《Tara Blanc》 # 1 Tara blanc liked to be in control. She liked to keep a schedule and calm politeness. It was all part of maintaining the mask she wore in public¡ªa nice average act, a person who didn''t stand out. Tara was a high-functioning Autistic. A part of herself that she hated at this moment in time. ¡°Are you alright?¡± A slightly bored but still concerned voice asked Tara from the other side of the bathroom stall. ¡°Y-Yes, I¡¯m F-f-f-Fine,¡± Tara stuttered out, then huffed in frustration; she hatted when she stuttered. It meant she wasn''t even in control of her mouth. ¡°Well, if you say so,¡± the bathroom door opened and closed a few moments later. Tara sighed and rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. She was sitting on a gross bathroom toilet in the tiny bathroom of the Starbucks cafe she had wandered into on her way home after class. ¡°Honestly,¡± She mumbled and took out her phone¡ª1 missed text from her mom. I have to pick up your sister from school she threw up. So I''m not going to be at home when you get there. Tara groaned and leaned back slightly. She stood up and grabbed her old blue purse from the hook she had placed it on with a long sigh. With a deep breath and opened the stall and stepped out.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The bathroom was still empty, but she still walked over to the sinks to wash her hands. It was a habit and a rule of society to wash your hands after going to the bathroom. Tara might have only sat on the toilet and not used it, but to an outside viewer, they wouldn''t know that, and as such, she must wash her hands even if there was no one in the bathroom but her. After washing her hands and throwing away the towel, Tara carefully examined herself in the mirror. Her face was slightly flushed from panic, so she quickly wet her hands and cooled her cheeks. Tara Leaned in close to the mirror and examined her eyes behind her glasses. Tara never wore makeup, it felt weird on her skin, but that''s not why she was so carefully looking at her eyes. Tara had cried a little during her panic attack and needed to ensure that it wasn''t apparent to the average viewer. Next to be put under scrutiny was her hair. Tara stood straight and turned her head this way and that, checking that her brown curly hair hadn''t found its way out of its tight ponytail. Noticing a few flyaways, she used her still slightly wet hands to smooth her hair down against her scalp. Finally satisfied with her appearance, Tara prepared herself to face the Starbucks crowd. Of course, it wasn''t really a crowd, and if anything, it was probably just a few college students working on their homework. At least that''s all that Tara saw in her panicked rush threw the cafe. Before opening the door, Tara silently wished that the rude man who had yelled at her and the barista earlier was gone. Tara opened the door with a sharp nod and stepped out into chaos. 2 Tara blinked, blinked again. Then screamed. The Starbucks cafe had been turned into a battleground. The trio of College students in the corner faced off against a strange creature; it was short. About three feet tall, green and ugly. It looked like the typical fantasy goblin. But that was ridiculous; Fantasy was fantasy. Tara''s gaze swept past them and landed on the barista, and she took a step back in shock. In the hands of the baffled and scared barista was a sizeable glowing longsword. Okay, Tara, think first, go back to the bathroom and close the door. Quickly doing an about-face, Tara returned to the bathroom and closed the door as quickly but quietly as possible. Before Panic could freeze her in place, she started pacing back in forth. "Okay, okay, what do you know? Don''t panic, don''t panic, don''t panic." Tara muttered and sped up her pacing. Ding! Welcome to the System Tara Blanc Calculating life history¡­ Ding! Please call out Status to see your results. Tara froze and stared at the words that appeared floating in front of her face. Tara gasped for air, realizing that she hadn''t been breathing in her shock. Tara remembered all the stories she had read about the System apocalypse with a whimper. Suddenly, the situation she had stumbled into in the cafe made more sense. Okay, you know what this means; all those years of reading fantasy books are finally proving helpful in real life. Man up! Take the next step, as Dory says. Just keep swimming. Tara swallowed and realized her throat was dry. "Status," Tara barely whispered. Tara Blanc
Strength 2
Intelligence 7
Dexterity 3
Wisdom 5If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Vitality 1
Spirt 8
Ding! Congrats on opening your status screen, next say ¡°Skills,¡± ¡°It''s real, this is really happening.¡± Tara breathed out in disbelief. ¡°Okay, okay, stay calm, Skills,¡± Tara stated trying to keep herself calm. Skills
Reading 35
writing 28
acting 17
singing 15
learning 18
