House on the rise

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House on the rise

277 AC

Westeros

Crownlands-Between Duskendale and Rooks rest

Standing on the edge of a cliff stood a boy no older than 10 name days, his slightly chubby face showing the clear signs of his youthfulness. Wearing a simple tunic and trousers the child exhibited no defining features with dark brown hair and slightly pale skin. The boy's eyes however displayed the gaze of a much older figure, a gaze haunted by memories that should not be known to someone so young. Those eyes are currently watching down from the cliff's edge to what looked like a sizable town that had a moderate castle standing at its Centre. However, instead of a bustling ecosystem the trading, building and general town activity was replaced by a horrifying scene of wanton destruction and devastation that blanketed the area.

Many residential buildings had simply been burnt to the crisp with only their ashes being left in their place and its once strong outer walls that ensured the protection of its people for generations were left in ruins as large pieces of its structure littered the ground. The building with the most damage could be seen on the town castle with two of its three towers that once displayed power and prestige being nothing more than rubble. Truly to any onlooker it would seem like that the town had slighted the seven gods themselves, it could be the only answer for the pure desolation that could be seen.

For Dontos Hollard this had become his reality, the land that he had been born and raised in, where his parents and their parents had been born and raised. The place that had been the seat of power for House Hollard for generations dating back all the way to the age of heroes. All of it vanished in a blink of an eye, its people slaughtered to the last and their prestige stripped like some common whore. Know, all that was left of the Hollard name was him, the last surviving member of his family and the de facto lord of Hollard town

'What's left of it' he thought bitterly, it had been almost four weeks since the sacking of both Duskendale and Hollard town or what many people have now dubbed the 'defiance of Duskendale', where the great house Darklyn and its subsequent ally and vassal house Hollard had decided to kidnap the king of Westeros Aerys Targaryen in a desperate attempt to gain power for their declining houses.

For half a year the king of the seven kingdoms was held in Duskendale with the armies of Westeros led by the hand of the king Tywin Lannister surrounding it, at first it looked like the situation would forever be a stalemate as the lord of Duskendale, Denys Darklyn threatened the demise of the king if any action were taken against them. But those circumstances had quickly changed with the daring rescue of the king by Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard. In the rescue his uncle Ser Symon Hollard the master-at-arms at fort Dun had been killed as revenge for his role in the death of Ser Gwayne Gaunt of the Kingsguard during the taking of the King

With the king now in the safety of his armies, the lord of house Darklyn had lost his bargaining chip and had no other option than to bend the knee and beg for mercy. However, the mercy he was looking for never came. The first orders muttered by the king was to hold a summary execution of every member of house Darklyn and house Hollard for supporting them, with both their lands put to the torch.

"Please don't do this!..."

"Mother, I'm scared?…"

"I beg you to spare my family!..."

"Nooo not like this?!..."

Even today Dontos could still hear their horrifying wails and screams as mothers, sons, daughters and fathers were all wiped away with a single stroke. For Dontos, he who lost both parents at a young age, now had to witness the people he grew up with and raise him be systematically killed one after the other. Till this day he did not understand why Ser Barristan Selmy had pleaded for his survival out of all others, was it some sort of guilt he felt in the destruction of his house or maybe he was just kept alive as a reminder to any future house that may decide to take such drastic actions against the crown. Perhaps in a later date he may find the answer but he doubted it would be anytime soon.

House Darklyn on the other hand had been completely wiped from existence, its wealth, land and titles taken away from them and its people just another page in the history books. For now, house Hollard hung on to survival by a string with the only small respite being its ability to keep the land and titles it had previously held, but that was no blessing Dontos knew. With its coffers completely plundered, its lands ransacked and its people displaced - the future of his house now depends on his survival and ability to lead.

"My lord...?" a voice behind him suddenly broke his inner monologue, looking back at the owner of the voice stood a man not too much taller than himself, wearing dark a brown robe that covered the entire body, his wrinkly skin and greying hair indicating his old age, he was also adorning a sizable chain that hung around his neck that seemed to be made from differing metal rings.

