The Skills Test Pt. 1

The scratching of coarse knitted fabric could be heard as Clove adjusted in his bed. The familiar scent of warm bread had infiltrated his olfactory senses. Letting out an exasperated stretch, he could feel a blanket of warmth slowly crawl over his body as he opened his eyes. The sun was slowing rising against his bed, or rather the bed.

"Silver? Come here, kitty-kitty..."

He allowed his eyes to wander shut once again, until a series of knocks at the door had caused him to jolt up.

"Are you up yet, Clove?"

The knocks were pattering rapidly as Clove sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes, allowing it to tickle passed his scruff.

'That's right. I'm not at home, and Silver isn't here.'

Clove thought to himself as he was homesick, still rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm up..."

He said as he yawned and stretched once more, as though he had reached towards the ends of the world.

"Well, come on then! Time for breakfast! And then we will need to hurry, if we want to be on time for your tests!"

The voice was slightly muffled behind the door, but the firmness had told him it was Rebecca.

He then exhaled slowly as he heaved himself to the edge of the bed. From across the room he could see a pile of clothes that were neatly folded just inside the door. He was thankful for the new clothes, and yet he was sad that he had to leave his old ones behind. They were the last reminder of home, even if they were torn and bloodied.

Walking towards the clothes pile, he was distracted by a dirty mirror with rough edges, hanging on the wall. Clove froze as he looked at the familiar stranger staring back at him.

His hair was more or less the same, dark brown with subtle waves. He had always preferred his hair shorter on the sides, longer up top. He looked at it as being low maintenance, while remaining versatile for styling. The next thing he noticed was his face. It was him, and yet it was a better version of himself. As if he were looking at the mental projection he often thought of, just slightly more handsome than normal. His skin was perfectly clear, for one. Not to mention, his scars were all gone. He didn't have many, just ones that only he could notice, since they all carried their own memories.

His eyes were brighter, and yet hollow at the same time. He realized it was because he was slimmer than normal, or more fit is a better description. He could actually notice certain muscles around his body were more pronounced than normal.

'I wonder if this has anything to do with my strength stat? I'll have to test my theory in the future. If stats affect the way we look, then maybe it will be easier to identify what someone is particularly skilled at.'

Clove pondered this a moment as he slipped on his new clothes.

The pants were scratchy, yet breathable, and the shirt was odd. It was a drawstring tunic with long sleeves that hugged his form.

'Must be an attempt at active wear.'

Clove thought as he slipped on his sneakers. He had hoped that these will last a while longer, not wanting to test out this world footwear just yet.

He then stood up to glance at himself one last time, when he noticed a sheen across his eyes.

[A new Day!]

[You awake feeling rested!]

[All status effects are removed]

[Your HP is full]

[DAILY QUEST! Complete the DAILY QUEST to recieve random awards!]

[Push-ups: 0/50]

[Squats: 0/50]

[Crunches: 0/50]

[Sit-ups: 0/50]

[Targets Killed: 0/1]

Clove read the messages as they came. He could also see a timer ticking down from twenty-four hours. He looked blankly on the message that required him to kill. 'What is with this thing? Is it all just to make me stronger?'

He thought.

Soon the messages faded, and he decided to see if he couldn't complete one of the tasks.

He started doing push-ups, and was fascinated by how aware his system was. He tried to fool it by doing push-ups from his knees, but it only counted them when he was doing them properly. Once he reached a count of twenty-five, he went down the list to complete half of everything, save for the one requiring him to kill.

Clove sat up, surprised that he was just barely breaking a sweat.

'I think I have an idea of which stat will be my favorite.'

[Your Bloodlust is Growing]

'God, what the hell does that even mean?? The messages went away after I killed the wolf, and then they popped up again only a couple hours later.'

As Clove finished his thought, another screen appeared in front of him.

[Access Denied. Reach level 5 to unlock more information]

'Oh, so you'll tell me eventually? Awesome.'

He thought sarcastically.

Clove then patted himself down before exiting the room, realizing he didn't have his usual belongings on him. He let the thought slip his mind as he entered the hall and made his way down the stairs into the main tavern area.

"Foods getting cold."

Rebecca said as she rocked in a chair, cleaning her nails with a small blade. Clove ignored her and took a seat opposite from her, where a plate of breakfast was waiting for him. After he tried everything on his plate, he turned in his seat to face Martin.

"Thank you, Martin!" Clove shoveled another bite of his breakfast into his mouth. "It's delicious, Man!"

Martin returned a thumbs up at Clove's approval.

"Good. You'll need your strength, the test isn't easy. Unless you don't apply yourself, of course."

Rebecca said as she finished grooming herself and held out a hand to inspect her work.

Clove finished his plate and returned it to the bar for Martin. Walking back towards the table, Rebecca had already stood up and was waiting by the entrance for Clove.

'I didn't even hear her move.'

He thought as he exited the tavern alongside her.

