Maid in Fantasy - Vensday

Story Hub: [link]

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            “It’s Vensday!” Lady Aphros burst into Serena’s room one morning. The maid was no longer taken aback by the noble’s constant surprise visits to her room. She was more concerned about all the uncomfortable rumors these frequent intrusions had created. That, and she was beginning to wonder if Lady Aphros had any real friends her own age or station.

            “I’m well aware, Lady Aphros,” Serena replied flatly. “Is there something important you wish to impart to me?”

            “What’s with the reaction? It’s Vensday, Serena, the gateway to the weekend,” Aphros declared. “Do kids these days not look forward to the wonders of the final days of the week?[1]”

            “Lady Aphros, I’m sure you are well aware. I do not have a weekend,” Serena reminded the wise and powerful noble. “My duties to Princess Irene do not pause simply because schools and offices let out.”

            “You act like we don’t give you vacation,” Aphros huffed.

            ‘Yeah, one day every two or three months if I’m lucky,’ Serena rolled her eyes.

            “Is it so hard to appreciate the little things in life, Serena?” Aphros asked.

            “Like the day of the week?” Serena lost where the conversation was going.

            “I don’t like your tone, young lady,” Aphros scolded. “I think you need to learn to appreciate this most wonderful day. I order you to take a long weekend. Don’t you dare work or engage in official palace duties again until next Celeday!”

            “What about the Princess?” Serena asked.

            “I’ll take care of it,” the noble assured.

            “I don’t suppose I can have that in writing for when Lady Aré comes breathing down my neck for neglecting my duties,” Serena joked. Her expression flipped when Aphros whipped out a pen and paper and started writing.

            “Done,” Aphros handed Serena an official order, complete with Aphros’s own noble seal freshly applied to the page.

            “Oh...well...I mean, I’d hate to leave the Princess to her own device, but if you insist, Lady Aphros,” Serena grabbed the document and hightailed it out of there.

            “I do not understand that child sometimes,” Aphros commented as she flicked her hair back in bemusement. “She acts as though I were doing her a disservice, giving her the weekend off. Well, she’ll change her tune by the end of it.” The noble pranced off, having done her good deed for the day.

            Approximately two hours later, Lady Aré caught Serena goofing off near the palace sports fields and was ready to give the worker a piece of her mind. When presented with Serena’s official orders from Lady Aphros, the noble redirected her fury in the direction of her peer. Serena had a restful weekend[2], but Aphros did not.

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[1] For reference, the days of the week on the New Celene calendar are: Solday, Celeday, Marsday, Mercriday, Jupitday, Vensday and Saturday. If you get it, you get it.

[2] Since Lady Aphros technically outranks Aré, the former’s orders trump the latter. Ergo, Aré couldn’t cancel Aphros’s orders, despite being Serena’s direct superior. She could however, scream at Aphros all weekend without repercussion.

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Sometimes nothing is sweeter than a well-deserved long weekend.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.

Strange Sci-fi Tales - Skill Issue

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            “Skill List: Expand,” he stated into the microphone. As requested, the screen inside his VR headset displayed the full extent of his expansive skill list. Thanks to the wonders of modern display technology, the list appeared almost tangible in front of his hands, as if a computer menu materialized into real life.

            “Organize: Damage: Highest to Lowest,” he requested, and the list was reorganized with less than a second of loading. His most powerful and dangerous abilities bubbled to the top, while the weakest and non-damaging disappeared out of sight.

            “Still only 12k DPS (Damage Per Second) on my best skill? That’s all I can muster after a month of grinding?” He cursed. His level was maxed out, his stats buffed through the roof, and his gear was all the shiniest and newest pieces from the latest content. Yet, his output was beyond lacking. “Thorack does 10k on a bad day, and he’s a second-string tank.”

            “Display: Talent Specialization,” he commanded. A labyrinthine tree of skills, passives, and buffs consumed his vision. In a second window, he opened up a bookmarked page on his web browser, displaying the latest meta build for his class. “My build’s a copy and paste of the most optimal build. I should be getting twice these numbers on my best skill. I have the best in slot weapons, chest, boots, shoulders, and accessories. My rings are all second or third best, same with the rest of my equipment. Even factoring in additional buffs only pushes my DPS up 10~20%. I’m still behind by way too much!”

            He wanted to slam his fists on a wall, but he knew better than to risk damaging his VR gear. It was frustrating, but he wasn’t angry to the point of foolishness yet. He could cope. He’d figure out the problem and be back on top where he belonged.

