Looking at the new information that had been revealed on my status, the first thing I noticed was that all my basic stats had gone up by four. That means that I’ve gained four pert of a human’s maximum capacity in every area… that’s… pretty big, I guess?

  Of course, until I’d run some tests I couldn’t be sure just how much it would be me, but the golden rule of role-pying games was that stats and skills were king, so it definitely would help. What was more iihe three Intangible Statistics that had appeared. The numbers were low, just as my guide had predicted, but even so, I was extremely curious, as the names were… potent.

  Fortuhe power of one’s luck made ma. Uerial Statistics these are not based upon base human possibilities, but are effects of a non-Material, Intangible nature. The higher the he greater the effect it has. Fortune will add positive effects to any a where there is random volved.

  Majesty- The force of one’s personality unleashed. Majesty will increase the ces of people submitting to your will, and will view orders you give more favourably.

  Charm- The ability to attract others revealed. Charm will increase the attra others feel towards you, people will view you in a more favourable light, and are more likely to offer you affe.

  Now those were… amazing. Even if the effect was small, everyone would want them. I had already gained beyond what I could imagine in just this orip to this strange world. Even if I was to quit now I’d still have beed hugely, but why would I, when my cloaked guide was still assisting me?

  There was no ge in my Self-Examination, likely it was still too low a Rank to have ged much. As for Self-Examinatioory…

  Self-Examinatioory- The ability to assess the Rank of a Territory in parison to known multiversal scales. Sihe Skill has increased in Rank it provide additional information about the avaibility, cost and abilities of avaible Upgrades, yet due to its current low Rank, many Upgrades remain unavaible, or with unknown abilities aher costs.

  Now this was another winner. As I trated on this ability I could feel a faint trickle of heat leave me, aether expended, and then a list of glowing silver words scrolled down my vision.

  Ether Spire Rank 1: Ether Cost 1500 - not avaible to struct.

  Barracks Rank 1: Ether Cost 2500 - not avaible to struct.

  Spawning Spire Rank 1: Ether Cost 1000 - not avaible to struct.

  …

  Heroes Rank 1: Ether Cost 50000 - not avaible to struct.

  A dizzying array of options were presented before me. To think that they were only a fra of what could be do gets my blood boiling with excitement! trating upon one of them at random I brought up further details.

  Spawning Spire Rank 1- This Building allows you to summon up to ten degraded standard troops. Degraded troops are fixed at Level 0 and ot grow. They follow simple orders but do not have intelligence of their own. This costs 1000 Ether. You ot struct this Building, as it requires Territory Rank 1.

  “Wow, just like an RTS. bining an RTS with an RPG, I guess this is a bit like Warcraft three?”

  I’d pyed a fair few retro RTS’ such as and and quer, Warcraft 3, Total War and so on, and I liked to think I retty good at them. My excitement is really reag maximum levels now. After all, with the bes I’ve already gained, and the possibility of more… I had to see this through to at least when my guide left, to get the maximum gain. Only then would I make my final decisioher to participate in this struggle to be an Astral Emperor.

  The other things on my status such as the White Cord hadn’t really ged in terms of description, so I surmised I o level them more to see any effect. The st thing was Territory – Rank 0.

  Territory Rank 0- This Territory is fragile and offers little be. It easily be retaken by aient creature. Once secured by a Territory Anchor it will bee Rank 1, and will have basic defences and the ability to gather Ether. Buildings then be structed. Any secured areas within 100 metres of the Anchor will then bee part of your Territory.

  “I see why you suggested I set up an Anchor. Otherwise I would have to start again each time I e to the Boundary, and I ’t build anything else.”

  “Of course. I have e before you to provide the maximum level of assistahat be offered without breag the ant that binds us all. All knowledge I impart to you will be a great strength for you iure, and should you seek the power of an Astral Emperor to protect your world, these foundations are of the utmost importance.”

  “I appreciate it, Exposition-san.” I had to ugh. My cloaked guide really liked to talk about things, especially when it got to expin something. Still, right now I found that kind of endearing.

  “Exposition…. san…?” The cloaked figure seemed at a loss, which brought another chuckle from me.

  “Well, I have to call you something, and you haven’t given me a name, so I thought that since you like expining things so much, this would be a perfeiame for you. You could always tell me your real name and I’d call you that, though?”

