Battleborne Read online

Turning her head, she glared at him sideways, then stomped a tiny foot. “I suppose Red will be fine for now. But don’t get used to it!”

  “Thank you, Red. Now can you explain to me where we are?”

  She cleared her throat, stood up straight, and clasped her tiny hands behind her back, pacing back and forth atop the pedestal as if she were a lecturing professor.

  “Welcome to your Incarnation, Maximilian Storm! I am…er, Red. Your guide through the Incarnation process. I am here to answer questions, and help you to choose who and what you will be in your next life.”

  “Okay… like, I can choose to be a soldier, or what? An accountant? That kind of thing?”

  “Well, yes. But your profession comes later. First, you choose your race.” She waved a hand, and a wall of information appeared between them. It was a sort of hologram, filled with text and images. Max studied it, and quickly figured out that each image was a creature of a different race. There was the obvious human, and something that looked very much like an elf. There was a tall, thin creature he didn’t recognize, with spikes along its spine and three clawed fingers on each hand. A short, stocky race had to be dwarves, and he recognized orcs, gnomes, goblins, and what he thought was probably a kobold. There were huge variations on ogres and trolls, even a being with a turtle-ish shell on its back.

  Max tried touching the human icon to enlarge it so that he could read the text. The image and text enlarged for just a moment, then went grey. In fact, all of the icons for the various races had just gone grey. Max was reaching out to tap it again when a gong sounded through the room, followed by a trilling sound that resembled wind chimes.

  Red’s eyes unfocused for a moment, then refocused as she chuckled. “It seems that a higher being has made your first choice for you. And quite an interesting choice it is.” She waved her hand again, and the hologram in front of Max grew larger, showing a life-sized image of himself as if he were looking in a mirror. But instead of the non-descript alien body he had observed upon waking, he was staring at an impressive-looking specimen.

  He stood roughly seven feet tall, with dusky skin, a large head connected by a thick neck to a strong frame. His arms and legs were slightly longer than normal human proportion, with corded muscles. His waist was narrow, no sign of fat anywhere on the body. Atop his head, long white hair framed a narrow face with high cheekbones, a square chin, and slightly pointed ears. He blinked a few times when he noticed the eyes, which were entirely black except for bright blue irises with a silver outer ring.

  “This is me?” he looked at the lady leprechaun with eyebrows raised. When she nodded, he turned back to the image and said, “I look pretty badass! What race am I?”

  “You’re a damned mongrel.” She said, her voice flat.

  “Mongrel?” he looked back to her.

  “As in, mixed breed. A mutt.” She shrugged.

  “Okay… so I’m a mutt. Do you know what combination? I mean, it looks like I’m part elf, but I’m big and bulky like an orc, or maybe a troll?”

  Red nodded her head, her eyes unfocusing again, and she began reading. “You have received a blessing from a higher being, as I said. They have chosen to modify your new body with beneficial traits from several races. Your official racial designation is now Chimera.”

  Max recognized the name from his studies in mythology. A magical being made up of several different animals. “Sounds better than mongrel.” He waited impatiently for Red to continue.

  “You have equal parts human, dark elf, troll, and stonetalon.”

  “What’s a stonetalon?” Max recognized the other three well enough, though he still had questions about what traits came from which races.

  Red turned and pointed to one side of Max. Another set of greyed out racial info holograms appeared, one for each race, now enlarged enough that he could read the text and clearly see the details of the images. The stonetalon was the creature he had noticed with the spiky spine and claws. “Take some time and study these before we go any further. You can’t alter the choices, but you should at least know what you’re dealing with.” She sat down on the pedestal, her feet swinging over the edge.

  Max focused on the stonetalon page.

  Stonetalon: Monster Race; Dark Affinity

  A creature of the underground, stonetalon are solitary creatures that gather in groups only for breeding, or mutual defense of their territory. Ambush hunters, their skin naturally blends with the stone of their habitat, and they carry almost no scent for their prey to detect. Strong bones, thick skin, sharp teeth and claws make them formidable melee fighters.