"Maester Bryer I didn't expect to see you here" the man he was talking to was the Maester of Hollard town, a person he was very familiar with. The Maester had been his and the other noble children's teacher and an individual he greatly respected.

"We were getting concerned my lord, the sun has almost set," the Maester said worryingly, ever since that fateful event the young lord had come to this same spot every day, sometimes like today he would spend hours just observing Hollard town below. On those days Maester Bryer would worry and pace that the young lad had decided to end it all and thrown himself off the cliff.

'not that I would blame him' he thought sadly, for twenty-five years Bryer had been Maester of Hollard town and not in all those years of teaching, advising and aiding its lords and ladies would he have thought that this would be its outcome. A house in complete disarray, its prestige and its people thrown to ashes. All of it was caused by arrogance, greed and sheer stupidity and now the results of those actions are accumulating on the shoulders of the poor boy in front of him. The cheerful and exuberant Dontos he knew and taught was long gone and know stood a child how seemed to be living life day by day

"I'm fine Maester I was just taking a breather that's all" he said in an assured tone as he gave him a weak smile, he knew the Maester worried about him, to be honest it felt good knowing he cared so much now that he was largely alone with no one to call family anymore, it made the crushing loneliness that plagued him the past few weeks a little better.

"I see, well, I also wanted to inform you that your supper is ready and you know how Lucia gets if she found out you ate it cold" he said in a slightly more cheerful manner, trying to lighten the mood "you'll never hear the end of it.

Lucia being an old maid and another constant in Dontos's life that had been a small light in these otherwise dark times. Every day she made sure he'd never left his quarters on an empty stomach and of course was not afraid to give him an earful when he did.

He gave the old Maester a small smile and nod "yes I don't think anyone would want that" and with that both Dontos and Maester Bryer walked back to his quarters with the sun settling behind them.

Dontos's room

Luckily for Dontos and the Maester, both had made it back before his supper had gone cold and in turn avoiding a scolding they would have gotten. With his stomach now full of a questionable meat stew and week old barley bread Dontos had decided to turn in for the night and retired to his room.

Relocated to the upper east side of Hollard castle. Being the last standing tower after the attack, it stood with uncertainty in the wind. Dontos himself knew how treacherous it was, he had personally seen the cracks that lined his bedroom but there was simply nothing else. Some of his own people slept in shanty huts just outside the castles wall so he counted his blessings

The room he slept in was the epitome of sparse with a few books, clothes and some sentimental trinkets scattered around. It was not particularly homely but considering the situation it was the least of his problems.

Tonight, however, his problem seemed to be sleeping or the lack thereof, laying in his bed for what felt like hours the boy's mind simply didn't want to shut off. He didn't know why but it was as if the air felt weird, it was a feeling that could not have been described, almost like there was another presence in the room.

Taking a deep breath and quick shake off the head he decided he was over thinking it too much. With a swift Adjustment of himself on the bed, he made it so his body was now facing directly opposite the ceiling

'Okay, just close your eyes and clear your mind, 'he thought to himself as he breathed out slowly. 'Just close your eyes and clear your mind 'he repeated again.

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"D…yo….wa...am"

Twitch

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"u…pla…nt…me"

Twitch

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"wa…lay…a…ame"

.

Slowly opening his eyes Dontos steadied his breathing, he didn't know if it was the wind but he was sure that he had heard whispering just now. Carefully raising his body up from the bed, he scanned around the dark room trying to see if he could locate anything that could explain the strange noises he was hearing. Giving the room another glance over Dontos found there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

'I guess it was the win-

Do you want to play a game?

Moving like had never before, Dontos quickly leaped off his bed as he grabbed a small knife that was kept on his bedside drawer. The voice he just heard was no whisper and this time it came from directly behind, with his heart now pounding like a drum he lifted his small knife in a protective manner.

