File type: Text File (.txt) [Download]
-----------------------------------------
It was another unexceptional day in Ramwood Village. But then, they all were. The town bore no noteworthy events, no significant characters; its only real claims to fame being its affordable item and equipment shops, and one of the cheapest inns on the continent.
Kain was, naturally, already bored of the place. But he wasn't quite ready to leave yet. The day part of the land's day-night cycle was nearing its end, and night would fall soon. Then the monsters in the fields outside would grow stronger, as they always did once darkness fell - and more lucrative. Just one more night of farming outside this sleepy, backwoods town, and he'd have enough EXP to not only gain a few more levels, but make significant, early headway on his warrior class skills.
The up-and-coming human hero, Kain, had known he was destined for great things for a long time. His ability to acquire new skills, learn new combat vocations, had always been especially and uniquely high, as had been his rate of stat growth compared to all the other townspeople. And, perhaps most tellingly, so were his portraits and his model work. It didn't take long before he realized - while helping out his hometown's guards repel monsters - he had always had more detailed, more lavish combat sprites than anyone else around. He had more and more intricate dialogue portraits, too, the ability to project a broader range of emotion, the ability to start up dialogue with people more easily - to learn things about the world around him, to get people to spill their secrets.
So it was no surprise to him when the dark king rose on the other end of the world and the monster problem in the fields outside began to grow worse. Kain had expected something like this to happen for many years. He felt no fear at the news and little concern for what damage would be done to the world in the meantime. All he knew was that he would, before long, fight his way to the darkened land of Charlock, becoming the greatest warrior in the land along the way, defeat the king, and pass into legend as a hero.
And so he had settled upon Ramwood after a few weeks of adventuring. He had already helped clean up his hometown, defeated the gnoll warlord terrorizing the town he had visited after, explored the cave and mountain dungeons in between. His next destination would be the capital city, where he would need to get leads on the kidnapped princess so as to gain the royal family's favor, but only after he had gained a few more levels, made a bit more class progress. Kain's combat ability was far in excess of his overall level - with careful modulation of his equipment, including a few uniquely enchanted pieces he had acquired recently, and with careful progress down both warrior and mage class lines, he had just the right array of buffing abilities and elemental attacks to take down enemies and bosses far above his weight class. No other sapient fighter around could match his particular unique skillset, he knew, not with their propensity for sticking to only a single line of skills.
He stepped into the tavern-inn, looking over himself in the detailed character view of his pause menu. His blue hair shone brilliantly from beneath his leather headgear, more brightly than even his enchanted, shimmering iron armor. The leather helmet wasn't the best stat-wise, but he thought it looked decent, and fit with the rest of his armor in a unique way he hadn't seen anyone else around match. He wasn't fully satisfied with his outfit's appearance yet, but the armor selection in these backwoods starting towns was a bit slim, and he knew from the adventurers he had seen before that there'd be far more customization available in the capital. That excited him. Anything to get him looking more distinct than the generic doberman town guards, all of whom used the same sprites, the same armor, the same two dialogue portraits. He had always felt stifled by that. Of course, he was already a bit distinct from those around him, being one of the very few humans in this corner of the continent and possessing the range of dialogue portraits he did, but that wasn't enough for him. He couldn't wait to get his hands on better, flashier gear, and to start customizing his appearance in earnest.
He had no plans of talking to anyone on the tavern's first floor except for the proprietor. There was no point. The coyote pianist playing the building's background music, the rabbit waitress, the bird and fox sitting at the bar - he had exhausted all their dialogue and gotten what bits of traveling advice he could out of them. They were like everyone else in this town - dry, flat side characters that held no significance for him. The fox sitting together with the bird, in particular, was one he had seen several times, once in each town he had been to - the most generic of townspeople, he had started to imagine. His only purpose for being here in this building was to speak to the boar up behind the counter and get only a few hours of rest. He wouldn't get all of his HP and MP back, not having slept through the night, but it would give him enough of a recharge to then be able to survive grinding out in the fields until morning. Then he'd be able to set off to the most tantalizing part of his journey. Just a few more hours in this dull place, a few more just outside the town walls - and then things would really get started. Anticipation welled in his stomach.
But, as he stepped towards the counter, he noticed something - one of the tables was occupied now. A villager, by the look of their clothes; a fox. His fur was a bright and distinct orange, of a sharper shade than the other fox villagers he had seen, and his outfit was a bit different - identifiable as one of the upper-class villager outfits, and at a glance of the same equipment set, but with a few distinct flourishes. He had on a slightly-flashy vest over his white dress shirt, a few equipment pouches strapped on over his chest and around his waist. So he was an adventurer of some sort. He hadn't been in this tavern, or anywhere in this town, for the several days Kain had been here, which was curious, because no major plot events had happened here that would cause any sort of population shakeup. Kain turned from the counter and walked towards the table, wondering what he might find - would he be getting information about some new, potentially exciting happening in the area? Or might this person be willing to join him? He wasn't sure about the latter, as he felt he'd rather take sole credit for the results of his upcoming adventure - the inevitable outcome of which he had already decided, with the type of confidence only a protagonist could muster - but perhaps he could make some use out of this person before going solo once again.
