleep in all of Tyner, Best of all it's cheaper than an Erid."
"Thanks for the recommendation, but I didn't bring any money," Aridel responded, in the hope that an Erid was the currency here.
For a moment, something sharper flickered across Barty's face, an assessment. Then it was gone. "Ah don't worry bout' no money! I'll cover for ya." He took out a small bronze coin and flicked it at Aridel, "Just so you know, I'm Barty, you need anything here, I'm your guy.
Aridel nodded, "I'm Aridel, it's nice to meet you, Barty."
"Welcome to Tyner Village, host." Rang Juniel.
—
Two hours had passed since Juniel, or the system, showed itself to Aridel, who was rightfully startled. During that time, Juniel introduced himself to Aridel and his goal, but that was about it.
"System, is there anything you want me to do other than the quest? " asked Aridel, after discovering that the system called itself, "The Family System."
Juniel felt something unfamiliar in that moment, a thread between himself and the pulling taut. Every breath Aridel took felt like a breath Juniel took. Every hunger Aridel felt echoed in whatever passed for Juniel's existence. They were bound, not as creator and creation, but as two halves of something that couldn't survive apart. Juniel had a quick, deepening understanding: if Aridel died, so did he. And the made everything Aridel did matter infinitely more than it should.
Juniel sighed and thought," Can't you just be patient?"
Juniel was a system, an assistant that comes in the form of blue text boxes essentially.
Juniel however at the moment only had two functions,
And that was all he would have until Aridel became more than he was right now. every system grew with its host. Every power, every ability, every command - locked behind the family's ascent. Juniel was FS-984, the newest Family System, also ranking last on the leaderboard, at 984, and as of right now that meant he was weak. But weakness was temporary. Growth was inevitable.
His
His
Juniel sent a message saying, "Host needs to progress without assistance until completing the quest." He made a mental note to use that message every time a question like that came from Aridel, to keep consistency and professionalism, as that's what he was taught.
Aridel nodded to the message and began to think of what to do in order to incite a quest.
After thinking, Aridel exited "Boar-inn" and headed to the entrance of the village without saying a word to anyone.
Until Barty caught him and asked him a question, "Hey kid, where' you headed?"
Barty was intelligent enough to deduce he wasn't coming back, as Aridel had everything he came with, his empty bag, his water, and his… stick?
"I'm headed to a place where I can make a living, Barty," replied Aridel.
He was headed to a place where he could generate a healthy income and make a living with his talent, whilst accomplishing the goal of the system. With the help of his
"As what?" Barty prompted.
"A guard, or something like that." He wasn't completely certain of what to do yet, the system didn't say much.
"I thought so, with a body like that- you better be nothin' else!" laughed Barty.
Aridel's
Barty resumed his chat," Well, I gotta' send you off with something, can't leave the last survivor of Cracktow defenseless now can I?"
He dug in the cart of swords he brought until he found a nice, unused sharp one.
"I hope that'll do! Oh- and here's a map, that way you won't forget where you're at!" Barty handed Aridel the sword and the map.
"Thank you sir, that'll do." Aridel smiled.
After exchanging pleasantries, Aridel left Tyner Village on his second day.
- - - -
As Juniel headed up north with Aridel, he figured out more of his abilities. By saying or thinking, "Status, Host," Juniel could view a quick overview of his host, Aridel. Commands like these weren't exactly handed out, Juniel had to discover them.
"Status, Host," said Juniel.
A blue screen materialized:
[Ding! Name: AridelTitle(s): Sole Survivor of CracktowSpecies: HumanClass: PeasantFaction: NoneSystem: Yes (FS-984)Age: 16Erids: 5Trait(s): Peerless Chaos Aptitude (Inheritable), Peerless Order Aptitude (Inheritable), Peerless Sword Talent (Inheritable), Demigod Physique (Inheritable), Genius Mind (Inheritable)Curse(s): Core Blockage, Base Distortion, Mana InhibitionAbilit(y/ies): Photographic Memory (Genius Mind), True Perception (Genius Mind), Ruleless Mind (Genius Mind)Mana Circulation: N/APrimary Techniques: N/A]
"So, he's sixteen," Juniel thought after reading Aridel's
After a few more hours passed Juniel wondered if he could use the
A blue screen materialized:
[Ding! Name: FS-984 (Juniel)Title(s): N/ASpecies: SystemFaction: NoneAge: 1Allocation Points: 0Skills: Text, RequestLevel: 1.0]
"Well that's-" Juniel's train of thought stopped completely.
[Ding! HOST LIFE IN DANGER]
Juniel looked at the screen in pure fear, if the host died, what would happen to him?