“Many lose their lives because they take a step and instead of looking where their foot landed, they are already looking where to take their next step.” - Yemir Salruse.

  Aster

  I jerked up in a half yell, half moaning as the world spun and warped. There was a moment of confusion as I didn't know if I was falling or the world was rising before my head fell back in a painful thump. The effect ended with a floating, heady feeling. Opening my eyes resulted in my vision swimming. Only time decreased the feeling, and it was a slow, head-pounding process. Eventually, the feeling did subside, and I was able to open my eyes slightly. I groaned but was able to look around with blurry eyes. I was where I’d passed out on the stone ground, but most of my vision was blocked by screens from the system. Closing my eyes, I debated dismissing the messages, but that would be stupid of me beyond reason. Taking in a breath, I reached for the bond and felt Umbra. She was still out, not precisely asleep but unconscious. Still, she was otherwise safe, which gave me a big feeling of relief.

  Turning slowly to the messages, I took another large breath and found it helped me focus my thoughts. Send messages first, then focus on getting on and checking on Umbra. This update, or rather the multiple updates, had knocked us flat. What did it even mean when it said pending updates? Had the system waited until we entered the event to do them? Did it matter? Looking at the first screen, I read it.

  [Updates complete. Time Length: 4 Hours, 37 Minutes. The user was unharmed during the update. Significant changes in past updates have been included in a list to allow users to review. Minor changes that do not affect the user have been removed from the list. ]

  [Alert to all users who have been interrogated into the greater system. Alterations to the previous out-of-date system are deemed drastic, and a tutorial introducing new features has been implemented.]

  [User Designation: Aster, Progenitor. Tutorial status: Active.]

  [Greetings and welcome to Clatermira user Aster. Records indicate exposure to an outdated model of the System. In accordance with the law of Caltermia, agreed upon by gods, all new Users are designated a tutorial. This function is designed to help people who are not born under the system or who have otherwise ended up in the Caltermira realm. This tutorial has been altered to comply with the realm event. Rewards based on completion of the tutorial will be allocated inside the realm given storage. ]

  [Tutorial Quest: You have entered a new realm event and have received access to the current system. Review the major changes that have been implemented and view your status screen.]

  Gaping wasn't something my body felt like doing, but my mouth hung open in surprise and shock. What in the gods was this? There was a pause as I reread the messages once, then twice, and wondered again what was happening. I sighed, leaning my head that I had lifted up slightly back on the ground, hearing the clink as metal connected with stone. This was too much to be happening right now. We hadn't been in the realm even for an hour, and something was already happening. “Things keep happening so fast. Is this normal?” I asked the question, and as expected, there wasn't a response. What to do, what to do. I thought for a moment, ignoring the other system messages that were awaiting my attention, and I changed my attention to my status screen.

  [Name: Aster]

  [Grade: 2]

  [Top Level: 89]

  [Shown Title: None]

  [Available Titles - Expand For List]

  [Status: Healthy]

  [Mana: 1205/1205]

  [Stamina: 2090/2090]

  [Current Classes]

  [Race Class: Progenitor Beast Kin - Level 89]

  [Second Class: Bonded Ranger Of Frost - Level 89]

  [Attributes - Expanded]

  [Available Attribute Points - 9]

  [Constitution - 298][x1.0]

  [Strength - 400][x1.0]

  [Endurance - 458][x1.0]

  [Dexterity - 722][x1.01]

  [Charisma - 323][x.9]

  [Intelligence - 297][x1.0]

  [Wisdom - 359][x1.0]

  [Perception - 275][1.0x]

  [Skills - Expanded]

  [Available Skill Points: 83]

  [Bond Related Skills List: Bond Speech, Lesser Draconic Instinct, Lesser Bond Transfer, Frost Control - Five]

  [Active Skills List: Stalker’s Movement, Pack Bond, Pack Formation, Spirit of the Wild Hunt, Progenitor’s System, Alteration’s Legacy, Primal Shift, Frosted Arrow, Advanced Frost Arrow, Frost Shard Imbuement.]

  [Passive Skills List: Stealth - Six, Careful Step - Nine, Agile Archery - Three, Frost Affinity Meditation - Eight, Forest Stride Basic - One, Tracking Basic - Seven, Survival Talent - Six, Hand Combat - Seven, Riding - Seven, Aerial Balance - Three, Night Eye - Nine, Ranger's Aim - Seven. Mana Control - Two]

  [Trade Skills List: Woodworking - Six, Cooking - Five, Basic Farming - One, Arrow Shaping - Four, Skinning - Seven, Leatherworking - Five, Advanced Rune Etching - Four, Blueprinting - Three]

  What the fuck? That expression was one of the first to enter my mind. It was surprisingly good at describing how I felt. What in the gods was perception? Where had my achievements gone? I sat up and immediately regretted it as the world spun. A new attribute? What did it do? Was it real? Could there be new attributes? My head spun in a different way as I stared at the attribute. It was there, and there was no way a system screen would show false information. Hundreds of questions ran through my mind, and there was one way I could think of to get answers. Turning my attention to the remaining system messages, I read the first of them.