  Primary Attributes: Strength, Agility

  Secondary Attributes: Endurance, Constitution

  Natural abilities: Fade, Jump, Darksight

  Magic Affinities: None

  Weaknesses: Bright light, unable to swim due to bone density

  Studying his new avatar more closely, Max noted that its fingers and toes all had thick, sharp nails. Not as long as the stonetalon in the other image, but still badass-looking. With a thought, he spun the avatar around to look at its back. The spikes were not there. He was briefly disappointed, until he realized that they might have made it difficult to wear clothes of any kind.

  Next he moved on to the troll display.

  Troll: Monster Race; Dark Affinity

  Trolls are a tribal race found throughout the world. They live both underground, and on the surface, though the surface dwellers prefer dark forests or caves. With an average height of ten feet, trolls are extremely strong, with long arms and short legs. Their skin is as tough as boiled leather, and their bodies regenerate rapidly. They are resistant to most magic, with the exception of fire, to which they are extremely susceptible. Trolls can survive in even hostile environments due to their ability to eat or drink nearly anything.

  Primary Attributes: Strength, Constitution

  Secondary Attributes: Agility, Endurance

  Natural abilities: Regeneration, Digestion

  Magic Affinities: Nature

  Weaknesses: Fire, unable to swim due to bone density

  Max shook his head. Two monster races in a row, both with heavy bones that prevent them from swimming. He’d need to avoid water as much as possible. Also fire, apparently. He chose the Elf description next.

  Dark Elf: Elder Race; Light Affinity

  Despite their misleading name, Dark Elves are creatures of the Light. Also referred to as Night Elves, they are beings of nature and magic. Elven social structure is matriarchal, with the population divided among twelve clans. Each clan has a Matron, all of whom are subordinate to their High Queen. Most elves live in clan villages or small cities within the world’s forests, self-appointed guardians of the flora and fauna. Elves are extremely long-lived. Barring any fatal encounters, an elf might live ten thousand years or more.

  Primary Attributes: Intelligence, Agility

  Secondary Attributes: Dexterity, Wisdom, Endurance

  Natural abilities: Woodscraft, Marksmanship

  Magic Affinities: Nature, Light, Elemental

  Weaknesses: Low rate of reproduction.

  Max liked the idea of living for ten thousand years! Visions of leaping through the forest from branch to branch, shooting arrows into enemies with uncanny accuracy had him smiling to himself. Red cleared her throat loudly, bringing him back to reality and pointing toward the last hologram.

  Human: Alien Race; Neutral Affinity

  Humans, while one of the youngest races to emerge upon the surface of the world, are also one of the most widespread. Short-lived, they breed at a rapid pace, and tend to cluster in communities sized from villages to large cities. Their attributes vary widely, due mainly to extensive and seemingly random interbreeding. Each is born with different primary attributes, and great potential, limited only by their short life spans averaging less than one hundred years. Humans are omnivores.

  Primary Attributes: Variable

  Secondary Attributes: Variable

  Natural Abiliti
es: Breeding, Adaptation

  Magic Affinities: All

  Weaknesses: Slow growth after birth, no natural defenses or weapons.

  Max was initially underwhelmed by the description of humans. They seemed almost to be a blight upon the world. Though he did like the bit about having affinity for every type of magic. And he assumed his elven heritage would offset the short human life expectancy.

  Turning back to Red, he asked, “Can you tell me exactly which parts of me come from which races?”

  She shook her head. “I can tell you some of the more obvious. But for the most part, you’ll have to discover them as you live and grow.” She actually looked a bit sad as she spoke.

  “Okay, what are the obvious ones?”

