Aetheria’s Awakening – Soulforge Legacy Book 1

Slowly, I started to come back to myself. The first thing I noticed was the smell. Wherever I was, it smelled of booze, food, smoke, and wet fur. These smells helped center me, allowing the dizziness and lethargy to subside. I tried to open my eyes, wanting to see where I had been taken and who had saved me. “Hey,” the voice spoke softly as something came to rest on my chest. “You’re still suffering from shock. Take your time.”

I ignored the advice, pushing my body to open my eyes. My eyelids felt heavy, as if they were coated in thick syrup, refusing to move at first. Slowly, they slid open. A blurred figure hovered over me, surrounded by white light. One sluggish blink later, the world came back into focus.

A young woman had her hand on my chest. White light flowed from her and into me through our point of contact. Seeing my eyes open and focusing on her, she smiled. She removed her hand, cutting off the flow of the light, she said, “There you are.”

“What happened?” I tried to ask. It came out more like, “Wha ha’eened,” as my tongue refused to cooperate.

Luckily, she seemed to understand and answered my question. “You were exhibiting signs of hypothermia coupled with shock from the moment you entered the building. Likely caused by the sudden swing in the temperature around you.”

While I had never experienced either myself, I had been trained to spot them in health class. Yet another thing kids had to learn as public systems collapsed. “I healed you this time, but a healer will not always be there to help you if you find yourself in a similar situation. Personally, I would recommend increasing your vitality and getting better clothing.”

I nodded and tried to sit up. This time, she helped, turning me so my back rested against the wall while my feet dropped to the floor. As my bare soles touched the warm wood floor, I realized someone had removed my shoes. It bothered me until I realized that I likely wouldn’t be leaving this place for a while anyway. I probably had enough time to figure out where to get better clothing.

Looking around, I saw that the place was pretty packed, which surprised me, given how quiet the place was. There had to be a dozen groups sitting around tables or on stools by the windows. Some were talking animatedly, while others sat with their heads down, nursing their drink of choice.

“Feel free to sit here for as long as you like,” the healer said, drawing my attention back to her. “When you feel up to it, see about eating this.” She gestured to a bowl of soup sitting on the table next to me. Steam wafted off the bowl, disappearing well before it reached the wooden rafters. Bringing with it a smell unlike anything I had ever encountered. Which wasn’t all that unsurprising given the amount of overly processed food I was used to.

“Hey, Nancy,” a guy called from near the door. The healer turned toward him as he continued, “We need to get going.”

“I’ll be there in a minute,” she called back. She stood up, turning to me with a peaceful expression. “I wish you luck and hope to see you in the next city.” The way she said it made it sound like she wouldn’t be returning. I didn’t have time to ask her before she hurried out the door after her friend.

Pulling myself closer to the table, I grabbed the spoon. The soup was thick. The falling drops sat on the surface for a few seconds before melding back into the liquid. I lifted a spoonful to my lips and tentatively took a sip of the warm liquid.

Flavors exploded on my tongue and nearly overwhelmed me before I had a chance to swallow. Once it was gone, my mouth watered for more. Spoonful after spoonful disappeared into my stomach. Warmth radiated outward from my core, chasing away the last of the cold.

Before I knew it, the bowl of soup was empty. I barely restrained myself from licking it clean. Looking around, I wondered what I was supposed to do with the dishes, as everyone seemed to be avoiding my area. The nearest person sat behind a counter, reading a piece of paper.

Slowly, I stood up and took a few unsteady steps in their direction. Placing my bowl on the counter as I asked, “Where can I…”

I trailed off when she lowered the paper. She didn’t look human. While I had expected to see other races, I hadn’t expected to run into one so soon. If I had to guess based on her short stature and well-defined muscles, I would have to go with her being a dwarf.

“Well, feeling better, I see,” she spoke with a voice deeper than mine. While I could hear an accent, it was faint, almost non-existent. “What can I do for you today?” I stood there, frozen, trying to take in her features. A frown crossed her face as she asked, “Well, spider got your tongue?”