Ding! Yay! You are doing great! As a prize, here''s a new skill we choose just for you based on who you have been so far in life. Ding! Would you like to open your gift? Yes/No Tara blinked as she finished reading the words. "A gift?" She cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes," Congratulations on your new skill, Manafest Words "Manafest words?" Tara asked herself. It was have been a trigger because the next second, Tara was hit with the worse headache she had ever had; she stumbled and grabbed onto the marble of the sink next to her. Tara gasped in pain and hunched over. Suddenly the pain was gone. In its place was all that she needed to know to use her new skill Manafest Words. "Wow. That, this is." Tara stumbled over her words as she pondered over her new skills. New Quest is available. Reach Level 10 in Manafest Words New Quest is available. Slay 5 enemies New Quest is available. Reach Level 5 Tara reared back at the sudden influx of words. Suddenly a loud bang came from the other side of the door and caused the entire bathroom to shake. Tara stumbled and stared at the door, scared. "Okay, you can do this." Tara tried to convince herself. She glanced in the mirror and frowned. She looked the same. She wasn''t sure why exactly why she thought that her appearance would change, but it didn''t seem right. So Tara untied her sweater from her waist and pulled it on. She pulled her hair out of its tight ponytail and redid it into a long braid that fell down her back. Tara adjusted her glasses and nodded to herself. It would do for now. "Okay, let''s try this out." She stood in the middle of a small bathroom, on her right three stalls and on the left two sinks. She held her right arm out and splayed her fingers. "Manafest Words" as the last syllable left her mouth. Tara gasped as warmth flooded her body, and she began to glow a light blue. "A Sword to fight and defend," By the last word, Tara was swaying and felt drained; all that was left o the warmth from before was a small flickering light in her chest. But in her right hand was a beautiful sword. The pommel was pearl white, and the blade''s metal was a clear silver. Engraved on the blade were the words, "To fight and defend." Tara stared at the sword with a wide giddy grin on her face. She swung the blade, and a sharp whistle filled the air as the blade cut threw the air. "All right, I''m ready." 3 As soon as Tara''s hand grabbed onto the doorknob, the system dinged once again, halting her movement. Ding! Are you sure you would like to leave your safe zone and enter the First Floor? Yes/No "First floor?" Tara asked herself. Based on my book knowledge, a first floor implies at least one other floor- probably a tower. Okay, Before leaving the bathroom-uh-safe zone. I should see if I can gain the swordsmen ship skill. "Right," Tara said to herself. Tara began to repeatedly swing her new sword in front of her, mimicking the moves she had seen in movies. After only two swings, Tara''s arms began to shake, "Don''t stop; just reach ten, then take a break." Tara heaved between gasping breaths. This was a real sword, after all, made with actual metal. "Eight, nine, TEN!" Tara shouted and collapsed to the cool tiled floor. Sweat fell from her brow and dripped onto the floor. Tara struggled to get air into her lungs as she ignored the system dinging at her. After a moment, Tara had caught her breath and sat back to look at the system messages. Ding! For continuous physical activity + 2 to Strength. Ding! For pushing your physical limits +2 to Vitality. Ding! For practicing with your sword, you gain the skill Beginner Swordsmen Lv 1 "Yes!" Tara shouted and leaned back on her left hand, her right still holding onto her sword. "Okay, one more thing. Status!" Tara shouted with excitement. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Tara Blanc
Strength 4 HP = 28/28
Intelligence 7 SP = 5/43
Dexterity 3
Wisdom 5
Vitality 3
Spirit 8
Tara''s eyes roved over her new stats and paused at the latest additions. HP, and SP. I assume that HP stands for health points and SP for, um, spirit? Points? Yeah, let''s go with that. "Why is my SP so low?" Tara asked herself, "Did creating this sword really take that much." Tara paused and took a closer look at the sword in her hands. She brought it up to her eyes and squinted. Ding! Tara jolted, "Cheezits!" She exclaimed and fumbled with the sword. Tara sighed in relief as she reaffirmed her grip on the blade. By closely examining an object for an extended amount of time, you gain the skill Identify. Tara grinned and brought the sword back up and squinted at it. "Identity," Tara muttered. To protect and defend. A sword created by Tara Blanc with her skill Manafest Words. Sword has the Ever Sharp trait and the Growth trait.
Sharpness 100 (+2 from Ever Sharp)
HP 200/200
Level 1
Rarity D
Ever sharp is pretty self-explanatory. But what does growth mean? Tara focused on the words Growth and activated Identify. Growth When the trait Growth is added to an item, it allows said item to level up alongside its owner. That''s cool, okay, no more stalling. It''s time to head out. With a determined nod and deep breath, Tara spoke. "Yes," and stepped out into the new reality.