  “Well, let’s see.” She snapped her fingers, and a holographic scroll appeared in her hands. She unrolled it, and began to read, pointing to Max’s avatar. “First, you have the strong bones and claws of the stonetalon. You also have much tougher and thicker than normal skin, a combined gift of stonetalon and troll. You have increased strength, magic resistance, and health regeneration thanks to your troll heritage as well. Elven sight and hearing, as well as increased agility, intellect, wisdom, and lifespan. Your human quarter gives you affinity for all magics, and a neutral general racial affinity to start with. This means that none of the races will automatically view you as hostile, at least until you choose an affinity. Or until you commit acts that affect your reputation with specific races or affinities.”

  Max did his best to make mental note of everything she was saying. Still, it was a lot of information coming at him quickly. “I wish I had a pen and paper to write this down.”

  Red shook her head. “When we’re done here, and you’re out in the world, you’ll be able to pull up this information anytime you like. As well as the information on your individual attributes and skills. Which reminds me, it’s time to move on to the next stage of your Incarnation.

  Chapter 2

  All of the previous holographic images disappeared. A new one popped up directly in front of Max, this time with a small version of his avatar in the upper left corner. The rest of the display was lines of words and numbers. When he focused on them, Red began to speak.

  “These describe your current status, or rather, the attribute levels, affinities, and skills you will be born with when you leave here. Once your Incarnation is complete, you’ll be able to access this status yourself just by thinking it. As you make your way in the world, you’ll use this to control your growth. You’ll be earning free attribute points, and skill points, that you can invest as you see fit. In addition, certain actions will cause specific attributes and skills to increase on their own.”

  Max looked to Red. “Like, if I walk around carrying heavy things, or do a lot of pushups, I’ll build muscle and increase my strength.”

  Red half-smiled, her eyes flashing. “Yes, exactly like that. Though in your case, strength is not something you’ll have to worry about. Your racial heritage has granted you great strength and constitution, as well as endurance and agility. I think you’ll find ample reason to thank the higher being that favored you with these gifts.”

  “Right. How do I find out who that was? I met a Valkyrie, who was very nice to me, pulled me out of my dying body. And I suppose it was Odin who extended an invitation to Valhalla. I’d certainly like to thank whoever it was, but how do I know?”

  “Odin does not normally invite mortals to Valhalla himself. Were you a warrior of great renown on your world? A warlord, arena champion, a general leading great armies? Someone who would attract the attention of the Allfather?”

  Max shook his head. “I was a soldier. I did lead a squad of men, but not an army.”

  Red nodded in understanding. “It is the duty of the Valkyries to select those they deem worthy of fighting alongside Odin and the gods of the pantheon at Ragnarok. Though it is possible you were blessed by Odin, or one of the other gods may have taken note of you, it is more likely that your Valkyrie chose to bestow her blessing upon you.”

  Max made a mental note to thank Hildi if he ever encountered her again. Returning his focus to the status information in front of him, he studied it. The very first entry was a space above the head of his avatar, and NAME was blinking on and off.

  “Do I need to choose a new name?” he asked his guide.

  “That is up to you. Yours is a strong name, and you may certainly choose to keep it. Or you may wish to begin this new life with a new name.”

  He’d always liked the name Maximilian Storm. Growing up his friends had called him Max, Maximus, Storm, or Stormy, and he hadn’t minded any of those. He was used to the name, and didn’t see any reason to change it. Plus, on the off chance that one or more of his squad were being given this same opportunity for a new life, he wanted them to be able to recognize him.

  With a focused thought, he chose to keep his name. It appeared instantly above his image.

  The next two blanks were already filled in. Next to Race it showed Chimera, and directly below that was Battleborne. To the right of those, were the words Health and Mana. Below those it listed his attributes, and a corresponding number for each, in two columns. He noticed they appeared to be listed from highest to lowest, starting with Endurance and ending with Luck. After that, it listed his affinities and skills. Lastly there was a listing of his weaknesses.

  Maximilian StormHealth: ?

  Race: ChimeraMana: ?

  Battleborne

  Endurance: 20Intelligence: 15

  Strength: 18Wisdom:14

  Constitution: 17Dexterity:12

  Agility: 17Luck:11

  Racial Affinities: Dark, Light, Neutral

  Magical Affinities: All

  Skills: Darksight, Jump, Fade, Regeneration, Digestion, Woodscraft, Marksmanship, Breeding, Adaptation.