“No, no, sorry,” I stammered. “I was wondering where I should take these.” I lifted the bowl and spoon. “As well as where to go to get help getting started.”

“Have you visited other worlds to help them fight various creatures before?” she asked as she took the bowl from me and placed it on a table behind her. The question threw me. As far as I knew, I had never visited another world, let alone fought in one.

“She’s askin’ if you’ve played any other RPGs b’fore,” someone called out from the nearest table. Their voice slurred slightly. “Not that it’ll do ya much good. This damn’d game’s nothin’ I’ve ever played.”

I turned slightly, waving my thanks to them as I answered her. “I have, many times.”

“Good,” the dwarf huffed, looking a bit happier now that she didn’t have to explain the basics. “Then you know how it works. There are a few things you will need to learn, but for now, you will do fine.” She looked me up and down, taking in my outfit. “You can either go see the quartermaster for some gear and weapons — though they are not free.”

Her eyes warned me not to argue or try to haggle. I held my hands up in surrender. “Got it.”

“Then there is also the one token each traveler, like yourself, receives upon arrival. It is good for one piece of equipment from the guard’s quartermaster.”

I glanced out the window. A storm of snow made it hard to see far. I would have to wait for it to pass before I could go anywhere, including the guard quartermaster.

“So, what can I do for you?” she asked, pulling my attention back to her.

“Um, what can I do?” I asked, rubbing the back of my neck as I realized just how stupid the question sounded.

She rolled her eyes, “You have a few options.” Her hand came up, counting off each option. “One, you can go back out into the storm and find the quartermaster for your one piece of gear. Two, you can take on an easy quest. Maybe a delivery quest or something. Three, you can train and get a feel for this world and any changes to your body.”

“Training!”

“Do some training!”

“Go train.”

People nearby piped up, causing me to look in their direction. I was also sure that others were saying the same thing, though I couldn’t hear them. The dwarven woman smiled, clearly agreeing with them. While I hated giving in to peer pressure, they were likely right. Plus it wasn’t like I was going anywhere anyway. “Can I do some training first?” I asked.

A smile shone in her eyes as her lips lifted, showing her white teeth. “That you can. Let’s get you registered first. After that, I can find you a trainer and a training room.” Reaching down, she pulled out a few blank pages and a crystal sphere. Placing them on the counter between us, she gestured to it. “Please place your hand on the crystal.”

I hesitated, not quite sure what would happen. Her smile faded slightly as she waited, saying nothing. With a couple of jerking movements, I tentatively tapped my palm onto the top of it. The moment I did, an electric current raced from the point of contact, up my arm, and across my body. Every muscle stiffened and locked up, preventing me from being able to move.

I stood frozen until the current finally dissipated, leaving behind the feeling of tiny needles prickling my skin. It was the same feeling that you would get when a body part falls asleep, except it was everywhere. A single, sharp stab of pain lanced my palm, making me instinctively jerk my hand back. A tiny drop of blood stayed where it was smeared on the crystal.

Rubbing the spot where the crystal had stabbed me, I watched as the drop of blood drained into the sphere, dispersing like dye in water. Slowly, the sphere turned a light shade of pink.

As the color faded, lines began forming on the paper below. The more lines that appeared, the more they resembled circuitry. Between the lines, letters and numbers materialized. Line after line, word after word. It took me a moment to realize I was reading my current stats upside down. Once the orb returned to its clear state, she retrieved it and gave the page a quick glance.

“Not bad. Fairly normal for a new traveler. More balanced than some of the odder people.” She gathered the pages and tossed them into a strange box behind her. My hand instinctively rose to cover my eyes as a bright light flashed from it. Thankfully, it vanished nearly as fast as it had appeared.

Peeking between my fingers, I saw a faint blue-white fire burning in the box. While there were no smells suggesting that something was burning, the papers twisted and curled inward. When the fire finally vanished, she reached inside without hesitation and pulled out what was left.

