《stones age: the birth of magic》 when there was no magic in the year 1525 of the boniface calendar, a priest is preparing a ritual to teach his charge the answer "where did magic come from?" he is doing that by preparing a magic circle to show them what happened, using the symbols for time, vision and focus to make it, as well as one of the ashes of the first people. you will see more than they will because you get more than this chapter, aren''t you lucky? after it is finished the two begin the lesson. (blinding light surrounds them and after it fades they seem to be in the middle of a field of tall grass) This is the world of threa, a world that when the actual story is happening, is very similar to the earth of the mid-palaeolithic era. and right now, no magic...but these two neanderthals are gonna change that. the duo is two of the smarter ones in their tribe, after many attacks by other tribes lowering their tribe to a mere 164, they have had enough, they need something to make them become more powerful than their attackers, and they have found one way to do it. the elders tell stories of people doing the impossible, like flying, living longer and stopping a spear with their bodies without a scratch, the two ask what they had in common, the elder telling them of rocks that glow slightly when near someone with a strong desire, after finding some as the tribe migrates with the game, they try to figure out how to make the rocks work. asking some of the others of their tribe to wish as well. they wished and wished and wished some more: for power, for bigger game to hunt, for strength, for knowledge on how things work, some wanted to know how to fix things like their pelts, some wanted to be faster, one wanted a bigger "spear" but most of all the duo wished to not be weak to enemy tribes advances.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. after a while of little to nothing but wishing. while in their tent, they both got really mad and smashed one of the rocks, causing an explosion that left a hole. Not a hole in anything in particular, just, a hole in the air. it was small like the palm of a hand. But the two could feel something different about themselves after the explosion, and after a few seconds, the other rocks began to float and converge on the hole. making it bigger and bigger, until it was the size of a man, and the duo could swear they saw something look back at them from the other side of it. after a minute of stunned silence, the hole collapsed with a flash that enveloped the entire tribe, leaving a bolder in its place, after they were no longer blinded they saw what they were changed, vake[the female] looked sleeker but still with visible muscles, less hairy, and somehow way smarter, meanwhile khic[the male] looked bigger, stronger, but somehow smarter as well, their heads looked different as well, more like modern man. after a brief moment to recognise each other, they sized up the other. Taking note of certain...size adjustments of the other. "....wanna mate?" one said, it doesn''t matter which."yes" was the response. after exploring each other''s bodies, they began to think, deeper than they ever thought before. about what to do now, what happened with everyone else, and what they are gonna do with that weird purple bolder stepping out onto cha-cha-changes vake and khic step out of their tent to see how the rest are, they were surprised by seeing all of the tribe look like them, of variations of themselves, but still recognisable, except that one guy who got a lot hairier and got the face of a wolf, but how he acted gave it away, it was gronmar, who was WAY into wolves, said he wanted to keep some to help with hunts. "I CAN SMELL THE ROTTING CARCAS WAY OVER THERE, AND I ALMOST HATE THAT I LIKE IT!" and now it''s apparent why he was so adamant about that stance. everyone is talking over each other in confusion over what just happened. it wasn''t until 5 seconds after everyone stopped talking, that they all noticed that they can understand each other way better.....most began screaming in confused terror. while others got to question the duo. khic and vake explained what happened. that they didn''t know what exactly happened, and that they can speculate it was probably due to all the wishing that they all changed. a moment later "some" of the males checked the space between their legs under their now looser protective garments, and high-fived each other, not caring that they just invented that gesture, with the idea being "a clap, but between two people"The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. after the initial shock died down, the leaders sent scouts to see how far the light reached, after coming back, it was revealed that after 492 steps[1step=aprox 1ft ] the grass changes abruptly. they didn''t notice until that moment they saw the line that even the grass in the area changed a little, it became more vibrant, lighter in colour, and just thicker. one of the leaders thought of making something out of the long grass at that moment when they noticed it. the rest of the leaders felt relief at knowing more about the after-effects of the flash. until the leader of hunts remembered one of the wishes he and others made. the one for bigger game to hunt. at that moment, almost on cue: a large creature bursts out of the ground in the centre of the encampment, it''s back covered in plates like an armadillo, but the size of a tiger and covered in fur. it seems agitated for some reason, but no-one is going to calm it down. why? because it''s messing up the tents by charging into them. all the hunters crowd around it like they would any other large animal, wielding their spears as to kill it or heard it away from other people. and after a flurry of being stabbed repeatedly, it drops dead. after cutting it up, it''s found that its flesh was surprisingly tasty as everyone else is eating and distributing the flesh of the monster; vake is scribbling in the dirt with a stick absent-mindedly, thinking of how they could use a fire to help dry some of the meat when fire burst out of one of the scribbles......