The Two Week Curse Read online

  “Yeah, get three hundred and we can be level two’s. Those circle things must be Mana gates. Mine said three,” Rugrat said.

  “Mine said one,” Erik said, confirming it to them both.

  Rugrat pulled the earpiece out from his ear. “Other than all the cool new gadgets, it looks like electronics don’t work.”

  “We’ve only got four guns each and all of these supplies in the middle of nowhere,” Erik said. His body was tense but he still felt some relief.

  “Well, we aren’t dead. I’d say that right there is a good stat.” Rugrat chuckled, the adrenaline still simmering in his veins.

  Erik started chuckling and then laughing. “Fuck.” He sighed, letting out all of his worries and fears.

  “Ten Realms—doesn’t sound so bad. Sounds kind of interesting,” Rugrat said.

  “Fortune favors the strong—little overbearing, ain’t it?”

  “Guess we’ll have to find out. I’m going to use that map thing,” Rugrat said.

  “All right.” Erik kept an eye out as Rugrat accessed his character sheet. It actually appeared in the air, he noticed. Before, the information on their character sheets had only appeared to them. There was no way to share it other than telling or recording it.

  Erik still couldn’t read it, but it showed that things were clearly different here.

  Erik’s body felt right here. It was as if he had been at high altitude and was now coming back down to the sea, getting his first clean breath of air.

  “So, we’re in a forest of some kind. Got a mountain range going from north to the east. Got some signs of a dirt road, it looks like. There’s a marker leading to a city called Chonglu. Weird. This map is like GPS located—got a path to the main road and everything, or I can move the path if I want to. Says that it’s about sixty kilometers away,” Rugrat said.

  “Three-day hike?” Erik said.

  “Yeah,” Rugrat agreed.

  Erik looked at his watch. “No idea what time is like here, though my watch seems to be working.” He realized how checking his watch on some other planet was not going to work.

  “Let’s get situated, sort the gear, then head out in a day or two,” Rugrat said.

  “Agreed,” Erik said.

  “Welcome to the Ten Realms,” Rugrat said.

  “If you’re the welcoming committee, I need to get a damn ticket the hell out of here,” Erik said, relaxing a bit.

  Chapter: Reaching Level One

  Erik and Rugrat started to clear the gear away. The guns that they hadn’t picked had been turned into rough ingots. Erik was happy that none of them were loaded.

  They pulled apart their own guns, put them back together, and used string to pull their triggers. All of them worked. Rugrat took first watch as Erik went to sleep.

  ==========

  You have 5 attribute points to use.

  ==========

  Erik saw his character sheet floating in front of him.

  ==========

  Character Sheet

  ==========

  Name: Erik West

  ==========

  Level: 0

  ==========

  Race: Human

  ==========

  Titles: From the Grave

  ==========

  Strength: (Base 7) +0 (-1)

  ==========

  60

  ==========

  Agility: (Base 6) +0 (-2)

  ==========

  20

  ==========

  Stamina: (Base 9) +0 (-3)

  ==========

  90

  ==========

  Mana: (Base 2) +0

  ==========

  20

  ==========

  Mana Regeneration (Base 1) +0

  0.95/s

  ==========

  Stamina Regeneration: (Base 7) +0 (-2)

  1.75/s

  ==========

  If I up my Mana Regeneration, that will mean I cast spells with greater frequency and for longer periods of time. What do I need Strength for? I’m pretty strong on my stats now that I have all my limbs back. My muscles still aren’t fully developed so I can run, but I’m going to need some breaks. Can run around pretty well, a little slow right now but improving that fast enough so don’t really need Agility. Stamina, now that means I can do more stuff for a longer period of time—kind of useful—but Stamina Regeneration means I’ll need fewer breaks. Mana—well, I don’t have spells that need that much Mana. Plus, with a high regeneration, it will be hard for me to really make a dent in the overall Mana usage. Erik pondered what to do.

  Okay, so I need to do physical labor. There are only rudimentary roads from what I was seeing, so going to be on foot most of the time. If I could run faster, then that would be useful. All right so, one point into Agility, two into Stamina Regeneration and Mana Regeneration.

  With Erik’s thoughts, his character sheet updated and he accepted the changes.

  Erik woke up some time later with Rugrat shaking him awake.

  “West?” Rugrat asked.

  “Yeah, I’m up,” Erik said, his head blurry as he started to get up and out of his sleeping bag. He felt stronger, his body more powerful.

  “Took some time to wake you there,” Rugrat said.

  “Just made it to level one, —put attribute points into my character sheet.” Erik recalled what had happened right before he had gone to sleep.

  He quickly pulled up his character sheet to look for changes.

