Master Of None

[some other time]

The winter was in full frosty and snow outside the window. The entire home shook slightly with every gust of wind. Three children cuddled close to a roaring fire to remain warm while a tall man wearing a blanket held a book. "I met this man once in my life, so I can tell you that these stories must be true to a degree. I had to dig for some weeks through the libraries before an elf friend of mine gave me a book about him. His name was the dimensional step Alabastor." 

The two boys and a girl nudged each other to stay awake to hear the story. They looked forward to their fathers' stories every night. It was the thing they loved most, they heard plenty at school or out in the city. But hearing them from their father was more than they could ever want. The stories always felt more real and held hidden details that they felt more after learning. 

"The adventurer Alabastor had received his system in a time where the cities you know did not exist. There were ruins now which were in their prime when he walked the world. The adventurers' guild which is very old now was non existent then. Instead, there were more mercenaries and hired muscle for those that tried to scrape out a living. Territories were less marked and more held by the strength of will." 

The three children tried to imagine the world in this way and could not find a way to properly see it. They had only known the hand crafted amazement of the city they grew up in. Imagining ruins and battle worn towns was not something they had ever experienced and were too young to even see them yet. 

"Alabastor had lost his parents to a territory war and found himself alone in a rundown village. Without any path to travel, he made a decision on what he would do. He chose to become strong and create a place for him to find happiness. This desire pushed him to ignore the system he had yet to block and find his village chief." 

"After hearing Alabastors' words, the chief had given his blessing. They were always short on food and hearing one boy ask to leave the village to journey and become strong was a boon on its own. Every little bit of food saved could help them survive the winter in the village."

"Alabastor left that very day. He took what he could from his home and equipped himself with his best traveling clothes. He knew of a large town nearby that could hold the things he wished to obtain. But he found he could not hold everything he wished to take. That was when he saw a small burst of words in front of eyes and heard the single ding of the system activating."

The man watched as the three children leaned toward him in wonder, "The story says he awakened his dimensional traveler system that very day with a skill like this," The man pulled three pieces of chocolate from the empty air. "He gained the pocket dimensional storage skill. A little different than this but amazing still." 

"The second skill he had from his system was known as the spacial step. He could step through space and teleport short distances. When he met a group of travelers besieged by wolves he pulled a kitchen knife and used the spatial step to ambush every single one. In total his first act of courage was to slay fifteen plain wolves." 

There was awe painted on the children's faces. Slaying fifteen wolves was something that none could do at level one of their system. But for Alabastore, it was simple. His skills had allowed him to do so with ease. 

"The merchant in the rescued caravan was stunned to see a young boy being so vicious. But what was even more was the use of spatial magic. Magic users were rare and known to be reclusive in those days. Many were physical fighters and in the eyes of this merchant, Alabaster was a passing genius that saved their lives. He naturally offered a great reward if Alabastor would travel with them as a secondary guard." 

"None of the hired guards could oppose the idea since they had seen the battle prowess first hand. That was how Alabastor gained his first small claim to fame. The merchant that had seen him and the spearmen that were hired as body guards spread his story like wildfire when they reach the large town of Lyre."

"He was received by the large town merchants group one day to grow in to the merchants' association and eventually to split over trade deals gone bad. The offer to become a body guard for their caravans was a job that most mercenaries and hired muscle would fight tooth and nail for. But when they heard the story of Alabastor, they did not grumble. Any who challenged him found that he would have a kitchen knife to their throats before they battle was even a minute in."

"Of course he didn't use a kitchen knife for long. The merchant that he journeyed with passed down a dagger made from a minotaur horn from the wild beats plains. Apparently, a demigod of tricks and forging had created a monster maze trapping wild beast men there. But that is a story for another day. Alabaster had only ever used one weapon after receiving that."

"The next years of Alabastors life were full of small tales. He would face bandit groups using his spatial step skill and cause them to flee in fear. Monsters were unable to lay a hand on him and merchant groups flourished when he guided them. For a teenager, he had built up the experience and name of an esteemed bodyguard." 

"Is there more?"

"Yeah, dad? More?"

"He was a bigger hero than that, right?!" 

"Well, I can tell you more. But that's if you will be able to keep your eyes open. He was still not known as the dimensional step Alabastor at that time." The smirk that the man held on his face made the three children want to prove him wrong and remain awake all night to hear the full story. But that would prove futile since their drowsiness took hold of them and they were swiftly put to bed with dreams of adventures in their minds. 

"I promise to tell you all the rest of the story later. Sleep tight." The man walked back to the large library they had been in and placed the book back on to a shelf. "I wonder how many of these I can fill before I am old and grey. Maybe my friends will come to share some of their stories during the holidays. It's been a little while." The man wandered back to his own room where a small snoring woman was dreaming away already. 

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