He opened dialogue with the fox. The vulpine looked towards Kain, and his dialogue box and portrait appeared. Unsurprisingly, it was a unique portrait, the only one in Ramwood short of Kain's. The fox gave Kain an easy, disarming smile, and his eyes were just black, diagonal lines, giving him a roguish-yet-cute appearance - far from the glossy detail of Kain's or some of the other villagers. "Oh, hello there," he said. "You must be the rookie hero I've been hearing about! I was hoping I'd run into you."
"You betcha!", Kain said, putting on his cockiest dialogue portrait. "Though I don't think I'm gonna be a 'rookie' for much longer. Glad to hear people are already hearing of me, though. Won't be much longer 'til everyone is! Hah. So, what kind of business are you here for? I've been here a couple days, and haven't seen you around. You got anything you could use help with, or do you need protection, or anything like that?" He was more interested in getting to the point - which he knew existed, he didn't believe in chance meetings - than in pleasantries.
"Oh, well, of sorts. Though it's not really protection that I need, I can take care of myself reasonably well. I imagine I'm not yet quite as powerful as you, but I've managed to work my way up to at least some vocational abilities that can see me through battle. I much prefer to go it alone, anyway." Kain felt a tiny pang of relief at that last part, now not having to deal with the possible hassle of having to find an excuse for cutting this guy loose in the future. "But that is why I'm here, actually. I've been looking to take on some of the monsters and the cave systems nearby once I've finished up some work."
His speech ended there, rather abruptly. Kain's curiosity, and his interest in what he could gain from this, wasn't sated, and he initiated dialogue with the fox once again. "Well," said Kain, now using a somewhat more pensive dialogue portrait as a bit of a negotiating tactic, "...what work is that that brought you all the way out to this hole? There's gotta be something you can use some help with, right?"
The fox's character portrait, too, changed to a more thoughtful-looking one, though his pointed muzzle still displayed a slight smile - there was no way he wasn't somehow important, Kain thought - and his dialogue displayed one of those single-ellipsis text boxes that always frustrated Kain before progressing. "...There is, really. And you're really the only person around who can give me the help I need. I can't offer you much in exchange for your services, but if you're willing to assist me, I can promise I won't take up much of your time." He extended his hand towards Kain. "My name is Rowan. Yours?"
The hero paused for a moment before advancing, a bit put off by the possibility of getting little as a reward for this - but as long as it wasn't an overlong sidequest and went by quickly, he supposed it was alright. "Kain," he said, and then he reached out and shook the fox's hand. The moment he did, he felt something unplaceable. His body and spirit trembled, a sensation that seemed to permeate all the way into his stat window and that lasted for only a moment. It was disconcerting, but no battle screen appeared, and Kain sensed no change to his current status, so he chose not to dwell on it.
"Wonderful," Rowan said, his dialogue portrait now sporting a gleaming smile and a glint from one of his eyes. His own name appeared above his text box, now, cementing him as a character of some significance. "Please, sit down."
Kain was somewhat eager to get this dialogue event over with. He sat quickly, automatically, finding the seat more comfortable than expected. "So! What is it you need from me if you don't want me helping you through a cave or something? Item delivery, borrowing money?"
"Nothing like that. It's just, well... how to put it. I suppose you could boil it down to this: I'm looking to gain power. Not to rule, or anything like that. Just to be someone. To have influence. I think you can understand that, can't you?" His text box closed once his line had finished, forcing Kain to begin the dialogue prompt yet again, and he did.
"I can," said Kain, displaying one of his more serious expressions. "It's all I think about, really," he said, not letting on that rather than kinship, competitiveness towards the fox was starting to rise up within him. He didn't at all notice the shimmering his armor gave as it wobbled - as the specific, unique enchantments he had built up on some of his equipment pieces faded away into nothing.
"It's frustrating, isn't it?" said Rowan, displaying a serious look of his own. "Stifling. So many people around without their own portraits, their own sprites or equipment sets. There are even those without their own routines, who just sit in place repeating trivial words. It feels so... difficult to make something of yourself in this world. To stand above the rabble and distinguish yourself. I suppose that's what all this dark king, monster army business is about then, isn't it? Anyone who can muster up the will and the strength to challenge all of that must be exceptional - to say nothing of the ones who can win."
The dialogue ended. Kain - confused by the italics the fox had used, which he hadn't seen before in any text box, but paying them no other attention - begun speaking again.
"Yeah. You're speaking my language, Red. But I gotta ask, how can I help you with any of this? I mean, I'm the toughest fighter around, and even I'm not quite there yet. And both of us are gonna be going it alone, anyway." His portrait remained stoic. Perhaps because his equipment wasn't reflected in his portrait, he didn't notice at all as his leather helmet bent, tugged, and hardened, reshaping around his head into an iron helm to match the rest of his plain equipment.
"Well, that's precisely what I need," said Rowan with a smile. "It's because you've distinguished yourself so well already that you'll be able to help me." He ran a hand over the top of his head, past his ears, and Kain noticed he was wearing a few rings - enchanted ones, from the way they glimmered. That was especially high-grade equipment. Could he really not have noticed those until now?
He clicked into the fox's dialogue once again, beginning to grow irritated with the way Rowan ended his speech with every line. That irritation camouflaged the shiver he felt as his class skills and progressions started to tremble. Though he hadn't realized it yet, his stat window had been compromised.
Rowan produced multiple ellipsis-only text boxes in a row. His portrait changed with each one, his grin growing progressively wider and slyer, before he began speaking again. "I have to say, though: I'm not much of a fan of techniques using brute strength, myself. They can be useful on the side, but I'd rather fight using magic, assuming I had no choice but to fight, anyway. It's so much more useful for everything - protection, healing... stat adjustment."