  =========

  Character Sheet

  ==========

  Name: Erik West

  ==========

  Level: 1

  ==========

  Race: Human

  ==========

  Titles: From the Grave

  ==========

  Strength: (Base 7) +0 (-1)

  ==========

  70

  ==========

  Agility: (Base 6) +1 (-2)

  ==========

  25

  ==========

  Stamina: (Base 9) +0 (-3)

  ==========

  90

  ==========

  Mana: (Base 2) +0

  ==========

  20

  ==========

  Mana Regeneration (Base 1) +2

  1.35/s

  ==========

  Stamina Regeneration: (Base 7) +2 (-2)

  2.15/s

  ==========

  Clearly his dream wasn’t just a figment of his imagination. He quickly told Rugrat what had happened.

  Rugrat spent some more time awake, looking over his stat sheet before he got into his sleeping bag.

  Erik was only able to wake him three hours later.

  Rugrat, once coming to, quickly checked his stats. “Well, looks like we can only apply the attribute points when we go to sleep. Though when I trained my body and increased a stat level, it was like I broke through a barrier, allowing me to directly use my extra strength right away. Also it went straight to the base stat, not what I’m guessing is that modifying stat.”

  “Hopefully we can start to get some more answers at this Chonglu City,” Erik said.

  ***

  They gathered the supplies together that they had brought with them. They broke down the cylinder and moved around the forest, creating a few different caches with materials and items that they might need. It took them two days, with Erik and Rugrat working out as much as possible.

  Erik was finally rewarded on his second day.

  ==========

  Your base stats have increased!

  ==========

  Stamina +1

  ==========

  ==========

  Character Sheet

  ==========

  Name: Erik West

  ==========

  Level: 1

  ==========

  Race: Human


  ==========

  Titles: From the Grave

  ==========

  Strength: (Base 7) +0

  ==========

  70

  ==========

  Agility: (Base 6) +1

  ==========

  35

  ==========

  Stamina: (Base 10) +0

  ==========

  150

  ==========

  Mana: (Base 2) +0

  ==========

  20

  ==========

  Mana Regeneration (Base 1) +2

  1.35/s

  ==========

  Stamina Regeneration: (Base 7) +2

  2.55/s

  ==========

  The other thing that they found was that their weapons had stats.

  ==========

  GM6 Lynx (Big Momma)

  ==========

  Damage: Unknown

  Weight: 11.5 kg

  Health: 100/100

  Base Value: Unknown

  Range: Long range

  Requires: .50 BMG Ammunition

  ==========

  Erik and Rugrat toured the area, getting it burned into their minds so that they would be able to find it no matter what. As they did, they came across different plants and items.

  Erik was passing a kind of fern when he took a knee.

  It gave off a calming smell. Just breathing it in, he felt as if his body was lighter and healthier.

  Erik looked at the plant for a few more seconds. “Well, got to take some risks.” He grabbed his blade and dug around the fern’s roots. He quickly pulled it and a clump of dirt free.

  ==========

  You have successfully retrieved Forest Fennel!

  ==========

  ==========

  You have learned the skill: Alchemy

  ==========

  Alchemists are said to open the world with a pill, potion, or powder. Masters of poisons and body-altering consumables, their craft can bring out a person’s ability and open new paths to their future.

  ==========

  ==========

  Skill: Alchemy

  ==========

  Level: 1 (Novice)

  ==========

  No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.

  ==========

  Erik’s lips curled upward at his small victory.

  Quickly he stuffed the plant away and moved back to camp.

  “Rugrat,” Erik said as he found the large man burying another cache of supplies.

  “What’s up?”

  “I just got the Alchemy skill from doing something in this world. I think that if I was to heal something then, like how spells were recognized back on Earth, I might unlock the healing skill as well,” Erik said.

  Rugrat let out a long sigh as he got out of the hole. “All right, but you’re going to have to stab me.”

  “This’ll just hurt a bit.”

  “You’re stabbing me, not giving me my latest run up of shots,” Rugrat complained.

  Erik quickly cut Rugrat’s bare arm.

  Rugrat let out a grunt and shook his arm at the pain as he pressed his teeth together.

  “Big baby.” Erik put his hand on Rugrat.

  The magical circle appeared as he cast his healing spell with no problem. With his practice, for the two of them casting a healing spell took but a thought now.

  The wound in Rugrat’s arm healed up quickly.

  “Fucking stabby mcstabface over here,” Rugrat complained, wiping away the old blood on his arm.

  Erik’s face turned to joy as screens appeared in his vision.

  ==========

  You have learned the skill: Healer

  ==========

  You have delved into the arts of a healer, a noble and lofty skill. Your abilities are still simple but with more patients and practice, your skills will evolve.

  ==========

  ==========

  Skill: Healer

  ==========

  Level: 1 (Novice)

  ==========

  No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.

  ==========

  He let out a pained yell as he looked down at his arm and the grinning Rugrat.

  “Sorry, I slipped. Let me help you out there,” Rugrat said.

  “You little shit,” Erik complained as Rugrat healed him.

  “Booyah—healer extraordinaire. Watch out, West.” Rugrat laughed.

  Erik’s hand moved to his side where he had stuffed the fennel into his pocket.