  There was a long moment of silehat stretched into awkwardness. I was about to speak first when Exposition-san shrugged, bck oving a little. “I suppose it matters not. Address me how it pleases you. However, you have a task to plete before you spend valuable time sidering such trivial matters, do you not?”

  sider me chastised! Still, Exposition-san was right, I still hadn’t gathered enough ether to make my Territory Anchor. The first thing I needed was a better on. My club was smashed, and I could probably reform it with aether, but there was no point in spending my ether to make aether to make more ether. I had to find something I could use that wouldn’t be a drain on me if I was to reach my goal of a thousaher any time soon.

  Looking around I found a set of iron feng that was dark with corrosion and covered in weeds. Muttering a brief prayer to the dead resting in the graveyard, I wrenched on it until one of the metal sts came free. I did have to el a little aether to boost my strength, but I figured a minor loss would be a better exge in the long term for a durable, easy to use on.

  The metal fe was about two and a half feet long and as thick as a fiapering to a decorative point at one end. It retty heavy, but I felt I could ha. Having a on that I could bash with, as well as having something to stab with, seemed the best pn, as I had no skill, as my experieh the aether sword before had proved.

  “All right, a thousaher is the target, let’s go!” I said, hyping myself up. Moving through the dark graveyard I absorbed the few lesser spirits I came across, notig a small boost in the speed I could tear the ether from them, perhaps due to my Level-up. It wasn’t long before I found another zombie shambling dowh towards me, rotting mouth agape and arms stretched towards me, grasping the air as though it was trying tle me at a distance.

  “Here we go, time to test out my new Level and the new me!” I said, rag forwards. The railing was heavy in my hands, but I could ma. My first swing smmed into an outstretched arm, and uh my branch club, there was a much more violent impact, fetid arm snapping like kindling. The impact also jolted my arms and stung my palms, but I didn’t let it stop me, striking again and again, batting aside the zombie’s increasingly ruined limbs until I could strike the head. It fell and I thrust down with the sharp end, the weight and my strength driving it deep. The zombie let out o cry and vanished, oher remaining.

  “That weer.” I muttered. I retty tired after that burst of exertion, but cold iron was definitely better than wood when it came to doing damage. “I’ll just have a quick few mio rest my arms, and then I’ll carry on…”

  ********

  What felt like another hour or so had passed, and I had dispatched another couple of zombies, as well as finding a red Etherite. My supply of ether was building up nicely, and hopefully it wouldn’t be too much longer until I could afford the Anchor. I had moved off the main paths of the cemetery, moviween the graves, muttering apologies and prayers under my breath. The pce seemed rger than I remembered, with extra rows of graves as opposed to what I could recall from my time passing through it oerial.

  What had caught my eye was a faint e glow in the distance, shining in the dark. If it was what I thought it was, it would pretty much solve all my ether issues in one go. Getting closer, the e glow intensified, until I could see a pale e crystal glowing on top of a family grave, casting deep shadows.

  “Jackpot! Just like I thought, an e Etherite ore. If it has at least twice as much as a red ohat should take me to what I need.” I rushed towards it, not willing to let it get away, when a warning hiss from Exposition-san behind me brought me to a sudden halt. I staggered to a stop, skidding to my knees which smmed painfully into the base of the grave.

  It was at that moment a fsh of silvery-e light passed over my head, where my throat would have been a mere moment before.

  Shit, that was close. If Exposition-san hadn’t said anything, that would have hit me in a vital spot. I wonder if that would t as instah… I shivered, the fidence I had built up with my zombie-hunting withering.

  Rolling to my feet I took a good look at the foe before me, holding up my iron club in trembling arms. It was a zombie, so that shouldn’t have been a great threat to me, however, this ohe aura it gave off was very different, I could almost see wisps of aether rising from it as it moved. It was a zombie, that was for sure, with pallid dead flesh with a green sheen of grave-mould, pale long tangled hair reag down to her feet, for it was indeed a female, preserved ih. It wore a ragged white kimono, the hem soiled with grave dirt. One hand clutched a shining steel kit khe bright metal spotless, refleg the e light of the Etherite, its other hay, yet tipped with long jagged nails, yellow with crusted filth. The eyes were the most terrifying thing though. Uhe other zombies, this one almost seemed to have intelligence, a faint glimmer of something lurking in her bck eyes.

