- New Beginings shouldn't have to mean I need to do all the chores

I wake on my own - it is more out of habit and having trained myself not to sleep the entire day away. However, there is a mix of excitement of finally being able to sign up to take part in the world seeing as I am finally of age and registrations are open again.

I can finally do more.

I rub my eyes, and through the haze I reach for the curtains pulling them open to allow what little light the empty sun emits to light my room. It is faint, like a candle behind a thin cloth the light barely illuminates anything but it is still there.

Crawling on all fours towards the window near my bed, I do my daily ritual of looking at the sun. It is mostly black in the centre with a yellow outline mixed with a red hue. It almost looks unstable because the red and yellow have infected the dark skies giving them little colour.

I've heard of blue skies once and a bright yellow sun in contrast to our black skies and black sun.

It must have been beautiful.

Throwing my legs over the edge and pushing myself to my feet I head straight for the closet, pulling open the door a translucent screen pops up with all of its contents. I pick out the nicest clothes that I could afford by doing small tasks around the city.

Even that pales in comparison to the credits you can earn from going out there beyond our walls.

Stripping all my clothes, I head towards the furthest corner of my room where there is a large wooden bucket - standing in it I lift my hand to the ceiling pointing with my two fingers, "[Rain]."

On command, water starts to pour down onto my body, a neat way to shower but I hate it. It is just that it is a very narrow stream of water which is annoying to wash with but for the sake of not having to pay to go to the bathhouse this is a small price to pay.

Finishing up cleaning myself, "[Dry]," I dry myself with a simple spell that decreases the wet percentile to zero.

Not wasting any time getting dressed I stop in front of the mirror, in my reflection I can see another translucent window hovering just in the centre of it. Ignoring it for a moment I focus on my black hair, I haven't had the chance to cut it so it has been getting rather long.

Running my fingers through it to keep most of it out of my face, I haven't grown my beard past just stubble and I fear that I will be plagued with the face of a child forever - ignoring my insecurity for a brief moment I focus on the stat screen.

Pulling it up to read easier I skim through it to see if anything changed.

Strength sitting at a nine.

Perception at seventeen

Endurance at nine

Intelligence at thirteen.

Agility at sixteen

Dexterity at the highest twenty.

Luck at ten

If only the last one would get a couple of stat points in it but you can't level it at all and you need to find unique ways to do it… the mages that study the system claimed that things that would be considered at 'Lucky' would increase it.

I am doomed.

Reading past the basic stats there is a tab that I never open, I click on the text reading 'Special Talents'. Just like last time, there are three lines written in a language that I can just describe as stripes. Nobody knows what it is and said it would be a safe bet to assume that it is absolutely nothing for now.

On the other hand - I think I have been touched by the gods and been promised endless wealth able to gain higher levels faster than anyone else!

The thought just reminds me that I am still level twenty-three… I am twenty years old… you get one level each time on your birthday.

Maybe it is the other way around. The screen goes out of focus, looking at the grey eyes staring back I sigh loudly as I quietly sob to myself all the downstairs to the front of the building where the Bar is located that my mother and I run together.

Down the stairs, I instantly slap on a smile as I see her on her knees washing the floor, "Good morning, mum."

She looks up from the floor, tucking a loose strand of her thin black hair behind her ear as she shoots me a sweet smile - her hair tied into a neat ponytail only for when she needs to work.

"Hey, sweetie," she lifts herself, wiping her hands off of her apron, "I'd hug you but I am very dirty. I almost forgot that you have to make a trip to the Tower today to finally get assigned… that means I have to hire someone to help out in the Bar."

She furrows her brow with a pout, staring around the place… an obvious tactic to make me feel bad and it is honestly working pretty well.

I then point to the floor, "I can mop the floors - I have some time before registrations close for the day."

"Great! You are the best," she doesn't waste any time handing over the mop to me, "I just have to run a quick errand, would you please do some of the dishes while you can?"

I chuckle, "I said I have time, not all day."

She kisses me on the cheek, "Promise I won't be long."

I watch her leave, rolling up my sleeves and tossing my coat on one of the tables I start mopping the floors, I have had plenty of practice doing this specific job and my mopping skills must be maxed out… if only we had something tracking practical skills.

I am more of a worker than anything else - I should walk around town to see if anyone wants to take over my spot. They just need to do the cleaning and maybe we can finally upgrade this place from just a bar to a tavern. That means we have to find someone that can cook food.

Which, unlike mopping, is a 'real skill'.

I get carried away in my tasks cleaning - from the floors and tables to the dishes from last night - so much so that I have stained my best shirt. About two hours into me doing all my usual chores and doing a little bit extra I am starting to think she did this on purpose to make sure I get my last scrubbing in before finally leaving to do something else.

I undress it, wash it in the washing basin and use my spells to dry it again. I just don't have a spell that can straighten it so I just hope the coat will hide most of the wrinkles.

On my way to leave she finally comes through the doors, with a large grin, "A celebration present," she pushes a leather pack into my arms.

"Mum?"

She nods with a heartwarming grin, "Figured you'd need some of the credits a lot more having to go out there," she then gestures at the bag, "Well? Take a look inside, I got you a little something extra."

I open the translucent menu, this pack has a-

"A hundred slots!?"

She stops me with, "No wait-"

"These things cost more than the building!" I grip both ends of the bag gesturing to it, "We could have-"

"I got that as a gift from the craftsman that drinks here every night, said that you would need it a lot more than him who doesn't leave the city anymore," she then shakes her head, "But… look inside first."

I quickly open up to see occupying one of the slots to see a bow - I pull it out immediately to have it appear in my left hand - the bow itself doesn't have any notes of how it was made but you can clearly see that most of the fittings are made of iron, I am not sure of the string nor the wood but it feels light and sturdy.

"This is awesome," I say with wide eyes, then looking further at the stats to see that very round number of a hundred estimated damage.

She then adds, "It is pretty basic, the best I could get at short notice - I imagine that it won't take long till you get something a tad better but just to have that little something going out."

I let it disappear into the bag, slinging it over my shoulder I step forward to give her a tight hug, "Thank you, mum."

"Just… stay safe okay?"

"I will," I reassure her, not that words do much but it should count for something.

She then quickly pushes me away, "Oh no! I forgot that I am still covered in dust-"

I chuckle, "Don't worry about it, I'll clean it off on the way," I lift my hand into a wave as I head out through the door to the tower.