His dialogue ended. "And what's that got to do with anything?", the annoyed-looking Kain said. He felt weird. Very weird. Anyone whose innermost role, the determination of their being, was being remolded such would have - but as he had always done, the hero ignored his feelings of doubt and kept on.
"Ah, excuse me," Rowan responded. "I was just... looking at you, thinking about how you must be a warrior type - based on your equipment, of course - and how incompatible our two general fighting styles must be. But it's fine. Experience is experience, no matter how a unique individual chooses to have it manifest - and it's easy enough to redistribute those points when needed. I'll be able to jump up a few spell tiers before long; that should make it simpler to get over to the port town and see if I can get access to a ship, at least."
It was then that Kain noticed that Rowan's outfit seemed different than it had before, decidedly so. He had been sure the fox had been wearing one of the regular villager outfits - but now he was wearing what looked to be parts of an elegant-looking light armor set over his dress shirt, and all of it appeared enchanted. That particular combination of equipment was typically not possible, too - it was as though the fox were wearing multiple armor sets at once, having customized his appearance beyond what even Kain had the option to do. But Rowan hadn't had the chance to change his equipment. He hadn't even left the table they sat at since the conversation began, nor had he really had time to access an equipment menu. Was Kain imagining things?
Rowan continued again once prompted. "It might have been that affinity for magic that helped me break free. And once I did, I started to realize something. Everyone here - from you or I down to the patrons of this bar - are the same kind of thing, fundamentally, in the end. The difference is just in, well, how much distinction each of us has. How much emphasis and value we've been given. That's the thing that sets the guards above the townspeople, that sets you above the guards."
Kain interjected. "Man. What the hell are you talking about? I didn't come here for some long speech, you know! Get to the point already." His dialogue portrait was neutral, flat. He meant to display his riled-up, angry portrait - perhaps the one he had deployed the most, alongside his cocky grin - but it just wouldn't come out for some reason, no matter how hard he tried. That made him feel uneasy.
The fox kept smiling. "Well, that distinction, that 'x-factor' - it's quantifiable, to a degree. And, well... I don't have to say much by this point, do I? It seems to just... flow into me, wherever I go, from wherever I will it to. It's very useful. Once you've gotten a few extra sprites, a few unique combat routines, all sorts of bosses and important characters just give way once they're near you. And things snowball from there."
Kain felt a jarring feeling inside of him; like something being wrenched loose forcefully. Then he was left feeling a vague, uncomfortable sense of unease - but he couldn't exactly place why. The insinuation of the fox's words was resonating in his mind, but any reason why he would especially care about the fact of Rowan's strange abilities seemed to have vanished from his mind, leaving only a disquieting void.
The dialogue ended. Kain went to reinitiate it once again, but found that he couldn't. The prompt simply wouldn't appear, no matter how many times he sent the command. Then, suddenly, Rowan brought up a dialogue box all on his own. "That's it, really. You've done plenty for me already." His portrait changed to a neutral expression. "With all of this power, I should have enough of a level lead to explore this entire continent safely. And I have just about all the appearance customization I could want now, I think. But you've been such a wonderful font already, by far the greatest source I've had. I wonder just how far I can take this."
Kain felt his head changing. His hair quickly began flattening, losing its gloss and shine, and what spikes of it emerged from beneath his helmet began receding within the protective gear as they turned a dull, ordinary brown.
"Tell me. What do you think of all this?", said Rowan, initiating dialogue.
Kain pulled up a dialogue box, now only in response. His portrait refused to display at all. Perhaps there wasn't much to show, though; his appearance had simplified. His face was half-covered in shadow by his helmet, giving him a vaguely faceless look. Even the canine guards he had seen repeatedly in every town so far had had more distinct appearances than he had had, he realized - with only a hint of unease, not as much as he perhaps should have felt.
He wasn't sure what to say. He knew he was losing... something. But that didn't seem to matter to him much, now. Then something struck through, something clear and straightforward and purposeful - and, most importantly, guard-like - that seemed fully appropriate for the situation. And so he said it.
"I hope someone does something about all of this monster business soon. Can't get any sleep these days," he muttered, the name tag over his dialogue becoming more and more translucent by the second. It was true. He longed for the day when the dark king was destroyed and peace returned to the world. But there was still something distinctly wrong about the sentiment and the feelings behind it.
"You don't have to worry about any of that," Rowan said - and again the guard that had been Kain felt a wrenching inside him. "Thanks to you and all of your contributions, I'll be taking care of that business in no time. I guarantee it. You and everyone else can rest easy - in your little static, predefined roles."
Everything grew very, very fuzzy for the guard, and then everything shifted at once. His level - as relatively meager as it was, compared to what it had been an hour ago - was depleted to 1 abruptly, with all of his vocational abilities and skills dissolving along with his experience. His armor changed shape, becoming ordinary villagers' clothes. And his appearance changed utterly even beyond that. Fur rapidly grew over his body, a bushy tail emerged from above the seat of his pants, his face grew outwards into a pointed snout.
He was the often-reused bar fox, he realized. The one that appeared in every town.
"Oh. Curious," Rowan said, his dialogue portrait amused. "I suppose all seven towns I've seen have had one of you in it. I wonder if this is the most generic a character can get? How enticing."