  “You must be very cautious.” Exposition-san said behis tone far more urgent than normal. “This is either ae zombie, a far cry from the weak ones you have destroyed earlier, or it is a different species altogether. It seems this area has a higher density of ether than your Territory, which gives rise to both Etherite ores, and also more powerful Astral predators. Should it strike you in a fatal area, I will be uo safeguard you!”

  I khat. The chill I felt when looking into the eyes of this zombie was the chill of death. I wasn’t a hero, and I definitely didn’t want to die. I had too much to live for. My family, Eri-… However, I wasn’t dead yet. I’d long siopped believing this was a dream, it was too long, too sistent and too detailed, but si wasn’t it was a ce to really better myself, to experiehe life I’d always dreamed of, since I was a small child.

  One gamble, that is all it would take. If I don’t get killed instantly, I always be saved…

  Knuckles whitening around my club as I gripped it tightly, I surged to my feet with a roar. The zombie woman rushed to meet me, knife fshing. I ducked under her first thrust, and swung my club, smashing her in the ribs, knog her to the side. She retaliated by sweeping out one leg in a flutter of dirt-stained burial clothes, catg me a gng blow. Even that hurt, but I could bear it. My club shed out again, catg her arm once more, bending it at an unnatural ah the snapping of bone. Her other arm swung down, but I mao dodge the knife once more.

  She let loose a horrible rattling breath from betweeeeth, the stenould and rot causio gag, but I ig, pushing forwards, club striking her in the ribs once more, then ing down on the shoulder of her injured arm, pointed end digging in savagely, shattering rotted bone, sending dirty brown blood spshing into the air, sliver mist rising.

  I do this! I beat her! My arms were trembling with the strain, but I had disabled one of her limbs a her damage, my experience of bating the other zombies before standing me in good stead. I swung my iron bar once more after digging it free and struck her ribs, crag bone.

  Suddenly a cold nce pierced through me, a freezing chill swallowing the warmth of my aether. I turned, strength leavio see that the zombie had somehow unhis elbow, the arm holding the kwisting behind me and driving it into my shoulder.

  If that was a few inches higher or lower, either my ney heart… I shuddered as the shadow of death loomed over me. I wasn’t sure of just hile the Astral body was pared to the Material one, but I doubted taking a knife in any of those areas would be anythihan fatal.

  “I shall remove you to safety back to the Material world…” Exposition-san began, but I interrupted with a rasping plea.

  “Stop.” I am going to win this fight. My blood , adrenaline surging, ae the fierce fre of pain I felt I could still do it. Flipping the spiked end of my railing towards the zombie, I trated, cyg aether. “Weight. Make it heavy!”

  With a gasping roar I thrust down with the spike, letting go of it as aether flooded it, growing its weight dramatically. As I did so I turned, grappling the arm that had stabbed me, ign the freezing pain of the bde gouging my bad shoulder. The railing plunged down, hammering through the zombie’s hip and embedding through her leg and into the ground, ripping through dead flesh and bone, pinning her in p a welter of brackish gore.

  The zombie roared again, spitting out a mouthful more of clotted blood. I used all my strength to lever at her broken elbow, f her to release her grip on the knife. As soon as she did so, I leapt backwards, reag up to pull the knife free from my shoulder with a grunt of pain. The bde was still unmarked and pristihe handle a carved ivory.

  I looked at the zombie woman, who was g frantically at her pinned leg with her broken arms, and I felt a brief moment of pity. Still, if she was a zombie then granting her rest and the ove on would be the best thing to do. I couldn’t know for sure if she really was the soul of someone who had died unhappily oh, or if she was just a mass of ether this world had agglomerated, but either way, this would be a mercy.

  elling some aether into my wounded shoulder to drive away the chill, I ched my fist around the handle of the knife and stepped forwards, dodging her frantic kicks with her free leg. She snapped her head forwards, trying to bite me, but with her restricted reach all she could do was snap at the air in front of me, wailing and howling.

  “Go to your rest.” I said, quiet as a sigh, and I thrust the bde forwards, pierg her eye and jabbing up into the brain, dirty gore spraying from the wound. With one final howling wail she disied into a bright cloud of ether, shining like stars in the shadows of the graveyard.

  You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Oo Two.