It wasn’t a piece of charred paper like I expected. Instead, it was a piece of metal about the size of a credit card. As she passed it over, I was surprised by how light it was. “That is your adventurer card. With that, you are officially registered with the guild. If you lose it, you will need to get another made. The card helps keep track of your completed quests and kills so that you can be awarded appropriately.”

Looking over the card, I found that most of the information from the pages was gone. All that remained was my character's name and a ghostly letter ‘E’ filling the background. I had an idea as to what it meant, but why guess when I could ask? “What is with the E?”

“That would be your rank,” she said, glancing at something just out of my sight, probably some schedule or chart. “They go from A  to E. The higher the rank, the harder and more dangerous the quests available to you are. Those also tend to pay more. Each rank also comes with a rank challenge once you complete a sufficient number of quests at that rank.”

“So no S rank?” I said offhandedly.

She scoffed, meeting my eyes. “Of course there is, but no one has been able to get to that rank in the last five hundred years. Nor has there been a need — for which we are all grateful. If one was needed then a great cataclysm is nearly upon us.” Her eyes returned to whatever she had been reading. “For now, focus on training and let the gods decide if and when we need such a champion.”

After a moment of silence, I finally asked the question that had been bugging me since before eating the soup. “Why is it so quiet in here?”

She gestured to the pieces of cloth hanging from the rafters high above. “Sound dampening spells. Any respectable building will have at least one or two of them. More if they have large crowds. Given that we have large groups of rowdy adventurers, we have quite a few.”

She must have found what she was looking for because she stepped out from behind the counter and gestured for me to follow her. We wove through the tables at the edge of the room, heading toward a dimly lit hallway next to a wide staircase leading to another floor.

“What kind of training will I be doing?”

She shrugged. “If you are smart, whatever your trainer decides. This could range from magical to physical training. Sometimes even a combination of the two.” After passing three doors, she opened one and stepped inside. “Barti. I have a new victim — I mean trainee — for you.”

The way she said it had a shiver down my spine as fear started to take root in my heart. “Ginny, you always bring me something to brighten my day,” a richly accented man said from the middle of the room. A tall man sat with a book in his hand. He turned toward us, snapping it shut as he stood. He was nearly twice the dwarf’s height and more than a head taller than me. His long, flowing hair shimmered between dark green and black, depending on how the light hit it. As it shifted, it revealed long, pointed ears.

Steeling myself, I took a few steps into the room as he looked me up and down. “A bit weak looking. Given the clothing and the fact that you are bringing them to me, I am guessing they are a traveler. Which is good because a strong enough breeze would send her off to respawn.”

The comment was enough to pull me out of my fear-induced silence. “I am male,” I grumbled.

His eyebrows lifted, drawing my gaze to his light-brown eyes. “You don’t say.”

“Don’t say what?” Ginny asked, apparently having missed the exchange. Maybe dwarven hearing wasn’t as good as that of an elf.

“She is a he,” Barti answered simply. “You really should stay away from the forge. All of the noise is destroying your hearing.” He verbally poked at her.

“You’re one to talk,” she shot back. “Or was it your twin that was with me in the forge last night as we worked on your new sword?” she retorted, emphasizing the fact that it was his sword.

The elf held his hands in surrender. “You got me.” Turning back to me, he asked, “So, what kind of training are you looking for? Any weapon experience?”

I had no clue how to answer the first question, so I focused on the second. “None, I have never had any formal weapon training.” Not that I hadn’t used a knife to defend myself once or twice, but he needed to know that. “As for training, I have no idea what to ask for. The most I have ever done was those required for school.”

Barti nodded, “That is fine. Good in fact. Less bad habits to break. I got it from here Ginny.” He dismissed the dwarf, who huffed as she pushed past me, closing the door behind her. “For now, let us see what we have to work with.”

I glanced around, expecting to see equipment of some kind. Maybe a treadmill or weights, but the room was fairly barren. Scarred wood lined the walls and floor with patches where newer wood had replaced old. Barti sat back down, gesturing around us. “Well, start running or do I need to give you some incentive.” The look in his eyes told me I wouldn’t like the kind of incentive he had in mind.