"W-w-who's there" he asked shakily, his eyes and body quickly darted around the room" S-Show yourself. I-I-I have a weapon".

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Do you want to play a game?

Just like before the same voice repeated. However, this time it seemed to come from every direction. Deciding that the situation was too weird, it dawned on Dontos that it was best he got the hell out of here quickly. Promptly losing any courage he felt, the young lord made a mad dash to the door and grabbed its handle, swiftly twisting he tried to pull it open but found the door was locked. He rapidly tried again with a lot more force and vigour but with no success.

'I never lock this door,' he thought in a panic. With his heart now beating so fast he felt it was going to explode, Dontos slowly turned his body around to face the dark room.

"Hello" his voice coming out as a squeak, he again tried to look around the room for any sign of activity but found none. He then thought of an escape plan by jumping out the windows but it was quickly dismissed, his room was a fair distance above the ground and doubted there was a way he would survive the fall without serious injury.

Do you want to play a game?

Before he could get another thought in, the voice repeated the same phrase as it seemingly came from every direction. Deciding that there was no escaping he quickly mustered the last bit of courage he had

"W-What type of game" he said out loud.

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The game of life

'The game of life? what in the seven gods does that mean' he thought in complete panic and confusion. Slowly steadying his heart rate Dontos realising he was trapped he quickly summarised that there was no other option then to accept the proposal of whatever thing he was talking to.

"Fine" came his surprisingly defiant reply.

#!##?#!#?#

Just as he uttered the last syllable, a blinding white light completely engulfed his room rendering his eyes useless. As he rapidly rubbed them with his hands, his eyelids gradually blinked as they adjusted to the light. The first thing he noticed when they opened was that he was definitely not in his room. In fact, he had no idea where he was because everything in his view was white, the floor, the sky, absolutely everything. Like a never ending landscape that contained absolutely nothing, not a single describable detail other than the fact it was white.

'Did I die?' was his initial morbid thought. He definitely didn't feel dead, but saying that maybe this is how death felt.

* Welcome! *

"Oh fuck!" he screamed in fright, just like back in his room an all-consuming voice had appeared, but unlike the undistinguishable voice he had previously heard this one was distinctively female and a lot more cheerful.

* We would like to congratulate you Dontos Hollard on accepting our invitation to play N.u.u.b incorporations brand new title 'Game of life'. To get you ready to play the game we have set up a 'tutorial' section that will allow you to fully understand the mechanics that the game revolves around. *

* However, we understand for many of our new players, the various concepts and ideas that are involved in the game may be hard to grasp. So to help with this our brilliant engineers have built a special device to easily allow players to comprehend the new knowledge given to them in a quick and efficient manner *

Just as Dontos was about to speak, his brain barely understood the words just said - a square, fist sized piece of the floor lifted from the ground. Hovering in front, it rose till just above his waist. Looking at it with utter amazement, Dontos simply couldn't comprehend how the square box was floating.

* Please put the palm of your hand firmly on the top of the box *

"You want me to…?put my hand on that…?" still not believing what he was seeing. With his mind going a mile a minute, he felt this was either a dream or he was dead. Just as he initially thought. I mean he wouldn't be a surprise at this point knowing his dreadful luck.

* Yes, please put the palm of your hand firmly on the top of the box *

Eyeing the floating box in front of him for what felt like hours, his mind slowly coming to a decision, and with his childlike wonderment, wanting to see what happens – he reaches out - whatever the consequences may be.

'It's not like I have anything to lose' was his last thought as he placed the palm of his hand firmly on the top of the cube. Suddenly a jolt shot up his whole body and a sharp stinging pain formed in his head, but just as fast as it came the pain disappeared. Clutching his head, rapidly blinking, Dontos looked sluggishly around the white landscape

'what hell just happened' was all he could think

It was like his mind had been flooded with information. It was a completely outlandish experience - words, phrases and concepts completely alien to him all of a sudden became known.