  “Oh, I found this in the forest. When I pulled it out of the ground, I unlocked the alchemist skill,” Erik said.

  “You want to make potions now?” Rugrat asked.

  Erik opened his mouth and then shrugged. “I don’t really know enough about it. If it’s like the games, then I’d be able to make potions to restore Mana, Stamina, and heal, be bandages on steroids.”

  “Could also maybe make gunpowder, or find something like it,” Rugrat said.

  “Still far off. I won’t make any decisions until we know more.”

  “Well, it should only be a day or two before everything is hidden away and we can set off,” Rugrat said.

  Erik nodded. He was cautious, but he was also excited. He was in lands unknown, a land that had magic and fantasy. There was no knowing what they might run into.

  Erik was one of those combat veterans who embraced the fight. It was only when everything that was on the line he felt alive; it felt as if he served a higher purpose. He got things done and he charged forward. That was called being alive. Here he was in enemy territory and he didn’t know anything. It was a blank landscape—it excited the hunter, the combat medic that rested within him.

  Chapter: Experience

  Erik and Rugrat woke up early, packing their gear away quickly. They cleared out the area around their camp.

  It was hard to see any signs of where they had been as they checked their maps. Erik had used his as well by this time. They pulled their rucksacks on and checked their weapons before they moved off on their plotted route.

  As they were walking, Erik started to feel tired. He took a leaf from a forest fennel and chewed on it.

  Even if it had a bad reaction, he could heal himself.

  ==========

  Stamina Regeneration increased by 0.50/s for 2s

  ==========

  A faint power entered Erik’s body, revitalizing his body.

  ==========

  125/300 EXP till you reach Level 2

  ==========

  “Rugrat, eat this.” Erik passed the other man a leaf.

  “All of that from a leaf? Is that much of a stamina regeneration increase?” Rugrat asked.

  “Like I know anything more than you?” Erik sighed and walked ahead of Rugrat.

  They continued on their path as they heard different monsters in the forest roaring and making noise at one another.

  “High right!” Rugrat yelled. His silenced personal rifle fired as a snake with wings dropped from a tree onto the ground. A faint gray tombstone appeared above the snake. Erik and Rugrat didn’t have time to look at it closer before a coughing war cry rose up from the surrounding area.

  “Contact!” Erik yelled, pulling on his quick detach straps. He and Rugrat put their rucksacks in front of them as they were back to back.

  A hissing noise came from the trees above as a flying snake shot out from a tree. Its mottled greens and browns made it hard to see before it launched its attack.

  Erik fired in its general direction and one of his rounds hit the snake. As a tombstone appeared above it, a faint golden energy came from the snake and entered Erik’s body. The same powerful feeling that had come from eating the forest fennel appeared in his body. It seemed to pause for a second, as if reaching a bottleneck before exploding forth. Screens tried to pop up, but Erik dismiss
ed them before they formed as he grabbed the Mossberg on the side of his rucksack, pulling it out of its holster.

  ==========

  Mossberg 500

  ==========

  Damage: Unknown

  Weight: 3.4 kg

  Health: 100/100

  Base Value: Unknown

  Range: Short range

  Requires: 12-gauge Ammunition

  ==========

  Although Erik had taken nearly twenty rounds to put down the one snake, Rugrat had only take five. After all, Rugrat had another identity: Marine Crops scout sniper Jimmy “Rugrat” Rodriguez.

  More of the flying snakes came out of the trees. Erik fired and turned, sending clouds of buckshot at the snakes, turning them to mangled corpses.

  “Reloading!” Rugrat yelled, changing out magazines as Erik continued to fire.

  Rugrat started firing again. “Back in!”

  “Reloading,” Erik said a few moments later. The flying snakes were coming from everywhere. He quickly started stuffing shells into the shotgun; he didn’t even get to fully load before he fired on a nearby snake.

  They weren’t strong but there were many of them.

  Erik felt a pain in his left leg. He looked down to see a flying snake buried in his leg.

  ==========

  You have been affected by the Winged Forest Snake’s poison. -1.0/s Stamina for 5s. With chance of paralysis

  ==========

  Erik called up a healing spell, looking at the snake that was glaring at him. He grabbed the snake and his combat knife, stabbing the snake until a faint tombstone appeared above it. The snake was buried deep in Erik’s leg. He didn’t have time to get rid of it; he dropped his knife at his feet and pumped his shotgun, taking down three of the winged forest snakes in one blast.

  There were tombstones all around Erik and Rugrat as a faint bloody smell started to rise from the ground.

  A deep roar came from within the forest.

  The snakes let out angered cries as they started to turn around and run.

  Erik and Rugrat were quickly reloading.

  Once he was done with his weapon, Erik pulled the snake out of his leg and sheathed his blade again.

  “Contact!” Rugrat yelled, shooting at whatever he had seen. Erik checked his arcs before looking over where Rugrat’s tracers were going.