            “Someone is messing with me, taking me for a fool,” he fumed. “Ferocity has always been the best Warrior spec. I know because I proved it last year and the year before it. So why is my damage so low?” He scrolled through the various menus displaying his stats and abilities. Everything looked in order, not an equip, talent, glyph, aspect, weapon modifier, or stat gem out of place. So why did the numbers not add up?

            “This is an outrage! Someone is nerfing me, or the game is glitching like mad; I’ll spam the GMs if I have…to…” The answer stared him right in the face. “Oh, it was set to calculate off of base stats…the new update must have screwed with some of the defaults…” His anger fizzled as he clicked the errant checkbox that ignited his needless fury. “26.4k DPS, I’m actually above rate for damage, nice to know.” He made a mental note to never mention this moment to anyone in his guild or anyone else ever.        

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Technology seems to stop working right for random reasons, but sometimes it's not working wrong at all, it's doing exactly what it's being told to.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.

Enigmatic Fantasies - Nothing Grand

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            “Why do you even put up with this line of work?” The innkeeper asked the warrior.

            “It’s a living, nothing grander than that,” Tile answered with a shrug.

            “A living? You’re out there risking life and limb to bring back scraps,” the innkeeper pointed out. “Your cleric buddy came back missing three fingers this time, and for what? 100 Gild split between the four of you? After everything you spent on that little expedition, you’ll barely bring home 10 Gild each.”

            “I earn plenty outside the quest rewards,” Tile gestured to a new gold chain hanging off his belt. “I took this off the warlock we were sent to slay. Well, he wasn’t much of a warlock, more of wizard’s apprentice with delusions of grandeur.”

            “But is that really it, a living? You don’t want to rise through the Guild’s ranks or anything? Most of the rookies coming through here at least dream big,” the innkeeper inquired.

            “It’s nice to imagine, but I’ve been at this long enough to know such aspirations are a pipe dream for most,” Tile explained. “I can dream of being a Legend[1] rank all I want, but even becoming Platinum rank is likely far outside my capabilities no matter how hard I try. It took me over a year to reach Silver rank, and I’ve got at least two more before I even have the chance of rising to Gold. After that, reaching anything higher is nothing more than a fantasy.[2]”

            “So that’s it? No big dreams? Just working this thankless job until you can’t no more?” The innkeeper pressed.

            “Well, I want to reach Gold rank, and after that, I’ll be satisfied,” Tile admitted. “It comes with great benefits, and I’ll be able to retire comfortably once age catches up to me. Anything wrong with that?”

            “It just seems so…normal,” the innkeeper commented.

            “I’d say an adventurer’s life is anything but normal,” Tile laughed. “But I know where I am in this world and where I’m going. Is there anything more I could ask for?”

            “Not dying before you’re thirty?” The innkeeper joked.

            “Well, that could happen regardless,” Tile countered with a chuckle. “But I’m not concerned too much. The world may be full of surprises, but I’m good at pulling back when I’m over my head. I’ll work my ass off and get what I earned in the end. That’s all I’m looking for.”

            “Aren’t we all?” The innkeeper accepted the explanation. “Good luck, I guess.”

            “Luck’s always nice,” Tile laughed as he exited the inn. He was indeed willing to live his life as he proclaimed, content with where he might end up. But what might happen if the world changed in ways he couldn’t expect? If what he accepted as how things could and would be were changed almost overnight. What might happen if one could not simply be content with where they were because it wasn’t enough to survive in this world anymore?

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[1] The Highest rank of adventurer in the Guild. For reference, the ranks are, in order from lowest to highest, Iron->Bronze->Silver->Gold->Platinum->Diamond->Mithril->Legend.

[2] As a general rule of thumb, most adventurers cannot rise above Silver or Gold rank, which serves as the cap for hard work. Even then, reaching Gold requires an incredible amount of hard work for most people, and it is basically a dedicated lifestyle rather than a job. Just reaching Platinum rank requires incredible talents or unique circumstances. It is impossible to reach Legend rank off the back of hard work or talent. At times, it feels like one would need divine intervention to attain such heights.

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Some say to shoot for the moon, but for others it doesn't take much to achieve satisfaction. Just succeeding where you are might be good enough.

Author's Note: This was more or less a practice or trial run for a future story I'm plotting. Basically, it's a semi-dense fantasy story that utilizes footnotes to insert more information that is relevant but not immediately necessary to the story at hand. I've mostly used footnotes for comedic purposes, so this is my attempt at a different approach.

Hopefully, it'll be done sooner rather than later.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.