Chapter 3

'Despite the harassment, the will of young Tyrian never faltered. Bolstered by the words of others, and with renewed resolve, his childhood passed smoothly.

Trait gained: Unfaltering resolve'

'Unfaltering resolve: +1 willpower. This character is far less likely to break down. Once a day, this character may retry a failed willpower check'

Another selection popped up, the time in the game not progressing in the slightest.

'The next phase of young Tyrians life is fast approaching, does it move as fated?'

Two options appeared on the screen, a simple yes or no choice. The one oddity was the symbol next to the no, the same knotted rope Kody had seen when this visual novel thing had started.

Kody considered for a second, before deciding to save the knots, there was no telling how they could be used. Better safe then sorry.

Without much more though, the story continued with another choice.

'As young Tyrian grew, he began to show interests for spaces, people, activities and other such things. But like all, he must take a shine to something particular.

So tell me, what is his spark?'

'People'

'Physical training'

'Mental challenges'

Another easy choice, Kody had already decided Tyrian would be a physical character, so the choice was locked in before he even read the last option.

...

Once again, the boy was training.

Sister Meredith watched as the young boy ran laps around the house, ignoring the other kids as they gathered around the route. It was strange to watch the young boys impact on the little orphanage.

Ever since that day in her office, his subtle shift had began. A steady need had built in the young boy, like a fortified chapel, brick by brick.

If a child could run to the end of the garden and back in five minutes, Tyrian had to do it in four. If a child could climb half way up the great oak, Tyrian would reach the highest branches. If a child could hold their breath for two minutes, Tyrian would hold his for three.

While this did make a little concern leak into the old sister's heart, her greater concerns where staved off as the boy never seemed to lord this over the other children. Instead, it was almost like he had checked a task off a list, something matter of fact that he needed to do.

It was clear early on to the other kids that they couldn't stop him, those that tried just found him right back at it the next day. With that revelation, another seemed to bloom in the young children's mind. If they wanted to stay the strongest, fastest or best at fighting, they had to match Tyrian effort for effort.

As Sister Meredith reminisced about only five years prior, a sweat drenched girl tore past her, lapping Tyrian for the third time in this training session. A playful smack found the back of the young boys head as the girl passed, a manic chuckle escaping through gasps of effort.

"Keep up lead legs" she hollered loudly, dashing off in a blur.

Tyrian for his part was silent as the grave, the only sign of recognition a slight hitch in his breathing at the hit landed.

Sister Meredith gave a sigh, that Renlin was such a handful. At least it didn't seem to deter Tyrian.

If only he could divert as much effort to his studies as he did to his physical training, Sister Meredith would have nothing to worry about.

...

'Young Tyrian moves with furious motivation, a drive fiercer than a wild fire burning in his soul, screaming for improvement. We can only pray the fire does not consume him.

+1 to strength

+1 to intellect

+1 to endurance

+2 to dexterity

Trait gained: Trained body

Trait gained: Burning desire (Improvement)'

'Trained body: +1 to all physical stats. The character must dedicate at least two hours to training twice a week or lose this trait. Combat can count as training depending on intensity'

'Burning desire (Improvement): +10% xp on all skill trees. For every day without significant progress, breakdown chance increases by 1%. Every ten days without significant progress, a breakdown check will be made'

A psychologist Kody was not, but that seemed really unhealthy to an absurd degree. Though, game mechanics had to game mechanic, and he guessed the game was over in at most a year of in game time. Be a bit of a nothing draw back if it was every month or something.

Time sped by in the game, but with a clear pattern emerging. A small group of kids would lap the house nearly every day by the looks of it, a kid Kody was certain must have been Tyrian leading the charge. Every time, an elderly woman in nun garments would come out to watch them.

It was kind of sweet to see the time lapse, like a window into another life.

Once again, a simple yes or no choice came up, asking if life would continue as normal.

This time, Kody considered. There was an urge, whispering sweet nothings to Kody, the same one you got in a multiplayer shooter to see if friendly fire was a thing. Oh how it spoke to Kody.

He had ten of the dumb knots, what was one to sate his curiosity? Surely they would not be of any importance, right?

Next time. Next time this came up, he would see what happened.

For now he held off, patience was a virtue.

'As young Tyrian grows, the orphanage becomes too small for him and his newfound companions. If they wish to progress, they will have to go forth beyond the walls of their origins, braving the world beyond.

But heaven can be made anywhere, to stay and make what you had in the small life of paradise was no sin, merely ignorance.

Which will Tyrian take, the hard path, or the easy one'

'Leave in the middle of the night'

'Tell the caretaker of the plans to leave'

'Stay'

This game sure loved to give out the non choices. If the caretaker had been a scumbag, sure the first may have been the best, but he had seen nothing of the sort. If that old woman was the caretaker, he saw no evidence to point to her being a violent woman. A smile seemed to pierce through the graphics on all her appearances in the timelapse.

No reason to believe she deserved the heart attack that would course. And obviously Tyrian wasn't staying, he had a multiverse saving destiny waiting for him. Nothing but the full fantasy protagonist treatment would do, now he just had to find a mentor to off at the beginning of the main plot.

No more need to think, a heartfelt goodbye was best.

Once more, a yes or no choice appeared. And well, a promise had been made, so he clicked yes without hesitation.

...

Sister Meredith tapped the table in concern. Why did he have to grow up so damn fast, why?