The fox - the new one - struggled for something to say. There had to be some kind of way to express the growing, flattened wrongness that was simmering inside him. Why couldn't he? His frustration grew and grew, his thoughts mingled with the proper-feeling line he had recited moments ago and the dull sense of rightness he had felt when he did so, and he opened his dialogue box, spilling his soul.
"Gosh. I can't wait to meet that hero!", the sitting fox said. It was the line several of these foxes had already repeated to him, he recognized. A useless, vapid piece of dialogue. Not what he had wanted to say. But again, the sentiment rang true - far truer than he would have wanted, and perhaps far truer and deeper than any conviction he had ever felt in his prior existence. He did want to meet that hero. It was why he was placed here, after all. What other reason for existence could there possibly be? He couldn't wait for the day the hero came to him and validated the minutes of work that had been put into his assets and placement.
The dialogue box ended. Rowan looked over himself for a moment - his shimmering, high-level wizard's staff, his array of powerful spells, class skills, and equipment. He could feel the potential in every movement he made, the amount of unique sprites, portraits, and interactions he would be able to have - very few of which he could access here, in the bar of this backwater town. So he would set out. It was night, yes, but what better set of monsters to test his ability against than the stronger nighttime one?
He rose from the table, and turned towards the sitting fox again - as far as he was aware, none of these had more than three frames of animation for their actions, much less any kind of behavior for leaving the tables they sat at. He initiated dialogue with the character. "Thank you for all of your help! I just knew you were the right man for the job. I hope you enjoy the much-deserved relaxation ahead of you! I know I'll certainly enjoy the grand quest I have coming up, at any rate."
"Gosh. I can't wait to meet that hero!", the fox said. Rowan left the bar, not giving the fox even a glance. And there he stayed, as he always would, even up through the defeat of the dark king and the scrolling of the credits, and beyond that, for many more adventures to come. And that was enough for him. The excitement of what was to come - for the day he met the hero - took precedence over everything else, crowding what few scattered thoughts he had out of his mind for good.
He couldn't wait.
-----------------------------------------
It was another unexceptional day in Ramwood Village. But then, they all were. The town bore no noteworthy events, no significant characters; its only real claims to fame being its affordable item and equipment shops, and one of the cheapest inns on the continent.
Kain was, naturally, already bored of the place. But he wasn't quite ready to leave yet. The day part of the land's day-night cycle was nearing its end, and night would fall soon. Then the monsters in the fields outside would grow stronger, as they always did once darkness fell - and more lucrative. Just one more night of farming outside this sleepy, backwoods town, and he'd have enough EXP to not only gain a few more levels, but make significant, early headway on his warrior class skills.
The up-and-coming human hero, Kain, had known he was destined for great things for a long time. His ability to acquire new skills, learn new combat vocations, had always been especially and uniquely high, as had been his rate of stat growth compared to all the other townspeople. And, perhaps most tellingly, so were his portraits and his model work. It didn't take long before he realized - while helping out his hometown's guards repel monsters - he had always had more detailed, more lavish combat sprites than anyone else around. He had more and more intricate dialogue portraits, too, the ability to project a broader range of emotion, the ability to start up dialogue with people more easily - to learn things about the world around him, to get people to spill their secrets.
So it was no surprise to him when the dark king rose on the other end of the world and the monster problem in the fields outside began to grow worse. Kain had expected something like this to happen for many years. He felt no fear at the news and little concern for what damage would be done to the world in the meantime. All he knew was that he would, before long, fight his way to the darkened land of Charlock, becoming the greatest warrior in the land along the way, defeat the king, and pass into legend as a hero.
And so he had settled upon Ramwood after a few weeks of adventuring. He had already helped clean up his hometown, defeated the gnoll warlord terrorizing the town he had visited after, explored the cave and mountain dungeons in between. His next destination would be the capital city, where he would need to get leads on the kidnapped princess so as to gain the royal family's favor, but only after he had gained a few more levels, made a bit more class progress. Kain's combat ability was far in excess of his overall level - with careful modulation of his equipment, including a few uniquely enchanted pieces he had acquired recently, and with careful progress down both warrior and mage class lines, he had just the right array of buffing abilities and elemental attacks to take down enemies and bosses far above his weight class. No other sapient fighter around could match his particular unique skillset, he knew, not with their propensity for sticking to only a single line of skills.
He stepped into the tavern-inn, looking over himself in the detailed character view of his pause menu. His blue hair shone brilliantly from beneath his leather headgear, more brightly than even his enchanted, shimmering iron armor. The leather helmet wasn't the best stat-wise, but he thought it looked decent, and fit with the rest of his armor in a unique way he hadn't seen anyone else around match. He wasn't fully satisfied with his outfit's appearance yet, but the armor selection in these backwoods starting towns was a bit slim, and he knew from the adventurers he had seen before that there'd be far more customization available in the capital. That excited him. Anything to get him looking more distinct than the generic doberman town guards, all of whom used the same sprites, the same armor, the same two dialogue portraits. He had always felt stifled by that. Of course, he was already a bit distinct from those around him, being one of the very few humans in this corner of the continent and possessing the range of dialogue portraits he did, but that wasn't enough for him. He couldn't wait to get his hands on better, flashier gear, and to start customizing his appearance in earnest.