Out on the street, Clove could see far more people present than he anticipated. There were busy vendor stalls that were selling food, clothing, as well as weapons and armor. Rebecca gave Clove a silent tour as she walked alongside the vendors, giving him a chance to window shop.

"I wasn't expecting this."

Clove said as he made sure to match Rebecca's quick pace.

"What? Did you think this town was small?"

She said as she turned to face him, walking backwards and pointed behind her with a thumb. "We're still in the market district of Laywater. The town takes up a large space within the valley, bordering Reflection Lake to the East."

They continued along as he noticed eyes were slowly falling upon him. He met the gaze of a few, some had soft smiles, while others paid more attention towards Rebecca. Until a man, covered in soot, exited a building as he carried a large wooden chest in his muscled arms.

"Mornin' Becky!"

He said placing the chest in a wooden cart.

"It's Rebecca, Milton." She said as she scoffed at the man.

Milton reeled back, scratching his head.

"Oh well, who do we have here?"

"This is Clove, he's our newest arrival."

She said as she raised a hand to introduce him.

The two men had shaken hands as small groups of people began walking past.

"So then, this must all be for you! Any idea what you want to do here?"

Milton asked while placing his hand on his hips. He also noticed Rebecca had been staring at him, making him uncomfortable. So he took a more submissive stance.

"I'm not even sure about this whole situation, let alone what job I'll take..."

Clove said as he noticed Milton's behavior, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do great!" He said grabbing another wooden chest, and setting it in the cart. "Take me for example! I have the Merchant's System and the test wa-"

Rebecca then cut him off, in a hurry.

"Alright, Milton. We can't be late. Come along, Clove."

She said, beckoning him.

"Oh-al-alright then! Good luck, Clove! I'll be watching your exam with the others!"

With a cordial wave towards Clove, and an eyeroll towards Rebecca, he returned to his duties.

Clove waved back before catching up with the blunt woman.

"What was that all about?"

Rebecca then looked off in another direction as they walked.

"Milton is a local trader, he's here every so often. Mostly he's trying to find the quickest way to your coin."

Clove looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"No, I meant...why were you being a bitch?"

Clove then stopped in his tracks as he felt a breath against his ear.

'How in the hel-'

"That is the last time I will allow that. If it happens again, you'll wish you stayed dead."

And in another moment she was walking away.

Frozen there, Clove was wide eyed as he wiped his throat where she had a blade pressed against it. He was expecting there to be blood, but his hand was clean upon inspection. Seeing this, he continued to follow her.

"I'm sorry, I could have said it in a better way. I meant no disrespect..."

Clove said, as she ignored him. They continued walking, through deeper crowds now. He then laid his eyes upon what he assumed to be the town square. Seeing now, the true size of Laywater. Hundreds, maybe a couple thousand, people formed a circle around what appeared to be an obstacle course.

Rebecca led Clove through droves of people, allowing him to see the true scale of the course that his test would take place. Where the people formed a circle, he could see that they had all stopped just before a shallow trench that had been dug into the ground. Rebecca casually walked passed this point causing the thunderous crowd to be heard as whispers.

Rebecca had stopped in place and turned to Clove.

"Come on. This is it."

Clove took a moment to look at those around him. They had all been watching in anticipation. Finally stepping over the line, a vibration could be felt in the earth as the ground began to sink in where the line was. Clove picked up his pace to get a safe distance away when the vibration stopped, and the earth settled. Suddenly a massive wall of glass erupted from the ground and encircled the entire town square.

Clove was awestruck as he watched the structure take form, slowly walking towards Rebecca.

"It's just a precaution, in case things become... volatile."

She said with a smirk.

Clove was too enamored by the glass structure to respond. He simply walked forward, taking in his surroundings. Finally finding the words...

"Is... does everyone that comes here go through this?"

He asked as he looked at the various obstacles and odd contraptions. One in particular had caught his eye. It was simply a large black box that he could see trembling.

"Yes, we have all stood where you do now. The rest of your questions should be saved for the council up ahead."

Rebecca said as she began to walk through the middle of the obstacle course.

Clove had noticed some people standing at attention on their side of the glass, their focus was on him. While walking, he began to daydream once again, becoming lost in thought. When suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood, causing him to duck right before he walked into a pole.

'Everyone saw that. There is now way they didn't. Awesome.'

He thought as he was now blushing, focused on walking with Rebecca.

They came to a set of steps which led up to a stage. The stage housed a single podium, as well as seven people waiting to proceed. Between them and the podium was a table covered in what looked like a random assortment of items, each one placed neatly. On either side of the table were large stone braziers that all housed a different material. One was filled with water, another was aflame, one carried dirt, and the final one seemed to be empty. Before he could continue scanning the area, someone finally spoke.

"Good morning to you, Rebecca. This must be our new arrival, yes?"

The man in the center of the seven spoke. He was fairly short in stature, and fairly long in years. With a slender build matched by dark green clothing that was tightly tailored to him. Clove caught the man's stare just as he recieved a system message.

[WARNING! SKILL ACTIVATED AGAINST USER]

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