The well built frame of Tyrian sat opposite her, still a boy by all standards, yet so eager to see the world for himself. That fire, that damn fire. A part of Sister Meredith wished to stamp that fire out completely, so the boy would remain in her care till she breathed her last.

But she was no cruel witch, no heartless monster who would snuff the dreams of a young boy before they even began. But she wasn't some flippant caretake that would let a boy not even past fourteen run off into the world with no bearing.

No, she had to give him purpose, direction. To set him free with nothing but a pat on the back and what little funds the orphanage could provide would be a death sentence.

"I understand boy, you 'n yer friends want to go further. This little place was never going to hold you long, and I'm happy to see you grow enough to spread yer wings"

Wistful eyes turned to the battered mace hanging on the wall, "I understand, but I can't let you do this"

"WHAT!?!"

Tyrian shot up like a fire had lit under his ass, a look of shock and horror on his face. Though he begrudgingly sat down at a raised hand from Sister Meredith.

"You have no plan, no direction, and no safety for if you fail. I can't let you leave like that, but I am not barring you from leaving all together"

She rose from her seat, a resigned look on her face.

"I'll give you a choice now, leave now and know the door is always open to you, or wait three months and go with a friend of mine. I know it will be trading one closed garden for another, but by the time they're done with you, the world will have to be ready for you"

Tyrian took a moment to think, an internal war within his mind. The feverish need, the burning passion that raged in his chest to venture to explore the world beyond. And that oh so noble yet oh so ugly, clawing need to be better, to prove he is worth something and that he belongs with others.

That was her fault, she knew.

Victory went to betterment, as was inevitable. Tyrian would wait the three months, she just had to choose who to call. May be best to send out a few, just in case.

...

'A twist in fate has been made.

Young Tyrian, eager to prove his worth, implores his caretaker to give him leave and bless his journey into the world. He is refused his wish, but given a chance.

The caretaker, old and well travelled as she is, has friends in high and low places, friends that could help find this boy his place in the world.

Tell me, who answers her call?'

...

Azriel watched on with interest teetering on the edge of concern. This should not be, it defied the heavenly order.

To gods, connection was vital, the soft web connecting one being to another was how they survived after all, an infallible constant that stood no tampering or decite. Yet before his very eyes, the strings of connection around that old woman was shifting and roiling in constant flux.

Connections of impossibility and ludicrousness danced across the planes of the glorious planet without care or reason. Long dead legends where risen from their graves and whisked to secluded mountains, only to perish and return in an instant. Devils and demons of slaughter who wished for nothing but carnage grew soft spots in their hearts, only to have them harden once more as if they never where.

The world broke, going against natural laws and rewriting unwritten rules, only to fix in an instant once more. Something was tampering with the world, yet it was not Azrael's place to intervene. He was merely the start and end, Baliel governed connections, so it would fall to them to solve this conundrum.

...

Rows of names spilled forth before Kody, fantasy titles of exorbitant length and over the top grandeur, one took up two whole paragraphs.

And they all had price tags to make the choice even harder. Sure, there where some no cost options, but they where what you paid for: Tyler, village guard captain, Hilda the hunter, Jacob the squire. All mundane, and completely unfitting for a hero of legend.

Eventually, Kody found the perfect fit.

'Helion, leader of the holy order: 5'

It would take most of his remaining knots, but this seemed like an important part of the creation. If he had to guess, this was probably the closest thing to class selection in this game, or at least a big part of it.

Paladins where great fun to play usually, and pretty good solo characters. The future looked full of crusades and spreading the good word through violence and carnage for Tyrian.

...

A sigh of release escaped the gods lips.

While fate had been partially rewritten, it wasn't by anything drastic, no more than the gods themselves would do on occasion. A nun chancing upon relationships with the greatest holy knight in all the lands wasn't too fantastical.

A stretch, but nothing too worrying.

This distraction had taken enough of Azrael's time, he had a garden to tend too.

...

Helion trekked through the countryside with a bemused smile. It had been many a year since Meredith and he had thought to converse, and it was a prospect most delightful.

A woman full of vim and care, that was the woman of Helion's memory, foggy as they where. Ah joyous day, to behold the visage of a sworn friend and noble companion once more.

It put a kick of merriment into the old man's step.

Cresting the ridge of a rolling hill from days long past, he beheld the terminus of his long travels. An idyllic visage of paradise placed upon this humble land.

To shepherd the young and let them flourish, Helion could think of no calling more noble.

Two miles, that was all that lay between him and sweet reunion. Helion took a quick sweep of the area. No civilian settlement to disrupt, no fauna of particular danger to rankle, and no honour guard to demand proper decorum. A mischievous smile, unworthy to sit upon the face of one such as he, split across his face.

This land had no eyes with which to judge, and he should give his new disciple a fine greeting.

Golden light of holy origin pooled around the feet of the holy knight, the air cracked and rent as a force too great for the mere confines of this paltry world to hold. The divine would not begrudge a small demonstration to bring new lambs into the fold.

Shockwaves of golden light erupted as the world itself quivered under the holy might, Helion transforming to a missile of holy light, streaking across the sky as the air cracked around once... Twice... Thrice... Four times, the world screaming behind him as it implored and fought with him to stop. He could have gone faster, but that would have been a problem all on its own.

With a mighty quake, Helion impacted a hill not a four minutes walk from the orphanage, peels or raucous laughter echoing through the hills like the echoing of church bells.

"Meredith" Helion roared, "You have called, and I have answered. Tell me, which of your fine coterie shall be initiated into my tutelage?"