He had no plans of talking to anyone on the tavern's first floor except for the proprietor. There was no point. The coyote pianist playing the building's background music, the rabbit waitress, the bird and fox sitting at the bar - he had exhausted all their dialogue and gotten what bits of traveling advice he could out of them. They were like everyone else in this town - dry, flat side characters that held no significance for him. The fox sitting together with the bird, in particular, was one he had seen several times, once in each town he had been to - the most generic of townspeople, he had started to imagine. His only purpose for being here in this building was to speak to the boar up behind the counter and get only a few hours of rest. He wouldn't get all of his HP and MP back, not having slept through the night, but it would give him enough of a recharge to then be able to survive grinding out in the fields until morning. Then he'd be able to set off to the most tantalizing part of his journey. Just a few more hours in this dull place, a few more just outside the town walls - and then things would really get started. Anticipation welled in his stomach.
But, as he stepped towards the counter, he noticed something - one of the tables was occupied now. A villager, by the look of their clothes; a fox. His fur was a bright and distinct orange, of a sharper shade than the other fox villagers he had seen, and his outfit was a bit different - identifiable as one of the upper-class villager outfits, and at a glance of the same equipment set, but with a few distinct flourishes. He had on a slightly-flashy vest over his white dress shirt, a few equipment pouches strapped on over his chest and around his waist. So he was an adventurer of some sort. He hadn't been in this tavern, or anywhere in this town, for the several days Kain had been here, which was curious, because no major plot events had happened here that would cause any sort of population shakeup. Kain turned from the counter and walked towards the table, wondering what he might find - would he be getting information about some new, potentially exciting happening in the area? Or might this person be willing to join him? He wasn't sure about the latter, as he felt he'd rather take sole credit for the results of his upcoming adventure - the inevitable outcome of which he had already decided, with the type of confidence only a protagonist could muster - but perhaps he could make some use out of this person before going solo once again.
He opened dialogue with the fox. The vulpine looked towards Kain, and his dialogue box and portrait appeared. Unsurprisingly, it was a unique portrait, the only one in Ramwood short of Kain's. The fox gave Kain an easy, disarming smile, and his eyes were just black, diagonal lines, giving him a roguish-yet-cute appearance - far from the glossy detail of Kain's or some of the other villagers. "Oh, hello there," he said. "You must be the rookie hero I've been hearing about! I was hoping I'd run into you."
"You betcha!", Kain said, putting on his cockiest dialogue portrait. "Though I don't think I'm gonna be a 'rookie' for much longer. Glad to hear people are already hearing of me, though. Won't be much longer 'til everyone is! Hah. So, what kind of business are you here for? I've been here a couple days, and haven't seen you around. You got anything you could use help with, or do you need protection, or anything like that?" He was more interested in getting to the point - which he knew existed, he didn't believe in chance meetings - than in pleasantries.
"Oh, well, of sorts. Though it's not really protection that I need, I can take care of myself reasonably well. I imagine I'm not yet quite as powerful as you, but I've managed to work my way up to at least some vocational abilities that can see me through battle. I much prefer to go it alone, anyway." Kain felt a tiny pang of relief at that last part, now not having to deal with the possible hassle of having to find an excuse for cutting this guy loose in the future. "But that is why I'm here, actually. I've been looking to take on some of the monsters and the cave systems nearby once I've finished up some work."
His speech ended there, rather abruptly. Kain's curiosity, and his interest in what he could gain from this, wasn't sated, and he initiated dialogue with the fox once again. "Well," said Kain, now using a somewhat more pensive dialogue portrait as a bit of a negotiating tactic, "...what work is that that brought you all the way out to this hole? There's gotta be something you can use some help with, right?"
The fox's character portrait, too, changed to a more thoughtful-looking one, though his pointed muzzle still displayed a slight smile - there was no way he wasn't somehow important, Kain thought - and his dialogue displayed one of those single-ellipsis text boxes that always frustrated Kain before progressing. "...There is, really. And you're really the only person around who can give me the help I need. I can't offer you much in exchange for your services, but if you're willing to assist me, I can promise I won't take up much of your time." He extended his hand towards Kain. "My name is Rowan. Yours?"
The hero paused for a moment before advancing, a bit put off by the possibility of getting little as a reward for this - but as long as it wasn't an overlong sidequest and went by quickly, he supposed it was alright. "Kain," he said, and then he reached out and shook the fox's hand. The moment he did, he felt something unplaceable. His body and spirit trembled, a sensation that seemed to permeate all the way into his stat window and that lasted for only a moment. It was disconcerting, but no battle screen appeared, and Kain sensed no change to his current status, so he chose not to dwell on it.
"Wonderful," Rowan said, his dialogue portrait now sporting a gleaming smile and a glint from one of his eyes. His own name appeared above his text box, now, cementing him as a character of some significance. "Please, sit down."
Kain was somewhat eager to get this dialogue event over with. He sat quickly, automatically, finding the seat more comfortable than expected. "So! What is it you need from me if you don't want me helping you through a cave or something? Item delivery, borrowing money?"
"Nothing like that. It's just, well... how to put it. I suppose you could boil it down to this: I'm looking to gain power. Not to rule, or anything like that. Just to be someone. To have influence. I think you can understand that, can't you?" His text box closed once his line had finished, forcing Kain to begin the dialogue prompt yet again, and he did.
"I can," said Kain, displaying one of his more serious expressions. "It's all I think about, really," he said, not letting on that rather than kinship, competitiveness towards the fox was starting to rise up within him. He didn't at all notice the shimmering his armor gave as it wobbled - as the specific, unique enchantments he had built up on some of his equipment pieces faded away into nothing.