(wide-eyed she calls to khic so he can see the fire happening in front of her) 2 vake shows khic what she did. khic was interested and had to question if she can do something different with different scribbles, checking the scribble, he carved the symbol into a piece of wood for later use .vake then gingerly makes the symbol in the air with the stick in a wand-like motion(why?..wouldn''t you?), and a small fireball about the size of a head happens. when she flinches, it is thrown out of the tent and lands with a "bfwoosh". khics eyes light up at that turn of events.
DADADADAAA~ THEY GOT: SMALL FIREBALL, AKA: camp-fire. [ps, only you see this, reader, not them. the status system for them is a long time away, partly because THEY CAN''T READ.HAHA!]
after others begin to gather around the scorched earth. she started telling everyone what happened in their tent and did a demonstration, but she took note on how the fireball looked smaller than in the tent. she steps closer to theirtent and trys again, the fireball was a little bigger., After a pause, she blurts out "the purple bolder!" She then speculates that thepurple rocks enhancewhateverhappened. . the people began scampering to find the purple stones that started all this, now called "wish-stones" after they collected at least 1 each from streams, forests and just wherever. they all decided to keep them on their persons, because fire is for starters a precious thing, and being able to make it on a whim appeals to them, some of them, it was easier than others to make fire like magic, but they all liked the stones, but they looked a little dull. some ask if they can carve something into the stones, then they all remembered the part where the duo saw something in the hole and thought of honouring the thing with carvings and wearing the stones. thinking it as some powerful spirit that bestowed upon them power and brainpower unrivalled.. as well as intense sexiness.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. the tribesmen begin carving their version of what they thought vake and khic saw, them varying between size, personality and sex, some making their stone talismans seem angry, while others made theirs kind, or mischievous. some looking bulky, while others slim. one made the wish-stone he got into a spearhead with an ornate design depicting a beastly humanoid, thinking of the bigger hunts ahead. after taking a moment, khic notices that the others are showing a trait that they don''t have a word for yet: imagination, and begins thinking of ways to use it for a more direct boon to his people. calling on memories of his more simpleminded days. taking note of times hunts were prolonged due to spears not working on the prey. he got it, he''ll make new weapons![he used the words "death tools" though. they only had knives and spears before] khic gets to work making plans for a few new weapons because the lack of variation for tactics that can be done with just spears and knives, he drew up plans for a choppy stick; with just a sharp edge with no point, a paddle with many pointy parts at the rim; and a big hit-y stick for breaking bones; which is a larger version of the hit-y sticks they use for their tents. all will involve stone. including a particular stone he plans to put on something special for his beloved vake. 3 love and war after finishing some mock-ups for his new weapons, khik goes to his shared tent where vake is already asleep, the outline of her slim but still curvaceous body almost visible through the pelt they use for warmth, her shoulder-length hair sprawled out in all directions like a crimson sun, her hair was always redish, even before the change, but it wasn''t nearly as vibrant as it was now. khic with his large but not bulky frame and short black hair slipped in under the pelt to feel her warmth, the duo finally getting a good night''s sleep after 5 days of mass confusion and all the excitement over the week, the pair of 21-year-olds were content at last. they felt like nothing could harm them, as long as they had each other. before falling asleep, he remembers the time they found that grain water that smelled kinda nice, he tried it first, but when he grunted in approval, she partook of some as well. then they ended up drinking the whole container and had the most fun they never remembered, before waking with headaches that made them think they face planted off a cliff. after the sun came up, vake woke first but didn''t move from the warmth of khics body. after some laying there, she traces a lovey symbol over an abrasion on khic, leaving dirt in the pattern of it
dadada~ they got: minor healing aka loved ones kiss, not good for real combat. but feels nice, and stops infections.