"What was that…?" he said out loud unsteadily.

* That was the N.u.u.b box 3000 in action, the ability to transfer vast amounts of information into a players' mind, storing it in their long term memory. It may be just a jumble of words now but after a few seconds it will all start to make sense. *

"What do you mean make se- "he abruptly stopped his sentence

Then everything clicked into place.

Like a puzzle the words came together into ideas and technologies that far exceeded anything he had learnt before. He now understood the voice he was talking to was, it was part of a game, more precisely something called a video game, a video game he was now seemingly a player in.

Dontos' face contorted into utter confusion as his mind debated whether or not he should scream in terror or jump in joy, but he chose to do neither. Because one thing became very clear, he had acquired something that could change his existence, the ability to save his dying house and lead it into a new age. To restore its land and people, he had to grasp this opportunity firmly.

* Great! *

* It looks like you have finally grasped the full potential of the 'Game of life'. With its mechanic's players are able to gain vast knowledge and strength not conceivable to the imagination. you are now ready start the tutorial and begin you adventure *

For the vast question's Dontos had, he decided it was best to hold them. Whatever completely outwardly experience this was he wanted to see it to the end.

"Alright let's go" came his confident response

* To start the tutorial please say or think the word 'status'*

"….."

* To start the tutorial please say or think the word 'status'*

"sorry you mean me" he said in embarrassment, quickly trying to remember what was said" ok um s-status?"

[STATUS]

Name: Dontos Hollard

Title: Lord of house Hollard

Level: 1

XP: 0/500

HP:100/100

SP: 100/100

Strength[STR]:3

Agility[AGI]:3

Endurance[END]:2

Wisdom[WIS]:4

Intelligence[INT]:3

Charisma[CHA]:4

Luck[LCK]:1

Skills

Gamer Mind: With the ability of the gamer your mind has a higher resistance to all negative effects and emotions felt. [level MAX]

Gamer body: With the ability of the gamer your body now possesses rapidly increased healing from light, medium, heavy and even fatal wounds. [level MAX]

Horse riding: Your experience riding horses gives you [+1%] speed boost when travelling by horse. [level 1/100]

Perks

Lord of house Hollard(Title): being the lord of your house gives you [+2] authority in lands that exist in your domain. [level 1/100]

Taking a step back, a blue rectangle appeared seemingly out of nowhere before his eyes, quickly rubbing them thinking it would disappear. He opened his eyes again and it was still there. Wide eyed in complete amazement he started to read the context that was on it, his face started to become more and more stunned by the information he was absorbing.

'Your mind is now resistant to all negative effects?' He thought completely bewildered' increased healing from heavy and fatal wounds?'.

* In the status page the player can see information on their character, the information presented shows the player's title, level, XP, HP, SP, Stats, skills and perks. To see more information on the specifics of each STATUS please press the 'More info' button on the bottom of the screen *

* If you are happy to carry on the tutorial, please say 'continue'*

slowly processing what he was hearing Dontos hesitantly lifted his hand as he identified the 'More info' button. As he cautiously pressed it, the blue screen suddenly switched to a different page with completely new information on it.

Title relates to a term that is either given or earned by the player, every title received by the player will give a unique perk ability that can be seen in the status page (Note: player can have more than one title)

Level indicates the player's current power, and directly correlates to the players XP or 'Experience points'. By gaining XP the player can level up, every time a player levels up they will get an increase in HP and +3 stat points to spend

HP stands for 'Hit points' and displays the player's health in numerical terms. A player can increase their HP by levelling up, they can also increase it by having unique items or perks. If a player's HP goes below zero, the player will die.

SP stands for 'Stamina points' and represents the player's ability to perform physical activities, less straining activities will drain SP less and vice versa.

Stats are one of the most important aspects to a player's ability, the stats represent both the player's physical and mental attributes. For example, increasing strength[STR] can make lifting a heavy object easier or the increase of intelligence[INT] will make understanding harder concepts simpler. Stats can be increased every time a player levels up or can also be boosted by unique items or perks. However, stats can also be increased by doing repetitive actions like sword fighting, reading, running etc.