"It's frustrating, isn't it?" said Rowan, displaying a serious look of his own. "Stifling. So many people around without their own portraits, their own sprites or equipment sets. There are even those without their own routines, who just sit in place repeating trivial words. It feels so... difficult to make something of yourself in this world. To stand above the rabble and distinguish yourself. I suppose that's what all this dark king, monster army business is about then, isn't it? Anyone who can muster up the will and the strength to challenge all of that must be exceptional - to say nothing of the ones who can win."
The dialogue ended. Kain - confused by the italics the fox had used, which he hadn't seen before in any text box, but paying them no other attention - begun speaking again.
"Yeah. You're speaking my language, Red. But I gotta ask, how can I help you with any of this? I mean, I'm the toughest fighter around, and even I'm not quite there yet. And both of us are gonna be going it alone, anyway." His portrait remained stoic. Perhaps because his equipment wasn't reflected in his portrait, he didn't notice at all as his leather helmet bent, tugged, and hardened, reshaping around his head into an iron helm to match the rest of his plain equipment.
"Well, that's precisely what I need," said Rowan with a smile. "It's because you've distinguished yourself so well already that you'll be able to help me." He ran a hand over the top of his head, past his ears, and Kain noticed he was wearing a few rings - enchanted ones, from the way they glimmered. That was especially high-grade equipment. Could he really not have noticed those until now?
He clicked into the fox's dialogue once again, beginning to grow irritated with the way Rowan ended his speech with every line. That irritation camouflaged the shiver he felt as his class skills and progressions started to tremble. Though he hadn't realized it yet, his stat window had been compromised.
Rowan produced multiple ellipsis-only text boxes in a row. His portrait changed with each one, his grin growing progressively wider and slyer, before he began speaking again. "I have to say, though: I'm not much of a fan of techniques using brute strength, myself. They can be useful on the side, but I'd rather fight using magic, assuming I had no choice but to fight, anyway. It's so much more useful for everything - protection, healing... stat adjustment."
His dialogue ended. "And what's that got to do with anything?", the annoyed-looking Kain said. He felt weird. Very weird. Anyone whose innermost role, the determination of their being, was being remolded such would have - but as he had always done, the hero ignored his feelings of doubt and kept on.
"Ah, excuse me," Rowan responded. "I was just... looking at you, thinking about how you must be a warrior type - based on your equipment, of course - and how incompatible our two general fighting styles must be. But it's fine. Experience is experience, no matter how a unique individual chooses to have it manifest - and it's easy enough to redistribute those points when needed. I'll be able to jump up a few spell tiers before long; that should make it simpler to get over to the port town and see if I can get access to a ship, at least."
It was then that Kain noticed that Rowan's outfit seemed different than it had before, decidedly so. He had been sure the fox had been wearing one of the regular villager outfits - but now he was wearing what looked to be parts of an elegant-looking light armor set over his dress shirt, and all of it appeared enchanted. That particular combination of equipment was typically not possible, too - it was as though the fox were wearing multiple armor sets at once, having customized his appearance beyond what even Kain had the option to do. But Rowan hadn't had the chance to change his equipment. He hadn't even left the table they sat at since the conversation began, nor had he really had time to access an equipment menu. Was Kain imagining things?
Rowan continued again once prompted. "It might have been that affinity for magic that helped me break free. And once I did, I started to realize something. Everyone here - from you or I down to the patrons of this bar - are the same kind of thing, fundamentally, in the end. The difference is just in, well, how much distinction each of us has. How much emphasis and value we've been given. That's the thing that sets the guards above the townspeople, that sets you above the guards."
Kain interjected. "Man. What the hell are you talking about? I didn't come here for some long speech, you know! Get to the point already." His dialogue portrait was neutral, flat. He meant to display his riled-up, angry portrait - perhaps the one he had deployed the most, alongside his cocky grin - but it just wouldn't come out for some reason, no matter how hard he tried. That made him feel uneasy.
The fox kept smiling. "Well, that distinction, that 'x-factor' - it's quantifiable, to a degree. And, well... I don't have to say much by this point, do I? It seems to just... flow into me, wherever I go, from wherever I will it to. It's very useful. Once you've gotten a few extra sprites, a few unique combat routines, all sorts of bosses and important characters just give way once they're near you. And things snowball from there."
Kain felt a jarring feeling inside of him; like something being wrenched loose forcefully. Then he was left feeling a vague, uncomfortable sense of unease - but he couldn't exactly place why. The insinuation of the fox's words was resonating in his mind, but any reason why he would especially care about the fact of Rowan's strange abilities seemed to have vanished from his mind, leaving only a disquieting void.
The dialogue ended. Kain went to reinitiate it once again, but found that he couldn't. The prompt simply wouldn't appear, no matter how many times he sent the command. Then, suddenly, Rowan brought up a dialogue box all on his own. "That's it, really. You've done plenty for me already." His portrait changed to a neutral expression. "With all of this power, I should have enough of a level lead to explore this entire continent safely. And I have just about all the appearance customization I could want now, I think. But you've been such a wonderful font already, by far the greatest source I've had. I wonder just how far I can take this."
Kain felt his head changing. His hair quickly began flattening, losing its gloss and shine, and what spikes of it emerged from beneath his helmet began receding within the protective gear as they turned a dull, ordinary brown.
