Boredom and Insanity

There was this one movie that Alvar watched a long time ago. He couldn't remember what it was called, but there was one scene that he remembered vividly. There were two men who were locked away and isolated in prison, and they talked about how they relieved their boredom and isolation. The old man talked about how it will progress from counting all the rocks in the cell to naming them.

In honor of that movie whose name was forgotten, Alvar named the stalagmites and stalactites. Close to front were two, one of each. The stalagmite was named Sarah and had a good temperament. The stalactite was named Alex and he was a bit of a hothead. Both Sarah and Alex were dating. In the back was a stalagmite named Jacob. He liked Sarah a lot but couldn't date her because of Alex. During today's episode of cavern romcom, Jacob is grieving after a fight he had with Sarah. Our protagonist tries to console him.

'Sarah is an amazing girl, but you shouldn't have gotten in the way. Isn't Sarah's happiness most important.'

Jacob the Stalagmite silently pondered Alvar's words of wisdom.

'Sarah may not be the one for you. I am sure that there is a wonderful girl out there for you. Who knows, maybe the relationship between the two won't work out.'

Ahem. Outside of the rocky romance he is participating in, Alvar's progress has come out well. It has been a little over a week and a half since he became a dungeon master. So far, he has accumulated a total 132 mana.

'It is now time to create this stupid fox! !'

}} Tutorial Assistance: {Create Lesser Familiar} {{

Would you like to create a Phantom Thief Fox for 125 mana?

''

At that command, it felt like Alvar was hijacked. His mind seemed to have a will of its own. Mana, the life force of spirits, was drained from the wisp that housed Alvar and it felt like his blood was draining. A magic circle appeared on the ground, but the headache made Alvar pass out.

'Ahhhhgkdlnsklnjksd.'

Alvar woke up to find a beautiful fox where the magic circle was. It was a pretty white with blue highlights and had sparkles like stars. Its tail was like a cloud that billowed and defied gravity.

The fox ignored Alvar. Alvar tried to grab its attention, but to no avail. No matter how waved himself in front of the fox, it didn't move.

'Have I been invisible the entire time? I saw my reflection. Hey Sarah, am I invisible.'

Sarah was silent in confusion as well and was no help. The fox was as still as a statue. Alvar tried to use his connection to the fox, but was sucked in.

'Ouch, why does everything give me a headache...huh?' When he opened his eyes he was staring at a wisp. Alvar looked down and found that a pair of white furry legs were attached to him. He tried to move around and found that he was on all fours. He is now in the familiar.

'Does this make me a furry? No, besides that, can I leave the cave? I mean, my body is still there. Can I get back into it?'

After a half hour of testing, Alvar discovered that the familiar could leave the cave with him possessing it. Not only that, but he could return to his body at any time. However, he could only start the possession if the fox is nearby. The most important discovery was that the Tutorial Assistance system could auto pilot his body and stockpile mana while he wasn't there.

'God has not forsaken me! I can finally escape this hellhole! … Somewhat.'

With a final goodbye to his 'friends,' Alvar left the cave to see what was outside.

…

The fresh air seemed to sing as it went through Alvar's fur. The dungeon was hidden away at the base of a mountain. It was well hidden and would be difficult to find if one didn't know where to look. The surroundings were a small valley filled with trees and plants. Alvar went up the mountain to get a better vantage point

'Hahahaa. This is awesome. The wind is so wonderful. The sky is gorgeous. If it weren't for the fact that I needed to live, I would have torn that cave apart piece by piece.'

The rocky slopes and flowing grass gave way to a stunning view of the sparkling sea. Behind the dungeon was a coast, and along the coast was a mountain range. The dungeon was very deep, so there isn't much concern for safety. However, having any form of armed forces travel anywhere is a stupid idea. The rough terrain was a cage just as much as it is a shield.

'I guess I won't be able to see elves or any other race for a while. Well, I need a plan.

First: I need to get my dungeon fully developed. I am not even sure if {Conscription} would even work until the dungeon core awakes.

Second: I need to create an army.

Third: I want to get a body.