  [Perception has been set at a base of 275, equivalent to the starting grade standard. Classes have been altered to give the perception attribute with each level.]

  That answered one of my questions. Grade two, at least the starting part of grade two, was not equivalent. Also, I would be getting attribute points for each level now; it wasn't even something I had considered, but it would be incredibly important. That meant, at the least, I was going to be okay with whatever the attribute did in terms of the attribute points. But what did Perception do? I assumed it had to do with eyesight, and I thought I could see better, but if I could, it was just barely. Tilting my head, I crossed my legs and moved on to the next message.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  [The list of changes has been blocked due to Realm Event. A list will be available when the user has left the Realm Event.]

  And there it was. I wrinkled my nose at the system message. As always, since I had left the forest, no, even before that, messages from the system had been lacking, vague, and, well, almost useless. Sighing, I looked only to see no other system messages. Putting my head in my hands, I groaned. “Oh, gods, why is this even a thing? I get wanting to hide some things, but keeping information from lower grades, not giving skill descriptions before pinking a skill, and now hiding information I could use..” I trailed off into a whisper. Speaking aloud helped to let the frustration out verbally, but it did nothing to help the actual issue. To my surprise, as I closed the message, another one popped up.

  [Tutorial Quest: You have entered a new realm event and have received access to the current system. Review the major changes that have been implemented and view your status screen.] [Status: Complete.][Reward: 15 Attribute points assigned to Perception.]

  For the second time in only a few minutes, I found my mouth hanging open and my tail twitching slightly in surprising glee. Attribute points for a quest reward? A quest that easy? Was this something about the new system or how a tutorial quest worked? Either way, a quick check of my status screen confirmed my perception attribute had gone up to two hundred and ninety. Pushing the system message aside, I was met with another system screen and read it.

  [Tutorial Quest 2: Knowing the basics of the Realm, which you are now a part of, is only a small portion of what is necessary to survive. As part of a Realm Event, you are fighting for resources that are unique and may never be seen again. Clear one island and find its hidden treasure.]

  My frustration was quickly replaced with greed that I attributed to the link with my bond. A quest rewarding finding treasure? I forgave all past mistakes the system had ever made, for now. Reading the quest again, I smiled.

  A cracking noise that shook my body drew me out of the system message. My head jerked up, and I felt Umbra stir, but my attention was focused on a spot in the distance about three islands away. It wasn’t a wide island but held a tall tower that was slowly tilting to the side. Smoke rose from a hole in the side of the tower and billowed into the empty sky. As the tower tilted, it broke apart into hundreds of pieces from the point of whatever had hit it or exploded inside. Furniture, glass, stone brick the tower had been made of, and all kinds of other things were sprawled, but they didn’t drop as I would have guessed. Instead, they drifted slowly to the side of the island. Titling my head, curious, I watched the debris float until I felt Umbra awaken. Immediately, the tower was forgotten as she became a priority.

  She seemed to be suffering just as much as I had, so I let her relax for a moment until she sat up. Then, deciding to be a little playful, I spoke through the bond, “You should check the system messages.”

  There was a rumble, what I took as the equivalent of a dragon groan as a response, and I watched as she went through the same stages of shock, confusion, anger, more shock, and excitement. When she finally spoke, it was with curiosity, “You have the same system screens about the quest and perception?”

  I nodded, reaching up to rub one of my ears, but my fingers only met a helmet. I grimaced but didn't take it off. “If we got the system screens, then I think everyone did.”

  Umbra sniffed, then stood up and shook her scales. “Well, you are okay? \We can talk about the perception attribute and updates later, right?”

  I shrugged, thought about it, and then nodded. Nothing about it was pressing well in a way; it was, but did it change anything at the moment? I suppose not. “I’m fine, and I think so. Why are you in a rush?”

  Blinking at me, Umbra rumbled and leaned down, “Treasure! Each island has treasure, special treasure.”

  I blinked back at her and then looked around as it clicked. There were hundreds of islands, and each and every one had a treasure on or in it. There were other people who would be aiming for it as well. I stood up in a rush and looked around. “This island has treasure!”

  “Of course it does. The system said it did,” Umbra said with a bit of exasperation.

  “Then where is it?” I asked, looking at the bare stone island. We were on the edge, but nothing else besides stone laid on the island.