"Tell me. What do you think of all this?", said Rowan, initiating dialogue.
Kain pulled up a dialogue box, now only in response. His portrait refused to display at all. Perhaps there wasn't much to show, though; his appearance had simplified. His face was half-covered in shadow by his helmet, giving him a vaguely faceless look. Even the canine guards he had seen repeatedly in every town so far had had more distinct appearances than he had had, he realized - with only a hint of unease, not as much as he perhaps should have felt.
He wasn't sure what to say. He knew he was losing... something. But that didn't seem to matter to him much, now. Then something struck through, something clear and straightforward and purposeful - and, most importantly, guard-like - that seemed fully appropriate for the situation. And so he said it.
"I hope someone does something about all of this monster business soon. Can't get any sleep these days," he muttered, the name tag over his dialogue becoming more and more translucent by the second. It was true. He longed for the day when the dark king was destroyed and peace returned to the world. But there was still something distinctly wrong about the sentiment and the feelings behind it.
"You don't have to worry about any of that," Rowan said - and again the guard that had been Kain felt a wrenching inside him. "Thanks to you and all of your contributions, I'll be taking care of that business in no time. I guarantee it. You and everyone else can rest easy - in your little static, predefined roles."
Everything grew very, very fuzzy for the guard, and then everything shifted at once. His level - as relatively meager as it was, compared to what it had been an hour ago - was depleted to 1 abruptly, with all of his vocational abilities and skills dissolving along with his experience. His armor changed shape, becoming ordinary villagers' clothes. And his appearance changed utterly even beyond that. Fur rapidly grew over his body, a bushy tail emerged from above the seat of his pants, his face grew outwards into a pointed snout.
He was the often-reused bar fox, he realized. The one that appeared in every town.
"Oh. Curious," Rowan said, his dialogue portrait amused. "I suppose all seven towns I've seen have had one of you in it. I wonder if this is the most generic a character can get? How enticing."
The fox - the new one - struggled for something to say. There had to be some kind of way to express the growing, flattened wrongness that was simmering inside him. Why couldn't he? His frustration grew and grew, his thoughts mingled with the proper-feeling line he had recited moments ago and the dull sense of rightness he had felt when he did so, and he opened his dialogue box, spilling his soul.
"Gosh. I can't wait to meet that hero!", the sitting fox said. It was the line several of these foxes had already repeated to him, he recognized. A useless, vapid piece of dialogue. Not what he had wanted to say. But again, the sentiment rang true - far truer than he would have wanted, and perhaps far truer and deeper than any conviction he had ever felt in his prior existence. He did want to meet that hero. It was why he was placed here, after all. What other reason for existence could there possibly be? He couldn't wait for the day the hero came to him and validated the minutes of work that had been put into his assets and placement.
The dialogue box ended. Rowan looked over himself for a moment - his shimmering, high-level wizard's staff, his array of powerful spells, class skills, and equipment. He could feel the potential in every movement he made, the amount of unique sprites, portraits, and interactions he would be able to have - very few of which he could access here, in the bar of this backwater town. So he would set out. It was night, yes, but what better set of monsters to test his ability against than the stronger nighttime one?
He rose from the table, and turned towards the sitting fox again - as far as he was aware, none of these had more than three frames of animation for their actions, much less any kind of behavior for leaving the tables they sat at. He initiated dialogue with the character. "Thank you for all of your help! I just knew you were the right man for the job. I hope you enjoy the much-deserved relaxation ahead of you! I know I'll certainly enjoy the grand quest I have coming up, at any rate."
"Gosh. I can't wait to meet that hero!", the fox said. Rowan left the bar, not giving the fox even a glance. And there he stayed, as he always would, even up through the defeat of the dark king and the scrolling of the credits, and beyond that, for many more adventures to come. And that was enough for him. The excitement of what was to come - for the day he met the hero - took precedence over everything else, crowding what few scattered thoughts he had out of his mind for good.
He couldn't wait.
The land - or is that the game world? - needs a hero. The forces of evil are eating away at the peace of the realm - and we know how stories of this sort go, of course. A hero, a true main character, must rise up to oppose them, his strength and skill elevating him above the faceless, rigidly-scripted masses and seeing him ascend to glory.
Kain is that hero. Or so he thinks - and he probably isn't wrong. He's never met anyone with more obvious potential than him. But there is one villager he's yet to meet... and perhaps their encounter will change things for the both of them.
4k words! A short story I quickly wrote up some time ago after seeing this tweet written by erakir. I wasn't sure if it was substantial or broadly appealing enough to post and was considering holding off, at first, but discussing it with a friend of mine convinced me it's worthy enough for upload, so here it is! Hopefully you enjoy - consider leaving a comment if you do!
Kain is that hero. Or so he thinks - and he probably isn't wrong. He's never met anyone with more obvious potential than him. But there is one villager he's yet to meet... and perhaps their encounter will change things for the both of them.
4k words! A short story I quickly wrote up some time ago after seeing this tweet written by erakir. I wasn't sure if it was substantial or broadly appealing enough to post and was considering holding off, at first, but discussing it with a friend of mine convinced me it's worthy enough for upload, so here it is! Hopefully you enjoy - consider leaving a comment if you do!
Category Story / Transformation
Species Red Fox
Gender Male
Size 120 x 120px
This remains oh so wonderful a story, I could read it a hundred times!