The first will be the most difficult. If I remember properly, dungeons are living things and can eat corpses. Getting a corpse though is not easy. I wonder how strong this familiar is? '

}} Master Status {{

Name: (null)

Level: (null)

Race: (Temporary)[See Information] Wisp

Blessings: (null)

Abilities: {Mana Stockpile} {Create Lesser Familiar}

Masteries: (null)

Techniques: (null)

Score:

-Health: 10/10

-Mana: 3/10

-Strength: 0

-Dexterity: 3

-Defense: 0

-Magic Defense: 5

-Constitution: 0

-Affinity: 3

Quirks: {Ethereal Body} [See Information]

'Wait, this is the wisp's stats. Let's try this, '

}} Familiar Status {{

Race: Lesser Familiar

Abilities: {Faze} {Mana Body}

Score:

-Health: 35/35

-Mana: 57/65

-Strength: 15

-Dexterity: 15

-Defense: 5

-Magic Defense: 10

-Constitution: 5

-Affinity: 0

'This is a complete upgrade from the wisp. However, it appears that this body can receive physical damage. It can also faze through matter? Why is the mana not full?'

Despite the confusion, Alvar was pleased. He could finally feel free. He wasn't some slave anymore. He could walk and run, sleep under a tree, or play in the bushes. In his previous life, he was never enjoyed the outdoors. While he was athletic, be preferred to be athletic in an environment with no air current and temperature control. Being stuck in that cave by himself really did a number on him. As he was about to walk away, Alvar looked back at the sea one more time.

'I wish Emily could see this.'

…

Judging from the foliage, this place is not near the equator (if this world has one). While it was lush, it looked like a temperate forest. That means that there should be seasons like summer, winter, or spring. It shouldn't be a problem for a wisp as they don't eat and don't get cold, same for the familiar.

'I guess I should scout the area for any resources. Especially monsters. Or even just for fun.'

Exploration of the surrounding area took a while, with elevation being the main issue. After somewhat exploring, a shocking lack of monsters was one way of defining the area. It was fine if there were not a lot, the problem was there were none. A powerful mountain troll or something at least, but there was nothing.

'Am I in the same world that those volumes talked about? There should be monsters. This familiar is only useful for sensitivity to mana and as get-out-of-dungeon-free card. The familiar has a sense of touch, and somewhat hearing. However, these are very primitive. I think the only reason I can sense, maybe smell, mana is because of {Mana Body}, the fact that the fox is completely made out of mana. There's got to be some way to use this.'

The day passed, with Alvar making little progress. Bored, he decided to test the familiar's {Faze} ability. He tried to go through a tree, but it took 10 minutes. It was slower than frozen molasses.

Alvar tried to partly faze himself to increase his senses. Sort of how sound travels better through water, he tried to partly faze his head to see if his senses improved. It worked, his sense were improved, but lacked the ability to track anything.

Alvar spent another two days, but was not able to find anything and was only able to explore a couple mountains.

'I need a new strategy.'

…

The moon slowly climbed the sky as it painted the plains light blue. The Rolstreuch Monastery stood resolute above the flatlands. Cicadas and other verbal insects sang their songs to the night as the last light in the monastery went out.

Peace seemed to permeate the air, but like a snake hiding a bush, it was broken by shadows and fire. The monastery was alight, but not with standard fire, but a pale purple fire that consumed the brick and mortar. Screams were heard as students were caught by the fire or killed by the hidden aggressors.

The shadows, cloaked and concealed enemies, mercilessly hunted down the students and drunk teachers. Peace is a poison that destroys instinct and caution, a lesson learned too late.

One student, barely thirteen years old, was about to be cut down when an arrow coated in lightning struck down an assassin. The arrow was soon followed by twenty in rapid succession, killing 15 and injuring several more. Nailar was perched on a bell tower, the highest building, killing as many aggressors as possible.

Many teachers and students took the confusion as an opportunity to arm themselves to defend against the onslaught. Arrows began to sail the air aiming for hearts, tendons, or other weaknesses. Some were infused with magic like fire or poison. Others curved at odd angles, breaking through guards. Soon the two hundred assassins were reduced to twenty-five.