Skill represents the player's learnt attributes. For example, cooking can be a skill that can be learnt and used, all skills have their own levelling system and can be leveling up by continuous should be also noted that levelling up skills gives unique bonuses when using said skill.

Perks are unique traits that can boost the player's existing stats and attributes, perks can be earned through unique items or be earned through quests. (Note: player can have more than one perk)

'Amazing' is all Dontos could think, as he continued reading the words on the screen his astonishment was written into his face. Re-reading the information, his understanding of the specifics of each mechanic slowly clicking into place. The stats in particular had him very captivated, the idea that he could raise his mental and physical properties in such a formatted way was an extremely exciting prospect.

* However here at N.u.u.b incorporated we pride ourselves in customising specific mechanics for the individual player, so we have added an extra feature that will enable you to further your gaming experience. *

* To access this new feature please say or think the word 'Domain status'*

"Domain status? "came out his confused response, just like before a blue screen suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

[DOMAIN STATUS]

Domain: Hollard town (lvl/1)

Owner/Lord: Dontos Hollard of house Hollard

Population: 350

Coffers: 50 [Gold dragons] / 65 [silver stag] / 120 [coppers]

Lords authority: 7/100(+2)

Food storage: 5/200

Productivity: 5/200

Morale: 5/200

Prosperity: Destitute

Domain effects:

Ransacked and pillaged: The domain has recently been attacked with huge loss of life and destruction to all property [-50 productivity, -50 morale, -50 lord's authority]

Extremely low food storage: many of your citizens are on the verge of starving as the town food storage is on the brink of empty [-50 productivity, -50 morale, -20 lord's authority]

Very low population: Your people are far and few in number, many vital jobs that are important in a functioning society are not filled [-50 productivity]

Extremely low authority: your citizens lack any faith that you are a capable leader, many of them will easily disobey your rulings. Crime and looting are a much more common occurrence. [-20 productivity, -50 morale]

Extremely low morale: Your citizens have no optimism for the future, the low morale has a demoralising effect on the production capabilities [-25 production, -25 lord's authority]

Extremely low production: Your domain has almost no production capabilities, very slow production of food, armour, buildings and various resources [-45 morale]

'Well this is depressing' he initially thought, the screen he was currently looking at was a stark reminder of the situation his house was in, the lack of faith his people had in him was a major issue that had to be fixed quickly. The other problems would also require immediate attention and will undoubtedly demand a huge amount of time and effort. However, the varying information on the screen was invaluable, the fact he could visualize the current problems his lands and people faced was a priceless recourse at his disposal.

*In the 'Domain status' page the player can see information on their domain, presenting the current status of the land the player owns such as Morale, population, productivity, food storage etc. To see more information on the specifics of each STATUS please press the 'More info' button on the bottom of the screen*

* If you are happy to carry on the tutorial, please say 'continue' *

"Continue" came his short reply, it was much easier to understand what he was reading then the last page, with pretty much all of it being quickly understood by him.

* We would like to remind the player that to make any screen being used to disappear all you need to do is say or think the word 'close' *

'Close?' he thought and like magic the screen vanished before his eyes.

* Next is the use of equipment - equipment is very important for any player and is particularly useful in boosting stats. Equipment is ranked on a letter grading system, rankings start from the lowest tier E to D, C, B, A and the highest S. The higher the Grade of letter the better stat boost you will receive. However, players can also find artefact equipment in the world, these artefacts are very rare and offer unique perks and stats boost. Just like normal equipment they are ranked using the same letter grading system. *

* To carry the tutorial please say or think the word 'Inventory' *

"Inventory" came Dontos's quick reply, he already was somewhat familiar with the strange request the voice gave him and so decided not to question them anymore.