After all, it's easy to reread when you weren't programmed with the capacity to remember anything once the hero leaves the room you're in~
After all, it's easy to reread when you weren't programmed with the capacity to remember anything once the hero leaves the room you're in~
Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. As soon as I read your tweet I knew there had to be some way I could make a story out of it; it satisfies me a lot that people feel this came out well.
The fox will have plenty of free time to read now, at least! Though the lack of animations might might be a problem.
The fox will have plenty of free time to read now, at least! Though the lack of animations might might be a problem.
I can't tell if its from me having been listening to a lot of Undertale theories and music recently, or just because of my pre-existing enjoyment of generification and the thought of stealing stats; traits and stuff for one's own use, but this story has been quite enjoyable to read. If harrowing at the end and at how folks in this setting, unlike Kain or Rowan, are incapable of developing further. Seems like the fact this is a game world is far more embedded into this setting than your usual RPG-Mechanics 'Verse.
And it is a bit tragic that, if Rowan is now the Hero due to stealing that spot, Kain (for lack of a better term) did meet the Hero, besides the general dread from the fact that Kain (again, still for lack of a better term) is unable to do anything besides repeat his lines and think solely on wanting to meet the Hero even past the end of the game's story. Although considering his own somewhat arrogant thoughts at the literal NPCs in this setting, it did at least feel a bit better in this case that Kain ended up becoming one of the most generic ones.
And it is a bit tragic that, if Rowan is now the Hero due to stealing that spot, Kain (for lack of a better term) did meet the Hero, besides the general dread from the fact that Kain (again, still for lack of a better term) is unable to do anything besides repeat his lines and think solely on wanting to meet the Hero even past the end of the game's story. Although considering his own somewhat arrogant thoughts at the literal NPCs in this setting, it did at least feel a bit better in this case that Kain ended up becoming one of the most generic ones.
This is definitely more of a world that exists within the constraints of a video game's limitations, than a genuine fantasy world that happens to incorporate RPG mechanics, as Undertale is. Taking Erakir's original tweet as a prompt, I feel like that kind of structure had to be necessary for the setting, you know? I feel like most of the characters in the setting probably have very limited interiority and limited self-awareness. But I'm sure there are always flukes from time to time, like Rowan.
And it's true - at the very least, Kain did have his brush with heroism and greatness! It may have been a briefer one than he anticipated, but I'm sure he won't mind, not anymore. And his condescension towards the more limited characters of the world, is one of my personal favorite aspects of the story, given how things turn out.
And it's true - at the very least, Kain did have his brush with heroism and greatness! It may have been a briefer one than he anticipated, but I'm sure he won't mind, not anymore. And his condescension towards the more limited characters of the world, is one of my personal favorite aspects of the story, given how things turn out.
I see, that's a good way of putting it in this scenario. And while I could bring up other ideas, this is the way you took the prompt and it did make for a pretty enjoyable; if dark; story, and I do understand how the conclusion leading to this tale came to be. And I see there, not much for me to elaborate on the facts of the matter, but I can certainly bring in some opinions: Like the fact that there are flukes is nifty; like emergent AI in some kind of sci-fi story or something, popping out of the 'code' with more self-awareness and internal lives than most others in this game-like world.
Yeah, and while a bit tragic, the karmic aspect did keep it from making the transformation and his fate too bitter. He kind of had it coming, then again, lots of questions and thoughts could be made on the value of the lives of literal NPCs in this world, if it really is unwarranted to see them as beneath a more self-aware being, the likelihood of others seeing NPCs similarly and more. But at least in this isolated instance, it felt kinda sweet to see Kain fall into becoming one of the most generic NPCs in this world.
Yeah, and while a bit tragic, the karmic aspect did keep it from making the transformation and his fate too bitter. He kind of had it coming, then again, lots of questions and thoughts could be made on the value of the lives of literal NPCs in this world, if it really is unwarranted to see them as beneath a more self-aware being, the likelihood of others seeing NPCs similarly and more. But at least in this isolated instance, it felt kinda sweet to see Kain fall into becoming one of the most generic NPCs in this world.
Oooo, that's amazingly hawwwt~! You did an excellent job ocne again~!
this type of tf needs to be more written. Absolutely love this idea.
It's not one I had considered or would have seen myself writing before Erakir's original tweet, but I think it's a pretty fun concept and clicked with my writing approach nicely! Thank you for reading.
Given that I've had some success with mimicking RPG textbox/chatlog styles, too many plots to think of.
This is an incredibly good story, great work! The dedication to leaning into the RPG elements made it super interesting to read, you struck a really interesting balance with how Kain is so fully aware of the game elements and thinks in terms of "clicking through menus" and such, and yet is also still living in the world itself.
And of course, the ways you captured genericification were VERY good!
Thank you for delivering this story, hero! Here's your reward.
Exchanged Item: High-quality Story
Received: 500gp, 40 EXP, 2x Gemstones
And of course, the ways you captured genericification were VERY good!
Thank you for delivering this story, hero! Here's your reward.
Exchanged Item: High-quality Story
Received: 500gp, 40 EXP, 2x Gemstones
Thank you, haha! The story concept called for fully blending the video game aspects into the world, so I had to really go for it - it was a lot of fun, and I'm happy that aspect has clicked with people!
Oh this was a fun concept, really liked how it was executed here with the slow and gradual changes until it all culminated at the end there... very nicely done
Comments