These twenty-five, though, didn't survive because of luck. Some of them were like wind or rain, dodging the undodgeable arrows. Others blocked them with weapons or their fists and feet. Some used magic or abilities to survive. Out of the skilled attackers, the ones remaining were the elite.

Among them was one man. About eight feet tall and incredibly large. He had long ragid blakc hair like a dark wolf, and yellow eyes to match. He had gray skin like basalt and a simple robe that exposed his chest. He didn't block or dodge the arrows. There was no point. The arrows would only bounce off when they hit him. He had no weapons, and was able to continue the massacre with just his fists. This was the leader of the assassins.

An arrow with a blue aura shot like a diving hawk for the assassin leader's heart. The man slightly dodge in time, as the arrow buried itself within the man. The man howled in pain and turned to boy who fired the arrow. To Jace Rolstreuch.

"Hahaha, it has been a long time since I was actually hurt by an attack, especially an arrow. As expected from a bowmaster candidate." The giant gave a cruel and terrifying smile.

"Hu, I admit I was expecting a bit more damage. It was a total shock you were able to dodge my arrow. My name is Jace Rolstreuch, a bowmaster candidate. May I know the name of the giant that could take one of my arrows and still live?"

"Oh, its been a while since I've seen a boy like you. My name is Guldring Unther, of the Nargth clan."

"So, you are from one of the southeastern barbarian tribes. Is it true that even the women wear armor and look as trollish as the men?"

"Nah, the women are as beautiful as a delian flower against a sunset. Now, how would you like to die? I could give you a quick and honorable death. Or I could snap you in half. I could rip you spine out of your body."

"I would prefer to die against a majestic beast, sacrificing myself to save my comrades, becoming a hero and getting my own statue."

Jace quickly jumped backwards, firing four arrows that he had been preparing. Coated in the same blue glow, they behaved very differently from the past arrows that he had fired. They circled around Guldring like sparrows, then dived like hawks.

The Nargth took a stance, and rapidly sent out a succession of rapid punches. Three out of the four were punched out of the air, with one of the arrows buried in his right shoulder. While he was occupied, Jace fired a shot in his blind spot, this time much faster. It was kicked away though.

The giant and the archer danced with arrows and fists that collided and split the air.

The "barbarians" were a difficult group to understand. One of the reasons is because they are all often grouped together. Some of the tribes are the original natives. Others were moved to those regions for political reasons. Some were tribes from other lands that ended up there.

Centuries ago, in fear of an uprising, a ban on weapons and magic was enforced on them. This caused them to create their own martial arts and weapons from farming and hunting tools. Their martial arts excelled, and now they were famous for being one-man armies, being able to rival knights without the magic weapons or even magic.

Many have tried to wipe them out in fear of their power, but the countries that have declared war on them have ceased to exist.

The Nargth tribe was one of the foreign tribes. Before settling down in the Wildlands, they were nomads that originated in the frigid north. Believed to be the descendants of Rock Giants, they not only boasted of incredible defense and durability, but also excellent healing and an indomitable. It was said that their chief was able to have a hole blown through his chest and lived.

Even with the {Armor Breaker} ability, Nargth's would still able to walk off arrow piercings. However, that became even more difficult with their martial arts. Commonly, a clan would have a theme to its martial arts. One would specialize in assassination, while others would specialize in speed. The Nargths' martial art was centered around defense and rocks, taking advantage of their heritage. They would harden their skin, masters were able to literally harden into rocks, making them difficult to defeat. The harder their skin is though, the more difficult it is to move.

Jace danced around the giant, trying to take advantage of this flaw to chip away at him. The giant though lost interest in the obnoxious fly, and punched the ground. The earth shook as a vein of cracks reached Jace. The ground beneath him exploded under him, as the earth became jagged and sharp like knifes stabbing him. He flew, only able to stop himself from dying as he landed.

Wounds covered his body and blood leaked from his mouth. His arms were almost broken, but his legs certainly were. Jace was finished.

Guldring raised his fists to kill him, when an arrow hit him on the side. The arrow didn't pierce, but it did stick. Then, lightning followed.