upon seeing it heal, she draws the symbol on a piece of wood with some dirt. and after some time has passed, the danger horn is blown, waking khic with a start. a second later, after the duo is fully awakened; the 50-year-old elder (that since the flash has been looking a lot less decrepit, even a-tad toned. able to even walk without his cane, but he kept it because it''s sentimental to him.) barged in to confirm that an enemy tribe is attacking. khic is excited this time, he has made tools for turning the battle; he rushes to their private crafting tent, pulling vake by the wrist, as he is handing the weapons to vake, explaining how they work, so she can find a way to hand them out, he hands vake the thing he made just for her, a thick stick with a wish-stone the size of a small hand, embedded and tied into the end. looking like a short crude wooden sceptre. after explaining it to her, she takes it with relish, planning to use it as both a casting medium and a blunt instrument. as she is trying to explain the use of the weapons to the fighters, the enemy encroaches upon them, some with hungry eyes, unfortunately for her would-be assailants, she had them burst into flames before they could touch her. acter khic sees the invaders keep coming for vake, he begins to feel something well up inside, he drops the club he was handing to someone, he felt...anger, not frustration, like he had felt so often in the past, he felt like being the aggressor for once. so he picked up a fallen spear, an ax, somehow, picking up and wielding a third, then a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth weapon.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
skill unlocked: multi equip: you can temporarily gain extra grabby appendages, to fight more people at a time, only awarded to the job: weapon master. warning; will cause exhaustion after use, proportional to the length of use
he began to rush at the violent invaders as if he were a whirlwind of death, as he comes to the aid of vake, he calms down enough to realize what is happening, he grew 4 see-through arms, but now he had no time to question it, the duo became instrumental in the repelling of the invaders. vake running and clubbing as much as she spell slung like some magic ninja cave queen[laughs]; allowing the other rune users to throw their own fireballs. while khic got almost everyone''s backs. shielding and countering all attacks from the back of his comrades. the invaders being freaked out by "the people that smelled like the group that they got stuff from", managing to not just fight back, but kill some of them with unknown forces. after an hour of being overwhelmed, the invaders fled[the thought of them losing finally getting through their exorbitantly thick skulls] vake and khic actually continued to chase after them as they retreated, until the duo collapsed from exhaustion, the euphoria of finally repelling the ogrn tribe having overtaken them. after coming to, the elder and shamans congratulated them on their vigor and aid with the equipping of the people, but did note that they went overboard near the end. vake and khic then began actually training the people in the use of the new weapons, as well as something that khic did during the fight, multi-unit fighting tactics(they used words like: "group fight" instead.) at first it was just the standard"having each other''s back" tactic, but khic has shown a strategic mind he never seemed to have before, even thinking up things like"fire-ing lines", and something called "run and tear"(which involves running low to the ground near an enemy, and slashing at their legs before running out of spear range) vake meanwhile taught the shamans the healing rune she discovered and asked them to try to make a better version of it. the shamans(who were really more like medicine men/women) agreed and even began using the spell to help treat the people that got some wounds. as they were celebrating and licking their wounds, a beast is shown in the distance, one with giant antlers, and size to hold them, something was even more noticeable: it is snow white from head to toe, and the grass under it''s feet freeze instantly. 