  Weaknesses: Fire, Swimming, Bright Light

  Max noticed a few things that he immediately had questions about. The first was about the blank spaces.

  “Red? Why don’t I have numbers next to Health and Mana? And what is mana?”

  “Those are still blank because of your human racial variables. All of the attributes from your other three races have factored into the levels you see now. But since humans are basically blank slates, you have received ten unassigned attribute points that you can place where you wish. Your Health and Mana pools will be calculated once you have done so.” She paused, wringing her hands unconsciously for a moment, before adding, “There’s no law that says you have to assign them now. I recommend waiting until you have spent a bit of time in the world, and have some idea how you want to proceed. Your starting stats are already well above average.”

  She waited for him to respond, and when he just looked thoughtful, she continued. “As for mana, well… do you mean to say you had no magic in your world?” When he shook his head, she explained, “When you use magic in this world, you consume mana. It is the power source for spells and magical abilities. Mana exists nearly everywhere in the world, in everything above and below the surface, as well as the air itself. Each time you cast a spell, you sacrifice a corresponding amount of mana. Your body will naturally absorb mana after you’ve used some of your available pool. The size of your available pool, and the rate at which you regenerate or absorb mana, are dictated by your Wisdom, Intelligence, and Constitution attribute levels.”

  Max’s head was beginning to hurt. This sounded a lot like the role-playing games some of his guys talked about during their down time. He’d mostly tuned them out, as he wasn’t much of a gamer. He’d played some as a kid, mostly first-person shooters and tank simulators. Now he found himself wishing he’d accepted their invitations to play, or at least paid a little more attention to their discussions.

  “What about my weaknesses? The list on here doesn’t include all the ones listed on the other sheets.”

  Red smiled. “This is part of the gift you’ve been given. Several of your racial strengths have offset the weaknesses of o
thers, balancing them enough so that they are no longer classified a weakness. For example, the tough skin, strong bones, and claws bestowed upon you by your troll and stonetalon bloodlines have offset your normal human weaknesses when it comes to defense. The elven weakness of low birth rate is offset by the human ability to breed like rabbits.”

  “Gotcha. That makes sense.” Max grinned at her. He sort of liked the way things meshed together in a sensible way. “So I’m still sensitive to bright light, because of my eyes being mostly… monstery?” He looked into the avatar’s unusual eyes.

  “Yes, but even that is offset to a certain degree by your human and elven traits. So while it is still listed as a weakness, it is just barely so. I would guess that extremely bright light might be irritating, possibly even painful for you. But not debilitating, as it might be for a pure stonetalon.”

  “I get the heavy bones, sinking in water bit. But what about fire? Am I going to need to stay away from campfires and hot ovens? How flammable am I going to be?”

  Giggling, Red bent over slightly and slapped her knee. She paused to take a breath and compose herself before answering. “Nothing that extreme. You will, of course, have to experiment after you arrive on the world. But even pureblooded trolls can cook food over an open fire with little danger, providing they have no open wounds, and don’t stick them into the flames. The weakness is more about taking damage from fire-based spells. With your heritage, I would avoid getting hit with fireballs in general. Especially if you’re bleeding. Troll blood is quite flammable, as is their body fur, which you do not appear to have inherited.”

  “So no swimming, and dodge the fireballs. I can do that.” He gave her a small smile and a wink. “It’s not like I was likely to stand still and let someone shoot fire at me anyway.”

  “Good plan.” She deadpanned. “Now, do you have any more questions before we proceed?”

  “About a thousand?” Max’s pulse quickened. “There’s so much to absorb.”

  “I am limited as to what I can divulge here and now. Much of what you need to know you will have to learn as you experience the world. I will be available to answer questions after your Incarnation, but again I will be limited on what I may disclose. However, the entities you will encounter have no such restrictions. So learn as much as you can from those you meet. Especially those who practice the skills or crafts that interest you.”