[INVENTORY]

[STORAGE:100]

Money: 5(coppers)

Items: None

Currently equipped

Head: None

Chest: Worn out linen shirt[E] [+1 armour]

Arms: None

Legs: Worn out linen pants[E] [+1 armour]

Feet: None

Right ring: None

Left ring: None

Main Hand(weapon): None

Off Hand(weapon): None

As expected a blue screen suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. However, the information that was shown was small when compared to what he had previously seen. Slowly scanning through it Dontos came to the conclusion that this was some sort of storage system that could be used by the player, with the ability to store items or money that he had. Just like the previous pages Dontos was amazed by its seemingly magical capabilities, looking at the 'Currently equipped' section was particularly fascinating.

* In the inventory page the player is capable of storing up to 100 items they may wish to save, it also conveniently transfers any money that the player may earn or receive. The inventory page is similarly great for viewing currently equipped weapons and armour. To place any object into the inventory the player simply needs to touch or hold the item they wish to deposit and say or think the word 'store'. The player should note however, that items over a certain size will not be able to be deposited. *

Gradually mulling over what was being said, Dontos decided that he got the general idea of what the inventory was capable of. Of course his mind was astounded by its capabilities, many of things he thought were just fairy tales were currently right at his fingertips and the slow bubble of excitement was seemingly forming in his stomach

* In the last part of the tutorial the basic concept of Quest and dungeons will be explained *

* Quests are extremely useful for the player as they grant a certain amount of XP after completion and are one of the best ways for a player to level up. Quests can be received by various means, through people, items or even by the system itself. Just like equipment, quests are ranked using a letter grade system, these grades indicate how difficult or easy a quest will be. Similarly, the grade can indicate the size and quality of the reward, with the most difficult quests giving the best rewards. *

* Dungeons on the other hand are Unique areas that can be found anywhere in the world, these areas can only be accessed by the player and just like Quest have a difficulty rating. *

As Dontos intently listened, the world around him suddenly shifted before his eyes. Almost like a book come to life the expansive white terrain he was looking at completely changed as the sky and the ground itself transformed into a widespread sprawling cave system. With mouth now agape Dontos looked around at his surroundings.

* Cave systems are the most common and basic types of dungeons and will usually be lower in difficulty. However, dungeons can have very differing environments, with higher level dungeons offering harsher conditions the player has to traverse. Dungeons are completed by defeating all the enemies that are located in the dungeon, at the end of the dungeon the player will have to fight the dungeon boss and only after defeating it will you be able to receive your reward. *

* We advise the player to make the most out of every dungeon you find, unlike quests dungeons have a rarer chance of appearing. *

With this new information given to him the already slow bubble of excitement he was feeling turned into a full blown fervour. It felt like he was in the stories book he listened to as a kid, where gallant knights would explore the world, finding lost cities and priceless treasures while fighting any evil that may cross their path. In what felt like a long time Dontos felt slightly optimistic for what the future entailed

* Thank you for completing the 'Tutorial'. *

* We would like to remind the player that the information given in the tutorial was only a basic overview of what 'Game of life' is about and so should expect more content when playing the actual game. But don't fret, as the games system, I will always be on hand to explain anything to the player. *

* You are now ready to start your adventure, to begin your journey please say or think 'Start'*

Hearing those words, Dontos stopped and thought about the situation he was in, even though it was all a complete mystery. Questions continuously rang through his head, still not understanding what exactly the strange being talking to him wanted, what was the purpose of all this? Why him? Was this even real? The entire circumstance was utterly bewildering, but yet he could not deny the nervous excitement that was building in him. Right now he had the opportunity he would never get again, the opportunity to restore his house, to become the lord that would bring back the Hollard name and right the wrongs his people had faced.

Taking a deep breath, Dontos stood tall with his eyes full of confidence as he opened his mouth.

"Start"

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Processing 98%...99%...100%

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Initializing 98%...99%...100%

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Game start

#!##?#!#?#

He woke up gasping for air.