4: the grand ice dear cometh the grand deer of ice charges towards the camp, leaving a trail of ice pillars behind in it''s wake, as it go''s through the camp, it doesn''t stop, and literally just charges past most of the people, but still flash freezing or harming several either with its ice or its own massive girth, but before running off, it looks back, and huffs at the humans the elder, like all others in the tribe, is reasonably upset by this rapid-fire of attacks, the hunters also desiring to kill and skin the beast, for its eye-catching white coat, they want to bring along some of the crafters, healers, and magic users[the terms used being makers, shamans, and stick wavers, respectively] to ensure that the "winter bringer elk" will not harm them again. vake and khic come along on the expedition to better study the new creature that they can tell was a side effect of the wish stone explosion, being local heroes, they are quickly accepted into it. khic being surrounded by the male hunters, and vake being fawned over by the mostly female magic users. the beast left behind an obvious trail of dead and frozen plants and animals, leaving no shortage of direction or food for the expedition to follow. the path mostly grassland was also a help, the trip lasted days, if not a week of following the trail of carnage, the group got more excited and peeved as time went on, desiring to end the creature responsible for such death. some like vake, were interested in how it killed so effectively, as well as how it made snow and ice appear regardless of the weather. after following it for so long, they finally caught sight of it, resting curled up in the center of a clearing it made from its mere presence. the hunters drew up a plan of action(mostly in the dirt with Xs and Os to indicate the ones that will use weapons, and the ones that use magic from a distance, as well as a crude image of the elks head to indicate it) khic offering his 2 cents on how the magic users could distract it, while the hunters sneak up and bash it''s legs in from behind, vake giving her response to that plan, by pulling on his ear to lead him away to "have a chat with him", ultimately, they decided to have both hunters and magic users distract and damage it in turns, and from all angles, to cut off its escape. after the group got into their positions, they waited until they remembered that they forgot to think up a signal of attack until the lead hunter took the initiative and rushed forward to club the elk''s head to disorient it, prompting the first group to get up from hiding to assault the creature before it got properly ready to retaliate, the leader almost freezing to death when the elk suddenly gave him a literally ice stare, being saved by a magic-user throwing a fireball past him to heat up the remaining area between him and the ice elk. the beast seemingly having an aura of cold that keeps the fireballs from properly reaching it. the fireballs not just managing to do their job of distracting it from the hunters charging forward to break it''s legs, but also to keep the close range hunters from freezing when they get close to the ice elk.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. after an hour of what could definitely be called a fight more than a hunt, the group manages to get it to fall over on its side from all the bloodloss and broken bones, the group suffering quite a few lacerations and broken ribs from the ice pillars and the creatures constant charging at them. the final blow was awarded to khic, due to his planning, and use of his summoned extra limbs to block the beasts'' charges and to help others to get out of the way of them, keeping the casualties low, with only one or 2 people dying. khic took a spear, and shoved it through the beasts'' eye, piercing its brain. vake and the ones dutied with stripping away its pelt and meat, gathered around the corpse, vake deciding to take the job of digging out it''s guts, so she can get a better understanding of what "made it cold, not hot". a different looking wish stone from the ones they have seen before is found inside its body, this one ice blue instead of the normal purple, after scratching some gore off it, a small animal seemed to pop out of it in a flash of light, it''s size being able to fit in the palm of a hand, it looked like the ice dear, but more humanoid in posture and having only one antler, this creature being more docile than it''s former container, it seems to blow cold air at the on holding it. Vake looks at the stone, and the little being, and waves her scepter in the pattern reminiscent of the icey beast, and a strong drop in temperature happened in the direction she pointed it, causing the ground itself to blast upwards with small ice pillars.
DOO-DOO-DOO-DAAA, spell gained: elks gust, AKA small ice spell
TA-DA: vake has acquired the worlds first familiar: infant wendigo ice elemental
vake doesn''t see the utility of the rune outside of combat and hunting just yet, but she will, eventually. the creature: she will fawn over for now.(narater takes out phone to play a rimshot)