Gestation by John Gold (love books to read .txt) 📗

inner world, which meant that Anji perceived his surroundings as a threat. There were only two people he trusted inside his defenses. Personal space extends out about 80 centimeters from the body, the distance at which we’re comfortable talking, though Anji pushed that out to a good 120 centimeters. Unfortunately, she wasn’t permitted to chat with Galboa—the medical staff weren’t letting anyone in. The doctors were working to restore his body, and he was unconscious.

Eliza had enough material for a conversation with the boy. She expected Anji to meet her halfway, and at that point she’d be able to start behavioral correction. Her strategy and arguments were ready. She knew all of Anji’s weaknesses.

Vaalsie refused to let Ganet visit her in her city office, so she was going to have to visit him in the orphanage. Just two days remained before she’d finally see the subject of all her work.

All she could do was wonder how he’d react.

∞ ∞ ∞

Vaalsie sat in his chair and thought hard, trying to figure out what the psychologist could want with his ward. Anji was no fool, and there was a lot he knew about what went on in the orphanage. Then, there was that incident with the space port. In two days, Vaalsie was going to find out—the room where Eliza would be chatting with the boy was well wired. For the time being, he’d bought time he could use to clear his tracks and talk with Eliza’s potential informants.

∞ ∞ ∞

Logging into the game, I find myself in my room.

It’s morning.

As I eat, father looks at me with some trepidation. It looks like the battle between the belt and weak healing isn’t over yet.

But I’m wrong. Today, I’m running around the village trying to escape a pack of dogs. Thanks to my stamina and health restoration speed, I’m able to keep running without taking a break, but it’s hard to get away from the dogs without killing them. They’re fed lunch; I’m told to keep running. The animals find their second wind, and I notice Rachel, Grunt, and Ownie sitting by the pond and cheering me on.

“Run, Forrest, run!”

The evening turns out to be action-packed. Finally, sometime during the night, I’m allowed to stop. It hurts, but it’s a lot of fun.

∞ ∞ ∞

Resistance to physical damage: +0.02%

Physical damage ignored: up to 16/second

Speed: +8

Athleticism: +9

It turns out, the dogs were bought as hunters with the very same money I gave father. Four of them, each costing 25 gold coins. Father’s happy, so he tells me about the deal.

“In a week, they’ll be worth 100 gold each.”

“Why?”

“Because they’re going to have attributes good enough for Level 12, and still be just Level 1. They’ll be hearty, fast, and tough, too. They even have class attack skills! We’ll have them nice and well developed in a week.”

“Wa-a-ait… Father… They’re going to train using me?”

The dogs drool as they eye me, and I can’t help feeling awfully nervous.

“Your weak healing, your survivability, and the blissful look you get on your face after I beat you make me the happiest father in the world.” He looks up at the starry sky with a smile and an innocent expression.

“What’s the point?”

“Your own good,” he replied, turning serious again. “The dogs will have a surprise for you tomorrow.”

One eye starts twitching, and I laugh hysterically. My dad is something…

What’s there to say about dogs with green saliva? As it turns out, I’m both running faster and getting poisoned every time they bite me.

∞ ∞ ∞

You were poisoned by basilisk saliva.

Damage: 8.6/second

Duration: 30 seconds… 29… 28… 27…

∞ ∞ ∞

Father, what about paralysis? That would have been a real surprise—this is nothing. In 25 seconds, I’ll be dead.

Now, I have to get away from the dogs, heal myself, dodge them, and everything else, and all on the run. Rachel found a bookmaker, so the locals are betting on which circle the dogs will latch into me on. Her father set up a stand by the lake. What kind of a family is that?

There’s yet another surprise waiting for me at dinner. Mama gave the dogs something, so they’re running faster than me now. There are two whole rows of stands by the lake.

Father bets my own thirty gold on me. “Now you have an incentive!”

Right!

Nobody offers me dinner, though the dogs get something like a berserker potion. They don’t feel pain, and I can’t get them off me. I have to run, healing myself constantly, with two dogs hanging onto my shoulders. Their jaws grow stronger. Blood gushes from my wounds.

It’s only when night falls that father lets me go.

∞ ∞ ∞

Resistance to physical damage: +0.1%

Physical damage ignored: up to 45/seconds

Resistance to poison: +0.1%

Poison damage ignored: 16/second

Speed: +6

Athleticism: +8

Intellect: +6

Wisdom: +6

Life Magic: +8

Life spell effectiveness: +23%

∞ ∞ ∞

That message is a delight to the eyes. I did what I’ve been trying to do all day.

“Attribute window.”

Name: Sagie

Level: 0

Experience: 0/100 (100 left until the next level)

Race: Human

Class: None selected

Basic attributes

Strength: 20

Agility: 20

Stamina: 20

Intellect: 20

Wisdom: 20

Available attribute points: 0

Additional attributes

Speed: 20

Athleticism: 20

Morale: 20

Survivability: 20

Derivative ratings

Physical damage: 10 (strength/2, but no less than 1)

Carrying capacity: 50 kg (strength*10/4)

Mana: 200 (wisdom*10)

Health: 200 (stamina*10)

Strength: 200 (stamina*10)

Health restoration: 200/minute (survivability*10)

Mana restoration: 200/minute (morale*10)

Strength restoration: 200/minute (athleticism*10)

Running speed: 12 km/s (1+speed/10)

Defense: 1

Resistance:

Physical damage: 0.2% (damage ignored: up to 45/second)

Poison: 0.1% (damage ignored: up to 16/second)

Skills

Cooking: 3

Trap setting and disarming: 8

Archery: 2

Swimming: 4

Breath-holding: 5

Stealth: 3

Life Magic: 23

Mind Magic: 1

Space Magic: 1

Earth Magic: 1

Water Magic: 1

Fire Magic: 1

Air Magic: 1

Light Magic: 1

Dark Magic: 1

Meditation: 1

Professions

Herbalist: 2

Fisherman: 16

Tailor: 2

Blacksmith: 1

Carpenter: 1

So many liters of blood in the name of progress! Even the track where I was running is red. On the other hand, it’s all for the best—my winnings turn out to be 80 gold. Time to sleep.

The morning begins oddly. Today, practically everyone in the orphanage stopped their other games to switch over to Project Chrysalis. It’s weird seeing so many happy faces. I kind of feel like I’m in one of those health resorts on Earth or in a Venusian