  My question earned a shrug from my bond, so we both started to move and look around. The island couldn't be bigger than the clearing in the Claw Woods, and it was bare. That was probably why it was a surprise when the first rock elemental attacked near the center of the island. The rock struck Umbra at high speed, but luckily, it was smooth and round and only bounced off of her side. We both looked at the same time and saw the Elemental, and I identified it.

  [Rock Elemental - Schist Thrower - Level: 102]

  The Elemental was unlike a golem. For one, it was floating, and the rocks that made it didn't resemble a human shape. Instead, they looked like a reverse stacking of rocks that had gravel floating around the rocks in a constant swirl.

  It was the surprise factor that let it throw another rock, and this time, it was aimed at me. I ducked as the rock sped past and skidded off the ground, then shattered. It wasn't the rocks themselves that proved to be the threat as two more of the elementals rose out of the ground but the lack of cover and the speed at which they came. Rock after rock was pulled out of the ground and tossed. The first few I dodged, pulling out my bow and an arrow as Umbra moved forward. With unspoken communication, she let loose a jet of frost at the one on the right as I filled an arrow with mana and shot a frosted arrow at the one on the far right. My arrow shattered the stone in the middle of the monster, and it crumpled. Umbras was frozen solid and fell to the ground, breaking apart. The last one shot a final rock as it floated a bit higher. The rock glanced off of Umbra's scales, and she snarled, letting a jet of frost loose at the Elemental, and it fell, scattering on the ground.

  It had taken less than two minutes. The fight wasn't even that dangerous. If I hadn't had a mask on or the rocks had been sharper, they might have caused some damage, but for something on the edge of grade three, it was strange how easily they had fallen. Suspicious, I kicked the rocks that had been the Elemental I’d shot, but they didn't stir.

  “I hope that didn't scratch any of my scales,” Umbra complained, turning her head to inspect the places the rocks had hit her and grumbling. I hid a smile and my amusement from the bond as I looked around the stone scape and tilted my head. A small divot was in the middle of the bodies filled with gravel. While there were stones, small and large, there was a distinct lack of any other holes or gravel in view, and it didn't take a genius to guess what we were meant to do.

  “I think we found where the treasure is.”

  My words had Umbra moving over, her scales forgotten for the moment. I reached into the gravel, pulled out handfuls, and tossed the rocks behind me. Umbra, seeing what I was doing, helped, but her claws were not well-suited for this task, but it did still help. After a few minutes, we pulled out a large stone. It was no bigger than my head, but the grass-green color of the stone and the small light it emitted marked it as special. The system screen that appeared confirmed it.

  [Tutorial Quest 2: Knowing the basics of the Realm, which you are now a part of, is only a small portion of what is necessary to survive. As part of a Realm Event, you are fighting for resources that are unique and may never be seen again. Clear one island and find its hidden treasure.][Status: Complete][Reward: 10 Attribute points assigned to Perception.]

  The reward was less than the last one, but they were attribute points! Flicking the message away and ignoring the next one that appeared, I turned the item in my hand. It was rough and uneven, but it was a treasure. The question now was what type of treasure. I used Identify.

  [Green Campfire Stone - Uncommon - This stone, when infused with mana, emits a pleasant heat and the feeling of sitting next to a campfire. This stone can store enough mana to keep the stone active for 4 hours.]

  Utterly useless, it was useless. A stone that created heat? Who would want that? Could it be used to cook, maybe? But I didn't think it could. I suppose the monsters guarding it hadn't been tough, so it made sense, but it was still disappointing. Turning to Umbra, I held the Campfire Stone up. She'd already felt my disappointment but inspected the item herself.

  “Maybe it will be useful for something later?”

  I doubted it, but maybe I could. An idea appeared in my head. “Maybe I could figure out the runes that make this work,” I mumbled absently as I turned the object around. There were no runes on the outside. Did that mean it didn't have runes? No, it had to have runes. That was the only way to enchant items, wasn't it? Maybe they were hidden inside or just small. I stored the item in the spatial tattoo.

  Looking up at Umbra, I smiled even though I knew she couldn't see my face through the crystal visor, but she paused, staring off, eyes slightly glazed. I was about to ask, but she spoke first.

  “Look at the new tutorial quest.” She sounded not disappointed, but it was close, so not wasting time, I pulled the screen I'd been ignoring up.

  [Tutorial Quest 3: The threat of the realm event grows with every moment, but monsters are not the only threat. Survive a total of a week or leave the realm event. Rewards are based on actions taken during the time. ]

  Oh. Well, I suppose we were chewing through the quest. Still, a quest that just had us waiting was a bit lacking, but then again, just because there wasn't direction from the system didn't mean I didn't know what to do. I looked at Umbra. “I guess the first two quests were just easy. Do you want to head to the next island?”

  The toothy grin I received answered my question.