Both his lungs filled up with its valuable nectar like it had never done before, sweat seemed to pour off every gland as beads of it drizzled down his face matting his brown hair. Quickly looking around the area, Dontos immediately recognised where he was.

'My room' was his shocked thought, he instantly identified all its familiar décor with his items still where he had left them. Hearing a familiar chirp of bird, Dontos hurriedly got up from his bed and paced to the window, opening the curtains he immediately covered his eyes with his arm as the morning sun rays shone through. Walking to a bowl of water located at the corner of the room, he gathered some in his hands and quickly splashed it on his face. The cold water instantly cleared any sleepiness he still felt.

'Was it all a dream' he thought as he grabbed a cloth to wipe his face. But he quickly dismissed that idea. There was no way, the things he saw, the things he experienced were all too real to be a simple dream.

'only one way to confirm it' he summarised.

"Status" came his short response, immediately after uttering the last syllable a familiar blue rectangle appeared seemingly out of nowhere in front of his face.

Name: Dontos Hollard

Title: Lord of house Hollard

Level: 1

XP: 0/500

HP:100/100

SP: 100/100

Strength[STR]:3

Agility[AGI]:3

Endurance[END]:2

Wisdom[WIS]:4

Intelligence[INT]:3

Charisma[CHA]:2

Luck[LCK]:1

Skills

Gamer Mind: With the ability of the gamer your mind has a higher resistance to all negative effects and emotions felt. [level MAX]

Gamer body: With the ability of the gamer your body now possesses rapidly increased healing from light, medium, heavy and even fatal wounds. [level MAX]

Horse riding: Your experience riding horses gives you [+1%] speed boost when travelling by horse. [level 1/100]

Perks

Lord of house Hollard(Title): being the lord of your house gives you [+2] authority in lands that exist in your domain. [level 1/100]

Just like in the tutorial the rectangle displayed the same information he had seen before. As he carried on reading the information he couldn't help as a giant grin slowly formed on his face

Knock

Knock

Before he could properly process what's happening a sudden knock came from his door. Panicking Dontos quickly tried to remember how to get rid of the status bar. 'What was it again?' He thought in a haste. 'off? no, be gone? That doesn't sound right…close!' he finally remembered and just as fast as it came the blue rectangle disappeared.

Knock

Knock

"My Lord are you awake...?" he immediately recognised the familiar voice of his maid Lucia, quickly gathering his wits, he hurriedly strolled to his door and opened it. Standing behind it was a petite middle aged woman with dark brown eyes and light brown hair tied in a bun, wearing a simple linen dress and an apron over it, she looked exactly like a mother figure that he had been accustomed to all these years.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Lucia, it seems I lost track of time" he said scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"My lord has been doing that a lot lately" she said with knowing tone "however before we carry on talking I must inform you that your daily lessons with the Maester start in three minutes. "as she quickly grabbed the wet towel in Dontos' hand and with that the brown haired maid strolled away to carry on the rest of her responsibilities.

Ding! Quest started!

- Late for school -

You have overslept and in danger of becoming late for your lessons with the Maester. Hurry and make your way there before the time runs out.

Reward:50XP

Timer - 3:00

Before Dontos could even register what Lucia had said, a sudden blue rectangle appeared again. Quickly scanning its information, his eyes grew wider as he immediately glanced darted to the decreasing timer.

'Crap' was all he could think as he dashed to his wardrobe. Hurriedly he stripped himself of his night wear and put on some fresh clothes. In a haste he put on his shoes as his eyes watched the timer go down. With last shoe in place he dashed out of his room through the rubble filled corridor and sprinted down the spiral steps that led to his quarters, he made sure to look out for the countless pieces of debris that still littered the steps.

As he finally made it to the end he hastily remembered the directions of Maester Bryer's relocated study. as Dontos carried on running he could not help but form a bitter smile. These four week had been an endless nightmare for him and his people. A people left to die, but that was all going to change.

House Hollard would rise again.